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.