Friendship

Author's Note: This is a response to the book Number the Stars. In the book one of the themes is friendship. I chose to write about the theme friendship.

Do you know what it's like to have a true friend?  One that's there for you regardless of anything? The one that knows every little secret about you?  Friendship is a feeling we all need in our life. Whether you are a child or an adult there is still a need for friendship in your life.

 "Real Friendship is shown in times of trouble."

Friendship plays a huge role in the book, Number the Stars.  Annemarie's best friend Ellen was Jewish during the Holocaust. Annemarie's family had to help Ellen's family to safety. Without the generous help from Annemarie's family, Ellen would have been in extreme danger. Annemarie's family was not forced to help the family. They did it out of friendship and kind-heartidness. If they were in the spot of Ellen's family, the would have done the same for them.

"The friendship that can cease has never been real." 

Friendship can be found with peers, teammates, and even family members. In the story, Charlie St. Cloud friendship is found between two brothers. When a sudden car accident happens and the younger brother dies they have to choose how they are going to hold up. Even though one was gone they choose to keep their friendship going. They were still able to see each other, but only he could see his brother. Even though this is not realistic in real life, it shows that true friendship lasts forever.

"Friends come and go but best friends  stays forever."

Friendship can start many different ways. In the book The Hunger Games  Katniss is forced to become friends with the other child representing district 13. As they are forced to be together they become close friends. They work together during the games and keep each other alive. Without the other they wouldn't have made it out alive.

"A friend is like a four leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have." 

 Friends are there for you regardless the situation.  Whether in fiction or real life friends area necessity in everyone's life.

A Complete Christmas

Author's Note: I wrote this piece in the spirit of Christmas. I tried to use good word choice

"I don't think I can do this anymore mom" Kaylee said to her mom.

"It will all be over soon honey" Kaylee's mom assured her.

"I just want to have a family Christmas for once"

"Me too"

For Kaylee's family a Christmas all together was sadly unfamiliar. Ever since she was little her father was in the Army. He was deployed at unexpected times and for an unknown time. If he wasn't deployed in another country he was in training. She was extremely proud of what he was doing for their country, but at the same time she just wanted a dad who came to her school performances and who would play in the backyard with her. She would see her friends' dads at school and sports just wishing someday hers   would be there too.

Ever since Kaylee was little she was always a Daddy's Girl. She loved playing baseball with him in the yard and watching the sports games on TV with him. It's not as if she was a tom boy, it was about the time she spent with him. As every day passed their friendship grew stronger. That's what they were -- best friends. Their close bond made his deployment even harder.

Sadness, Emptiness, and longing filled the home and hearts of the Smith's family the day their dad and husband left for the army. He reassured them what he couldn’t promise -- he would come home safely. Every day they would pray and hope that he was ok. He was deployed more and more times, though the worrying never ceased.

Janet, Kaylee's mom was a mother who loved her husband and family unconditionally. She was a mother of 3 children who always wanted them to do their best and to follow their dreams. When her husband was deployed she felt as if part of her left with him. Without him, it was as if she wasn’t herself. She wasn’t as happy or cheerful. The longer her husband was gone the more she longed for him to come back. For her it wasn’t a choice to show how much she worried about him in front of her children. It was her job to comfort them.

As Christmas was coming Kaylee and her siblings longed for her father more than ever. Christmas was always a hard time without him. She would hear about everything her friends were doing with their families for the holidays and wished for once they would be able to have a family Christmas. The past few Christmases had been nothing more than delivery pizza and 1 present for each of the kids. Kaylee knew how hard it was for her mom to provide the family on a small income. It seemed as if every year it became less and less about the joy of the holiday but how they were going to get through it.

Kaylee knew her family was separating more and more and she knew the only person who could stop this was her dad. She knew her dad coming home for Christmas was not possible. He did not get to choose his leave. Kaylee knew that if it was his choice he would be home for the Holidays. He would be there for every activity of hers and her siblings.

When John was told he would have a leave over Christmas he was ecstatic. "Thank you" became his most used word. He decided that he would make his arrival a surprise.

When Christmas Morning came it was just as any other morning with very brief conversations between each other. Without saying a word her mother handed the children their presents. They opened in silence and all thanked their mother. Kaylee knew this was really hard for her mother. She must have worked extra hours to come up with the money to buy the gifts. Kaylee expressed her gratitude toward her. An empty feeling still filled the house. Something was missing and it was obvious what it was their dad. He loved Christmas and enjoyed making it special for the kids.

Just as the kids thought their Christmas hoo-raah was over there was a knock on the door. Kaylee opened the door and jumped into the arms of her father. The whole family ran over and gave hugs. For once Christmas was complete.

Aspiring

Author’s note: This is a response to the book Life of Pi. My main focus of this piece was a metaphor the author said in an interview. "The idea of a religious boy in a lifeboat with a wild animal struck me as a perfect metaphor for the human condition. Humans aspire to really high things, right, like religion, justice, democracy. At the same time, we're rooted in our human, animal condition. And so, all of those brought together in a lifeboat struck me as being... as a perfect metaphor." I did write a short response on this metaphor but I wanted to do my essay on it because I felt there was a lot more ideas I could put in it.

In life we face hardships that keep us from aspiring. In the book Life of PI the life boat symbolizes just that. The boat shows a boundary that keeps us from reaching our dreams. In life the boundary is many things including other people but most importantly ourselves.

The main character, Pi, wants to become greater things in life.  In the book Pi is very religious and follows many religions. When the Tiger is in the boat with him it is really him in his animal condition. While the real Pi is trying to figure out how to survive without going against any religions the Tiger is surviving any way he can. In this situation doubt is his hardship because he fighting against two sides of himself. One side (the tiger) wants to survive any possible way, while Pi is doubting going against his religions to keep himself alive.

The blind man in the book symbolizes Pi's voyage. During his voyage in the life boat he is lost. When the Blind man came, Pi was having suicidal thoughts. Again with the blind man just like the tiger it was Pi in another state. In this case it was a suicidal state. He felt that he could not hold up any longer.  

For me I was able to take out of the book the idea that the one person who stops us from aspiring in life the most, is ourselves.  It’s you who keeps yourself from reaching your full potential.

Character

 Author's Note: This is a response to Number the Stars. We were asked to explain if a character was static or dynamic in the course of the book.

 In the novel Number the Stars Annemarie,  is young girl living in the Holocaust. She's goes to school and she plays with her sister and best friend Ellen. Annemarie hardly ever acted out toward her parents. She is quite shy and minds her own business.  As the Holocaust is getting worse Annemarie had to change her ways and become a brave child.

 Her friend Ellen is Jewish and she has to help protect her from the soldiers. At such a young age she is forced to be brave. I believe Annemarie is dynamic because in the beginning of the book she was bit more shy and weak but at the end of the book she becomes very brave when she faces danger. Annemarie being dynamic affects the events in the story because in the end if she hadn't become  brave her friend's family would not have been safe.

Point of View

Author's note: This is a response to the book Number the Stars. We were asked to discuss what the point of view in the book is and how it affects the readers interpretation.

The book Number the Stars  is told in the perspective of a narrator. In the particular scene where the German soldiers intruded the Johansen's house searching for any traces of the Rosen family it is told from an outside view. With the narrator telling the scene I was able to visualize each character in the situation. The best friends were very frightened pretending to sleep in their bed as the parents were trying to cover up any evidence that they were hiding the Rosen daughter. This scene was written and detailed very well but I believe if the perspective was from the two girls it would have been stronger. I would have been able to tell how frightened each girl was. From the narrators point of view I was able to get the outside view of the scene but if it was in the point of view of one of the characters I would be able to understand the feelings each character had as the scene unraveled.

A Changed Life

Author's Note: I wrote this short story as one of my goals for language Arts. My goal was to use good word choice and figurative language. 

During your middle school years you are told you need to have friends only from your clique. You are told not to express yourself and not to talk to anyone but your clique. It only takes one person to break this -- to stop the segregation between students. You can watch someone do this or you can stand up and do it yourself.

There is always one person who doesn’t seem to fit in, who is very shy and doesn’t have friends. They sit by themselves at lunch, reading or listening to music. You always wonder what their story is, what they come from but never have the courage to ask. You are afraid of what your friends would say if you talked to them. Would they stop being your friend?

At Franklin Middle School her name was Alice. She went through the day without saying a word to anyone. She always looked down in the hallways, never showing her face. A classmate, Lauren, who was affiliated in her school, she was the basketball team captain and the class president. She was also in a group of exclusive friends. You had to be accepted into the group by the Cheerleading captain before you could talk to anyone in the group. It was hard to get into the group. There were many rules that came with being in the group including, not talking to any outsiders.

Lauren worked really hard to get into the group but once she was in, realized it wasn’t what she wanted, but she didn’t have any friends to fall back on. When she saw Alice sitting alone in the lunchroom her heart broke like glass, but she didn’t have the guts to talk to her. When the courage finally came she went over and sat by Alice. Alice was extremely shocked and nervous. Lauren started with a simple hello and introduced herself. Alice did the same just a little bit more meekly. Alice took a leap of faith herself and thanked Lauren for coming over she also asked if she could talk to her again. Lauren said yes, of course, and invited her over after school.  

After school Lauren listened to Alice’s whole story from the day she was born until now. She has gone through more than average person has gone through their entire life, and she is only 14! When she was born her dad left and her mother raised her as a single mom. Her mom was killed in a car accident when she was 10. She didn’t have any relatives to take care of her, so she has been an orphanage ever since. Even when her mother was alive she never took care of her the way a mother should.  Her one dream in life is to be a part of a loving family.

After Alice went home Lauren thought about how her parents had always said they wanted a second child. Alice would be a perfect addition to their family. She brought the idea up to her parents during dinner that night. They both thought it was an admirable idea and that they would consider it. Later that night right before Lauren went to bed her parents told her they had an answer. They said that they would love for Alice to be a part of their family.

Alice was completely astonished and thankful for what Lauren’s family had done for. She knew her life would be changed for the better. Their love toward her was bigger than the universe.  Lauren now had a new sister and best friend. She didn’t have to worry about what her old friends thought of her because she had a new best friend.

What's the Real Meaning?

Author’s Note: I wrote this piece because Thanksgiving is coming up and I believe the true meaning is sometimes lost. In this piece I used AB transition technique.

 When you think of Thanksgiving is the first word that pops in your head, Turkey? It seems as if the feast, and preparation is the most important part of Thanksgiving. Has the real meaning of Thanksgiving completely slipped away?

We get caught up thinking that Thanksgiving is about making the biggest turkey, but it’s really about showing your thanks. The idea of giving thanks started with the Pilgrims. The pilgrims came to America for one reason -- to build a community where they could worship God. They went through many struggles including; not producing enough crops, and many deaths throughout the first year. This did not stop them they continued to work hard and it paid off. There land became plentiful.  They were very grateful to God for all he blessed them with.

I am very blessed for what I have been given in my life. I have a family that loves me and a house to live in. I am also blessed with friends, a good school, and the ability to participate in many activities. During the time of Thanksgiving I reflect on the past year and give thanks for everything that has been given to me.

I believe we should celebrate Thanksgiving as the Indians did. We should take time to give thanks to God for everything he has blessed us with. This thought sometimes slips our mind and we focus more on the preparation of Thanksgiving then the real meaning. For me, Thanksgiving is a time to take a step back from my everyday life and give thanks for every blessing I have. It is a time to give thanks for the present but also for all the memories you have shared.

Farah, Joseph. "The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving." WND HOME PAGE. 2 Nov. 2001. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. <http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25419>

Response to Life of Pi

Authors Note: This piece is a response to a quote of the author of The LIfe of Pi "a lifeboat with a wild animal struck me as a perfect metaphor for the human condition. Humans aspire to really high things, right, like religion, justice, democracy. At the same time, we're rooted in our human, animal condition. And so, all of those brought together in a lifeboat struck me as being... as a perfect metaphor."

In the book the Life of Pi the tiger, Richard Parker wants to aspire to be much more. Though, he is being held back by the boundaries of the life boat. This relates to the human condition because everyone wants to aspire and become more. Humans don’t always do amazing things because just like the tiger we have things stopping us.

Are you Proud of your Country?

 Author's Note: This is a piece I wrote in response to the question, "Are  you proud of your country."

When your country is killing people from different countries can you be proud? When it is  for the good of your country can you be proud?  I can say that I am proud of my country but don't believe in every choice that is made.  This is true in the situation of Bin Laden.  He did hurt America but did we need to kill him and dispose of his body in the ocean? This is one decision I'm not sure I agree with.

I am proud of America because when other countries are in times of grief we help. Whether it is donating money or actually going over to the country to give physical support.  In the instance of Haiti's natural disaster where a lot of money was donated but also we helped rebuild the country.

I am proud of America because of the ability to practice your own  beliefs.  There are many different religions and beliefs throughout the country and each one can be practiced freely.  In many other countries this is not the case -- they are forced to practice one religion and all have the same beliefs.

I am proud of America  because I can speak my opinion freely.  I can say why I don't always agree with the choices of our country. I am proud to call America my home.

Short Story Hook

Author's Note: Is a short story hook that I wrote. I was given three cards with the setting, conflict, and characters. The character's are Old man Leroy and the little boy. The setting is in the kitchen sink with a little boy laughing, and the Conflict is the little boy crashes a wagon.

"Ahhh" screamed the little boy laughing as he zoomed past down the street on his little red wagon.

 Old man Leroy saw the whole situation happen as he was washing himself in the kitchen sink -- that's a whole other story itself.  Leroy jumped out of the kitchen sink right after he heard the crash of the wagon. He ran out  the door to find the wagon crashed against a tree but no sign of the boy.

From inside the house he could here his wife laughing and pointing at him. He looked down and realized he was still wearing his red speedo from water aerobic classes.

"Well at least I'm wearing something ," Old man Leroy said while blushing through his wrinkly skin.

There was still no sign of the boy so Old man Leroy went on a search in his red speedo.

A Haunted House?

As Halloween nears Megan, Emily, and Anna start mapping out their trick o' treating plan. They figure out how many houses they can go to in the least amount of time. Most importantly they pick the houses that give the most candy.

As they map out their trick o’ treating route they realize that they have never been to Ms. Munster house.  There is a reason they have never been there -- she is the meanest old lady in town.  No one has rang her door bell in over 20 years because of the rumor. It is said that a little boy went, rang her door bell, and wasn’t found until weeks later.  No one dares going up the hill to Ms. Munster’s house.  The three girls all agree that they are old enough and brave enough to make the trip.  They plan it as the last stop, so if she tries to kidnap them, they will be able to use their bags of candy as weapons.

As Halloween is just around the corner, the girls get more and more nervous for their trip to Ms. Munster’s house. They have kept it a secret from everyone, including their parents. On Halloween they could barely sit still during school they were so anxious. After school as they were getting into their costumes they questioned if they should go --- but after back and forth debating they came to an agreement that they should go.

They said good bye to their parents; not knowing if it would be their last, and ran out the door.  They got through the whole neighborhood and started on their way to Ms. Munster’s. All three of the girls’ stomachs were queasy with fear. As the house came into sight all that was in their mind was fear.  

The house looked haunted in the dark. It had peeling paint, the grass wasn’t cut, windows were broken, and no lights were on. “Maybe no one is home,” Emily said quivering.

“Someone is home,” Anna said, “She never leaves her house.”

They held each other tight as they started up the driveway. Each of them took a deep breath and Megan stepped forward and rang the door bell. At first no one came to the door, so they rang it again. This time Anna rang it. They stood outside Ms. Munster’s door shivering. Just then they a black cat with yellow eyes peered through the window at them. Following it was the shortest hunched over old lady they had ever seen. She opened the door and all the girls froze; not knowing what was going to happen next.

“Trick o’ treat,” the girls all said in unison all gripping their bags of candy.

“Come in girls,” Ms. Munster said, slightly suspicious.

The girls glanced at each other, and then they slowly walked into the house. They could smell something cooking -- was she going to cook them for dinner?

“Are you going to eat us?” Emily asked.

“Eat you? Who do you think I am,” said the old lady starting to chuckle.

“We have heard rumors about the kid that came to your house and wasn’t seen for weeks.”

The old lady looked confused but then started to laugh. “I was taking care of my grandson that day. That day he came done with chicken pox so he had to stay in bed for a while. That’s why no one saw him, and my house looks scary because my husband died a few years back and I don’t have anyone to take over it.”

The girls felt so bad for believing all of the rumors. Ms. Munster offered them a cup of hot chocolate and told them all about her grandkids and husband. They promised her they would help her take of her house, and visit as often as possible.

When they went back to school they told everyone that the rumors weren’t true and that they needed people to help fix up her house and keep her company. They had almost everyone at their school volunteer to help her with something.

Ms. Munster was so happy that everyone was helping her. They cut her grass, fixed her windows, repainted the house, and even planted her a garden.

Every Halloween they make sure they don’t forget to put Ms. Munster’s house on their trick o’ treating route.

Carnival

Author's Note: I wrote this piece in response to the carnival that the Academy 21 put on. It was a great success.

All the  the hard work and dedication to this carnival all paid off when everyone was having a great time and a tremendous amount of money was raised.  It was great to see the community helping us too. Many businesses donated money and items to help our carnival be successful. All of the businesses that donated money showed that they really cared about the cause and helping out their community.

 Looking back at this experience I realized how much I can take away from it. Raising money for the American Diabetes Association was really great idea. I felt really strong about where the money was going because my brother was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I know the everyday struggles that go along with the disease-- which are many. Finding a cure for diabetes would change many peoples lives including my brothers.

Picturing how happy and blessed the organization receiving the money must be makes all of our time and effort worth it. I believe this project gives many students the motivation to start helping and donating to causes.  We got the chance help with a big project that benefited an important cause and knowing that, I would love to do it again!

Controlled Burns

Author's Note: This is a response to our latest  seminar on controlled burns. We were asked to write a short response covering our thoughts on whether a controlled burn is good or bad with research to back up our decision.

A controlled burn is a way to restore and restart a forest or prairie. Every so often a prairie should be burned for restoration.  If invasive species started living in a forest or prairie it can be burned to get rid of them. Controlled burns can be a great way to help a forest or prairie but can also harm the environment.

Even though fire is natural it is still harming to the atmosphere. The smoke creates pollution.  Burning down a forest doesn't just mean you are burning down trees and bushes.  You are destroying many habitats and animals who were not able to escape during the burn.

Burning down a prairie is good to replenish and renew the growth.  When the burn is done it is important to do it in colder weather so the fire doesn't get extremely hot and dangerous.  Fire stimulates the growth of new plants. This is because the heat from the fire moves and opens seeds.

A controlled burn is not always the best choice but forests and prairies can for sure benefit from them.  Controlled Burns will help disperse seeds and produce new growth but can also be harmful to the environment through pollution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_burn>

 

http://forestry.about.com/cs/forestfire/a/prescribe_burn.htm

A William Carlos Williams Poem

Author’s note: In this poem I am trying to write like William Carlos Williams. The poem I looked at of his was  The Red Wheel Barrow. In this poem creates a clear picture in the reader’s mind. To him this image means something. He doesn’t tell the reader the significance of it; he lets the reader decide how they want to interpret it.

So much occurs
When
A sinful shameful
Person
Following the wrong
Path
Comes to the
Cross