The Way Lyrics Tie to the Music

Author's Note: The purpose is to explain how the two poems "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Field Below" tie to their music to create songs.

In the song "Big Yellow Taxi", the music and the notes and the way it's sung makes it sound happy, but if you actually listen to the lyrics, you'd think about how sad the meaning actually is. I think that the singer should've made the music sound more like the meaning, because now it just sounds misleading. Plus, is doesn't make much sense to make a song about something sad sound happy. On the other hand, the song "Field Below", the music and sound actually matches the meaning. The music sounds sad and like it's missing something, and actually, you might not think that if you heard the music without words, but the music by itself would give you the impression that it was sad. That makes a lot more sense to me.

Might I See You Again?

Author's Note: The purpose of this is to explain Sophie's life and analyze the quote "Whatever happens with the lessons -- might I see you again?" from the Clockwork Prince

     One day, as you stroll down the streets of London, you notice a woman sitting in a corner, with a bloody rag clutched to her face. What do you do? Do you stare? Maybe help her? Walk by and ignore her? This is the way that Sophie from the Clockwork Prince started out. After many years of recovery and servant work at the London Institute, avoiding the training she is almost required to have, she cannot avoid any longer. Charlotte, her employer, has hired two not-so-family-friends to help and train herself as well as her friend Tessa, who has never had any sort of training either.

     When Charlotte first found Sophie, she was crouched in a corner in the city, bloody and filthy. Having the kind heart that Charlotte does, she decided to give Sophie a hand even though she was a mundane, and not part of the Nephilim along with herself and the rest living in the Institute at the time. Sophie told Charlotte what happened to her face, and why she could never trust a man again.

     At this time in Shadowhunter history, people only hired their maids for their beauty. Not for their service. While Sophie was working for her previous employer, the son of the household had wanted her. Yes, in 'that way'. He had attempted several times asking her to be his, but every time, she refused. One day, he could not take the rejection any longer. He took a knife and threw it at her face, saying, "If I can't have you, then I will make you ugly, so that nobody will ever love you again!" Then, trying to tell the employer about this event, the son stepped in and had lied, telling them that Sophie had come onto him, and cut her face for self defense. Sophie was instantly fired, and put on the streets.

     When Tessa and Sophie started their training, they were assigned their teachers. Tessa with Gabriel Lightwood, and Sophie with Gideon Lightwood. After a few weeks, Tessa had noticed the way Gideon had been looking at Sophie.. Could this be something? During the same practice, though, Tessa's friend Will had gotten into a rather large argument with Gabriel, therefore putting the training offer in jeopardy. They had all left the room, except for Sophie and Gideon, who had stayed. Sophie sat down in exhaustion, Gideon right after her. As they talked about the recent events, Gideon had spilled his feelings for her, then asking, "Whatever happens with the lessons -- might I see you again?"

     This quote displays a fair amount of interest in Sophie; and it is obvious why something like this would surprise her. After what she's been through, she doesn't know what to say. She doesn't know whether to trust him or to just leave him hanging. If that were me, I'm not so sure I would trust him either. It's a pretty hard thing to recover from, even after several years. Trust, you see, is like a mirror. Once it's cracked, you can put it back together, but you can still see the cracks that were made.

     From Gideon's point of view, though, he probably would've have worked harder for Sophie's trust before asking this if he had known what really happened to her. Yet, I still admire the fact that he had the guts to ask such a thing to a girl he barely even knows. I would never do such a thing. This puts a large place in the book because he always acted like he hated coming to lessons, only that day, he confessed that because of Sophie, he actually looked forward to coming. He had called her talented. Sophie liked to hear these things, but was still hesitant.

     After all the events in Sophie's life, and all the events leading up to this day, the sweet talk that Gideon had said that sounded like music to her heart, Sophie didn't know what to do. Could she trust him? Should she fall into the either deadly trap or comforting embrace that Gideon has offered her? Is it even possible for a girl to ever love a man again if that had happened to her?

"By the Way" by Ali and Kasia

Authors Note: This poem is a parody of the poem This is Just to Say, and the narrator is Holly speaking to Lauren from the book Dark Secrets.This relates to when Holly killed Lauren's mother. The mood is happy. Well, in Holly's point of view it is. In Lauren's point of view, the mood is sad. The tone is murderous or maybe vicious.

I have killed

Your mother

When she was

By the lake

And while

You were probably

Sleeping

In bed

Hate me

I don’t care

For I did it

And I’m glad

Mother to Son

 Author's Note: This is a piece about the poem Mother to Son. The purpose is to explain the figurative languages it contains.

     Other figurative languages used in the story other than metaphors are hyperbole's, because some things in her life may have been painful, but it couldn’t have been as painful as stepping in tacks or getting splinters in your feet from climbing the stairs of life. The meaning of this poem is to show her son what she has been through, and that no matter what happens, he should still keep going on with his life, because it’s worth it in the end. The mood is rather sad or possibly upset, because the mother is warning the son about the rough points of life, and while telling him this, she's probably remembering the harsh times that she has had, and it might be heartbreaking for it to continue to linger in her mind.. The tone is encouraging.

Sondra's Death

Author's Note: This is a piece about Sondra's death, but in Nora's point of view. The purpose is to retell what happened, but in a different perspective.

     I suddenly sat up, realizing there's no use in trying to sleep anymore. I got up, my thin black hair sticking to the back of my neck with sweat, and walked into Lauren's room. I asked her if she knew where Bunny was, my stuffed animal. She told me that she was on the dock, then offered to go get it, knowing I was terrified of the water. I told her no, as I could go as far as the dock.

     When I got down there, the dark uneven planks of wood troubled me, but I went on anyways. Then, I looked up, and saw Holly, my sister. She was running. I asked her where Bunny was, and she had said he was further on the dock. I asked to grab it and she said no. She had done something, and she had told me not to tell; it's a secret. I carefully made my way across, and then saw Bunny. I went and grabbed her, then saw splashing.

     When I looked down into the water, I saw Sondra, Lauren's mother, flailing and struggling to stay afloat.  I looked on one of the pilings next to me and saw blood. I suddenly realized; Holly had hit Sondra's head on it and pushed her into the water. I just stood there, paralyzed, staring. I was so afraid, and it didn't help that I was scared of the water. I looked down into the black water swallowing Sondra. I've never been more terrified in my life. I wanted so badly to help her, but instead, I did nothing but run to ring the Emergency bell. Lauren and mother came running down. I went and sat next to Lauren, shaking, worried, waiting. I saw mom with the body, but it was too late. Sondra was dead.

All About Lauren

 Author's Note: This is a piece about Lauren. The purpose is to explain what she's like and how she feels about things.

     The main character of the story Dark Secrets by Elizabeth Chandler is Lauren. Lauren in the beginning of the book was 10, visiting her Aunt Jule. This is when her mother had died. Lauren, heartbroken, left and didn't revisit for 7 years. Upon her return, she had realized how little yet how much things have changed, like winter is different to spring, yet they are both seasons.. Everything was basically the same except for Nora. She was still paranoid about her mother's death. She started to act stranger than a beetle in a farm of ants, and it was worrying Lauren. She would tell her that her mother was watching her like a hawk, or that her mother was sleeping in the boathouse, or that her mother planned to drown her so that they would be reunited and never separated again.

     Lauren was starting to worry about what was happening, because Aunt Jule didn't want to give Nora the professional help that everyone but her thought she needed, even though Lauren had offered to pay for it. Before her mother had died, she had told her about how her necklaces and scarves would be tied into knots with nothing touching them, like Paranormal Activity. Once Lauren had started noticing knots her things, she was concerned about her health and was wondering if maybe, just maybe, Nora was telling the truth. But part of her was still convinced that Nora was just out to get her.