If You Had To

Determination.  The thing that can keep you going on just a couple hours of sleep.  The thing that everyone has somewhere in them; the fire burning in your heart.  Many different authors use the theme of determination throughout their books.

In the book Sarah's Key, the theme of determination is used to create the one of the main problems; Sarah getting back home to her brother who she left locked in a cupboard.  He was dying in that cupboard and she thought it was her fault, but she didn't know any better.  She was trying to save his life when she locked him in there, but now she had to hurry home or she would feel the guilt of killing him.  "She had no choice.  She had to get back to Paris." She was determined not to let him die.

Suzanne Collins also used the theme of determination in her book The Hunger Games.  In this book, a girl named Katniss volenteers as a "tribute" in a fight to the death battle called "the hunger games."  Each year both a boy and a girl tribute are chosen from each of the districts to participate in this battle.  Katniss's younger sister, Prim, was chosen as a tribute, but Katniss could not put her younger sister in danger.  She swore to Prim that she would "really, really try," to win and come back home; but with 23 other tributes, the odds were against her.  Even though the odds were against her Katniss was still determined to win the hunger games and get back home to Prim.

The Secret Life of Bees is a book that also has the theme of determination.  In this book, a 14 year old girl, named Lily, supposedly killed her mother when she was younger and her father is abusive.  Her stand-in mother, Rosaleen, is one of her father's slaves.  After many years of living with her father, Rosaleen and Lily ran away from home to trace the one piece of information Lily had about her mother and to escape her father.  Lily "picked Tiburon 'cause her mother had a picture with that town written down on the back- that's it.'" Lily was determined to find out more about her mother.

Not all of these characters got a happy ending.  You can't always control the outcome of a situation no matter how much determination you have.  But, if it's not always a happy ending, then why should we be determined in the first place?  If it's not always going to be the way we want it, why should we try?  Hope.  It gives us hope.  It gives us a reason to live; a purpose for our lives.  

B4 the Crash

Her last words were "c u l8r."   Words that could have waited until "l8r" to be sent.  Words that impacted everyone she knew.  Words that ended her life.  She was young, at the age of 16, too young to die.  As the tears poured down her family's faces, they dreamed of what could have been, if she hadn't had to send her best friend the last words, "c u l8r."  The pain surged through the hearts of everyone.  What is the price of a text message; it is certainly not a life.Children have the privilege of being able to drive at the age of 16.  But is that really a good idea?  Do you really want to put such a young person in that kind of control?  They could easily end their own life, or someone else's.  Therefore, you should have to be at least 21 in order to drive.

If the driving age was raised to 21, it would give people more time to mature.  Driving is all about decision making.  To make good decisions, you have to be mature.  As you go through life, you become more and more mature.  For example, when you are younger you have to learn how to be polite, share your toys and other simple tasks.  As you get older these tasks become things you do naturally.  You gradually become more and more mature.  Also, everyone matures at different times.  So while someone could be mature enough to drive at age 12, someone else may not be mature enough until later in life, it all depends on the person.  There is no harm in waiting a few more years to get your license, and possibly saving a life.

Even though it might be a pain to wait a while longer to have the privilege of driving, it is worth it.  For some, one day they are a normal teenager, and the next their life story is being poured out on the news; all because of three words: "c u l8r."  These kinds of things happen so often, but what if they didn't?  What if it all went away?  What if the roads were safer?  What if you had to be 21 to drive a car?

Another Gift

Author's Note: This is a piece written to demonstrate my understanding of the skill prediction.  This is what I think is going to happen after the end of the short story "The Gift of the Magi."

It was Christmas time once again and this time Della had managed to save $10 to buy a gift for Jim.  She knew exactly what she was going to buy him.  Despite the fact that they had both given up their most prized possessions to buy a gift for each other last year, this year Della was determined to buy Jim something amazing.  By this time Della's hair had grown a little bit longer and both Della and Jim were happy.  Della set out to find what she knew Jim wanted the most; his old watch.  After many weeks of searching, Della finally found the watch.  She begged the man for the watch, offered him money for it, even offered him a new one, but the man wouldn't give up the watch.  Della began to wonder why this man wanted this watch so much.  "Sir, may I ask, what does this watch mean to you?  It is just like any other watch, except for the fact that it has been handed down for generations though my family.  My husband, that watch means the world to him, and he means the world to me.  Please sir, please."  Della held out the 10 dollar bill towards the man.  The man looked around frantically before giving in.  "This watch means a lot to me too ma'am. There is something you don't know about me..."  A look of confusion crossed Della's face.  "What are you trying to say?" Della asked slowly trying to put it all together.  The man continued, "I am trying to say that.....well...um...This watch is a part of my family too.  Jim is my older brother but I was born after he was out of the house and was adopted my aunt and uncle when my parents died 5 years later."  Della stood  right where she was and didn't move as she took in this information.  A few minutes later Della began to speak "So even Jim doesn't know you exist?" The man said "I don't think he knows, ma'am."  Della asked yet another question "What is your name?"  "Eddie, ma'am, my name is Eddie."  the man answered.  "Eddie." Della pondered.  "Yes ma'am." Eddie reassured her  "How would you like to join us for Christmas dinner, Eddie?"  " I would like that very much ma'am."  

I think that this is going to happen because when Jim sold the watch, it was very old.  Even though it was Jim and Della's prized possession, it was an old watch and the only way someone would buy it is if it had some meaning to them.  Also they didn't mention anything about their families during the story, so maybe his family is very disconnected as I showed through this story.  Another reason I think this might happen is because Della would want Jim to be able to use the gift she got him last year and she loves him enough to track down his watch.  Lastly, I thought this would happen because there needs to be a way for the story to bring itself together and connect to the first part.

A Father Like No Other

A father gets the opportunity of watching his children grow. He leads them toward what is right, and away from what is wrong.  He teaches them and loves them.  In a similar way the Founding Fathers of America watched their country grow and flourish.  It is obvious they loved their country and wanted them to succeed.  They set their country up for many future successes, even if they did not realize it at the time.  The Founding Fathers of America were a huge part of American history.  If I ever got the chance to speak to Founding Fathers of America, there are a few things I would tell them.

First of all, I would tell them thank you.  Thank you for paving the path for the rest of us.  Thank you for creating our government.  Thank you for everything you have done.  They have created a beautiful country for generations to come.  They have gotten their hands a little bit dirtier to establish a new country, one that will be strong, one that will last forever.  These are our hometown heroes.  Without them we would have no government.  With no government, our country would have very little hope of survival. Our country needed leaders, and that is exactly what our Founding Fathers gave it and more.

The Founding Fathers of America gave our country life.  We inherited an established country, they didn’t.  They worked hard for what we have today. Without the Founding Fathers of America, our lives would be very different.  Sometimes it is hard to even imagine what they had to do to establish our country because of how well it turned out to be.  They are individuals who take pride in what they do.  It is those individuals who step forward when everyone else steps back, that become great leaders.  It is those individuals who founded the United States of America.

Some kids don’t have a father there for them whenever they need it.  If America didn’t have its founding fathers, where would we be today?  The opportunity to speak to any of these strong leaders would be like no other.  If I ever got this chance, I would take it because of all the things I would want to tell them.  They were there for us when we needed them, and even though they aren’t here now, they did a pretty good job when they were.

Truly an Accident

Author's Note: This piece is about the cause and effect in the book Secret Life of Bees.  I wrote this to demonstrate my understanding of cause and effect.

The Secret Life of Bees is a book about a girl named Lily who lived her whole life knowing that she killed her mother.  Even though it was truly an accident, she still feels the guilt.  Now she is on a mission to escape from her abusive father with her stand-in mother, Rosaleen and  follow the only trace of her mother to Tiburon, South Carolina.  There she meets a family of sisters and they tell her about her mother.  The main event of this book is when Lily runs away from home.  The cause of this event  is that her father was abusive and she did not want to be with him anymore.

When Lily runs away from home, the effect is that she meets the family of sisters in South Carolina.  If she never would have met them, she never would have found out anything about her mother.  She would have been seeking answers for the rest of her life.  In the end, she also ends up living with August, away from her father forever, so if she never met the sisters, she would still be living with her father.

Locked in Time

Author's Note: This piece is about the conflict/resolution in the book Sarah's Key.  I wrote this to demonstrate my understanding of conflict/resolution.

The holocaust was a terrible time when all of the Jews were put in work camps.  Some were able to escape, but others were not so lucky.In Sarah's Key, a little girl is faced with this struggle without realizing it in the beginning.  She left her younger brother locked in a cabinet so he would not have to go, but little did she know, she was never coming back.  

The main conflicts in this book are person vs. society and person  vs. self.  The little girl is against the society because they are putting her in work camps for her religion.  The other conflict is that the little girl is determined to get back to her brother, and save him from the cabinet and she will do anything it takes to get back to him.  The person vs. society conflict is resolved when the little girl escapes from the work camps.  The person vs. self conflict is resolved when the little girl finds her way back home only to find new people living in her house.  She quickly goes to the cabinet he is hidden in, but when she opens it, there is a sight that she will never forget. A sight that will leave her mourning for the rest of her life.  A sight that will slowly chip away at her until she is nothing at all.  She is left with nothing but a heart full of loss.

The Stairs of the Falls

The beauty of a waterfall is one like no other.  It is amazing to see gallons and gallons of water tumble off the edge of cliff.  One of the most famous waterfalls in the world is Niagara Falls.   Niagara Falls is a great place for a family vacation, until someone gets a little wet. 

It was the middle of summer and my family was in Niagara Falls, New York.  We had arrived at the falls and decided to go on a boat ride called "The Maid of the Mist".  This boat ride would take us closer to the waterfalls so we could get a better look at them.  After the boat ride, we saw some stairs that we thought led up to the top.  Instead of using the elevator, we decided that it might be cool to, once again, get a better look at the falls.  We later found out that first of all, the stairs didn't lead up to the top, and second, these stairs were about to change our day.

We began to climb the stairs.  I was right behind my dad with my younger brother, Bradley, following me.  The climb started out fine.  We weren't getting too wet and we still had the rain ponchos they had given us for the boat ride.  As we got higher and higher, the water started hitting us harder and harder.  It didn't feel like rain, but more like when you are at a water park and they have the big bucket filled with however many gallons of water and then there is the bell that starts ringing right before the bucket dumps and soaks you with water.  By the time we had almost reached the top, I heard Bradley crying.  I turned around to see what was wrong.  Since he wouldn't tell me, I just tried to shield the water off of him using my poncho.  But considering the amount of water there was, my poncho didn't help much.  

I was soon to find out, that there were two reasons Bradley was crying.  One, because his new ten dollar shoes were being ruined, and two, because he was getting wet.  When we reached the "top" we found out that we were only at the top of the stairs, not at the top of the waterfall, where we needed to be.  We quickly began descending the stairs, in attempt to stay as dry as possible.  By the time we got to the bottom, Bradley was already crying about how he wanted to go home.  The only problem was, we still had the rest of the vacation to enjoy.  

Later in the day, and I mean a lot later, Bradley all of a sudden forgot what had happened that morning and became himself again.  The rest of the day after that was a lot more pleasant that climbing up those horrifying stairs, although, looking back on it, it actually wasn't that bad.  It was only water and it dried quickly because of the sun.  But as you can see, a little bit of water, or a lot, can make a big difference on how the day turns out to be.

Unlocking the Escape

Author's note: This is a retelling of the book Sarah's Key.  I really liked this book and would suggest it to anyone looking for a sad book.

This book is about the little girl's journey through the holocaust, with only one thing in mind; she held the key that unlocked the cupboard her brother was hidden in.  She had promised him that she would come back soon to get him, but she did not understand what was happening.  She wouldn't be able to come back.  As she attempts to escape from the Velodrome d'Hiver, to go and save her younger brother, she realizes that she will be leaving her parents behind.  

Flames of the Future

The flames, they burned in  the back of my mind, I could still see them as if it were yesterday, I could still feel them as if I was still there.  The flames, they ruined the trees, they ruined the sky, they ruined the animals. The flames, they destroyed me. 

It was a regular Saturday morning as we hiked through that park.  My brother, Jonah, and I were always fighting about something and my mom, being the peacemaker of the family, would always try to resolve everything so that everyone would be happy “and enjoy the beauty of nature” she always said.  We continued through the woods until we made it to our picnic area on the other side of the park. I was about to take a bite out of my sandwich when out of the corner of my eye, I saw something.  I turned to see a red leaf floating to the ground. I turned back around and began to eat my sandwich. After a while, something caught my eye again.  This time, when I turned, I saw a growing flame in the distance. It was getting bigger and bigger until there was a wall of flames approaching me.

I stood up and began to run, with my family trailing behind me.  It felt like I was in an action movie, except, it wasn’t.  I wasn’t  acting, I was living, and I was running for my life.  As I ran, the flames got closer and closer.  I watched as my family was devoured, one by one.  First was Jonah.  I watched helplessly as he disappeared into the flames.  I felt a tear roll down my sweaty face.   Jonah was gone.  The next one to go was my mom.  She was terrified by Jonah’s disappearance.  She began to sob and it slowed her down a lot. The flames surrounded her.  Now they were both gone. The tears were pouring down my face now.  It was just me and my dad left and we were almost to the exit, when I heard a terrifying scream.  I was on my own.

The flames, they  burned a hole in my heart.  The flames, they left me on my own.  The flames, they are my past.  The flames, they are my future.

The Love of Life

"Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." -Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin asks "Dost thou love life?" He means to ask do you love life?  Almost anyone would answer yes.  Then he continues "Then do not squander time," By this he is saying don't waste time,  Finally he ends with "for that is the stuff life is made of." He is entirely right with that statement.  Life is made of time.  If there was no time there would be no life.  All in all, Benjamin Franklin is saying if you love life, don't waste the time that it is made of, and I completely agree with him.

The Time of Our Lives

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live"- JK Rowling.  If you forget to live and just sit in your  dreams, you aren't living life to what it is meant to be. You don't get a second chance at life.  Once it's over, it's over.  You don't get to live forever.  Some people may get to live longer than others, but that is just how life works.  You don't get everything on a silver platter.  Life is short so even when things go wrong, we have to enjoy every second of it.

Life is like an hourglass, you only have a certain amount of time before all of the sand falls to the bottom.  The difference is that this hourglass is invisible to everyone on Earth.  No one can guess when you are going to die.  They can make guesses as to when you will die based on your condition at the moment and the age that most people live to be, but no one can tell exactly.  The hourglass won't tell anyone when you are going to die.  The only person that can see any of it, is you, as you lay, dying, you can feel the last few grains of sand fall to the bottom.  Everyone has a different amount of sand in their hourglass, and since no one can see how much sand is left, we have to enjoy life while we can.

Enjoying life is simple, all you have to do is live it.  You don't have to spend a ton of money to go on a bunch of vacations, but it could be something as easy as going for a walk.  As long as you are with the people you love, nothing else matters, not even the weather.  It could be pouring rain as you are outside on your walk, but as long as you are with your friends or family, it doesn't matter, it just makes the situation more fun.  Whereas if you were by yourself in the rain, you would start running home, there would be no one to laugh with.  The only thing that you can do to have a good life, is enjoy it.

Anything you do help you enjoy life more, as long as you look at the bright side.  For example, have you ever thought washing the floor could be fun?  Most people would answer no, but as for me, the answer would be yes.  How could doing a chore be enjoying life?  You just have to make the best out of it.  One time when my sister and I cleaned the floor, we took the rags, put them under our feet, and waddled around.  Meanwhile, there was music blasting in the background and since we were the only ones home, no one was there to stop us.  We had a great time sliding around our kitchen, but we also cleaned the floor.

When plans get ruined, when tragedies happen,  when things go wrong, we have to realize that we aren't going to live forever.  And instead of being upset about it, we have to get over it.  And instead of living in the past, we have to enjoy the present.  Life isn't perfect so we have to accept it as it is.  Life isn't perfect so we just have to try and enjoy it while we can.

Man in Love Age 72

"Ronny!" called my wife Melanie  from the kitchen where the smell of freshly baked chocolate cookies floated through the air.  I loved her chocolate chip cookies.  She had baked these for our two grandchildren, Jack and Meg, who were coming over to visit later in the day.  They were the son and daughter of my own daughter Kim. I haven't  seen them in over three years because they live so far away.  "Would you like a cookie?  I have to make sure they are perfect for Jack and Meg." chimed Melanie.  "Of course, darling."  I replied, trying not to show how much I truly wanted one.  "The chocolate does some good for these old bones of mine" I chuckled as I began to sink my teeth through the little cookie.  Melanie smiled, I loved her smile. 

Soon the doorbell rang and our little dog, Mandy ran as fast as he could to see who's there.  When Melanie opened the door and let in the children and their parents in, I was waiting for them to come running out to me screaming "Grandpa, Grandpa!" just like the last time they were here, but no one comes.  I hear them slowly enter the door, and wonder what they are doing.  All of a sudden I heard Kim's cry of panic, I heard her husband, Jeff, telling her to be calm, but the only thing that made me move was the cries of the children. I got up from the couch and walked over to the entrance to my old house.  There I found what I had dreaded since the day I met her, there I found Melanie, lifeless.

Meg, the older of the two children seemed to be the only mature one.  She grabbed the phone and dialed 911 while the rest of us stared at Melanie, waiting for her to move.  When the ambulance arrived Melanie was hauled into the vehicle and taken to the hospital.  We all got into the car and headed there too.  All I could think about on our way there was my life without her.  Although I could feel the tears starting to form in my eyes, I didn't dare let one slide down my cheek. 

When we finally got to the hospital, I felt like my whole life with Melanie had been played out before me, every moment, every memory, from the day I met her to this very second, everything. As we walked quickly to the waiting area, I felt one little, wet tear make it's way down my wrinkled face, into my empty hand.  I quickly wiped it away, hoping that no one had seen, but someone had seen.  Before I know it Meg's soft little arm is wrapped around me like a warm blanket in the middle of winter.  She whispered to me "Don't worry, it'll be alright."  I moved my gaze down to meet her eyes reflecting the same pain in mine, except a younger pain.  These words from my 9 year old granddaughter were the only thing that could comfort me at the moment.  The problem was nothing could prepare me for what lied ahead.  A nurse came out of Melanie's room, trying to look hopeful, but anyone could tell, there was no hope.  She walked forward and called my name, "Ronald Smith."  I made my way slowly to my tired, old feet and the nurse approached me cautiously.  I wondered what she had to say, I wondered what was wrong with Melanie, I wondered why she had chosen me from the rest.  The nurse tried to be funny and cheerful, but there was something that she couldn't hide from me, that she couldn't hide from any of us.  Finally, she realized that she was going to just have to tell us.  She took a deep breath and said the words that I remember all to clearly.

Reddest of All Deaths

 Author's Note: This is based of of Edgar Allan Poe's Masque of the Red Death short story.  It is basically a short point of view from the red death itself.
Tis I, the reddest of all deaths, the dread of all people, the furtive red  death.  Tis I who deviate throughout your lonesome rooms.  If you ever envisioned escaping my deadly grasps, then it shall be you who will be taken next. There is no written number, nor no written reason as to why, but the deed must be done.  So I, the reddest of all deaths, the furtive red death, must do the deed, must make the blood poor down your face like a bloody river.  I must kill you all forevermore.

Making Mistakes

Everyone has made a mistake at some point in their life.  Whether it was a big mistake or a little mistake, everyone has made at least one.  But even though these mistakes might have gotten us into a little bit of trouble, think of how much mistakes impact our world.  If no one ever made any mistakes, the world would get boring.  Did you ever think that mistakes could actually be helping us?  Even if it is only a little, we benefit from our mistakes.

How do our mistakes make our lives better?  Well, take a look at the millions of kids across the world who plays sports every day.  Sports are based off mistakes because not both people can win.  For instance, if you were playing soccer, either the defender or the attacker has to make a mistake, someone  has to get beat, there has to be a winner, there has to be a loser, there is no way they can both be perfect.  Sports are a way for people to enjoy themselves, to have fun, but no one every realizes that all of their happiness is coming from something as terrible as a mistake.

Mistakes can also help create jobs.  Think of how much money professional sports players bring in to our economy.  Plus, they provide news companies with more to talk about.  News companies also get jobs from mistakes.  They either write or talk about what mistakes people made.  Look at how much they talk about car accidents, robberies, and all the other mistakes that people make.  The mistakes that we make are giving people a job and teaching people what is wrong.

The thing with mistakes is that even if you so something terrible, hopefully you can learn from that mistake.  The thing with life is that you have live and learn.  That means that you have live your life freely and when you make a mistake, you have to learn and accept that it was wrong, so that you hopefully won't make the same mistake twice.

Even though they may seem awful, even though they make life harder, even though they might get us in trouble, mistakes are an important part of our lives. They make our lives the way they are an even if we don't like them, they can help us.  Mistakes are like a bowl of candy, some kinds you like , and some you don't.

The Tell Tale Heart

In the Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe,  the narrator is tells the story.  The narrator is untrustworthy because he is insane.  His point of view affects how we interpret the story because he tends to imagine things, such as the heart beating beneath the floor.  We would interpret the story differently if it was in the police officer's point of view because they just know that there was a scream, they don't know what happened.

If the police officer told the story, we wouldn't know very much about the situation.  All we would know is that we were called to this house because the neighbor heard a scream.  We wouldn't know why the person was so anxious when we were relaxing at their house.  We wouldn't hear "the beating of his hideous heart" beneath the floor.  There would be a lot of changes in the story.  We would not understand why this man told us that he killed the old man.  There would be a lot more questions, but at least we could trust the narrator. 

O Captian! My Captain!

In the poem O Captain! My Captain! By Walt Whitman figurative language is used effectively.  For example, when he compares their destination to the "prize they sought is won," he is showing through this metaphor that this had been a dream for them, that this is the place they wanted to go.  This poem is about someone who is telling their dead captain that they have reached their dream land and desperately begging him "to rise."  This shipmate seems so desperate to bring his captain back to life that it makes this poem disappointing that the poor captain didn't get to see the result of his efforts.

The Crystal Stairs

In the poem Mother to Son Langston Hughes uses a lot of figurative language.  For example, he compares life to a crystal stair, he compares turning points in our lives to turning corners, he compares check points to reaching landings, and compares splinters, tacks and places with no carpet to the hardships we face in life.  All of these metaphors are showing that "life ain't no crystal stair" meaning that life isn't easy.  This poem is about a mother who is calmly, yet fiercely explaining to her son about life and telling him that even if times get tough, to keep moving forward, to keep climbing the stairs.  She is telling him that thing will be difficult but you have to carry on and that is what makes this poem inspirational. 

A Life Lost

 Author's note: I just wanted to play with word choice a little so this really isn't a story but just kind of a scene.

The sun was setting quicker than the speed of light itself. I knew this was because of what lay ahead, nowhere I could run to, nowhere I could hide.  My heart is a tree struck by lightning, longing to be fixed but far beyond repair.  I wait, with hopeless thoughts, for the fog to come and carry me away.  I see the sky begin to darken and the fog begin to form.  I feel the rain begin to fall and the wind begin to blow.  All of a sudden, it stops. Everything at the same time.  The rain, the wind, the fog, the darkness, and then, my heart.

A Dream For Revolution

Everyone has a dream.  Whether your dream is to be some famous baseball player or to allow black and white people to be in the same building, dreams are for everyone.  Back in 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution began.  The people had a dream to overthrow the tsarist government.  Similarly, in Animal Farm, Major, the elderly pig, gave a speech about his dream to rebel against humans, more specifically, their master, Jones (27-32).  The thing is, on Animal Farm, Major really had a dream while in the Bolshevik Revolution their dream was really just a vision.  The both had a different form of a dream, yet it helped them to achieve the same goal of overthrowing their government.  Animal Farm and the Bolshevik Revolution are very similar events.

In Animal Farm, Major, the elderly pig, gave a speech about his dream to rebel against humans, more specifically, their master, Jones (27-32).  When Major died and the revolution began, not one of the animals had faith in Jones, not one of them thought he was being fair, not one of them trusted him (36).  They believed that he was forcing them to work in the fields to provide food for him and the other humans without repaying them (29).  In a similar way, Tsar Nicholas II forced millions of peasants into World War I (The Bolshevik Revolution).  Also, like Major, some of the women tried to get people to help overthrow the Tsar (The Bolshevik Revolution).   Then as the revolution began, no one trusted Tsar Nicholas II, just like the animals didn’t trust Jones (Litwin).

After the revolutions ended, Napoleon, from Animal Farm, and Kerensky, from the Bolshevik Revolution, became dictators of the land they had just claimed (Litwin).  They were the ones who ruled the land and gained the others’ trust.  Boxer, a horse from Animal Farm, even said “Napoleon is always right!”(125). This means that the animals all trusted Napoleon because he was “always right.”  Although through the winter when the food supply was low for most of the animals, Napoleon and the other pigs always seemed to have enough, but because Boxer said “Napoleon is always right,” no one questioned him.  After the Bolshevik Revolution, the food supplies were low just like they were on Animal Farm through the winter.  No one questioned Kerensky at this point either.

Unlike in Animal Farm where there was only one revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution was actually split into two separate revolutions (Litwin).  One of the revolutions was in February and the other was in the following October.  The revolution on Animal Farm was when the animals outrageously took over the farm.  On the other hand, the Bolshevik Revolution in February was to overthrow the Tsar and then the Provisional Government took over(Litwin).  This is like the animals defeating Jones.  Then,the revolution in October was when the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government (Litwin).  This would be like if the animals had rebelled against Napoleon and the rest of the pigs, but they didn’t.

           Clearly, the Bolshevik Revolution and Animal Farm are similar, yet different.  They both begin with a dream, and in the end, after the dreams are fulfilled, the dream dies with going back to the way things were before.  In this way, the dreams in these two could be compared to plants; when the seed is planted, it begins to grow eventually becoming a beautiful large plant.  Then, after a while the plant dies and its seeds scatter, just like the dreams in both of these revolutions; they begin with a dream, and end back where they started.

    

Bibliography

Litwin, Peter. "The Russian Revolution ." 2002. 19 March 2012 <http://depts.washington.edu/baltic/papers/russianrevolution.htm>.

"The Bolshevik Revolution." 1996. Russia and Eastern Europe Chronology. 19 March 2012 <http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/easteurope/octrev.html>.

A Teacher to Remember

"This is the class where you can find your soul, if you dare."  Mr. Freeman told his art students on the first day of art class.  "If you don't learn art now, you will never learn to breathe!"  Mr. Freeman is Melinda's favorite teacher; he pushes them to express their emotions through their art, cares about his students, and give almost everyone an A.  Mr. Freeman, from the book Speak was an character that greatly impacted Melinda from the first time he was mentioned in the book. 

Mr. Freeman teaches and grades his students different than most teachers do, because he has to.  What if you were taking an art class and when you turned in a project, your teacher told you that a ton of details that were wrong, basically telling you that your piece was terrible?  Mr. Freeman had to give most of the students an A for the class because there was no other way of grading them.  The only way you can grade art is by effort.  When Mr. Freeman got in trouble for giving all of the students an A, he took a chisel and sliced his canvas that he had been working on for a while.

Mr. Freeman should express his emotions because he is art teacher and in art, you express your emotions.  Mr. Freeman expressed his emotions in many different ways other than words.  For example, his art always showed his emotions or feelings.  Also his emotions were shown through his actions, like slicing his painting with a chisel because he was upset that his budget had been taken away.  I think that part of the reason Mr. Freeman ruined his painting is because he had painted the school board members in a jail, and it was like they had broken out and taken more away from him.

Meanwhile, Mr. Freeman cares about the problems that his students are having in life.  He wants to help them fix their problems, it probably has something to do with the fact that he wants them to discover themselves and find their soul.  An example of this could be when he offered Melinda a ride to where ever she was going before he knew how close or far he would have to drive.  He wanted to help her.  Another example is at the end of the book when Melinda finishes her project and starts to cry. 

Mr. Freeman notices quickly that Melinda "has been through a lot" and gives Melinda the strength to tell him what happened.

In the novel Speak, Mr. Freeman is an intriguing character.  He teaches his students in a different way.  Most teachers don’t care about their students as much as Mr. Freeman does.  He wants them to find their soul, learn to breathe, and create a masterpiece.

The Homework of Feelings

"I do my homework- choose 5 verbs and conjugate them.

To translate: traducir. I traducir.

To flunk: fracasar. Yo am almost fracarsaring.

To hide: esconder. To escape: escapar.

To forget: olvidar"

Although these words could have been randomly selected, it is fairly obvious that they are not.  First is  to traducir, translate.  Melinda has to translate five verbs. Fracasar, to flunk,  her grades are failing with only an A in art.  Esconder,to hide, Melinda tries to hide the blood, the tears, the pain. Esconder, to escape, Melinda want to escape from her life, escape from her body, escape from the secrets.  Olvidar, to forget,  she desperately wants to forget everything that happened at the party, the reason why no one would talk to her.  These words clearly express Melinda's feelings.

To Take Away the Pain

I predict that in the novel Speak, Melinda will make a few friends.  Then, later in the book, her new friends will remember why they weren't Melinda's friend before and will turn on her.  Poor Melinda will be left with nothing more than what she had in the beginning of the book.

 First, this is a tragedy. It started with a conflict, which was that Melinda had no friends because she had called the cops on them at a party.  I think that her rise to power will be when she makes a few friends other than Heather and more people forgive her for calling the police.  Then I think that she will lose her new friends and that will be the death symbolism. Also, it's realistic because it is possible that a ninth grade girl could call the cops at a party with her friends and then end up with everyone turned against her.

A similar story is the book Finally by Wendy Mass. In that story, there is a girl  named Rory whose parents told her that she could do a lot of things when she turned 12.  When she finally turns 12 and gets to do all of things she wants to, but she realizes that most of them weren't worth it.  The reason they weren't worth it is because she got hurt while doing most of them.  For  example, one of the things she was able to do was get her ears pierced.  She found out that she was allergic to gold and her whole ear was multiplied in size.  This girl just kept getting hurt.  These two books are alike because while Rory was getting hurt on the outside, Melinda was getting hurt on the inside.

Milkweed Comparative Essay

Growling stomachs, loneliness, poverty, and tears gently rolling down the faces of almost everyone, this was how both Misha and Lili lived for a while. They were alone, with no family, no food, and all of this happens to them because of one thing; the fact that they are Jews. Misha fromthe novel Milkweed and Lili, a real survivor of the Holocaust, have many similarities, yet they are very different people.

First of all, these two Jews didn't understand completely what was happening. Misha didn't understand that the ghetto was a bad place when they were first going there, he didn't understand that birthday candles weren't going to burn the cake, nor that the Jackboots weren't his friends. On the other hand, Lili didn't know where she was. She thought that if she was good the nuns would tell her parents and her parents would take her home, she thought that her life of cruelty was normal and that all children lived this way. She didn't understand that none of this was true. As you can see, these two characters didn't understand a lot of what was going on and therefore were very similar, but they can also be considered very different.

As one difference, Lili knows about her family and herself, whereas Misha doesn't. Lili knows that her name is Lili while Misha was given his name by his friend Uri. In addition Lili knows her brother, her mother, and her father. However Misha doesn't know if he has any siblings, or who his parents are and if they're alive. Lili also knew her age and her brother's age while Misha didn't even know his own age. Obviously, Lili knows a lot more about her past than Misha does about his.

Another way that Misha and Lili are different is that Misha's story is fake, while Lili's story is true.  Misha's story seemed miserable, but to think that some of these things actually happened to children like Lili.  How terrible would it be if you knew someone that was happy to eat a piece of moldy bread? It wasn't fair to those poor people who had to suffer just because they were different.

Clearly these two exceptionally different characters also have a lot in common. Living with empty stomachs, without their parents, alone, less than ten years old; these poor kids had a rough time in their lives.

Milkweed Point of View Essay

According to the National Poverty Center, 6.4 million children were poor in 2010. These unfortunate children didn't have an education, food, money, a home, or barely anything else.  These are some of reasons why the book Milkweed is interesting.  This book is about a poor orphan who steals food to survive.  He moves to the ghetto and meet a few friends along the way. Milkweed is told through the eyes of a little boy, about the age of 8,  given the name Misha.

Misha doesn't understand everything that is going on in the book.  He didn't know what a lot of things were. For example, he didn't know what a Jackboot was and he thought they were his friends.  Also he didn't know what Jews or orphans are, nor that when you light birthday candles your not trying to burn the cake, or hardly anything other than how to steal food.  This makes it hard for the reader to interpret because he doesn't know how to read or write and he doesn't know what just about anything is.  For instance, when he ran away with Janina's birthday cake, if it weren't for Uri, neither Misha nor the reader would have known what the cake said and learned Janina's name.

The story told in Misha's point of view was a little confusing because of Misha's lack of knowledge, but if the story were told from Uri's point of view the story would be much different. For one thing you would know about Uri's family and past.  You would also know about Uri's job before Misha found him working at the "blue camel hotel."  Another thing that would be different is that you would know what was going on in Uri's head through all of the book, like why he shot Misha's ear and what he was thinking at that moment.  Also it would be fascinating  to know why Uri did the things he did because we already know why Misha did the things he did. It would also be interesting to see what Uri thought of Misha. Imagine if you brought a kid in off the streets and they kept asking you simple questions or doing things that most people don't do. I think that it would be interesting to read this story from Uri's point of view.

Misha tells the story Milkweed from his point of view.  This book really shows you how terrible some people's lives really are.  There are plenty of children like Misha who are living in poverty now. So the next time you are begging your mom for a candy bar from the grocery store, stop and think about the children living in poverty who are probably begging their parents for something as simple as a glass of clean water.

An Unhealthy Favorite

Author's mote: I wrote this essay to inform people about how unhealthy soda really is.  Most people know that it is unhealthy, but they usually don't know exactly how unhealthy soda really is, especially if you drink it often.

Back in 1767, Dr. Joseph Priestly invented what we call soda. Everyone loved and continues to love his carbonated drink, even though it is unhealthy. Soda is very unhealthy for multiple reasons that most people don't even know. Everyone knows that soda is bad for you, but what they don't know is how unhealthy it really is.

First, it will take calcium from your bones.  Calcium is known for strengthening your bones, but it does much more too. For example, it helps prevent arthritis, high blood pressure and colon cancer.  It also helps contract your muscles and send messages from your brain to your nerves.

Researchers say that drinking soda can increase the chance of becoming obese by 1.6 percent.  Being obese is an unhealthy life style and more people become overweight every day. Being obese could give you heart problems, joint problems, and puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes.  All of these things could ruin your life, all because you drank a little too much soda.

There is also caffeine in these irresistible drinks. Caffeine may seem like an energy boost, and it is, but while it is boosting your energy it can be doing harmful things to your body. For instance, it can force the rate your heart beat to go up and that forces your heart to work harder.  It can also make you feel jumpy or nervous and your hand may begin to shake if you have too much.

Even though soda may taste good, it is terrible for your health.  It is okay to have soda once in a while, but not very often because as you can see, it is obviously very unhealthy. The unfortunate part about soda is that there are very few people that know how unhealthy soda really is for you.

Crushed

"Bye-bye Mommy." said four-year-old Claire, as she left the church with a tight grasp on her father's hand.

"It's okay, Jake," Claire's grandmother said with a comforting voice as he held back his tears, "at least you still have the Claire, whom both you and Meg love very much.”

"But I don't have Meg!" he wailed.

"Yes you do," His mother's voice cued as she gave him a little hug, " you have her in your heart, you've had her in there since the day you got married, and probably even before that."

"It's not the same." Jake moaned as a couple of tears slid down his face.

"I know, honey, but I also know that you have a beautiful daughter who loves you and Meg more than the world." replied the wise old woman, "Make sure you love her too, for one day you will die and leave her alone on this earth to learn and to live without her parents." From that moment on, Jake made sure his daughter was truly the light of his world, the reason he woke up in the morning and the reason he tried to love again.

For the next two years Jake was busier than ever while doing his job of being a firefighter, trying to find a wife and being Claire's dad. Finally, Jake met Kate. Kate was the most beautiful, intelligent, kindest woman that Jake had met, besides Meg. She was also rich and money was something that Jake and Claire needed. The only thing standing in the way of their marriage was a little six-year-old girl, Claire.

"Now Claire," Jake would say in a cheery voice, "Kate is going to be like a new mommy for you and all three of us will live happily ever after!"

"But I already have a mommy and I love her more than Kate and I don't want a new mommy, I want my old mommy back, not Kate to pretend to be her and not anyone to pretend to be her because she is my mommy and I love her."

"You were only four, Claire!" he would scream.

"That doesn't mean that I don't know my mommy and that I don't love her."

"Claire, I know that you love your mommy and I love her too, but after a while we have to have fun in our lives again and that is what your mom would want too."

"Okay!" she finally gave in to her father's begging. Soon, Kate was engaged to Jake and the wedding was in the process of being planned.

It was a perfectly normal day; Kate was at work while Jake and Claire played with dolls and waited for a phone call from the fire department, to tell Jake they needed help. Usually, they never got a call, but today they did. "Claire, grab your shoes and get in the car. Hurry!" he called to Claire. They got in the car and drove to the site of the fire. When they got there, Jake told Claire to stay away from the fire and took her over by the chief firefighter, where she always went when Jake was called to work. Then he got dressed in his fire gear and headed into the burning building.

A few minutes later Claire heard Jake sigh weakly into his radio to the chief "I can't get out."

"What's wrong with my daddy? Go save my daddy!" cried Claire.

The chief ignored Claire and replied back to Jake through his radio, "We can't send anyone in because the building is collapsing quickly, so try your hardest to get out."

"You have to save him," cried Claire, "because if you don't, I won't have a mommy or a daddy." Tears began to pour down her face and then she got an idea. She snuck away from the chief and ran into the burning building screaming "Daddy! Where are you?" Claire ran though the building, dreaming of her father, being safe, at home, where no fire could hurt him. And then she saw him, coughing and gasping for air. "Daddy!" she screamed in relief as she ran to him. The sound of her voice soothed his cough and restored his breath at first, but then his he panicked. 'Why was Claire in a burning, collapsing building?' he wondered frantically to himself. But his body took over and leaped to Claire.

"Let's go Claire." he said in a firm, yet worried voice. He didn't even think to carry her out because of how stunned he was that she was in the fire that almost killed him. They began running out of the building, avoiding the flames and falling objects. Finally, Jake had made it outside. He turned around to see Claire running out, but instead saw something that would change his life forever. He saw Claire, but then he saw the exit of the building collapse on Claire and he ran to her as she screamed until her scream turned to nothing.

The fire had been put out and everyone came to see why there had been a scream. Jake backed away to let the paramedics take care of Claire. After they had dug her out of the collapsed building, one of the paramedics walked over to Jake and told him sorrowfully, "Your daughter is dead. We are very sorry for your loss." Jake fell to his knees, buried his face in his hands and sat there until the crowd had cleared.

Then a familiar voice said to him, "Um, Jake," Jake didn't look up to see who it was because he realized instantly that it was Kate. "I, um, wanted to talk to you about our wedding." she paused and waited for a response, but receiving none, she continued "I know this isn't the best time but that is why I, um" she paused for a moment, "wanted to break up with you" she blurted out quickly. "Jake you’re a great guy, it's just that you lost your daughter, and there was a strong bond between the two of you, and I don't want to interfere with that because I know that it is going to be a rough few years of so because you lost your wife a couple years ago and now your daughter. I'm so sorry Jake." she said before walking away.

And it was only after she left that a tear shed from his eye. After a few tears poured down his face, dripping onto the fire suit that he was still wearing, he took a deep breath, stood up, and glanced one more time at the destroyed building. He took another deep breath and walked away; trying to forget, forget why she had died.