Troy and His Funk

My prediction was that Troy wouldn't end up like Dale.  That he would just fake it to try and scare Molly.  I was incorrect.  I like the ending to the story that actually happened better than mine because it had more of an interesting ending.  I thought that Troy would fake it, but he did get into a funk.  Troy was all out of it and then quiet for the rest of the story.  

Lina Maturing

Authors Note: This is a piece for character development on the book, "Between Shades Of Gray".  Try to focus in on the little life lessons throughout the piece.

 In the book "Between Shades Of Gray", Lina plays a leader and model role.  When she has to survive in a car with a bunch of other people, traveling to Siberia, her leadership role comes into play.  Lina protects her brother and mom, as well as everybody else traveling with them in the car.  She also has to adapt to her new environment by not getting to eat everyday, living without sunlight, and the use of a very small bathroom hole.  Lina also changes by learning to be more secretive about everything she does. This 17 year old girl is maturing greatly and learning to be more independent throughout the book.

One way that Lina changed throughout the story, is by becoming more independent as she travels to Siberia.  When she first started in the car, she was a little bit apprehensive on saying her honest opinion because she didn't want to get on anyone's bad side.  Then she finally reached Siberia, and when the Soviets had her digging holes with a shovel that didn’t have a handle, Lina learned that she can't always complain over little things because worse things are going to happen than just digging holes.  When she realized that the NKVD or the "soviets" needed her to draw a portrait of the commander, she hesitated, then quickly got up from digging, and scurried to the Kohltz office to find that she shouldn't have jumped to this opportunity so quickly because of the fact that she didn't know what they were actually going to do with her. She sat in silence while drawing the portrait, and when the Soviets weren't looking, she dropped a nice looking pen into her lap.  Little did she know, stealing a pen from the Kohltz office was a huge mistake.

Lina is mostly maturing, except for the fact that everybody around her is being generous with their bread rations, and then there's her not caring if others' starve.  There's a young boy named Andrius who also lives in the shacks in Siberia, along with his Mother.  One night, Lina escapes her shack and finds that Andrius is outside of his shack smoking a cigarette.  She goes up to him and tries to start a conversation.  Little did she know, Andrius' mother is being used as a "prostitute" for the Soviets.  Lina tries to be smart with Andrius, but he just barks back and tells her to leave.  When she got back to her shack, she was really shaken up by the way Andrius spoke to her.  Her Mom was still awake when Lina returned, and she was giving food to Lina's younger brother.  She asked where she got the food, and her mother replied, "Andrius dropped it off".  Lina then realized she shouldn't have asked about Andrius' mother or smarted of to him.  She didn't realize that his mother was being a slave for the Soviets or that Andrius could die if the NKVD's get sick of his mother and decide to kill him.  I would never want to be in a position that he was in because I would never want the fear of waking up in the morning thinking I might die today because of men getting sick of my mother.

Ways that Lina affected other characters in the story was by being a role model.  She set good examples of trying to keep a good spirit even though they all knew there was nothing to be happy about.  She would try to make jokes at moments when people really just needed to smile.  In the book "Hunger Games", Katniss the main character, is also a great leader.  She has to protect her little sister and her Mom.  When she is in the "games", she has to fight for her whole district.  Lina has to work for food for her brother and Mom by digging holes and working in the beet farm.  In both stories, Lina and Katniss have to work their butts off to keep themselves and their families alive.  They both portray a great leadership role as well as a smart character. 

To conclude, Lina matured throughout the story.  Her leadership role came into play in many ways, such as drawing the portrait, digging the holes, and bringing a smile to someone's face often.  People can learn to enjoy the little things in life, and appreciate what they have because there are always going to be the people that have lesser than you.  I think the author had in mind when they wrote this was to include life lessons as well as a great non-stop read.  Just remember, don't forget the little things in life, love one another, and appreciate what you have as an individual and help out those who have less than you.

What Would I Tell America's Founding Fathers?

Authors Note: This piece is for the Patriot's Pen essay.  I tried to incorporate my voice as much as my research I did.

How much do you love our country?  I am very proud to live in the country we live in today.  The founding fathers are the reason why I love this country so much.  So the question is, "What would I tell America's founding fathers?"  Well,  I would first thank them for all of what they did, then ask a few questions that I'm confused about, I would then finish with why I'm proud to be called an American citizen.

The reason why I am thankful for all of the founding fathers, is because of what they did with the government.  They established the first large scale republic in the modern day.  If it wasn't for them, we would be living in a completely different country.  Another thing I wanted to talk about was some questions I had.  How hard was it with just 10-15 main people to make this country the way it is today?  Why did we have problems with China?  I think he reason I am proud to be an American citizen is because I know I can wake up in the morning, go to school, and come home and stay safe the whole time.  I can also go to bed not having to worry about being taken at night or getting robbed.  So I thank the founding fathers for all that they did to make this country such a beautiful place.

That's what I would tell and ask the founding fathers if I had a chance to.  Now that you know what I would say to the founding fathers, and why I am proud to be living in America, what would you America's founding fathers?  Just remember when you are going to pay for something with a $10 bill, Alexander Hamilton, (one of the many founding fathers) is the face on that $10 bill. 

Cause and Effect

Author's Note: This is about the cause and affect of the book Hunger Games.

The cause would be Peeta and Katniss go into a competition called the hunger games.  They are forced to fight until death.  Katniss' plan is to not kill anyone, she is just going to let everyone else kill each other while she hides from them.  Peeta, (her partner), is ganging up with other districts, but not to kill Katniss, just to get the idea of what other districts were up to.

Going into the hunger games and fighting against other districts would be the main cause.  The effect is that they joined forces and they won the whole thing.  Peeta and Katniss both won, which has never happened before in the hunger games.  They teamed up, and fought until the very end.  

Conflict Resolution

Author: Aaron Atkinson

Author's Note: This is the conflict resolution piece.  When I was writing this I had in mind how Aaron must have been feeling when he was writing this.

The main conflict would be person vs. person because Aaron (the author), is not happy with his life even though he has everything he wants. He has a nice car, beautiful children, great wife, and a huge house, but he is not satisfied with all that.  Aaron doesn't know why he is not happy with his life, but he asks himself everyday, "what good is true love, without true happiness?".  This question made me think because really what good is love, if you're not happy?  Aaron is trying to find a solution to his question, but just can't seem to find it.

There is no solution to this story because Aaron still hasn't found his true happiness in his life.  He feels that something is still missing in his life, which is true happiness.  "Maybe it's the world we live in, but nothing seems good enough anymore," he says.  This made me question if I was really happy with my life.  Is what I have good enough?  Compared to other people it doesn't.  Maybe Aaron will later on in life find his solution, but right now, he doesn't know what is that one thing that is missing.

Memories With Julie

Authors Note: This is about the day I met my friend Julie, and the day we stopped becoming friends.  

The day I met Julie.  She made quite am impression on me.  Her spunky, wild, crazy, and cruel attitude really made an impact on me.  I didn't know exactly what to say because I was just in shock on how she acted and treated other students.  But this is the story on how me and her became friends, and stopped being friends.

      Julie is a very interesting girl that likes to put herself out there and tries really hard to be the class clown.  Sometimes she succeed's, other times she just looks like a fool.  One time in 5th grade, she "blew" her nose with a tissue.  But the thing is, she really didn't blow her nose, she just made the sound.  And yeah, I laughed, but then she kept doing it and doing it, and it got to the point where it just got really annoying.  The whole class started to laugh until the teacher finally told her to knock it off.  Julie also likes to get attention when her and I go downtown.  She likes to make noises at cars, run in the middle of the road, and overall, be a obnoxious person.

My teachers, friends, and family all think that I should just stop with all her drama and just drop it all.  But, I really can't do that because we've been friends since 5th grade.   We have gotten into really dumb little fights that we get over easily, but I think now it's time to move on considering she doesn't even talk to me anymore.  I mean, I don't really put in effort to hangout with her either, but that's because I know she will lie to me at some point when we are hanging out.  At times she can be really sweet and nice, and other times, she just keeps the lies coming and keeps trying to get the attention.  The reason why people think we shouldn't be friends, is because they know that way she has treated me and her other friends.  I have tried to tell her I can't be friends with her anymore, but she just sucks you back in.  Next, all the little dumb stuff that happens.

One day you will want to hangout with her, and then the next moment you're with her, you just want to go home because she is just so crazy and you can't handle it!  One time I was at her house and she wanted to sneak out, so we did.  We came back to her house, and then she wanted to leave again.  I was like "no we are fine, let's just go to bed".  So she kept nagging me about leaving.  I just wanted to say"shut up!".  Another little thing she does to drive me crazy, is all her awkward stares and growls.  If I don't give her some of my food, she will growl at me like a possessed dog.  Or she will stare at me with her lip pursed up and starts to give you a death look.  I'm used to it by now, but it makes me feel so uncomfortable.  

Now you know why I try not to hangout with someone like this all the time.  I am getting better at dealing with her wild and crazy person that she is, but I'm still not all the way there.  I hope she gets my hints that I am getting annoyed with her.  All her lies, drama, and attention, is just getting to the point where I am going to go up to her and tell her to knock it off, or she will lose a bunch of friends that also agree with me.

Yellow Star Retelling

Author's Note: I wrote this retelling piece on Yellow Star, by Jennifer Roy.  I had in mind the main struggles Sylvia and her family went through.

In the book Yellow Star, a little girl named Sylvia and her family are forced to move into the Lodz ghetto in command of the Nazi's in 1939.  Her family has to deal with starvation, terrible climate, and overall, being safe. Sylvia is 1 out of 12 children left in the ghetto including her sister, and this sad, but interesting book is told through Sylvia's perspective. I would recommend this book to people who like the holocaust and World War 2 topics.

Teenagers

                                                                                                                                                          

Teenagers now a days are very judgmental and  cruel to other kids in school.  Someone is constantly getting picked on no matter what the situation.  I believe that kids are not aware of how they mean they can be to another student.  Labeling people is another big thing that happens around school hours.  Bullies are labeling people on what they look like, who they talk to, how they dress, or even who they like.  Society is just filled with name calling, picking on, teasing, and the biggest one, labeling.

Everyone has that one group in school that they are just intimated by.  For me, that would be the “Popular” group.  It’s about 8 or 9 girls that walk with each other in the halls, and I just feel uncomfortable around them.  I feel as though I am below their standards of a “Popular” girl.  I used to be a part of that group, until one day they stopped talking to me because  I choose to talk with a different person that they didn’t like.  And honestly, I really didn’t need them as friends if that’s what they were going to do to me.  I always thought they were nice sincere people, until that one day came upon me.

There are the smart people, or (nerds), as people would call them, the jocks, popular group, and then, me.  My friends and I are just a group of about 7 or 8 girls who like to talk and just have gun.  We always sit by each other at lunch and we hang out after school a lot as well.  People think of us as the “drama” group, or so I’ve heard.  I mean yeah, we get into fights, but what group of friends doesn’t get a little annoyed of each other?  I think that people think of us that way simply because we kind of put ourselves out there because we don’t care what other people think of us.  If other people want to think that we have so much drama, let them think that because it’s not going to affect our friendships.

Labeling is one of my may pet peeve’s that people do around our school.  They say if you talk to a guy, you have a “thing” with them or visa-versa.  They say a guy likes a guy, or a girl likes a girl, it’s gross and disgusting.  Personally, I don’t care who other people like because frankly, it’s not my business and if that’s who they like, than that’s who they like.  Right?  Also, if someone is nice to a person they just met, they are considered “fake”.  Or if someone is speaking their mind, they are called mean.  Teenagers now a day’s are getting so judgmental and cruel to other kids.  I want to put a stop on it, but unfortunately I can’t control what comes out of others’ mouths, only mine.

Now you know what goes on during school hours, you hopefully will understand why I want to stop labeling, teasing, and bullying.  I hate when people do that to other kids because the bullies will not put an end to it.  I hope future generations will learn to be more respectful, considerate, and just plain nicer to others’.

Love For Dogs and Hate For Cats

Authors Note: This is my piece on my love for dogs and hate for kitties.  This was for writing circles/ class piece.

I love dogs with all my heart!  Their fur/hair is silky smooth.  Also, dogs slobber is so cute!  They act like owners of the house.  When I was with my dog one time, I was playing my clarinet.  She just went crazy!  Her howling was very loud and high pitched. I don’t know why she was acting this way, but I think she was trying to tell me to shut up.  Oh well.  See this is how dogs act like owners.  Next, their fur/hair.   The texture is so nice feeling.  Unless it smells bad, then you don’t want to pet the dog, because you don’t want your hand to smell that way.  The slobber!  It’ so cute how they just walk around and drool!  Overall, dogs are just awesome pets!  They are great companions to have in your home,and just to have in your life.


Cats are way to lazy!  All they do is just sit around all day ad get fat!  Dogs are more energetic than cats are.  Cats just clean themselves in front of you and it's gross!  Dog's do too, but it's cute when dogs do it, because they are so big and great!  Another reason cats are awful, because they always pur in your face and they poop indoors.  You  can smeel it, from another room!  Dogs go outside so it doesn't smell bad in your house.  Lastly, cats are harder to train than dogs are.  I love dogs, and hate cats!

Six Flags

Six Flags
 
Author’s Note: I went to six flags with band.  I am going to be telling you about my experience there.  And how all the rides were really fun!

I recently went to six flags for a band trip.  It was really fun because I went on Raging Bull, American Eagle, Demon, Superman, little dipper. and the swings.  Raging bull is pretty much just a really big drop and a really fast drop.  It’s such a thrill though because of the drop and speed this roller coaster has.  I really like how you turn fast and sideways at the same time.  Next, American Eagle.  You go fast down drops and then slowly circle up, then drop consistently until you finish the ride.  Demon is one where you go upside down twice and fast.  It’s really fun because of the loops.  The next roller coaster we went on was Superman.  This one is really different from the other ones.  You are literally laying on your stomach on the ride.  Then you go up, up, and up.  Then you go down curving and then loop and loop.  This one is my favorite because of the fact that you are laying down and how fast it is.  I get thrilled on this ride.  Overall the trip was amazing!

Friendship

Friendship is difficult at times, because you don’t know who likes you.

You can have excellent or appalling memories with friends.

You can always laugh with a friend, because you know that they will (almost) always laugh back.

Friends can be annoying at times, like when they try to steal your BEST friend, or when they try to make you jealous with becoming (or trying) to steal your BEST friend.

Sometimes you can be sad with a friend, or without one, but in the end, friends always have each others backs.

But on the contrary, you can feel happy with a friend there, or if you just let one go, I bet later you will feel like it was a BIG relief.

“1,2,3, the yogurt dance, 1,2,3,4,‼ The yogurt Dance‼”

That little jingle would be Sophie and I’s little pleased memory about yogurt.

You can probably relate to being angry with a friend, just because that’s how the world is.

Or even, your confused about if they really like you for who you are,

or if they are just using you to get to another friend.

A friend is someone who you can trust, and someone you can spill out all your guts to.  And they won’t end up telling anybody your deep, dark, secrets.

That's what I call friendship.

 

Pickles and Cucumbers Aganist Eachother

Authors Note: Cucumbers and pickles are alike and different.  I like them both though.  We wrote this for my writing circles group.  We thought it would be creative and a fun topic to write about.

Cucumber and pickles are yummy!  A cucumber is just a baby pickle waiting to become an adult.  Pickle’s have more flav a flav than cucumbers do.  Although, pickles are yummier, cucumbers are healthier for you.  You can eat cucumbers with ranch, salt, pepper, and salt and pepper.  On the side of pickles, you can eat them with peanut butter, plain, or on the side of a burger or a sloppy joe.  I like pickles better because they have more flavor like I said before, and they add more ting to your tongue.  Cucumbers just don’t have the same zing when you eat them.  They do have taste just not as much.  I still do love them both!

Semantic Devices

http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/raastif-1411601-semantic-devices/

Drilling In Alaska for Oil

Authors Note: Imagine a beautiful place in Alaska.  And think of only a little portion of it getting torn down.  People are over thinking it and blowing this whole situation out of proportion. It’s not that bad of a thing.

How would drilling in Alaska affect us?  It a question that makes you wonder.  A lot of people have been wondering about this situation and how it will affect us.  Well, should we? We should drill in Alaska for oil for many reasons.

First of all, if we do drill for oil in Alaska, it may bring in over a billion dollars.  So therefore, it would be a very good thing.  Also, since our economy isn’t the greatest, this could really help by boosting it up because it could bring in about 4.2 billion dollars in the first five years.  I would like this money coming in to our country because then it would give our government a boost as well as our economy. But what else could it do?

Secondly, if we do end up drilling in Alaska, we promised the Native’s that live there, that we will preserve their environment.  If they believe us, why can’t we drill?  We would only be taking away 1.5 million acres of ANWR.  Which is only 8%.  It leaves 92% or 17.5 million acres left that they have to their selves.  They will have plenty of acres to use for their own personal use.  Next, the social part.

The Native’s trust us and believe we won’t take all of their acres, and that we would be careful, so we should drill.  Even George W. Bush and his admission said it was a good idea because it would create more jobs and it would ensure businesses.  Also, 50% of Americans supported the idea of drilling in Alaska in the year of 2008.  If half of Americans support the idea of the drilling, we should go ahead and do it.  Yes, there is still the other half, but every senator, governor, legislator, and representative of Alaska are backing the idea of drilling.

In conclusion, I believe that we should drill in Alaska for oil.  I talked about this for many reasons and I hope you picked up on a few.  Yes, I know there are still the people out there saying, “No,” and you might even be one of those people, but hopefully I have changed your mind about it. 

Childhood Gone Wrong

Authors Note: In the book “A Child Called “It”, a little boy is very abused by his mother. She treats him poorly and he rarely gets to eat and he didn’t have a normal life.  I am glad I’m not treated like this.  This is a book that many people should read because it will fill you with sadness throughout the entire book. It is a difficult book to read because of the events that happen, but people should be more aware of child abuse and should come out of this book thinking “Wow, that kid must feel gruesome after his beatings.”

Out of all reported child abuse cases 55% are just from neglect.  The other percentages contain physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. One type of abuse is no better than the other even though it might sound better, you wouldn’t know unless you have experienced abuse.  I know abuse is awful and I know that people know that, but do they really know all the details to abuse and how the child feels?

“Now, I even think God hates me,” says “It” or David the little boy in the book.  Because God doesn’t hate those who believe in him, the mother is obviously brainwashing him.  David thinks this because he’s young and he doesn’t know any better simply because he is still a child.  I know that if I were in this position, I would kick and hit my mother if she did this to me because she has no reason at all for treating her son like this.  I know that if I did this I would get beat even more, but at least she would become weaker than before and she will continue weakening until she has no more strength to violate me.

Even though I don’t know her, I despise this mother because she abuses her son for no apparent reason.  She has NO reason to treat her child like this.  If I were the little boy “David,” I would demand my dad to drive me somewhere safe and far away from my mother as possible.  I would make sure that she wouldn’t find out or that anyone told her.  I feel so bad for this little boy because he didn’t do anything wrong! 

Dave has no one to love him, even his father.  His father is afraid to stand up for what his kid wants and what he wants.  I believe that he feels this way because he is an alcoholic.  I made an inference that his dad was an alcoholic because in the book they said he was repeatedly coming home drunk.  I would hate a Dad like this because I would know that there is an escape but my Dad was always too drunk enough to realize it.

Do you really know all the details behind child abuse and how it feels?  I know one abuse may sound better than the other, but it’s not, and people need to be aware of that.  Twenty seven percent of reported child abuse cases are just from physical.  The others are made of neglect, emotional, and sexual abuse. I hate child abuse and it should be stopped ASAP!

There Will Come Soft Rains

Author’s Note: This is reflection on the short story “There Will come Soft Rains.”  This is great short story that a lot of people should read because it will engage the reader by the message the story portrays.

 In the book There Will Come Soft Rains, by Ray Bradbury, there is a great message to be heard as it tells a great story about a house that is on auto pilot. It runs on its own and it has a mind of its own. You cannot let technology take over your life or it will make it worse.

Technology is a great thing but don’t let it take over your life. You can use technology when you absolutely need it.  But when your life is fine, you don’t want to overuse modern technology.  I think technology now, is a lot better than years ago, but I wish I could’ve experienced it and compared it to now a days.

Next, I think that people are turning their lives into auto pilot, like the house in There Will Come Soft Rains.  Also, the house is a symbol.  It’s a symbol by thinking of the house as the society right now. Society is really dependent on technology now. We depend on it from when we wake up, to when we fall asleep.  People use it for fun, entertainment, and learning.  The people that overuse it are just going to let their life waste away with technology and let it take over their life.  On the other hand, the people using it correctly will learn from themselves, instead of technology doing everything for them.

You cannot let modern technology take over your life because it will just make it worse.  Like in the book, There Will Come Soft Rains, the house is a symbol of society now.  The house is on auto pilot and runs on its own.  Even though technology is necessary, you need to be cautious how you use it.  Don't let technology make your life worse, when you have your own person to make it yours  and how you want it to be.

Essay's

                                              There Will Come Soft Rains
Author’s Note: This is reflection on the short story “There Will come Soft Rains.”  This is great short story that a lot of people should read because it will engage the reader by the message the story portrays.

In the book There Will Come Soft Rains, by Ray Bradbury, there is a great message to be heard as it tells a great story about a house that is on auto pilot. It runs on its own and it has a mind of its own. You cannot let technology take over your life or it will make it worse.


Technology is a great thing but don’t let it take over your life. You can use technology when you absolutely need it.  But when your life is fine, you don’t want to overuse modern technology. Technology now, is a lot better than years ago, but I wish I could’ve experienced it and compared it to now a days.

Next, people are turning their lives into auto pilot, like the house in There Will Come Soft Rains.  Also, the house is a symbol.  It’s a symbol by thinking of the house as the society right now. Society is really dependent on technology now. We depend on it from when we wake up, to when we fall asleep.  People use it for fun, entertainment, and learning.  The people that overuse it are just going to let their life waste away with technology and let it take over their life.  On the other hand, the people using it correctly will learn from themselves, instead of technology doing everything for them.

You cannot let modern technology take over your life because it will just make it worse.  Like in the book, There Will Come Soft Rains, the house is a symbol of society now.  The house is on auto pilot and runs on its own.  Even though technology is necessary, you need to be cautious how you use it.

Growing Up!

Authors Note: This is about how life can be hard at times, but being yourself is always the best solution to almost everything. Do not try to be someone your not because god put you on this earth to be YOU, and only you.

“Lilly, get up for school!” yells Lilly’s Mom. 

“I’m up! Just wait a minute!” Lilly screams back.  Lilly is thirteen, and since she is a teen she feels like she has to be just like her older sister Karina.  Karina is 15 years old and she is super cool according to Lilly.  Lilly looks up to her cool sister and she wants to be just like her, except Karina gets annoyed of Lilly always taking her make-up, clothes, and personality.  One day before school, Lilly went into her sister’s room without her knowing, and took a really cute top out of her sisters closet.  Since it was the first day of school, Lilly wanted to look cute.  She got all her make up on and got her hair done.  Her make- up was too dark, and her skirt was really short.  But then again, now a day’s that’s what everyone wears to school.  She just wants to fit in like everyone else. 

“Lilly let’s go, you’re going to be late for the first day of school!” her mom yells.

“I’m coming Mom! Just calm down and give me a minute!!!! UGH!” Lilly yells down to her Mom.

“Let’s go. We are leaving!” Mom yells.  Lilly rushes down the stairs and gets into the car. 

“You look like a cake face!  Way too much make up on sis,” says Karina.

“Shut up, I’m fine.  Leave me alone,” says Lilly.

When they finally get to school everyone was looking at Lilly like she was a freak.  She decided that it was annoying her so she took off all her make- up and changed into her gym clothes.  When she got home her mom gave her a lesson on how she looked like a cake face and she needed to just be herself and ignore all those haters. Lilly finally got the memo and changed the next day.  Karina was so happy about Lilly changing back to Lilly; she even gave her some make-up tips and a skirt.  In the end, Lilly was herself and was a great girl.

The Perfect Friendship

              This poem really speaks to me because of one friend that I know will always stay close no matter what.  Her name is Sophie Desidero. We almost never get into fights and if we do, we will always make it better.  I know nothing or no one will come between us because we will always have a path leading to each other and we won’t let anyone come in between us.  Our friendship is like the moon, you can’t always see it, but you know it’s always there and you always can feel that you have a strong bond with it. 

I knew you were my best friend from the start because right away we connected perfectly.  I am so glad you are in my life because without you, I would never have such a perfect best friend.  And I am sorry for the times that I hurt you, but I know we will get through it and move on.  Our bond is so close and tight, I know that in high school we will still have that strong path between us.

I Love you Sophia Desidero and I always will.

Hopefully we will always have that strong bond and path between us and it will never break or come apart.  Whatever comes between us we will hopefully forgot and move on and start over again.