Christopher Boone

Christopher Boone, a fifteen year old boy is the protagonist in my novel "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time".  Christopher is a bright boy who also suffers from Asperger's Syndrome.  His mother passed away from a heart attack two years ago so he lives with his father in Swindon.  Swindon is a very small town and they live in a neighbourhood filled with quirky neighbours.  His father is very protective of him and does not allow him to talk to others but with Christopher's curiosity, he begins to unravel information about his mysterious neighbours.  Christopher is very clever, despite the fact that he has troubles communicating with others and understanding simple things such as human emotions.  He struggles from being unable to express his feelings in a calm manner and he will often scream, cry, or hit others to show his anger.  He is quite specific with the things he likes and likes everything to be in order.  For example, he does not "like yellow or brown things and [refuses] to touch yellow or brown things" (59).  The way his mind works, Christopher must have an order to all that he does and cannot adapt to change well.  A fact that I found interesting is that when he sees four red cars in a row one day, he declares it a good day, in which he will stay happy throughout and when he sees four yellow cars in a row, it is black day, whereby he will keep to himself and refuse to eat or talk.  Although others may find him incompetent, Christopher is an intelligent boy.  He loves science and math and observes his surroundings in a mathematical form, such as knowing how large a room is.  In this book, he shares his knowledge with us by stating facts about the Milky Way and other scientific matters.  He is very observant and notices details that others look over.

Christopher is seen as incompetent because of his disability, but little do others know that there is a smart boy hidden behind his stubborn exterior.  He wants to "prove that [he] is not stupid" (56).  This became his motivation.  Christopher wanted to be enrolled in an A Level math class but the teachers disapproved of this because they did not think he was capable.  He stayed strong and with his father's help, they finally allowed him to be in the class.  It is Christopher's dream to be an astronaut and he is confident in himself that he will one day achieve this goal.

In the beginning of the novel, it was revealed that his neighbour. Mrs, Shear's dog was murdered.  Christopher had innocently wandered into her backyard and found the poor dog, Wellington, lying down with a pitchfork extended from his body.  Soon, the police came and they assumed Christopher murdered the dog and sent him to jail.  After proving his innocence, Christopher decided that it was his mission to uncover who had killed Wellington.  Going against his father's words, he starts to sneak around his neighbourhood and interviews different people.  This novel is written by Christopher as he jots down his notes as a young detective.

Blu

"I know it's irrelevant, but rap is my profession
And just because I'm a gentleman, don't mean I'm into settling
I spend most my time on the grind, but I ain't peddling rocks
Or trying to sign to the rock, I'm trying to meddle in my own business
So tell your girls mind they own business
And I would give you my digits but see my phone isn't 
Excepting calls until the bills get paid
Now you say you want the real but it's the real I'm saying, so what's the deal?"
- Blu, First Things First

Below is my poem dedicated to my favourite hip-hop artist, Johnson Barnes, more commonly known as Blu.  His songs are just phenomenal and I guarantee if you give them a listen, you will be wondering where he has been all your life.  The phrases in quotations in my poem are names of Blu's songs except for "Therapy" by T-Pain.

Your flow is so smooth, my heart melts like butter
When I swallow your rhymes, my mind lifts from the gutter
With the bass in the background, it dances with your words
They are so elaborately threaded, the components of your verse
Salmon sashimi, incomparably unique and raw
Every beat goes hand in hand, I can't find a single flaw
When I close my eyes and listen, your lyrics keep me sane
My remedy, my "Therapy", and I'm not talking about T-Pain
If I can compare the feeling, it would be like "Dancing In the Rain"
As indescribable as endorphins being released from my brain
When it's me myself and your music, "My World Is" at peace
My mind enters serenity and I can feel my stress decrease
Every song has so much depth, I discover treasures in the hole
You speak from the heart and pour out your whole soul
It's like I have a piece of you and felt all you've been through
And understand every imagery, your views are so real, Blu
If only I had the ability to see life in your eyes
I can filter the nonsense and disregard all the lies
You preach not of material, but the beauty of life
The struggles you've faced and the conquering of strife
Down to earth, you don't revolve around money, sex and cars
Contradictory, you're beyond that, I could find you among stars
"Simply Amazing", I hear the heart of the one who sings
The passion embedded and the love it brings
I don't call this lust, I'm just deeply inspired
Sadly my chances are low when you're so widely desired
And if you have a type, I'm certain I won't fit the list
I'm ten years younger and you don't even know I exist
But age does not matter when I'm in love with your mind
I don't mean to be fan girl, but will you be my valentine?

"The Beauty Within"

Referring to my previous post, I would just like to say that I was not writing in my own perspective.  For our narrative essay, we were to write about challenges we've had with ourselves.  I thought the topic of 'body image' was easy to expand upon since it was broad instead of writing about small specific struggles I had personally faced.  Exaggeration was allowed as long as I wrote in a first person context.  So my point is, don't worry I don't starve myself or anything.  I have many insecurities but weight is definitely not one of them.  I love food too much and eat at a turbo rate non-stop.

The Beauty Within

         Sometimes in life, the greatest struggle we must overcome is with ourselves.  The challenge I faced last year taught me a lot about myself and it tested the strength I had within.  As a typical teenage girl, I had many insecurities, especially with my body image.  My self-esteem fell low due to the lack of confidence in myself.  Growing up, I had a perception of what beauty was and I felt that I was the opposite of that.  However, to face this struggle, I realized that in order to be happy, I must be comfortable in my own skin.
        The scorching sun glared down, casting a layer of heat over the vibrant striped patio furniture.  My classmates' laughter and chatter filled my ears as I walked through the gate of Pauly's backyard.  It was only the middle of May but everyone from school already came to conclusion that this was going to be the party of the year.  I had anticipated this day since Pauly invited me last month.  As I can recall, I had to lean against my locker to keep from collapsing as I took the invitation from Pauly with quivering hands.  His blond ruffled hair that fell right above his eyebrows, his defined jaw line, and the row of white pearls he flashed at me on occasion were all factors that made me swoon at the thought of him.  Every time he walked past me in the hallways, I would watch his glowing aura in awe as my heart melted and my stomach fluttered.  I was still in shock as to why a boy classified as perfect would invite a girl like me.  A cold splash of water interrupted my trail of thought as someone jumped into the pool.  I quickly looked around for a place to fit in with my outgoing classmates but none was to be found.  I have always had a timid personality and it was not easy to communicate with those I did not feel comfortable with.  Looking over to the corner beside a ratty blue shed, I noticed Pauly's father cooking on the barbecue.  I held my bright pink towel against my body and quickly walked over to grab a freshly grilled hot dog.  From the corner of my eye, I noticed a figure jogging towards me and I turned around to face Pauly's award-winning infamous grin.  Before I could sheepishly mutter a greeting, his next words made my heart fall to the pit of my stomach.
         "Slow down there, turbo.  My dad did not buy enough hot dogs to fill that stomach of yours.  I'm glad you came though."
        With his smile still glued to his face, he did not realize how much his biting words hurt me.  The corner of my mouth twitched as I smiled with hesitance.  I fought hard to hold back the tears that were forcing themselves to the brim of my eyes.  I had never been comfortable with my weight, but it never occurred to me that this boy who had captured my heart would be capable of surfacing such a big insecurity.  For the duration of the party, I sat alone on an uncomfortable wooden chair by the gate, trying not to think about Pauly's words nor my growling stomach.
        My lifestyle had changed dramatically during the next month.  I denied dinner invitations and any other events that required me to eat in front of others.  Not even my best friend, Elle noticed that I was starting to eat less and less.  I occupied myself at home with chores so I would not have the urge to eat a snack before dinner.  I would lie to my parents that I had already eaten so I would be given a smaller portion for dinner.  I had let the idea of losing weight take over me.  Everything I did during that month was revolved around me controlling my eating habits.  All I wanted was for Pauly to compliment me on my new size.  I started to feel like a whole different person and I could not recognize the haunting image I would see in my mirror.  Even though I was losing weight, I felt beaten down and tired every day from the lack of food I was consuming.  Most of my friends had gotten tired of trying to spend time with me.  They even stopped bothering to associate with me.  Most, except Elle.  She came to my house a few times a week with a movie or some magazines.  One day, she came without either of them.
        Elle and I sat cross legged in front of one another on my bed.  I couldn't look her in the eyes but she was staring at me intently.  I could tell she knew about my changes by the way she was carefully choosing her words.  Then I broke down.  I confessed the sickening thoughts that had resided in my mind for the past month.  I spilled the harsh words I would tell myself whenever I was tempted to eat more than I had intended.  She told me that she was going to be right by my side throughout all my challenges.  I appreciated this; however, I knew that the only person who could truly help me get my life back on track, was myself.
      The following day, I felt sick to my stomach as my mind churned, thinking of how I let a comment made by an ignorant boy control my life.  It was time for my own mind to lead once again.
       Reflecting upon that depressing month made me realize the effect criticism can have on my life.  In order to prevent this from happening again, I needed to have more confidence in myself.  Society shows an image of how they perceive beauty and a lot of women think they must look a certain way in order to be considered as beautiful.  However, with this experience, I learned that beauty comes in all sizes.  I had a lot of trouble coming to this conclusion because I did not believe in myself.  Overcoming my insecurities allowed me to see myself in a different light.   No matter how difficult the challenge is, we must face it, even if it is with ourselves.