Author: Ella

IRJE #4 – Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society is a novel written by Nancy H. Kleinbaum, that is based on the 1989 film. It focuses on identity and the struggle for self-expression. The story is set in an elite boys’ prep school and shows the life of John Keating, who is a teacher that always encourages his students to “seize the day” and embrace their own passions.

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”   

Through his unusual teaching methods, the boys begin to question the  structures of their lives, and the pressure from their families and school. The novel shows the emotional and mental journeys of the students. Specifically Neil, who desires for freedom and self-expression while his dad believes in strict parenting. Dead Poets Society shows the consequences of going against social expectations but also represents how education can show the importance of being true to yourself.

IRJE #3 – Picking Daisies on Sundays

Picking Daisies on Sundays by Liana Cincotti is a friends-to-lovers romance novel. The story starts with Daniella, known as ‘Daisy’ who is a hopeless romantic finding herself near the end of college. She enters into a fake relationship with her childhood best friend, and first love named Levi. They initially enter the fake relationship for convenience, but slowly realize they have deeper feelings for eachother.

Being with you is like coming home after a long journey. I’d forgotten the feeling of comfort and certainty you bring. It’s as if every Sunday, we were just picking up where we left off, each petal a memory, each laugh a promise of something more.

This statement represents the comfort between the characters, and how they trust and rely on eachother. “Coming home” represents that they find safety, and belonging when they’re with eachother. Throughout the book they switch perspectives, giving a viewpoint on each characters emotions and thought process.

Overall, the story reminded me that sometimes love can feel like a journey, where past feelings and new experiences collide. It made me think about second chances, and how important it is to be honest to have a true connection with another person.

PW #4 – When I went to the Scarlet Tour

In November of 2023, I went to Doja Cat’s Scarlet tour.

A month before the tour started I told my parents I really wanted to go, but it wasn’t a big priority for me because I had school. One Wednesday morning my dad casually told me he bought tickets for me, him, and my mom 2 days prior to the concert, I was so happy. We flew to Vegas on Thursday night, and got there at 11pm. The next day was the concert, we mainly spent the day shopping and walking on The Strip before it was time for the concert. We took an Uber back to our hotel, got dressed for the concert, and walked to the T-Mobile Arena which was across from our hotel. By the time we got there the merch booth had just opened so we bought merch we wanted. We lined up to get our seats, and we waited until the concert started.

The concert was so fun, the energy was so hype, everybody was jumping and knew the lyrics to the songs. I was screaming every song and by the time the concert was over my voice was gone. To this day I am so grateful to have gone because it was definitely one of the best experiences of my life.

My Personal Response To “Our Town”

I really enjoyed reading and watching Our Town, the story was kind of hard to follow at first, but the more I started to read the book the easier it got. Watching the play and seeing the characters use their imagination while using props was interesting, and showed that anybody can write and direct a play without spending lots of money on props for different scenes. The Stage Manager would come in from scene to scene, preventing me from deepening my thoughts about the characters and their lives. Wilder made Grover’s Corners feel like it’s our town by giving us an clear view into the lives of the Gibbs and Webb family. The story and play both showed how people grow, fall in love, and eventually die by saying that Wally died from an appendix burst at camp, and showing us how George and Emily grew to falling inlove with eachother, and having Emily die due to childbirth.

Many things change in the book such as, George, Emily, and even Grover’s Corner, by the end of the book the Stage Manager tells us about how people lock their doors now, considering a breach of safety and trust in the citizens of Grover’s Corner.

By the end of the story and play, Emily realized that she took life for granted, and squandered life when she had it. After watching, it even had me thinking about life and why we should make the best of every day that we are here on earth, because we never know when it’s going to be our last.

IRJE #2 – It Ends With Us

It Ends With Us, is a novel by Colleen Hoover that is set on Lily Bloom’s life as a flower shop owner in Boston who had left to the town of Maine for a new beginning. To start off the book, Lily meets a neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid with whom she begins dating later into the story. As their relationship deepens however, Lily begins to face some challenges which take her back to her younger days and her first love Atlas Corrigan.

“It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us. This is a quote that gets tossed around a lot, but it’s one of those things that gives me a sense of strength. Like maybe if we keep saying it, we’ll believe it. That we are capable of breaking the cycle.”

This moment in the book shows Lily’s determination to change the cycle of decisions from her past, giving herself a better and happier future. Mainly, The story explores the ups and downs of love, the choices we make, and how our past experiences shape who we are.

PW #3 – Why Challengers is my Favourite Movie

After watching Challengers six times since it came out, it has become my favorite movie, and here’s why. The film moves between two time periods, giving an understanding of the characters and their relationships. 

At the center of the story is Tashi, played by Zendaya, a talented tennis player getting through the competitive world of tennis. She finds herself caught in a love triangle with her current husband, Art, and Patrick, a rival player who was once Art’s doubles partner. As the story unfolds, we see how Tashi’s drive to play tennis clashes with her emotions. The movie explains the complexities of love, rivalry, and ambition in a way that feels SOOO real.

Overall, Challengers not only shows the thrill of tennis but also dives into personal relationships and the choices we make. 

PW #2 – When I met a celebrity in New York City

In late August, I was in New York City with my parents. It was a normal day for me, I had been out in SoHo for almost the entire day, and we had just left our hotel to head to a resturant in Eataly. As we were walking, a blonde lady hurried past us in the opposite direction. As soon as she passed, my mom stopped, turned around, and unsure of who it was, asked me “Isn’t that Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl?”

As soon as we realised it was her, we turned around to see her quickly walking into a store. By the time we caught up to where she had entered two other people had also noticed her. When she came out, I asked for a photo and we had a short conversation before more people recognized her.

PW #1 – The Guy with a Gun at the Tesla Charging Station in LA

In July of 2024, I was in Los Angeles with my parents. We had just come back from Universal Studios, and decided to charge our car. We pulled over to a supercharging station on Sunset Blvd, which is one of the busiest Tesla Charging Stations in LA. We arrived to a a green cybertruck already charging and line of 5 cars waiting to charge, so we decided to wait. After about 5 minutes, we heard yelling outside, a woman had decided to charge her car in a wheelchair spot without having a permit to be parked there. This guy got out of his car and started yelling really rude things at the woman, obviously if a middle aged man is yelling at a 20 year-old, people want to know what’s the problem. 3 other people which were in line and the 2 people who were in the cybertruck all got out of their cars started to yell at the man, which turned into an argument.

Now I was lowkey scared while sitting in my car because, not to sterotype but it’s America and it’s legal to have a gun in your trunk, so I was telling my parents that we should go, but they insisted we stay. After heated banter between the guys, and the woman who was parked in the wrong place had left, one of the guys started to throw hands. I can’t even remember this in full detail but the next thing I remember is someone else in the corner of the charging lot, trying to punch air. After a few people left to go somewhere, and us finally getting a charging spot, I see the man looking in his trunk and putting a gun in his pocket. Inititally I didn’t even know it was a gun until after the police came and other people who were parked closer to him told the police that he had a gun. Shortly after, the police came and my dad gave a brief description of the man and showed a video of him, and the argument that happened. We never found out if the man ever used the gun, and by the time we left the green cybertruck was still charging with nobody inside.

IRJE #1 – Maybe in Another Life

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a novel based on a woman who returns to her hometown, Los Angeles after many years. One night, she faces a decision wether to go home with her ex-boyfriend, rekindling their past romance, or to stay out with friends. Which would lead to new experiences and relationships, this moment created two parallel storylines, that alternate throughout the novel.

I can’t help but think about all the choices we make. How they lead us to where we are, and how we can’t see how it all plays out. What if I had made a different choice? What if I had taken a different path?

When I read that passage, it made me think about how our choices really shape our daily lives and how important it is for everyone to find a balance in what they do.

My Personal Response To “Master And Man”

After finishing Master And Man, I didn’t really like it. I found it challenging to understand the context of the story, especially since some of the language used was in Old English, which made it harder to connect with the characters and their intentions. However, there were a few elements of the story that I liked. All of the characters added a unique personality to the novella, while their interactions kept me interested in the story. Overall, while the novella didn’t click with me, the character dynamics showed a glimpse into the human relationships between characters that I found exciting to read.

An introduction to Ella!

Hey, I’m Ella! I’m 13, and I was born in Victoria, BC.

I’m currently in my first year at Brookes Westshore. Some of my interests are fashion, staying active, and travelling. I love cheerleading, and I’ve been dancing since I was 4 years old. One of my favourite places in the whole world has to be California, I looove the beaches, the houses, and the whole vibe there. When I’m older, I hope to be working in the medical field, but I plan to study more than just medicine when I go to university.

Hopefully you learnt something new about me!