Monday, May 16, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Stargirl Thesis
Thesis: In, Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli, you learn that sometimes being different than everyone else, might change everything, and everyone around you.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Response To Poem
I think that this poem means that when you aren't famous or popular, you are a nobody and that there are a lot of "nobodys" out there in our world. It is also saying how if you happen to be famous, it's a dreadful thing because people are constantly following you around saying your name. It's important because it's saying how it's not always fun to be well known to everyone. It made me feel like I was one of those nobodys because I'm not famous.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Heroes
When you start off as a little kid, heroes are either Dora, Superman, or some other type of character. When you grow up, you start to look up to actual people. Right now, I would have to say my heroes are my parents. I admire them because they have always supported and care for me. They are just great because they always seem to be helping everyone else before themselves, and do everything they can to make sure people have what they need. They are caring, fun, genuine people that I really appreciate. I could maybe give a little more to the community and other places but I feel like I am like them in the sense that I do watch out for others before myself usually.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
One Year To Live
If I only had one year left to live, I wouldn't even know what to do. I would probably spend as much time with my family and friends as possible. I would never want to sleep, and I would probably eat anything I wanted to. I would want to go to Cedar Point, Ohio too because I am in LOVE with roller coasters and that place is full of them. I would also probably do many other things I haven't done before. If I knew that I was going to die in a year, I really don't think that life would continue to have a meaning to it. When you are living, you always live life to the fullest because you never know when you or someone else you know could die. But when you know that you are going to die, it's a scary thing and nothing really has much meaning anymore.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Spring Break: Florida
This spring break vacation, I went to Florida. First I went and stayed at the HardRock hotel in Orlando. There my family, Jayla and I went to all the rides at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. It was so fun and there were so many great rides. My favorite one was a new one called the Rip Ride Rocket. It starts by going straight up 90 degrees and you get to pick your own music! I picked Stronger by Kayne West and Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. After Orlando we went to Kissimee where we rented a huge 5,000 square foot house. I laid out there the first day we got there. But I was stupid and didn't put any sun tan lotion on and laid out for 5 hours and got majorly burnt. We were only five minutes away from the Disney Parks so we then went to all of those. The best ride at Disney is either Expedition Everest or the Rock'n Roller Coaster. In Expedition Everest, they make it feel as if a Yeti is chasing you while you are on top of Mount Everest. In the Rock'n Roller Coaster, you are in a huge "limo" coaster, and you shoot out at 60 mph right in the beginning. After Disney, we went to the beautiful ClearWater Beach. There, we laid out for hours and went in the salty ocean. I got to see a school or sting rays, and I got to see people get cleared out of the water because sharks were feeding. One actually jumped out of the water and ate a bird! But that was my Spring Break.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Civil War Summary
1. There were many reasons that the civil war happened but the one I am going to talk about the slaves. The slaves wanted to be free, and the North wanted them to be free too. The South on the other hand did not want to give up their slaves because that's how they made their money. So the North and South were fighting for either slavery or no slavery.
2. The battle of Gettysburg was an important battle in the outcome of the war. It really set the tone of the war. After this battle, most people knew the North was dominate.
3. I think there were many important people involved in this war. But one really important person would have to be Harriet Tubman. She lead all the slaves through the underground railroad to the North.
2. The battle of Gettysburg was an important battle in the outcome of the war. It really set the tone of the war. After this battle, most people knew the North was dominate.
3. I think there were many important people involved in this war. But one really important person would have to be Harriet Tubman. She lead all the slaves through the underground railroad to the North.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Writing Reflection
The part of the writing process that I found to be easy was finding information on the civil war. The challenging parts was probably trying to get all the writing done in only two days. I felt very rushed and I felt as if I couldn't write to my best abilities. I did use my time as best as I could, and if I could change my story, I wish I could have made it a little more detailed than I did.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Q&A Character
Q: Why did you want to fight in the war?
A: I wanted to fight in the war so that I could try and stop slavery in America.
Q: What side are you fighting for?
A: I am fighting for the North, because they are against slavery.
Q: Do you expect to make it out alive?\
A: In fact, I do expect to make it out alive. Maybe not fully healthy, but alive.
A: I wanted to fight in the war so that I could try and stop slavery in America.
Q: What side are you fighting for?
A: I am fighting for the North, because they are against slavery.
Q: Do you expect to make it out alive?\
A: In fact, I do expect to make it out alive. Maybe not fully healthy, but alive.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Girls State Basketball 2011
This past weekend my team and I went to Steven's Point for the State Basketball tournament. We drove up on Friday and got to the Ramada (hotel) around 3p.m. At first we were going to go swimming, but then we decided to just hang out by the pool. So for the rest of the day we hung out, ate food and then later in the night watched a movie and ran around the hotel. On Saturday, we woke up at 8:30 a.m. to go eat breakfast. We found out very quickly that it wasn't very tasty so we just went back to our rooms and ate pop-tarts. Our first game was at 11:00, so we had to get to our game at 10:30. We got to our game, listened to some pump up music, and warmed up by shooting. Then the game started. We got an early lead in the first quarter; it was 11-3 right within the first 3 minutes. Then at half we were down 25-23. After this half we decided we needed to step up our game a little bit if we wanted to truly win. So we kicked our game into high gear and ended up winning, 45-30.
Our next three games for Saturday were a little different. Our next one we won by 5, 40-45. The one after that we won by 30, and after that 25. Finally it's Sunday. Our game to get into the final four. We played Beaver Dam and beat them by 8 to make us get into the final four. Next we would play Waunakee in order to get into the finals for the state championship game. We lost by 8... And unfortunately, our last time to try and win state for the second time, was over... In the end we got fourth, but out of 27 teams, I don't think it's that bad of a position.
Our next three games for Saturday were a little different. Our next one we won by 5, 40-45. The one after that we won by 30, and after that 25. Finally it's Sunday. Our game to get into the final four. We played Beaver Dam and beat them by 8 to make us get into the final four. Next we would play Waunakee in order to get into the finals for the state championship game. We lost by 8... And unfortunately, our last time to try and win state for the second time, was over... In the end we got fourth, but out of 27 teams, I don't think it's that bad of a position.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Dialogue--The Cookie Creep
The Cookie Creep---
1:Taylor
2:Jayla
3:Taylor's Mom
Taylor and Jayla walk into Taylor's house after school....
3: Hi girls! How was school?
Jayla shoves Taylor to the ground.
2:COOOOOKIESSS! Must get cookies!
1:Jayla, those are for my mom's aunt's, best friend's, neighbor's, great uncle's second cousin!!!
2:JUST... NEED... ONE!
3:Jayla you can have one...
2.OhhMyGoodGollyGosh!!!! Thank ya Mrs. Bell!
Jayla walks over to the cookies and smells the delicious scent of the chocolate chips and she sees how perfectly shaped they are.
Jayla looks mischievously at Taylor.
1:Jayla....
2: Look Taylor! A bird!
Taylor looks out the window and sees nothing but Justin Bieber waiting outside her door...
1:Stupid celebrities.
1:Jayla that wasn't a bird, that was Justin Bie...
And with that Jayla crept away into the darkness... Many years after that people still could not find Jayla. Some say she was seen with crazy eyes and cheeks full of cookies in the forbidden lake. Many children claim to see her when she comes lurking in their houses to steal their cookies.. She is the ultimate cookie creep, the one all little children and adults alike, despise....
1:Taylor
2:Jayla
3:Taylor's Mom
Taylor and Jayla walk into Taylor's house after school....
3: Hi girls! How was school?
Jayla shoves Taylor to the ground.
2:COOOOOKIESSS! Must get cookies!
1:Jayla, those are for my mom's aunt's, best friend's, neighbor's, great uncle's second cousin!!!
2:JUST... NEED... ONE!
3:Jayla you can have one...
2.OhhMyGoodGollyGosh!!!! Thank ya Mrs. Bell!
Jayla walks over to the cookies and smells the delicious scent of the chocolate chips and she sees how perfectly shaped they are.
Jayla looks mischievously at Taylor.
1:Jayla....
2: Look Taylor! A bird!
Taylor looks out the window and sees nothing but Justin Bieber waiting outside her door...
1:Stupid celebrities.
1:Jayla that wasn't a bird, that was Justin Bie...
And with that Jayla crept away into the darkness... Many years after that people still could not find Jayla. Some say she was seen with crazy eyes and cheeks full of cookies in the forbidden lake. Many children claim to see her when she comes lurking in their houses to steal their cookies.. She is the ultimate cookie creep, the one all little children and adults alike, despise....
Friday, April 1, 2011
Upfront Magazine Cover Article
I thought this article was very interesting. A new fact I learned was that when Abraham Lincoln was elected, most Americans didn't even know who he was. Now and days if a presidential candidate isn't well known, they most likely won't win. I could use parts of the article as research. The parts I could use are most of the facts and some of the intro. Out of the ten things you should know list, I think the one that stated, "far more men died of disease than from rifles" was one there because I'm sure most people probably think that a lot of the people died from being shot or injured. But truth be told, most of the people did actually die from diseases.
If I was writing a "Ten Things You Should Know About Asa Clark" list, I would put down these ten things.
1.Bring your own lunch on omelet day.
2.Make sure you follow the dress code, and if you don't, make sure you hide whatever is violating it.
3.Turning work in on time, usually means you can turn it in a week after it's due.
4.Watch your step when walking up the stairs. Falling often happens.
5.Bring a sweatshirt to gym class when running outside.
6.Do your homework. If you don't have it, take it from a friend.
7.The lockers have only enough room for books and school supplies, not containers and sweatshirts.
8.Cover your face in trench. Or use someone else as a shield.
9.Keep your friends close. They'll always be here for you.
10.Study for Spanish.. Unless you like to fail.
If I was writing a "Ten Things You Should Know About Asa Clark" list, I would put down these ten things.
1.Bring your own lunch on omelet day.
2.Make sure you follow the dress code, and if you don't, make sure you hide whatever is violating it.
3.Turning work in on time, usually means you can turn it in a week after it's due.
4.Watch your step when walking up the stairs. Falling often happens.
5.Bring a sweatshirt to gym class when running outside.
6.Do your homework. If you don't have it, take it from a friend.
7.The lockers have only enough room for books and school supplies, not containers and sweatshirts.
8.Cover your face in trench. Or use someone else as a shield.
9.Keep your friends close. They'll always be here for you.
10.Study for Spanish.. Unless you like to fail.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Streamm of Consciousness
Death is the hard part. I want to stay alive. I need to take care of my wife and kids. Everyone is counting on me to help fight for what we want. My gun is aimed. I don't know whether to pull the trigger or if I should just let this guy surrender. He's on his knees praying that he won't die. How will people look at my if I just kill this man. And in the face of sorrow, I spare his life. We will take him captive. I start walking again. I see the faces of two enemies. They spot my blue uniform and know that I'm not one of them. They charge after me...
I wake up. My head hurts and my body aches. They must have hit me with their guns and knocked me out. I'm chained to a wall. I lay in the wake of destruction. Death is soon to be near. They call me by the name soldier. I am taken out of my cell. They tell me to join them. If I don't, I face consequence. I decide not to join. I feel a sharp pain in the back of my head. Everything is now black. I am now dead.
I wake up. My head hurts and my body aches. They must have hit me with their guns and knocked me out. I'm chained to a wall. I lay in the wake of destruction. Death is soon to be near. They call me by the name soldier. I am taken out of my cell. They tell me to join them. If I don't, I face consequence. I decide not to join. I feel a sharp pain in the back of my head. Everything is now black. I am now dead.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Writing Historical Fiction
I think my thesis might be something like this...
In SPIES, when men can't watch their own back anymore, some women will have to step in and see what the enemy has in store. The main point in my book is, when men in the civil war need to seek out what the other side is doing, some women will have to step in and will need to spy on the opposing side. I haven't really started thinking what my historical fiction is going to be about because I don't really know a whole lot about the civil war. For my characters I might do a slave, a general for one of the sides, or maybe even just a wife of someone in the army. I will probably have the character living in the North where slavery didn't happen. The conflict will be that someone is fighting in the war, and gets injured and then kidnapped. My character will be trying to stop slavery by fighting for it in the Civil War.
In SPIES, when men can't watch their own back anymore, some women will have to step in and see what the enemy has in store. The main point in my book is, when men in the civil war need to seek out what the other side is doing, some women will have to step in and will need to spy on the opposing side. I haven't really started thinking what my historical fiction is going to be about because I don't really know a whole lot about the civil war. For my characters I might do a slave, a general for one of the sides, or maybe even just a wife of someone in the army. I will probably have the character living in the North where slavery didn't happen. The conflict will be that someone is fighting in the war, and gets injured and then kidnapped. My character will be trying to stop slavery by fighting for it in the Civil War.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Motivations
Many many things motivate all types of people, but not the same thing motivates everyone. Some people are motivated by money, power, or even to just accomplish a simple task. I do think that people put themselves before others sometimes. But, there are times where it is responsible to do that, and other times where putting yourself first just isn't the right thing to do. And yes, we are all definitely a little, if not a lot, selfish. One time I really wanted to buy this shirt but I didn't have the money to buy it. So I asked my mom to buy it for me and she said only if I cleaned the bathrooms first. The tactics I used were asking for money which didn't work, but then I did hard work for it when I cleaned the bathrooms. So overall, my tactics technically worked because I did get the shirt in the end.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Fighting
Fighting can be done in many ways. Sometimes it's good to fight. Rather it be for something you really believe in, or maybe to stand up for someone you care about. But then, there is also bad fighting. Examples of this is bullying somebody for lunch money, or just fighting for no real reason. I feel like you can fight in a peaceful matter. You can fight peacefully by talking it out (whether that be screaming or just talking) with the person/group that your fighting with. I would fight for my friends if they are being bullied, or my family if something is going on with them. I would tell the people that are bothering them to stop, and if they didn't, I'd have to take action and maybe get others involved if it really got serious. I would fight for these people because I really care for them, and I know they would do the same for me.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Free Will
I do not think everybody has free will. In some aspects we do, but not fully. We can't just go around steeling stuff from stores, and for some reason it's a law rather we wear our seat belts or not. I formed this opinion on observation mostly. Because we all have rules to follow, we can't just do whatever we want whenever we want.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
School Changes
The rules here at Pewaukee, are the rules most school usually have. No running, no fighting, have respect etc etc. But if I were in charge of the school, I would have a few changes in mind. My first rule would be for our physical education department. I would change classes up by doing different things for different units. As an example, for the basketball unit, instead of separating guys and girls, I would have the good girls and good guys play together, and I would have the people that aren't so experienced go together. Another rule I would change is having only 3 people on a bench for lunch. We aren't all insanely obese and could fit 5 maybe even 6 people on a bench if we wanted to. This rule to me seems pointless. And the last thing I would change is the rules we have for dress code. Shorts that are arms length are NOT shorts. And if you can see the straps on tank tops, who cares? If it's not hurting anyone else, and if it is still appropriate, why should it matter? None of these rules would "Un-prepare" any of us for high school. The rules I'm changing are mild, and shouldn't be rules in the first place.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sports and your Brain
Goggles were worn and screens were surrounding the varsity sports stars and the academic stars as people were tested. The test was to try and cross a road without getting hit by a 40mph car. The cars weren't actually real considering they would lose many of their testers. But they were virtual. Why would people want to test who could get across a road without injuries between the two groups you may ask? It all started at a the University of Illinois.
36 male and female students between the ages 18-22 were recruited the test. For the study,half were varsity athletes at the university,some of them possessed amazing endurance. Others, strength and power, and some precision and grace. The other half of the students were very healthy college students, but they were not athletes. They all wore goggles and were put in a room with 10 foot square video screens. The screens were surrounding them, and they had to try and cross a road with virtual cars going at speeds of 40-55 mph. When the students felt safe, the students were to cross the road. They were told to walk, and they had a limit of 30 seconds to try and get across. Each volunteer had 96 attempts; there was much success, but also many failures. There was a 85% completion rate where students made it to the other side without an accident. The athletes were more successful than the non athletes by a huge margin. All the students walked the same pace, but the athletes thought quicker than the non athletes. In conclusion, the athletes had a quicker mind when it came to reaction, because you need to think fast in order to win games.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Project Reflection
I thought our group did really well on our opinion project. We kept the audience interested, and everybody participated. I liked this project and I would maybe like to do something like this again.
Friends
F is funny. They make you laugh, even on your worst of days. R is for real. These people are the ones you should be able to trust through the good and the bad. I is for interesting. Expand your horizons with friends. You may not know who you will find. E is for energetic. If it weren't for your friends, what would really be your motivation to keep going? N is for never-ending. You will always need friends in life, so keep the good ones close. D is for detail. You seem to be always updated on who is with who, and what is the newest fashion trend. And finally s. S is for special. These people will always be in your heart and you will always remember the great times you guys had.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Humans Being Equal
As we all know, everybody in the world is not really supposed to be equal. We all are unique and different, and I feel that this is the way the world should really be. Imagine if you were walking to school in the morning and say everything the same. The same type and color of a car, kids and adults wearing the same suit; how fun would that really be? I really don't think that human beings can ever truly be 100% equal because of the fact that we all are already so much different than each other. It would be hard to come together and to have everyone wearing the same thing, having the same personality as one another, etc. We all have different finger prints, so why should we try and make them the same?
Friday, March 18, 2011
Superhuman Powers
Being able to have any super power I want would be very cool. There are many different possibilities to choose from, so it would be hard to choose only one. But growing up, I always thought it would be cool to be invisible. You could get into anyone's conversation without them knowing, and you could sneak out of your house easily. I also wondered what would happen if you were invisible, but one day you couldn't go back to normal. Would everyone think your dead, or would people think they are going crazy?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Summer
"Ring Ring Ring!"
Your annoying alarm clock goes off for the very last time this year.
Bright sunlight shines through your open window,
Warmth fills the air.
Birds chirping, Cars driving,
Children laughing, Parents crying.
You slowly get out of bed,
While thinking of all the great memories you've gained this year.
Short shorts and a blue tank.
The perfect combination for the last time you'll ever be in Middle School.
One last time you walk through the entrance of school.
The entrance where you and your friends would gossip about the cutest boy in school,
And the entrance where everybody waited before the bell.
Today class was not a normal day.
For some strange reason everybody was crying,
The only laughter left came from seventh graders.
TO BE FINISHED
Your annoying alarm clock goes off for the very last time this year.
Bright sunlight shines through your open window,
Warmth fills the air.
Birds chirping, Cars driving,
Children laughing, Parents crying.
You slowly get out of bed,
While thinking of all the great memories you've gained this year.
Short shorts and a blue tank.
The perfect combination for the last time you'll ever be in Middle School.
One last time you walk through the entrance of school.
The entrance where you and your friends would gossip about the cutest boy in school,
And the entrance where everybody waited before the bell.
Today class was not a normal day.
For some strange reason everybody was crying,
The only laughter left came from seventh graders.
TO BE FINISHED
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Speak
It’s a Saturday night, and you’re going over to a small gathering at your friend’s house. You’re a senior in high school, and it seemed like you had everything; cheer captain, the quarterback for a boyfriend, perfect grades, everything. You asked Lisa what you guys would be doing at the gathering, but she just replied with, “You know, I thought we could try a new fad.” As you start to pull into the driveway of the dimly lighted house, you become timorous of what this new fad might be. As you walk into the house, you see Lisa and three other friends sitting at a kitchen table. Lisa was usually impassive and imperturbable, but tonight, something had changed about her. “Hey, there um, wait. What’s your name again?” Lisa slurred. It was very limpid that the four of them must have been drinking. “Want some?” Dave held out a beer to me. You were fantod that if you didn’t try it, you might lose your reputation of being popular. So you took the beer, and started to drink it. One little sip wouldn’t hurt, right? Two hours later you wake up on the floor with several beers in your system, and you are way past the point of being drunk. You look at the clock and see that it is 3:00 AM; since it is way past your cur few, you decide to drive home. Right as you get onto the highway, you are swerving back and forth between lanes and you’ve lost all control of the wheel. Then all of a sudden, everything went black. You wake up in an ambulance feeling as if thousands of needles were piercing into your body. You can’t see anything but you can hear the doctor say, “I don’t think she’s going to make it.” Scared as you could possibly ever be, you try to tell them that you’re fine; but you just can’t seem to get the words out. You start to feel more and more pain, it felt as like a thousand rocks were flattening your lungs, and all of a sudden you can’t breathe. The perfect life that you once had, gone… Many teens in today’s world are put under tons of peer pressure each and every day. If it be from their parents, friends, family or even teachers; it’s hard to say no. In Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, a girl named Melinda learns that sometimes doing things that your friends are doing isn’t always the best choice.
To start, Melinda is about to be a freshman at Merryweather High school and everything looks like it’s going to be a great year. Melinda has many friends, good grades, and a loving family; nothing could possibly go wrong, right? When Melinda and her friends pulled up to the end of the summer party at an abandoned barn, everything seemed a little shady. There’s underage drinking, smoking, and way too many teens out of control. And when Melinda starts to drink a little too much, everything goes into chaos. Andy Evans, a soon to be senior, asks Melinda to dance; and of course she politely accepts. After awhile they start to kiss. Melinda feels as if she’s on top of the world. Five minutes later she is crying in the middle of the woods. So how did she go from ecstatic to horrible in a matter of minutes? Melinda was one of the many people in the United States who have been raped.
To continue, teenagers constantly have issues with peer pressure. It seems like everywhere we go there is somebody that wants us to do something that we really shouldn’t be doing. But it’s very hard to say no to things that are potentially deleterious, especially when your friendships could be on the line. Melinda was pressured to drink which then caused a chain reaction of bad decisions; drinking lead to kissing, which lead to rape, which lead to losing all of her friends, which finally lead to depression. Depression can sometimes lead to suicide, which luckily Melinda did not commit. Nearly 30,000 people’s lives are taken by suicide each year. Most of these people don’t even try to get help because they think no one is there for them or no one will listen. But the truth is many people will listen to what you have to say. Because if you take away your own life, who knows what you’ve taken away from the world; the next president, open heart surgeon, or something as simple as a stay at home mom. There might be someone out there in the world that might need to talk to you about suicide one day. So if you aren’t alive for them to talk to, that’s potentially another person added to the 30,000.
Aside from suicide, rape or being sexually assaulted is one of the other things many people are affected by each year. Every two minutes someone in the United States is sexually assaulted, that’s 720 sexual assaults each day. So who can you trust in this chaotic world of ours you might ask? You can trust most, if not all the people you know out there. But you just have to be careful. Not every party is going to end in a bad situation. It’s just very unfortunate that Melinda happened to be at the wrong place, with the wrong guy, at the wrong time.
To conclude, we need to be more aware of all the things going on around us. You might have a great life now, but you really don’t want to end up being one of those 720 people. Sometimes bad situations aren’t preventable, but that doesn’t mean you have to go through with them. Nobody knows when the next dangerous trend will come knocking on our doors. But when it does, will you have the guts to take a stand? Or will you be knocking your first domino over into a new chain of bad decisions?
To start, Melinda is about to be a freshman at Merryweather High school and everything looks like it’s going to be a great year. Melinda has many friends, good grades, and a loving family; nothing could possibly go wrong, right? When Melinda and her friends pulled up to the end of the summer party at an abandoned barn, everything seemed a little shady. There’s underage drinking, smoking, and way too many teens out of control. And when Melinda starts to drink a little too much, everything goes into chaos. Andy Evans, a soon to be senior, asks Melinda to dance; and of course she politely accepts. After awhile they start to kiss. Melinda feels as if she’s on top of the world. Five minutes later she is crying in the middle of the woods. So how did she go from ecstatic to horrible in a matter of minutes? Melinda was one of the many people in the United States who have been raped.
To continue, teenagers constantly have issues with peer pressure. It seems like everywhere we go there is somebody that wants us to do something that we really shouldn’t be doing. But it’s very hard to say no to things that are potentially deleterious, especially when your friendships could be on the line. Melinda was pressured to drink which then caused a chain reaction of bad decisions; drinking lead to kissing, which lead to rape, which lead to losing all of her friends, which finally lead to depression. Depression can sometimes lead to suicide, which luckily Melinda did not commit. Nearly 30,000 people’s lives are taken by suicide each year. Most of these people don’t even try to get help because they think no one is there for them or no one will listen. But the truth is many people will listen to what you have to say. Because if you take away your own life, who knows what you’ve taken away from the world; the next president, open heart surgeon, or something as simple as a stay at home mom. There might be someone out there in the world that might need to talk to you about suicide one day. So if you aren’t alive for them to talk to, that’s potentially another person added to the 30,000.
Aside from suicide, rape or being sexually assaulted is one of the other things many people are affected by each year. Every two minutes someone in the United States is sexually assaulted, that’s 720 sexual assaults each day. So who can you trust in this chaotic world of ours you might ask? You can trust most, if not all the people you know out there. But you just have to be careful. Not every party is going to end in a bad situation. It’s just very unfortunate that Melinda happened to be at the wrong place, with the wrong guy, at the wrong time.
To conclude, we need to be more aware of all the things going on around us. You might have a great life now, but you really don’t want to end up being one of those 720 people. Sometimes bad situations aren’t preventable, but that doesn’t mean you have to go through with them. Nobody knows when the next dangerous trend will come knocking on our doors. But when it does, will you have the guts to take a stand? Or will you be knocking your first domino over into a new chain of bad decisions?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Historical Essay
Fifteen years old is where you're at in your life. You live in a small town near Boston; it's 1778. As you run down the rocky gravel paths, you see the fiery red blob marching around with guns and riding on their horses. There is fear in your mind as you think of all the possible things they would do to you and your family if they found out that you were patriots. All of a sudden you see one of the Redcoats spot you, "One over there!" a soldier shouts. You sprint as fast as you can because you know that they are going to catch up with you at some point. You decide to jump into the nearest bush, and pray to god that they won't find you. Your heart starts to beat faster and faster with every foot step that crosses your path. Gun shots roar, people scream, dogs howl. Hours later you see the soldiers in canoes riding back up the river; until tomorrow that is. As you run back to your house, you hope that your family is still alright. But you’re not too sure of that, especially when there are bodies everywhere, houses burned to the ground, and everything out of place. You finally reach the spot of your home to see ashes of what used to be your house, scattered everywhere. That's not even the part you feared most, and sadly your fears are becoming reality. Your mother has an arrow through her throat, your father shot, and even your baby brother; dead. You fall to the ground in sobs, wondering why it couldn't have been you and not them. Your mother was an excellent homemaker, and your father was one of the bravest people you had ever come across. Even Joey, your little brother had a long life to still live; how could these people be this cruel? You knew you had to do something about it, you had to fight back in order to defend your family. But how could you when women weren't allowed to fight? In the novel, Hannah Pritchard Pirate of the Revolution by Bonnie Pryor, a girl named Hannah has lost all of her family to the redcoats and now knows that she now must do something to help win The American Revolution. Even if that means becoming a cabin boy on a pirate ship for a couple of months.
To begin, Hannah Pritchard is a fifteen year old girl who has just lost everything she's ever had; her friends, her house, her clothes and even her family. She is a Patriot and the king of England doesn't want anyone around that isn't on his side. Now with nothing left, she is angry with this whole war and wants to get involved. But women are too weak and are unintelligent to help out, and men are just so wonderful and can do anything they want to do. We all know that is not what most people think now but back then, most everyone had that opinion. Men were just superior to women for no reason at all. That's when Hanna Pritchard knew what she needed to do; become a boy for awhile. Now with a bandana on her head, and a gun sash around her waist, Hannah is ready to become a pirate of the revolution.
We are fortunate enough that in today's world women are allowed to fight and help out in the Army, Marines, Navy and even the Air force. But way back when, women were not allowed to fight in the war, they could only be nurses. This was in some way good because they might have been trying to protect the women, but the main reason was because they didn't think the women were intelligent enough or strong enough to handle war. That is not really a fair opinion in my thought considering that studies show more women graduating from high school and college than men. And war doesn’t only take strength, it takes intelligence too. “It will keep youngsters engaged as they learn about history and of a determined orphan who become a pirate for her country during the Revolutionary War. Young girls will find a strong female character to identify with, as they learn that women made history during the war, as well as, the men.” Was said in a review by a school teacher; she thought that this book also showed that women are very strong when given the chance. This review talked about the intelligence Hannah had to use when she changed her identity, “Hannah eventually makes her way to a privateer ship, where she disguises herself as a boy and works in the kitchen. She has many high-seas adventures while helping to steal loot in the name of the patriots' cause, all the while struggling to keep her identity a secret.”
The American Revolution was one of the most historical events in the history of The United States. It involved the British red coats and the Colonists of America. The colonists were fighting for their freedom from England, but it was going to be a long tough battle. It all started in 1775 when the king of England kept putting taxes on tea and many other items, and wanted to keep control of the colonists even when they were overseas. The colonists didn’t want to put up with that anymore and decided to fight for what they believed in; one nation united together. The colonists had no experience and barely any weapons, when on England’s side, they had a lot of experience and many weapons. You’d think that the British would win by a long shot, right?
To conclude, the colonists got their way and started one great nation that we call the United States of America. If the British would have won, who knows what the world would be like today. We might have a king instead of a president, be part of England instead of The United States, and we wouldn’t have nearly as much freedom as we do now. The Americans winning the war was one of the best things that could have possibly happened for America. And we should be grateful to all the brave men who risked their lives for the people of today.
Bibliography
Reviews, A. E. (2008, March 4). Amazon Edtorial Reviews. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from Amazon Edtorial Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Pritchard-Revolution-Historical-Adventures/dp/0766028518
Loesch, G. (2008, August 15). Amazon Book Reviews. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from Amazon Books: http://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Pritchard-Revolution-Historical-Adventures/product-reviews/0766028518
To begin, Hannah Pritchard is a fifteen year old girl who has just lost everything she's ever had; her friends, her house, her clothes and even her family. She is a Patriot and the king of England doesn't want anyone around that isn't on his side. Now with nothing left, she is angry with this whole war and wants to get involved. But women are too weak and are unintelligent to help out, and men are just so wonderful and can do anything they want to do. We all know that is not what most people think now but back then, most everyone had that opinion. Men were just superior to women for no reason at all. That's when Hanna Pritchard knew what she needed to do; become a boy for awhile. Now with a bandana on her head, and a gun sash around her waist, Hannah is ready to become a pirate of the revolution.
We are fortunate enough that in today's world women are allowed to fight and help out in the Army, Marines, Navy and even the Air force. But way back when, women were not allowed to fight in the war, they could only be nurses. This was in some way good because they might have been trying to protect the women, but the main reason was because they didn't think the women were intelligent enough or strong enough to handle war. That is not really a fair opinion in my thought considering that studies show more women graduating from high school and college than men. And war doesn’t only take strength, it takes intelligence too. “It will keep youngsters engaged as they learn about history and of a determined orphan who become a pirate for her country during the Revolutionary War. Young girls will find a strong female character to identify with, as they learn that women made history during the war, as well as, the men.” Was said in a review by a school teacher; she thought that this book also showed that women are very strong when given the chance. This review talked about the intelligence Hannah had to use when she changed her identity, “Hannah eventually makes her way to a privateer ship, where she disguises herself as a boy and works in the kitchen. She has many high-seas adventures while helping to steal loot in the name of the patriots' cause, all the while struggling to keep her identity a secret.”
The American Revolution was one of the most historical events in the history of The United States. It involved the British red coats and the Colonists of America. The colonists were fighting for their freedom from England, but it was going to be a long tough battle. It all started in 1775 when the king of England kept putting taxes on tea and many other items, and wanted to keep control of the colonists even when they were overseas. The colonists didn’t want to put up with that anymore and decided to fight for what they believed in; one nation united together. The colonists had no experience and barely any weapons, when on England’s side, they had a lot of experience and many weapons. You’d think that the British would win by a long shot, right?
To conclude, the colonists got their way and started one great nation that we call the United States of America. If the British would have won, who knows what the world would be like today. We might have a king instead of a president, be part of England instead of The United States, and we wouldn’t have nearly as much freedom as we do now. The Americans winning the war was one of the best things that could have possibly happened for America. And we should be grateful to all the brave men who risked their lives for the people of today.
Bibliography
Reviews, A. E. (2008, March 4). Amazon Edtorial Reviews. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from Amazon Edtorial Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Pritchard-Revolution-Historical-Adventures/dp/0766028518
Loesch, G. (2008, August 15). Amazon Book Reviews. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from Amazon Books: http://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Pritchard-Revolution-Historical-Adventures/product-reviews/0766028518
Thursday, January 20, 2011
SPEAK
It’s a Saturday night, and you’re going over to a small gathering at your friend’s house. You’re a senior in high school, and it seemed like you had everything; cheer captain, the quarterback for a boyfriend, perfect grades, everything. You asked Lisa what you guys would be doing at the gathering, but she just replied with, “You know, I thought we could try a new fad.” As you start to pull into the driveway of the dimly lighted house, you become timorous of what this new fad might be. As you walk into the house, you see Lisa and three other friends sitting at a kitchen table. Lisa was usually impassive and imperturbable, but tonight, something had changed about her. “Hey, there um, wait. What’s your name again?” Lisa slurred. It was very limpid that the four of them must have been drinking. “Want some?” Dave held out a beer to me. You were fantod that if you didn’t try it, you might lose your reputation of being popular. So you took the beer, and started to drink it. One little sip wouldn’t hurt, right? Two hours later you wake up on the floor with several beers in your system, and you are way past the point of being drunk. You look at the clock and see that it is 3:00 AM; since it is way past your cur few, you decide to drive home. Right as you get onto the highway, you are swerving back and forth between lanes and you’ve lost all control of the wheel. Then all of a sudden, everything went black. You wake up in an ambulance feeling as if thousands of needles were piercing into your body. You can’t see anything but you can hear the doctor say, “I don’t think she’s going to make it.” Scared as you could possibly ever be, you try to tell them that you’re fine; but you just can’t seem to get the words out. You start to feel more and more pain, it felt as like a thousand rocks were flattening your lungs, and all of a sudden you can’t breathe. The perfect life that you once had, gone… Many teens in today’s world are put under tons of peer pressure each and every day. If it be from their parents, friends, family or even teachers; it’s hard to say no. In Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, a girl named Melinda learns that sometimes doing things that your friends are doing isn’t always the best choice.
To start, Melinda is about to be a freshman at Merryweather High school and everything looks like it’s going to be a great year. Melinda has many friends, good grades, and a loving family; nothing could possibly go wrong, right? When Melinda and her friends pulled up to the end of the summer party at an abandoned barn, everything seemed a little shady. There’s underage drinking, smoking, and way too many teens out of control. And when Melinda starts to drink a little too much, everything goes into chaos. Andy Evans, a soon to be senior, asks Melinda to dance; and of course she politely accepts. After awhile they start to kiss. Melinda feels as if she’s on top of the world. Five minutes later she is crying in the middle of the woods. So how did she go from ecstatic to horrible in a matter of minutes? Melinda was one of the many people in the United States who have been raped.
To continue, teenagers constantly have issues with peer pressure. It seems like everywhere we go there is somebody that wants us to do something that we really shouldn’t be doing. But it’s very hard to say no to things that are potentially deleterious, especially when your friendships could be on the line. Melinda was pressured to drink which then caused a chain reaction of bad decisions; drinking lead to kissing, which lead to rape, which lead to losing all of her friends, which finally lead to depression. Depression can sometimes lead to suicide, which luckily Melinda did not commit. Nearly 30,000 people’s lives are taken by suicide each year. Most of these people don’t even try to get help because they think no one is there for them or no one will listen. But the truth is many people will listen to what you have to say. Because if you take away your own life, who knows what you’ve taken away from the world; the next president, open heart surgeon, or something as simple as a stay at home mom. There might be someone out there in the world that might need to talk to you about suicide one day. So if you aren’t alive for them to talk to, that’s potentially another person added to the 30,000.
Aside from suicide, rape or being sexually assaulted is one of the other things many people are affected by each year. Every two minutes someone in the United States is sexually assaulted, that’s 720 sexual assaults each day. So who can you trust in this chaotic world of ours you might ask? You can trust most, if not all the people you know out there. But you just have to be careful. Not every party is going to end in a bad situation. It’s just very unfortunate that Melinda happened to be at the wrong place, with the wrong guy, at the wrong time.
To conclude, we need to be more aware of all the things going on around us. You might have a great life now, but you really don’t want to end up being one of those 720 people. Sometimes bad situations aren’t preventable, but that doesn’t mean you have to go through with them. Nobody knows when the next dangerous trend will come knocking on our doors. But when it does, will you have the guts to take a stand? Or will you be knocking your first domino over into a new chain of bad decisions?
To start, Melinda is about to be a freshman at Merryweather High school and everything looks like it’s going to be a great year. Melinda has many friends, good grades, and a loving family; nothing could possibly go wrong, right? When Melinda and her friends pulled up to the end of the summer party at an abandoned barn, everything seemed a little shady. There’s underage drinking, smoking, and way too many teens out of control. And when Melinda starts to drink a little too much, everything goes into chaos. Andy Evans, a soon to be senior, asks Melinda to dance; and of course she politely accepts. After awhile they start to kiss. Melinda feels as if she’s on top of the world. Five minutes later she is crying in the middle of the woods. So how did she go from ecstatic to horrible in a matter of minutes? Melinda was one of the many people in the United States who have been raped.
To continue, teenagers constantly have issues with peer pressure. It seems like everywhere we go there is somebody that wants us to do something that we really shouldn’t be doing. But it’s very hard to say no to things that are potentially deleterious, especially when your friendships could be on the line. Melinda was pressured to drink which then caused a chain reaction of bad decisions; drinking lead to kissing, which lead to rape, which lead to losing all of her friends, which finally lead to depression. Depression can sometimes lead to suicide, which luckily Melinda did not commit. Nearly 30,000 people’s lives are taken by suicide each year. Most of these people don’t even try to get help because they think no one is there for them or no one will listen. But the truth is many people will listen to what you have to say. Because if you take away your own life, who knows what you’ve taken away from the world; the next president, open heart surgeon, or something as simple as a stay at home mom. There might be someone out there in the world that might need to talk to you about suicide one day. So if you aren’t alive for them to talk to, that’s potentially another person added to the 30,000.
Aside from suicide, rape or being sexually assaulted is one of the other things many people are affected by each year. Every two minutes someone in the United States is sexually assaulted, that’s 720 sexual assaults each day. So who can you trust in this chaotic world of ours you might ask? You can trust most, if not all the people you know out there. But you just have to be careful. Not every party is going to end in a bad situation. It’s just very unfortunate that Melinda happened to be at the wrong place, with the wrong guy, at the wrong time.
To conclude, we need to be more aware of all the things going on around us. You might have a great life now, but you really don’t want to end up being one of those 720 people. Sometimes bad situations aren’t preventable, but that doesn’t mean you have to go through with them. Nobody knows when the next dangerous trend will come knocking on our doors. But when it does, will you have the guts to take a stand? Or will you be knocking your first domino over into a new chain of bad decisions?
Character Analysis
Ponyboy is fourteen years old and is the youngest of his friends. He has light-brown almost red hair and grayish-green eyes. His hair is way longer than a lot of boys, and he is just trying to fit in with the rest of the crowd. He lost his parents when he was young, and now lives with his two brothers; Sodapop, most would describe him as the charming ladies man that every girl loves and the person every guy wants to be, and Darry, the tough muscular Greaser that really deserves to be a Soc. I've choose Ponyboy because I like the way he stands up for his family, and how he isn't just the average Greaser. He is not querulous at all, but should Ponyboy really belong with the Greasers, or is his true calling with the Socs?
To start, in the beginning chapters of the novel Ponyboy is described as a young Greaser that is just trying to make it through each day. So that if he does happen to make it through high school, he can get out of the city and travel to find his own place in the country. You can definitely see the want that Ponyboy has to finish school so that he can reach his goal of moving on to bigger and better things. A few chapters later, you see another example of how Ponyboy is youngest in the group, and is pretty defenseless against real danger. "How'd you like that haircut to begin just below the chin?" Says a pack of Socs when they jumped Ponyboy one evening. Johnny, another one of the boys, has always been abused as a child and knows how it feels to be bullied. He would never hurt a fly, but has to cross the line once one of his friend's lives is on the line. "You know what a Soc is? White trash with Mustangs and maradas." Ponyboy said to show the frustration he has when he is picked on once again by three Socs. The Socs jump him and try to drown him until Johnny puts his own life on the line to save Ponyboy.
To continue, throughout the novel Ponyboy really grows up and realizes that maybe he won't have to live this life of being a hoodlum anymore. When Ponyboy and Johnny accidentally burn down an old church that little school children are having a picnic in, everything goes chaotic because they know they could be taking away helpless little lives. Both are audacious enough to jump in and save each individual child from the blazing heat, and in return are declared as heroes. Also, when the rumble was about to begin, Ponyboy starts to wonder why he fights if nothing good comes in return. And as the fight is about to start, Darry starts to reconsider Ponyboy fighting, but then Ponyboy says, "I'll be alright. I'll get hold of a little one, okay?" which makes Darry say yes. He then asks each member of his group why they fight, and in return they each give him a response for why. But when Ponyboy asks himself the same question, he can't seem to find the answer. This is a great change for him to be growing up because it shows he has a good outlook on how his own life is going to turn out. He doesn't want to be in pointless brawls, and he doesn't want to have to rely on his brothers to do everything for him.
Near the end of the novel, Ponyboy really finds out who he is. He really takes a better look of what's going on in the world around him, and really starts to mature by watching out for people other than himself. One good example would have to be when Ponyboy looks out for Johnny when Johnny kills Bob, the Soc, in order to save Ponyboy's life. Ponyboy is grateful and runs away with Johnny so that they both won't get caught by the police. Another example would be when he helps out his group by fighting in the rumble against the Socs. Even though he didn't want to, he still did because he knew that they needed him in order to win. This has been a great change because now more people can feel like they can depend on Ponyboy and that he's maturing into a great man that everyone knows he can be.
To conclude, I'd have to say that I feel bad for Ponyboy in some ways, but in other ways I don't feel bad for him. For Ponyboy to have to live in such a bad environment where everyone is either fighting, smoking or dropping out of school, must be hard to be around since all of those things are very deleterious. Here in the suburbs we sometimes take for granite how lucky we are to live in such a spectacular place with our families. But for other people like Ponyboy, Darry and Sodapop, they aren't so lucky. When you might think of family you probably think of your intermediate family, your mom, dad, sister or brother. But for these three, all they have is each other. Reading The Outsiders really makes you appreciate everything you have, and it makes you stop complaining about everything you don't.
To start, in the beginning chapters of the novel Ponyboy is described as a young Greaser that is just trying to make it through each day. So that if he does happen to make it through high school, he can get out of the city and travel to find his own place in the country. You can definitely see the want that Ponyboy has to finish school so that he can reach his goal of moving on to bigger and better things. A few chapters later, you see another example of how Ponyboy is youngest in the group, and is pretty defenseless against real danger. "How'd you like that haircut to begin just below the chin?" Says a pack of Socs when they jumped Ponyboy one evening. Johnny, another one of the boys, has always been abused as a child and knows how it feels to be bullied. He would never hurt a fly, but has to cross the line once one of his friend's lives is on the line. "You know what a Soc is? White trash with Mustangs and maradas." Ponyboy said to show the frustration he has when he is picked on once again by three Socs. The Socs jump him and try to drown him until Johnny puts his own life on the line to save Ponyboy.
To continue, throughout the novel Ponyboy really grows up and realizes that maybe he won't have to live this life of being a hoodlum anymore. When Ponyboy and Johnny accidentally burn down an old church that little school children are having a picnic in, everything goes chaotic because they know they could be taking away helpless little lives. Both are audacious enough to jump in and save each individual child from the blazing heat, and in return are declared as heroes. Also, when the rumble was about to begin, Ponyboy starts to wonder why he fights if nothing good comes in return. And as the fight is about to start, Darry starts to reconsider Ponyboy fighting, but then Ponyboy says, "I'll be alright. I'll get hold of a little one, okay?" which makes Darry say yes. He then asks each member of his group why they fight, and in return they each give him a response for why. But when Ponyboy asks himself the same question, he can't seem to find the answer. This is a great change for him to be growing up because it shows he has a good outlook on how his own life is going to turn out. He doesn't want to be in pointless brawls, and he doesn't want to have to rely on his brothers to do everything for him.
Near the end of the novel, Ponyboy really finds out who he is. He really takes a better look of what's going on in the world around him, and really starts to mature by watching out for people other than himself. One good example would have to be when Ponyboy looks out for Johnny when Johnny kills Bob, the Soc, in order to save Ponyboy's life. Ponyboy is grateful and runs away with Johnny so that they both won't get caught by the police. Another example would be when he helps out his group by fighting in the rumble against the Socs. Even though he didn't want to, he still did because he knew that they needed him in order to win. This has been a great change because now more people can feel like they can depend on Ponyboy and that he's maturing into a great man that everyone knows he can be.
To conclude, I'd have to say that I feel bad for Ponyboy in some ways, but in other ways I don't feel bad for him. For Ponyboy to have to live in such a bad environment where everyone is either fighting, smoking or dropping out of school, must be hard to be around since all of those things are very deleterious. Here in the suburbs we sometimes take for granite how lucky we are to live in such a spectacular place with our families. But for other people like Ponyboy, Darry and Sodapop, they aren't so lucky. When you might think of family you probably think of your intermediate family, your mom, dad, sister or brother. But for these three, all they have is each other. Reading The Outsiders really makes you appreciate everything you have, and it makes you stop complaining about everything you don't.
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