Owenrmoore0114

  London was our next stop and my person favorite location we visited. (There’s a good chance I’ll be moving here after school). Even though I loved the whole city I did have some highlights.   Our first afternoon in London after our long train ride was spent in soho. The maze of tiny streets and shops/restaurants stacked on top of each other was memorizing. My friends and I stopped at an all vegan restaurant. The food was amazing and the view from the third floor of the restaurant was beautiful. I order the vegan pulled “pork” sandwich which blew me away.  The next day we visited the Tower of London, however a friend and I left a bit early to check out portabella road the portabella market. We found tons of cute little vintage/thrift and antique shops. After some shopping, we stopped by a small gelato shop for a snack.  During ou    r free day, we visited Abbey Road, where many photos were taken. After our photo shoot, we headed over to the spitlefields market where we spent hours sho

Dubliners , by James Joyce is a collection of short stories depicting the lives of the Irish during a time of oppression and cruelty from the British. Joyce uses literary methods such as metaphors, symbolism, and even some aspects of poetry in order to convey the struggles that Irish citizens endured during the late 19th century.  One short story of Joyce’s that was a favorite of mine was “Araby”. The use of young love and yearning as a metaphor for the Irish’s yearning for freedom really stuck out to me. As simple of a metaphor it is, Joyce’s writing allows readers to feel a deep connection from both perspectives. As humans, we all have experienced the feeling of young love or yearning. The idea that you would do anything just to have that chance with the person you love or want. We have also felt the need and longing for freedom. Now even though the desire for freedom might not be the same freedom as the Irish were feeling during British rule, we understand the general sense. We can

 Our super exciting trip that we have been anticipating all year started off in the beautiful and historic city of Edinburgh, Scotland. There were many intriguing sights and landmarks that we explored and experienced as a group and also while venturing off in our free time. Since we all went to the same places in the tour groups I thought I would share my favorite places I explored during our free time. This sign was taken at a super cool bar and night club about a 15 minute walk from our hotel. It was called Please Don’t Tell and was filled with cool neon signs, vintage posters, arcade games, and even a life sized Darth Vader statue. The drinks and music were great and the people we met and danced with were wonderful as well.    For our official free day in Edinburgh, I had previously booked a tattoo appointment at Studio XIII Gallery with another member of the fashion FSAT class. Before hand we grabbed some breakfast and coffee from Black Sheep Coffee right around the corner from the

      As our trip grows closer and our time in this class comes to an end, I am sad yet excited at the same time. This class has been incredibly interesting and I have been able to learn so much in such a short amount of time. When I was a child my father would always read a book based in the location of where ever our family would be vacationing. I like to think of this class in similar sense as his ritual, as we really immersed ourselves in the historical literature of Europe.      I think this class has been a great advantage, especially for those (like myself) who have not yet had the chance to travel to Europe. This class has educated us on the history of the places we are visiting so when we go there we aren’t just tourists, but rather admires of the country, hoping to learn more. It is almost like studying and reading up for a test before taking it. We are educating ourselves so we don’t walk into this new place without any background.        

     It is truly crazy how close we are to the amazing trip we’ll be going on. As our departure date grows closer, I am getting more and more excited (and maybe a little nervous too).     I personally have never been to Europe but have always wanted to. The more people I tell and talk to about this trip the more suggestions and ideas I get. My parents who have been to both Ireland and England on multiple occasions are incredibly excited for me to experience the same things they did at my age.      What has really peeked my interest is the old architecture and buildings of these ancient cities. I feel as though I will sense a great connection to my Irish and Scottish roots while abroad. It’s truly amazing to think about the stories and history that is embedded in these places. What is even more interesting is that we have been reading literature and learning about people from these great cities and can connect the material to real life when we visit. 

                While reading Waverley, it is obvious that the love triangle consisting of Edward, Flora, and Rose is a strong overarching topic of the novel. Like with many books, tv shows, movies, and stories, the triangle is a classic and sometimes vital addition to any good plot. In Waverley, Edward meets two women at fairly similar times. Rose and Flora who were once good friends but couldn’t be more different from one another. Rose is a light mannered girl with golden hair, while Flora is more dark and mysterious (The two remind me of Cal and Aron Trask from East of Eden). While Rose falls for Edward, Edward is seemingly in love with Flora, a romantic like himself. Unfortunately Floras feelings don’t waver the same why and she shuts down Edwards advances. While Edward could have just taken the rejection like a man and leave Flora in peace he decided not to. Edward’s buddy, Fergus, doesn’t understand rejection either and continues to push Edward onto Flora. I found this to be very