Modern Family TV Show Log Message Received
By Sarah McKenzie
Message Received is the 22nd episode of the 5th season in the sitcom Modern Family. This episode was written by Steven Levitan and directed by Jeffrey Walker. This episode aired on May 7 2014, and I have watched it many times, most recently on October 29th 2016.
This episode has three different plot lines, each following the Dunphys, the Tucker-Pritchetts and the Pritchett-Delgados. Manny, Jay and Gloria all try something new and are surprised at their results, the Dunphy kids trick Phil into thinking Claire is pregnant, and Jay struggles with the idea of Mitchell and Cameron getting married.
The Jay, Gloria and Manny Story
Jay forces his stepson Manny into eating a pickle, which he had refused. This leads to Jay and Gloria also doing something out of their comforts zones- Jay eating a blood sausage and Gloria rubbing their dog (Stella)'s belly. In the end Gloria finds herself rubbing Stella's stomach for enjoyment and then hears a noise which turns out to be Manny in the pantry eating a pickle secretly.
This plot, even though very funny and lighthearted, also taught me a lesson about trying new things. Manny is reluctant to try his pickle and Jay and Gloria don't see why, until they get confronted by their own dislikes and realise how hard it is to actually try these things. By working as a team and all trying out their new things, the family gets through it and in the case of Manny and Gloria, actually enjoy themselves. This idea of attempting to eat or do something that you are afraid of is very prevalent in our lives, because it is so easy just to give up and move onto something else, that we find ourselves settling into a routine and not challenging ourselves to do new things.
The Mitchell and Jay Story
After failing to raise some funds for their evergrowing wedding by selling prized possessions, Gloria suggests to Mitch and Cam that they should just ask Jay, Mitchell's wealthy father and Gloria's husband to lend them some money. Jay and Mitchell argue over this and it ends up leading to the rather taboo subject in the series which is Jay's discomfort over Mitch's sexuality and his and Cam's relationship. Mitch storms out after suggesting that Jay should just not come to their wedding.
This is such an emotional part of the episode, but also such a big issue in our world. Jay has had to accept Mitch from when he came out as gay, and through the whole series he seems perfectly comfortable with Mitch's relationship with Cam, and even the adoption of their daughter Lily.
There are so many people, especially parents, out there who are unsupportive of their queer children or friends and with more and more people coming out it is really unacceptable. These people were (although many may argue) born this way and honestly, if they can't accept LGBT+ people for who they are, I really don't think there's much point in having that person in their lives. Although it's sometimes okay to voice your feelings, sometimes it is better to just take some time to deal with it and once you've accepted the truth, move on.
I would definitely recommend watching both this episode and the whole series. It's so inspiring to see a gay couple living their lives normally, and although in this episode there are mishaps, maybe some young people might watch and know that there are other people going through the same struggles as them.
Friday, 28 October 2016
Since You've Been Gone Reading Log
Since You've Been Gone Reading Log
By Sarah McKenzie
Since You've Been Gone is a 2014 YA novel by Morgan Matson. I read this text from 18-22nd October, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Since You've Been Gone is a heartwarming novel about a teenager Emily's summer. Her best friend Sloane disappears, only leaving a list of thirteen tasks to complete, many that wallflower Emily would never dream of. Along her puzzling journey, she meets new friends, learns life lessons and even finds love.
Plotline
This book captured my attention from the get-go. The plot and direction of the story interested me because for Emily, it was a bit of a blind mission, as she didn't even know what would happen when she completed the list. Through each of the tasks, including 'skinny-dipping,' 'dancing until dawn,' and 'riding a dern horse, ya cowpoke!' Emily discovered something new about herself and about others. The plot, although centred around the completion of this list, ended up taking the route of Emily's mission to search for herself without her best friend by her side.
The plot and structure had a very good flow, and there were definitely high and low points in the book as well as good smooth and fast development in the plot i.e. it didn't get boring, which I found to be a real treat as the book is over 400 pages long. Matson did a good job of keeping the story running, what may have helped this is the chapters each focusing on one thing on the list. The ending was also satisfying, if a little bittersweet and the book tied up really well.
Characters
The characters in this book were pretty average, but interesting at the same time. The book takes place over the course of one summer, so there is only so much character development that can be done, however I found that some characters lacked structure and explanation.
Emily starts out as a shy outsider of a girl who is alone without her best friend by her side. She meets Frank and makes friends with him, as well as Collins and Dawn. She becomes more confident over the summer, and falls for Frank in the end, which is lovely, although she seems to lack any kind of interest. She is into running but we don't really find out much about her character at all. I guess that this is kind of the purpose of her as a person (being alone and lost without Sloane by her side), but still, I would have liked some more to be revealed about her character, especially as the book is written in first person. She is a really likable character though, and probably has the most character development out of all of them.
Frank is an amazing character, well-rounded, smart and athletic, I even had a little crush on him. If anything, he is a bit too perfect, I thought during the book that he had a distinct lack of flaws. His flaws were revealed through his parents' divorce and his vulnerability when he split from his long term girlfriend. I did think it was rather too obvious that he and Emily would fall in love.
The other characters worked in well together, we didn't even meet Sloane (except in occasional flashbacks) until the end of the book, which I think was interesting because we got to know Emily in a different way to what she was before. I thought the use of flashbacks was an interesting way to incorporate a different storyline, although the incorporation Gideon and Sam who were Emily and Sloane's ex-boyfriends, was a waste of time and didn't add much to the plot.
Themes
One dominant theme in the book that I learned from was that if you just step out of your comfort zone then life will be better basically. "I was still a little amazed that this was happening. That this, the thing that had seemed so impossible, so terrifying, so utterly beyond me, was happening. I was having fun."
The purpose of the list of things for Emily to do over the summer really had nothing to do with her finding Sloane, it was just so that Emily could realise that she was much smarter and braver than she thought she was. In completing the tasks, Emily made lots of really good friends, and overcame fears, without even knowing it. Stepping out of your comfort zone is so important, and even if you're scared, it'll always be worth it.
I would definitely recommend this book to other YA readers. It was a fun read, the characters were relatable, and it certainly taught me some lessons.
The plot and structure had a very good flow, and there were definitely high and low points in the book as well as good smooth and fast development in the plot i.e. it didn't get boring, which I found to be a real treat as the book is over 400 pages long. Matson did a good job of keeping the story running, what may have helped this is the chapters each focusing on one thing on the list. The ending was also satisfying, if a little bittersweet and the book tied up really well.
Characters
The characters in this book were pretty average, but interesting at the same time. The book takes place over the course of one summer, so there is only so much character development that can be done, however I found that some characters lacked structure and explanation.
Emily starts out as a shy outsider of a girl who is alone without her best friend by her side. She meets Frank and makes friends with him, as well as Collins and Dawn. She becomes more confident over the summer, and falls for Frank in the end, which is lovely, although she seems to lack any kind of interest. She is into running but we don't really find out much about her character at all. I guess that this is kind of the purpose of her as a person (being alone and lost without Sloane by her side), but still, I would have liked some more to be revealed about her character, especially as the book is written in first person. She is a really likable character though, and probably has the most character development out of all of them.
Frank is an amazing character, well-rounded, smart and athletic, I even had a little crush on him. If anything, he is a bit too perfect, I thought during the book that he had a distinct lack of flaws. His flaws were revealed through his parents' divorce and his vulnerability when he split from his long term girlfriend. I did think it was rather too obvious that he and Emily would fall in love.
The other characters worked in well together, we didn't even meet Sloane (except in occasional flashbacks) until the end of the book, which I think was interesting because we got to know Emily in a different way to what she was before. I thought the use of flashbacks was an interesting way to incorporate a different storyline, although the incorporation Gideon and Sam who were Emily and Sloane's ex-boyfriends, was a waste of time and didn't add much to the plot.
Themes
One dominant theme in the book that I learned from was that if you just step out of your comfort zone then life will be better basically. "I was still a little amazed that this was happening. That this, the thing that had seemed so impossible, so terrifying, so utterly beyond me, was happening. I was having fun."
The purpose of the list of things for Emily to do over the summer really had nothing to do with her finding Sloane, it was just so that Emily could realise that she was much smarter and braver than she thought she was. In completing the tasks, Emily made lots of really good friends, and overcame fears, without even knowing it. Stepping out of your comfort zone is so important, and even if you're scared, it'll always be worth it.
I would definitely recommend this book to other YA readers. It was a fun read, the characters were relatable, and it certainly taught me some lessons.
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