Recently in Katie Newton Category

Significance/Questions: Act 4 revealed a lot of information about how the plot will be concluding. There was a dramatic purpose in all the scenes that was not always obvious at first. The first scene with the witches casting a spell and making a strange potion served the purpose of foreshadowing what is to happen to Macbeth in the end. The witches' prophecies are a very curious thing. Sometimes it seems like the prophecies are self-fulfilling because Macbeth's hearing of the prophecies causes him to do many of the things he does. Other times events happen in the play that are foreshadowed in the prophecies but happen of there own accord, without help from the prophecies or witches in any way. This brings me to the question: what are the prophecies really doing? Are they used to set of a chain of events or are the withes actually seeing and revealing events in the future? Therefore does this mean that the witches are magic, or are they just weird sisters?

The significance of the prophesies in Act 4 Scene 1 are the foreshadowing of how the rest of the play will play out. They hint that Macduff will be the one to finally kill Macbeth when the floating head tells Macbeth to beware Macduff, but it also leaves us wondering how he will get around the complication of "none of woman born shall harm Macbeth" (4.1.96-97). When the group of kings arrives as the last prophecy, one holding a mirror it makes us question why this is. It is clear that Macbeth has no idea and that the witches aren't telling him. So the question is, what is the dramatic purpose or significance of the kings and the mirror? Why a mirror? And why won't the witches offer any explanation for this prophecy? One possible answer to these questions are that the procession of kings represent former kings of Scotland who have passed away, and the mirror represents Macbeth joining them, which leads us to the conclusion that Macbeth's death is near and his tyrant reign is almost over.

I believe that Act 4 Scene 2 is a serious turning point in which Macbeth goes over the edge into utter madness. I believe at this point he has become so crazed with lust for power that he does harm to anything just for personal pleasure and satisfaction. He truly had no reason to kill Macduff's family because they are completely innocent. This proves that Macbeth no longer thinks about his actions, nor does he care if he will have to face the consequences, or what those consequences might be. Macbeth is the worst kind of king, because a king should care about his country and the people in it, and this is the exact opposite of what Macbeth does. Macbeth is a tyrant, and now the question is not if Macbeth is evil and is he doing all these horrible things to people, because it is obvious that he is. Now that everyone knows about Macbeth's crimes, the question is how will they stop them? How will Macbeth be killed? And what will happen to the country of Scotland while Macbeth still reigns and in the aftermath of his death? These are questions that I am sure will be answered throughout the play.

Act 4 Scene 3 is significant because it marks the beginning of a serious enemy party against Macbeth. This is so far the only source of hope for Scotland. It is clear that Malcolm knows what he is doing when he interviews Macduff to see if Macduff is truly on his side. Macduff proves himself to Malcolm and a new alliance is formed, and slowly more people begin to join them. This conversation is also significant because this is when Macduff is informed about the brutal murder of his wife and children. It is now obvious that Macduff will stop at nothing to get back and Macbeth, and clearly Macbeth is doomed. A very striking line in this conversation is when Macduff says that he can't possibly do anything as bad to Macbeth as Macbeth has done to him. He says this is because Macbeth has no children. This shows that Macduff valued his family greatly. A recurring theme in the play that is present in this scene is the question of manhood. Manhood in this play symbolizes toughness, courageousness, fearlessness, and other similar qualities. When the men are informed of the newest murders, Malcolm tells Macduff to "dispute it like a man" (4.3.221). However Macduff's response "I must also feel it like a man" (4.3.222) shows that there is more to manliness than aggression and courage. This is the sensitive side of men. This is very significant because it sets Macduff apart from the rest of the men in the play and shows that he is a good person. Some questions I had after reading this scene are what is Macduff really feeling inside after learning the news about his family? What are his plans for Macbeth? How will the theme of manliness affect the way Macduff acts throughout the rest of the story? I hope that these questions will be answered throughout the rest of the story. 

Relationships: Macbeth's relationships with the other characters in the play have evolved greatly since the beginning of the play. I believe this is because Macbeth himself has changed a lot. Macbeth has become a lot more irrational; he no longer thinks about his actions or really cares about the consequences until they actually happen. His relationship with Banquo has changed very much. At the start of the play Macbeth and Banquo were friends, they fought together in the war and shared the witches prophecies. By now in the play Macbeth has come to the point where he hates Banquo so much that he could actually murder his own friend. This hatred has come out of fear. Macbeth fears that Banquo and his offspring are a threat to Macbeth's throne so he feels that he must get rid of them. This shows that Macbeth has lost all knowledge and care for consequences to his actions, he simply does them and then faces the consequences later. Macbeth believes that he has already committed so many crimes that there is no turning back now, he is in too deep. When he makes irrational decisions like this, usually he is satisfied for a short amount of time and then he is forced to pay the price for what he has done. In this case, Macbeth thinks nothing of his friends murder other than that he is getting an obstacle out of his way. This carelessness literally "comes back to haunt him" when Banquo's ghost shows up at the feast and causes Macbeth to act insane on front of the other Lords, and almost give away his secrets and throw away all of his hard manipulative work. Now Macbeth and Banquo have gone from being friends to complete enemies.

Another rapidly evolving relationship is the one between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In the past couple scenes Macbeth has been distancing himself from Lady Macbeth. This could be for a few reasons. One reason may be that Macbeth subconsciously blames Lady Macbeth for getting them into this whole situation because it was her who originally planned and convinced Macbeth to murder Duncan, which set off this chain of tragic events. Because he blames her he is distancing himself from her because he doesn't trust her anymore and doesn't want her to influence him. Another reason that they are become distant is keeps making very irrational decisions that he has no explanation for, and therefore doesn't want to bring her into it. For example, Macbeth doesn't tell Lady Macbeth that he plans to murder Banquo and Fleance. This could be because Macbeth is afraid that Lady Macbeth will try to convince him otherwise, and he has already made up his mind without her. Macbeth is ignoring the obvious consequences to his actions and by shutting out Lady Macbeth he can stop himself from thinking about it. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are also becoming more and more troubled about the situation they have created, but they don't share these troubles with each other. Instead they keep it to themselves or share them in a soliloquy, and when they are around each other they put on a brave face and pretend everything is okay. All of these factors put together make for a very damaged relationship between Macbeth and his wife, and I believe that it will only get worse as the play goes on.

Significance: Many significant things happen in these scenes that indicate change happening in the play. It is very significant that there are a lot of supernatural powers acting in this play. The witches and their prophesies are one major thing, and in these scenes some things have also occurred that hint at the presence of the supernatural. Firstly, when Fleance escapes the attempted murder on him and only his father, Banquo, dies we recognize that the witches' prophesies are still able to come true, because Banquo's child is still alive and able to take the throne one day just as the prophecy suggests. Secondly, when Banquo's ghost shows up at the feast and puts Macbeth into a maniac state, this also shows supernatural powers are acting. This leads me to believe that supernatural powers will have a lot to do with how the play plays out and ends.

The question of manhood is also very significant throughout the play. Early in the play Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth's manhood in order to convince him to go through with the murder of Duncan. In Act 3 Macbeth uses this same tactic to convince his hired murderers to go through with the murder of Banquo. Again in scene 4 at the feast, Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth's manhood in order to calm him down and bring him back to reality from his hysteria about Banquo's ghost. The question of manhood is becoming a recurring symbol in the play and will likely be used again later in the plot. It symbolizes convincing people to do something they don't want to do, ignoring your conscience, and being doomed to pay the consequences.

As Macbeth becomes more maniacal and continues on his murdering spree, the country of Scotland is suffering as well. This leads us to the question of how it will all end, how will Macbeth stop murdering people? With so much blood on his hands already, it doesn't look as if Macbeth will be able to stop any time soon. With the other Nobleman becoming more and more suspicious about the Macbeth's strange behavior and the inexplicable deaths and fleeing of their sons, the audience knows that it is only a matter of time until many people turn against Macbeth and begin to plot his own death. This is very significant because it causes us to predict what will happen at the end of the play.

Reactions: There were many surprising and interesting things happening in act 2. The incident when Macbeth was speaking to Banquo at the beginning of the act surprised me. I was surprised because Macbeth seemed to be avoiding Banquo and was kind of cold to him. Macbeth and Banquo are friends, and the only two people who heard the witches prophesies, so I would've thought that Macbeth would trust Banquo more, and feel as though he could confide in him, or at least not lie to him. But when Banquo asks if Macbeth had thought at all about the prophecies Macbeth replied no, and then changed the subject. Clearly Macbeth feels like Banquo is a threat, when in reality Banquo may have been the only one to understand why Macbeth would become king. Another interesting part of this event is that Banquo's son, Fleance, is present. This reminds us of the other part of the witches' prophecies, predicting that Banquo's children would be kings. This makes me think that Fleance could possibly be a threat in Macbeth's eyes as well, and leaves me wondering what is in store for Fleance and Banquo.

One of the most important parts of Act 2 is Macbeth's soliloquy when he imagines a dagger with its handle pointing towards him. This soliloquy provides us with a true glimpse into Macbeth's mind, so we know exactly what he is thinking. We know that these are his true thoughts because a soliloquy is essentially speaking straight from the mind, so we know that he feels guilty but obliged to kill Duncan. I was initially confused by the part with the dagger hallucination because I didn't understand we he would be imagining this. But after reading on and analyzing the scenes I realized that the dagger is representing his conscience and how he feels about the deed he is about to perform. The handle pointing towards him represents that Macbeth knows it must be him to commit the murder. In the end the scene with the imaginary dagger really helped me to understand exactly how Macbeth was feeling at this point.

A small but significant part of this act really stuck out for me. I was interested when Lady Macbeth mentions that she can't kill Duncan herself because he reminds her of her father when he is sleeping. Up until now in the story Lady Macbeth has come across and very confident and sure of herself, without fear or feelings. This is her first sign of any vulnerability. By relating the king to her father this shows that Lady Macbeth has some sentimental qualities, and in a way it proves that she has a heart by not being able to kill someone who resembles her father. This was unexpected for me when I was reading it because it catches you off guard. It's very opposite from who I believed Lady Macbeth to be and I almost had to reread the line to make sure of it. It changed my opinion of Lady Macbeth, and it also made me wonder what else will be changing as the story progresses.

Questions: With many important events happening in this act, naturally there are a lot of questions to be asked. First of all, what does Banquo think about the situation with the prophesies and Duncan's murder? Does he think they are linked and if so what will he or Macbeth do about this? I believe that Banquo is slightly suspicious of Macbeth, and wary about the prophesies. However, does Macbeth realize this suspicion or is he too caught up in becoming king? I am sure these questions will be answered as I proceed through the play. Another question that came up while ready is about the porter at the beginning of scene 3. What is the significance of him being there, drunk and commenting on things? And what is the significance of the periodic knocking happening almost all through the scene? Both of these things dominate the scene so the must have some significance or importance. I'm guessing that while the porter is joking around and there is some comic relief, what he is saying is also related to the situation around him. Knocking may be significant because it turns out to be Macduff, who ends up killing Macbeth at the end of the play, and here he is present for Duncan's murder. My final question is about Macduff. What makes Macduff so suspicious of Macbeth? And if he is that suspicious why does he return to his home in Fife instead of accompanying Macbeth and the others to Scone for the coronation? If he truly thought Macbeth was up to something wouldn't he be wanting to keep an eye on him at all times? My only explanation for Macduff's return to Fife is that he simply does not want to be around Macbeth anymore. Again, I believe I will find out more as the story progresses and unfolds.

Relationships: There are many relationships forming and evolving in Scenes 4-7 of Act 1. The first of these is the relationship between Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. It is clear that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have a strong relationship, but there is a lot of manipulation going on as well. Lady Macbeth is much stronger of will than Macbeth, so when Macbeth sends her the letter that informs her of the witches' prophesies, Lady Macbeth immediately makes up her mind to kill the king, whereas Macbeth takes a lot more convincing to go through with this. Lady Macbeth is very manipulative and controlling. She knows what she has to do and say to persuade Macbeth to kill the king and this is exactly what she does. This shows that Lady Macbeth holds most of the power and control in the relationship, and I am guessing that it will continue to be like this later in the play.

Another changing and evolving relationship is the one between Macbeth and King Duncan. They started out as a king and his subject, but Macbeth is also Duncan's kinsman, and his host in scenes 4-7. All of these things increase the amount of trust Duncan has placed upon Macbeth. Macbeth should also be trusting Duncan more as their relationship evolves, but he knows he has to kill Duncan, and this changes things dramatically. As Duncan places more trust in Macbeth, Macbeth feels more and more guilty about what he knows he has to do, and therefore Macbeth is pushing away from Duncan. This is shown in scene 7 when Macbeth is pacing the castle instead of eating dinner with Duncan. It is demonstrated clearly in Macbeth's soliloquy, when he says "[Duncan is] here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject--Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself." This quote shows that Macbeth recognizes that he should be becoming closer to Macbeth but he is aware that he is pushing him away and doing the wrong thing, but he cant do anything to change this.

In Character (As Macbeth): I am very hesitant to kill King Duncan because I know there will be consequences. If I could kill him and know that I would not pay for it, I could live the rest of my life with the guilt and pay the consequences in my afterlife. But I feel as though this is not the case. Some part of me is telling myself that if I don't kill him I will never be king, and another part of me thinks that I will become king on my own time and I shouldn't do anything about it. Duncan has been a very good king to me, and it would be a terrible crime to kill him. He would surely be missed by everyone. The only thing actually spurring me to go through with this act is my wife, Lady Macbeth. My wife is very sure of herself and what she wants; she is very strong of will. Once she gets an idea in her head there is no way I can stop her, and this is no exception. She even went so far as to question my manhood when I didn't want to go through with the murder. I know what I am doing is wrong, and there will surely be consequences, but I cant get around the persuasiveness of Lady Macbeth and the desire within myself to be king.  

Katie Newton

Mr. Newman

ENG2D-B

9 March 2012

The Cycle of Life in Creation Myths

Creation myths from all over the world have a few particular purposes or themes. Usually a culture's myth incorporates the birth of the universe or the human race, the death of that race, and the rebirth or reincarnation of it. This cycle is common in creation myths from almost every culture. The myths, "The Creation" from Bolivia and "The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe" from India, both illustrate this cycle as well. These myths in particular have a few characteristics that relate back to the creation cycle beginning with birth, then maturity and death, and finally rebirth.

Typically, the first phase in a creation cycle is birth. In "The Creation, Death, and the Rebirth of the Universe", the creator-god, Vishnu, takes different forms for each of the different phases of the life cycle of the universe. For the phase of birth he takes the form of Brahma, the grandfather and creator of world. He creates the human race, watching as they become less pure over time, until at the end of the age he has lost all control over them. It is at this point in the cycle that the humans have reached maturity and the next phase of the cycle must begin. In "The Creation", the creator-god, Lord Con Ticci Viracocha creates the first human race without much thought or consideration to the way he wanted them to turn out. The behaviour of these people angered Viracocha, and this led to the next phase in the creation cycle. A common theme between these two myths is that both human races eventually displease the creator-god, and he is forced to destroy them. The human race is not born impure, however. They become this way through many acts of evil, which add up and eventually the gods have lost all control over the humans, and destruction is the only way to save the civilization. In both "The Creation" and "The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe", the creator-god is shown to emerge and guide the humans in key skills necessary for survival, and to check up on them. In "The Creation" this is shown when "[Vishnu] protects human beings with dharma, a code of civilized behaviour, and often defends them from their greatest enemies by descending to earth and being born as a human being in order to help them." (294) This proves that the gods really do care about the fate of the humans and want the best for the race that they have created, but have no choice but to destroy them once they have become bad beyond repair.

As mentioned previously, the humans must be destroyed in order to save the race from total chaos and self-destruction. The second phase of the cycle is maturity and death. This phase is common throughout almost every creation myth, because of certain recurring characteristics. The main occurrence is that the creator-god wipes out at least one world of mortals with a great flood, often accompanied by a fire or some other cause of death. In "The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe", the creator-god, Vishnu, embodies the form of Shiva-Rudra, the destroyer of life on Earth. He does this in order to destroy the earth and wipe out all life so as to save the population of humans from the suffering and death that they have made their race become. This destruction of everything is said to happen periodically after a certain amount of years. Because it is periodic the humans must be reborn and go through the same cycle in order to arrive at the same place. In "The Creation", Viracocha is angered by the humans almost immediately and is forced to destroy the population using a great flood. The significance of these floods is not that an entire human race is being destroyed, but that when the flood goes away the Earth is still there and fertile, ready to support new human life. Because of this, the life cycle continues in a never-ending circle. This directly relates to the next phase in the creation cycle, which is rebirth.

The third stage in the cycle is the rebirth of the human race, the earth, or the entire universe. Rebirth always comes after death, and is key in the ongoing continuation of the creation and life cycle. Most myths involve an original creator-god who fashions the human race from parts of the earth. In "The Creation", after all the humans are wiped out, the creator-god, Lord Con Ticci Viracocha modeled human beings out of stone. He created men, women and children of all different cultures and styles, divided them into groups, and then commanded them to sink under the earth until his helpers summoned them. This reveals that Virococha felt either threatened or upset with the original human race, and feels the need to have total control over them. It also shows the power that a creator-god holds to cause rebirth. Viracocha was able to correct his mistakes the second time around, and this hints that the cycle continues in the future, and the human race is improved slightly each time. In "The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe", the creator-god Vishnu, in the form of Brahma, creates a new universe periodically from parts of his own body. This reveals that the culture believes that the creator-god intends the human race and all the other living things to have the same qualities as Brahma, and wants the best for the humans by fashioning them from parts of himself. This also proves that humans are born pure and good, and eventually become exposed to more and more evil, until the cycle has to go on and the human race must die.

The main theme of these myths is the cycle in which humans and the universe are born, mature and die, and then are reborn again. This cycle is essential to the functioning of the earth and the universe, and the key to it is that the cycle is never ending. It continues to go on in a circle of life, and there is not a beginning or end. The life cycle is the reason why the earth can continue to go on, and this cycle is what many cultures believe we are in right now. The creation myths from many different cultures, including the Bolivian's "The Creation" and the Indian's "The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe" all relate back to this cycle of birth, death and rebirth, and it can be said that it is the universal cycle, and that it is never-ending.

Work Cited

Rosenberg, Donna, ed. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. 3^rd Ed. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing Group, 1999.

Act 1, Scenes 1-3 Significance: In scene 1, though it is a very short scene, it is very important because it sets the tone for the rest of the play. It is very ominous, with a feeling of suspense created by the background of a war and a thunder and lightning storm. The supernatural feeling of the witches is also ominous, and also sets the stage for what will happen in the play. This scene ensures that you know that this will not be a very happy story. The most important significance of this scene is that it is foreshadowing the events of the rest of the book, namely the conflict of good and evil.

Act 1, scene 2 is important because it is full of imagery, which sets the scene of the fierceness of the battle. The captain is describing the battle to Duncan, which gives us a sense of the battle even though we aren't seeing it. The battle is very bloody and vicious, which foreshadows the bloody and vicious events that happen later in the story. It also may correspond with the battle within Macbeth himself between good and evil. When the captain and Ross both describe the heroic efforts of Macbeth, this gives us the idea that Macbeth is a very good person although we haven't even met him yet at this point in the story. Macbeth in fact is a very good person, but becomes evil by the end of the story. This relates back to the words spoken by the witches in the previous scene. Another significant foreshadow in this scene is at the end of the scene, when Duncan announces to Ross that he plans the make Macbeth the new Thane of Cawdor, after the old traitor is killed. This is significant because the title "Thane of Cawdor" was a title that belonged to a traitor previously, and is now being given to Macbeth, which foreshadows Macbeth becoming a traitor later in the story.

Act 1, scene 3 starts with the witches talking about how they are going to torment a sailor, but it shows us that they are unable to kill him, only torment. This foreshadows what the witches do to Macbeth, they don't actually kill him but they set him up by predicting things to him and changing the thoughts in his mind. Later in the scene, when the witches tell Macbeth their prediction and it turns out to be true, Macbeth starts to get thoughts in his head, which shows he has a slight lust for power and prestige. It also shows the evil that has already begun to implant itself within Macbeth through these predictions. The witches predict Macbeth to be Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland, and Macbeth begins to think this is true because already one of there predictions had come true. Banquo, however, is predicted different things, and the witches talk about many opposites for him, for example lesser than Macbeth, but greater. This is relating to the opposites of good and evil which dominate the story. Banquo's warning to Macbeth in the end of the scene is significant, because he basically warns that the witches' predictions could be true but they are evil. Banquo's words are true, because it is clear that the thought has already crossed Macbeth's mind to kill the king, a true act of evil. All in all, these first three scenes establish a very dark and gloomy mood for the play.

Act 1, Scenes 1-3 Quotations:  A very important quotation is in scene 1. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." (1.1.12) I really enjoy this quotation for many reasons. First of all, it is interesting because when read backwards it is exactly the same sentence. This gives the sense that it means the same thing backwards as it does forward, which in a way is like opposites. Therefore I believe this quote is implying that the values of good and beauty can be reversed, in the transition of good to evil. This quote is very important in foreshadowing the events that are to happen later in the book, where good Macbeth eventually turns evil. Furthermore, the witches are frequently speaking in opposites, which implies that many things will be reversed throughout the play.

An important quotation in scene 3 is "So foul and fair a day I have not seen." (1.3.36) This is echoing back to the quotation said by the witches in scene 1, and again is foreshadowing the conflict to come throughout the play. Two quotes I particularly like are "If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me Without my stir." (1.3.143) and "Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day" (1.3.146-147). These quotes mean that if it's meant to happen, it will happen without having to do anything about it. Macbeth is thinking that he didn't do anything bad to become Thane of Cawdor, so he should just keep doing what he is doing and events will unfold how they are supposed to. I like this because this is how things would've ideally happened, if the evil within wouldn't have come out later in the story. 

In the Lord of the Flies, a group of boys have been stranded on an island in a plane crash. These boys have put together a small society in which they attempt to enforce rules and routines, with the conch acting as a symbol of democracy. Golding develops the idea that the conch represents the many parts of democracy as a whole, and when democracy is put under too much pressure it may fail. In Lord of the Flies, the conch is used to symbolize democracy, authority, and order.

Primarily, Golding enforces the idea that the conch represents democracy, so when the conch falls apart, so does the democracy. Democracy means that everyone has input into making decisions, and everyone has a voice. The conch is used as a democratic symbol because when any of the boys are holding the conch, they are allowed to speak and everyone will listen: "Conch? That's what this shell's called. I'll give the conch to the next person to speak" (31). This shows that using the conch, everyone gets a chance to speak and give his or her opinion. As the novel progresses, a lot of pressure is put on the democratic system that the boys have implemented, and it starts to fail. This pressure includes the fear growing among the boys, and the forces working against the system, which is mainly Jack. At one point, Jack tries to take control and overrule the conch: " 'Conch, conch!' shouted Jack, 'we don't need the conch anymore, we know who ought to say things'" (110). This particular quote represents a turning point in the novel, when Jack devalues the conch so that he can have more power among the boys. As the conch loses value, so does democracy. Eventually, when "the conch exploded into 1,000 white fragments and ceased to exist" (200), the democracy also failed and the boys' society became chaos. When the conch was smashed and democracy failed, Jack, the force acting against democracy, rose above as a dictator. Therefore the idea that Golding has developed about the conch symbolizing democracy is that in the face of fear, democracy and order may fail.

Katie Newton

Mr. Newman

ENG2D-B

21 September 2011

A La Parisienne

I wake up to the sun streaming in the tall windows of my Paris apartment. Next to me in my oversized, feather-stuffed bed sleeps Carter, my boyfriend of two years. Carter is a journalist for Le Parisien, the prestigious newspaper in Paris. I drag myself out of bed and trudge to my well-stocked closet, pull out my exercise clothes, ipod, and running shoes, and get dressed.

Glancing at my old-fashioned alarm clock, I realize I have plenty of time before work. I saunter into my sleek white kitchen and make myself a smoothie of bananas, avocados and protein powder. After downing my protein drink I feed my miniature Bichon Frise, Suki, which is Japanese for love. Then I head out for a peaceful run along the river Seine, turning around at the Louvre to go back home. As I run, I take in the sights of boats floating down the river, couples strolling, and the elegant buildings of Paris, until I reach my apartment at last.

When I walk in I hear the sound of the coffee maker and I know that Carter is in the kitchen. I wander to the master bathroom, where the shower and mirrors are coated in steam and the air is thick with humidity from Carter's shower. I take my time to shower and dress in my closet, pulling on a black Marc Jacobs skirt and loose white Theory top with simple black velvet heels.

I finally wander into the kitchen to see Carter sitting at our vintage French dining table. Light is flooding in our floor-to-ceiling windows onto the newspaper in his hands, and he puts it down as I walk in, and takes a sip of his black coffee. Minutes later I am back outside in the crisp September air, strolling leisurely with Carter and Suki to our favorite café on the corner of our street. We sit outside with coffees and croissants, chatting and enjoying the beautiful weather. 

We part ways at 9:30, because I have to be at work by 10. I hurry to the Metro station, where I use my stash of tickets in my wallet to board the busy train. I pass the time on the train reading Carter's most recent article in Le Parisien, and when I finally get to my stop at Le Place de la Concorde, I push my way out of the train and through the bustling crowds until I breathe the fresh air above ground again.

I take my time to walk to work, a block from Le Place de la Concorde. I am currently working as the creative fashion director at the prestigious magazine, French Vogue. I love my job because I can do what I love and what interests me all day every day: fashion. When I'm inside I make my way to my spacious corner office, located on the street-facing side of the elegant building. I sit down behind my modern glass desk and power up my Mac desktop computer just as my assistant, Rosalie, comes in with yet another coffee for me, exactly as I like it.

My work day consists of choosing and pairing different pieces of an outfit, down to the colour, texture, style, and price, placing orders with some of the worlds top designers, and my favorite part: actually dressing models and celebrities in my creations. My job is so fun that I never have a day where I just don't want to go. I hardly notice the time passing until it's lunchtime, and I head off to meet some friends at our usual bakery down the road.

 When I enter the bakery it is warm, and the air is thick with the sweet smell of the freshest bread. I spot my friends at a corner booth and saunter over to join them. It puts a smile on my face just to see them, because I really don't know what I would do without these girls. We greet each other with polite cheek-kisses, and begin to chat about work, boyfriends, and the fundraiser gala we are attending tonight at the George V hotel. The fundraiser is put on by Le Parisien, and Carter got us all invites to the exclusive event.

After lunch I stroll with my friends along L'Avenue de Champs Elysees, taking in the beautiful sights and sounds that surround us and enjoying every moment of it. Even though we are in a big city, I can feel the light spring breeze, and the sun kisses my face as if there were no buildings around to make a shadow. Eventually we must all go back to our jobs, so we exchange hugs and part.

I spend my afternoon at work browsing through various magazines, and deciding on the perfect hair, make up, and outfit combo for tonight's fundraiser. When I have made up my mind I leave work early, cut across the avenues to the Metro, and dash back to my quiet apartment. Soon after I arrive, there is a knock on the door, and moments later there are people bustling around my expansive living room. Various designer dresses are being laid out on my white chaises and couches, and my hair stylist, Ralph, greets me and begins to work my hair into an elegant low chignon at the nape of my neck. My make up artist, Juliette, also arrives and does a neutral look on my face, with dramatic red lips. I then select an Alexander McQueen white gown that flows to my feet and has delicate lace on the top, and I pair it with some bright red Louboutin pumps that match my lipstick. Finishing touches include silver jewelry and a classic white Chanel quilted purse.

Carter arrives home as soon as I am ready and tells me how good I look. Then he heads off to get ready, and soon we are in a limo bound for the party. When we arrive there are plenty of journalists and photographers waiting for us. We put on a smile and make it through the crowd until we find ourselves inside the low-lit venue. Subtle music is playing through the speakers, fabrics are draped from the ceiling to the floor, and there is a sophisticated feeling in the air. French waiters wander around with platters piled high with Hors D'oevres, and there are trapeze artists dangling from the ceiling performing death-defying stunts above our heads. The gala is loaded with some of the most prestigious people in Paris, and we begin to mingle and socialize. After a few hours, Carter suggests to me that we maybe cut out early and head home. I agree because I am tired and happy, so we drift to the exit and begin to walk along the Seine. The view is stunning and there is a light breeze dancing across our faces as we pass happy couples like ourselves strolling. Buildings and lights are reflected in the calm water of the river, and I glance up at the Eifel tower standing tall against the dark sky, illuminated by many lights.

When we finally reach home I remove my shoes and massage my throbbing feet. Carter appears with 2 glasses of bubbling champagne, and we sit on our balcony overlooking the magnificent streets and sip our champagne in peace and serenity. The air is a perfect temperature, and I can feel the moonlight wash over my face as I close my eyes in relaxation. I am almost falling asleep when we meander inside to our bedroom; I put on my grey silk pajamas and crawl into my luscious bed. Curled up with my pillow and down-filled duvet I feel content and I can't help but think that this day has been very ideal. I whisper "Goodnight" to Carter, turn off the lights, and doze into the most peaceful slumber.