Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

*No Spoilers!*

Well! It's over. The phenomenon that is the Harry Potter books is finally finished. All the slightly rabid fans (myself and sister included) have had the last long wait, and have finished reading the final book. I stayed up till 4:18 Monday morning finishing it. And it was worth it. Although, surprisingly, I thought there was something that could have been done better, there was a major plot hole about the Horcruxes, and I want to know what happens to some of the other people who were not included in the Epilogue. But over all it was probably the best one, closely rivaled by Half-Blood Prince.

On the subject of Lawn Mowing...

The Golf course periodacly is kind enough to mow(sp?) our rather large lawn. But they aren't very regular. Sometimes they wait to cut it till it comes to ones knees (nearly) and sometimes when it it is about as short as it can be they come back and dig holes in the yard where it is slightly uneven.
Well, today I was peacefully writing an email and mom was reading on the overstuffed chair. We were the picture of tranquility and summer relaxation.... When suddenly there came the sound of a lawn mower!
And there he is! The eighteen year old golf in-turn speeding along over our yard on a RIDE ON MOWER! SPEEDING! It was one of the oddest sights imaginable...

A Flipping Coin

If you have NOT seen the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Please DON’T read this as it will gave away major plot things…*

A flipping coin; falling, spinning in darkness. There is nothing to look at but it. A most memorable image from the newest swashbuckling, seafaring, motion-picture: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. This emblem is merely supposed to show that someone is dead, but there is far more to this image than first meets the eye.
It is more than a piece of imprinted metal. It shows the whole theme of the movie. Oh, yes, there are scenes of sword fighting, and ships locked in combat, but the real theme of the movie is two values which cannot exist without each other.
When Will asks Elizabeth “If you make your decisions alone, how can I trust you?” Her answer is correct “you can’t”. This is a low point for the romance of the movie. Nether of our dear lovers are ready to trust each other. Elizabeth killed Jack, but did not tell Will, letting Will in despair thinking that his fiancée was in love with another. Will, to further his plans, choose to side with Beckett to try and rescue his father ‘Bootstrap’ Bill, from the Flying Dutchman and its heartless (literally) captain, Davey Jones.
And yet, if you care to look, Davey Jones is not all as heartless as he would like to appear. He loved a woman. Still loves her, in fact. A woman as untamable as the sea, because she was, in fact, just that: Calypso, a goddess of the sea. A long time ago Calypso gave her love a task. He was to ferry the souls of those who died at sea to their place of rest, and when he had completed ten years of that, if, when he came home, his love was waiting for him he would be free from the task. However, when he returned, she was not there, being as fickle as the sea, to which she belonged, she had betrayed him.
So he betrayed her and taught the counsel of pirates how to bind the goddess into human form. He also cut out his own heart to spare himself pain. Locking it in a chest he hid it on an island so that none could hurt him again. He kept his heart locked away.
But when he stabs Will, with the sword that Will himself made, the tide it turned and the curse has another chance to be broken. The heart of Davey Jones is in peril! Jack has it at sword point, but he knows he can’t stab it. Yes, he wants to live forever but he cannot stand to be bound to anything and he cannot abide contracts. He, in short, cannot be the captain of the Flying Dutchman.
But Will Turner already has a wife. Someone to stay on shore and stay faithful. With Jack’s help Will stabs the heart, and dies. Jack saves Elizabeth who is heartbroken, as the Flying Dutchman goes down. But then! The Flying Dutchman resurfaces with a new captain. William Turner, his heart now residing in the chest. He can spend one day on land with Elizabeth and then has to depart to do his duty: ten years of ferrying souls. Before he leaves her however, he gives the chest with his heart inside, into his wife’s keeping with the request “Will you keep it safe for me?” and she promises to do so.
But we are not left to wonder if Elizabeth will stay faithful. After sitting through all the credits we are treated to a short scene labeled “The Years Later”. Elizabeth and a young boy (apparently their son) are standing on a cliff watching as a ship comes in. You see Will standing on the rigging looking towards home. And as we pan back to Elizabeth’s face it is illuminated by “The Green Flash”. A sign that a soul (Will) is returning to this world.
He died for her; she remained faithful though ten years of his duty. And so: Self-sacrifice and Faithful-love are two sides of one coin. You cannot have one without the other.

Sestenia

The following poem is one that I wrote for Writing Class this past year. It is called a Sestenia and is one of the more complicatedly easy poem styles. I didn't really like it much but I thought I would post it as it was interesting. You will notice that there are six words that are repeated in a odd sort of way at the end of each of the lines. It goes something like this:
First Stanza: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Second Stanza: 6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3
and so on, changing the order in an organized and consistent way.
The last three lines hold all the words.
There is no meter.
________________________________________

Here wings this orb, half’s made radiant
By the shining rays of a setting sun.
A ball of fire that creeps below the sky.
Or a rising sun; a new kindled light, glowing
With the promise of a new day.
Entering into the sky; a blaze of light.

It rises or set, and in its movement seems as light
As a feather, and smooth as it is radiant.
It brings light and life to the day,
And last vestiges of heat as it becomes a setting sun
That will keep this world with just enough warmth; glowing
Is the horizon and the sky.

The first beams of light pierce the morning sky,
The tips of every tree are bathed in light.
The streams and rivers are set glowing
And the very air is radiant—
Made so by the thundering chariot of the sun
That, with its light, wakes the new day.

The dieing sun is the end of the day
That was watched over by the sky
And guarded by the sun.
The sky is filled with inexpressible light
That is bright and radiant.
And yet remembers warm and glowing.

Now right above our heads the chariot is glowing
It starts at East and ends at West, and in between lights day.
It shines down on tree and lake. Radiant
The globe of light, which illumines the sky,
Sails serenely ‘cross the sky; trailing light.
None gives so much light as does the sun.

And now, this noonday sun
Shines and sparkles. Glowing
Down on life and work. Giving light
To the busy world and day.
It rides its chariot across the sky
And lives with air and is radiant.

Another Day of Light
Is ruled by a Radiant Sky
Lit by a Glowing Sun.

Celeidgh

(And yes that is how you spell it, I believe. (It's pronounced "KAY-lee"))

Tenth had a Celeidgh tonight. A Celeidgh is a Irish or Gaelic evening of dancing. It was really fun and I don't think I have ever sweated so much while having such a good time. We did all sorts of dances, in some of which I actually understood what I was doing.
I now understand why all the girls in Pride and Prejudice (and other such novels) always loved going to balls; it is very fun to do something with such a large group of others. What I can't figure out is how on earth they managed to dance in floor-length dresses with corsets. Oh, well, I suppose that they, actually knowing how to do them, were much more graceful and therefore used up less energy...
Well, all in all, I enjoyed it immensely and I hope very much that they do it again.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

NO SPOILERS!!!!

I went to see Pirates 3 today. Daddy was telling us how crowded it would be but we were plagued by doubts given that we were going to the 9:10 AM showing. Indeed, there were about seven other people there. It was nearly 3 hours long... but worth every moment. It kept you on your toes, never knowing the next thing that they would run into. It left you (or at least ME) wishing to watch it again to iron out all the wrinkles about what on EARTH (or not, given the title) was going on in certain scenes.
My only advice for those of you who will be going to see it: hold your breath, listen carefully, and stay 'til the VERY end of the credits. I mean the whole way to the end as there is a rather important scene that helps to conclude the movie. It also helped me to come home a read a detailed synopsis on Wikipeadia...
All in all it was a wonderful movie, that was great entertainment. The battles and swashbuckling was well done; Jack Sparrow was as priceless as ever; it was (Hannah thinks) Kira Knightley's best performance (but she dislikes that actress) and she was really good; their were even moments when you wanted to yell "Wait! That can't happen!" but, of course, it happened anyway; and if you think about it it has examples of really good morals, about which I hope to write a short article.
I am looking forward to seeing it at least once more in theaters if not twice.

“Spells”

A spell (that breaks the pace of life abloom)
Disrupts life’s tale. Tells of events epic:
Living bodies in an eternal tomb.

The first spell’s cast by a bringer of doom
This tangible spell’s effect is basic,
Living bodies in an eternal tomb.

Not so the next. A game act, from His bloom,
To release His life fully, for our sake.
A Love that broke the pace of life abloom.

Buried three days in dark, despair, and gloom
His disciples’ hope and strength burnt like wicks.
Eternal body in a living tomb.

A different “spell”, “cast” over us, by whom
Many lives saved. Those who sing His lyrics,
Will find broken the pace of life abloom.

He rose again, it need not be assumed.
Within His will, it’s our predestined pick–
(an act which breaks the pace of life abloom)
Living bodies or an eternal tomb.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This is a Villanelle. One of the stiffer forms of poetry. Given that I don't have time to blog, and yet feel sorry when I don't, I am forced to blog my poems...)