The Control of Choices

Authors note: I had a lot of trouble writing this essay. Switching between three different prompts, the biggest problem I had was having what I wanted to say make sense.

Light and dark, good and evil; these are opposites that need each other as support for existence. Our world is filled with opposites, choices, and paradoxes; they surround us and are part of our daily routine. Imagine a world where everything got along, where we didn't have to make choices because there weren't any to make. In the novel Life of Pi, Yann Martel explains to us through his main character how we as humans need our choices for control. Life depends on the gift of choice and contradiction; it is a way for human beings to feel the control they want.

Alone on an island of beauty with food and luxury; an island that is carnivorous. "And then it came to light, an unspeakable pearl at the heart of a green oyster." Pi says this after he just found what was inside the "fruit". The island is similar to the Garden of Eden from the old testament in the bible. Both islands are a beauty representing God's gift of life yet evil lurks where you would least expect it; the Garden of Eden hides Satan within it's depths while the island hides it's evil in it's leaves of fruit. The difference between the good and evil on the islands gives Pi his choice of control -- to stay on the island or not to stay.

Having left the luxury of the island, Pi finally lands in Mexico. In the hospital, Pi relates his story but is scoffed at. They want a different story. Everybody is life wants something different -- it is part of our human nature to feel need for a paradox to their life for their own control. Yann Martel shows us the human nature of needing change through the world's view of Pi's story.

As humans, our nature is to want control and safety in our lives. As Americans, we find this control in our freedom to choose our President; we find this control in our choice of our lifestyle. Our life though is a paradox of those in Africa or the Middle East who's control in their life is finding small things they can control in their structured life. Our choice in life is our freedom and our escape to our own paradox.

Peace Like a River

This book was about a boy with asthma whose brother commits murder to protect the family. After he escapes from jail Reuben and his family follow wherever God takes them and hope He leads them towards their brother Davy. Most of the characters in the story represent bible characters.

It all started with two murders long ago that changed my perspective. The miracles I have witnessed are engraved in my mind and everyday they shout to me the glory of God. These miracles my father has done by the name of God are witnessed by only three people -- me, my younger sister, and my father’s wife. Only we have had this blessing yet only I have ignored it.

Anger and annoyance rose from within me as I took a step out of my house. My father and mother watch each move as a threat of a life without me. Another step from the house and I am sprinting away to nowhere in particular. I only know that I am done with living in this house under their rules. A left at Oak Creek Dr. and a right at Limestone Ave. following the path often taken by my parents on our way home from our cabin up north. Soon realizing my feet are guiding my home I take a shortcut through a forest nearby. Winding in and out of the trees as the sun sets behind me I find myself at an opening.

Looking around I realized there was no place left to go. The sky above me was too tall and the cliff below me was too deep -- too deep for any human being to survive a fall. I was trapped in a large world with no place left to go; there was no place for me to go except on my knees. Looking up the sky I speak slowly and surely.

"Dear Lord, I know my father often speaks with you as if your were an old friend but that is not the case for me. I have not known you very long and speaking to you is foreign to me. Lord if you hear me right now, if you can look down from your throne in heaven to look at a mere mortal such as myself, then I ask you to forgive me. Forgive me for running away from my parents and home to find myself. Forgive me for ignoring you and for telling my father that you were a figment of his imagination. I've heard my father enough to know that Jesus died on the cross so that we could be forgiven. Please my God, let this be the case for me."

I can barely finish this sentence from the ache in my throat. The tears in my eyes overflow and roll down my cheeks. I start to have an asthma attack and am kneeling on the ground wheezing hard. A hand on my shoulder causes me to jerk my head around and my sight is blurred from being dizzy and from the tears. I see my father standing there strong and proud. He bends down and looks me straight in the eye.

"My dear daughter, you have repented your sins and I have died. You shall be forgiven. You are healed my daughter. Remember always that God loves you and he shall never forget you. I will never forget you. I love you."

My wheezing vanishes as suddenly as my father. I was forgiven but at what cost. He was died so my weaknesses and sins could be forgiven. My father is my Jesus Christ. He is my savior.

Explanation:

In the novel Peace Like a River, Davy has decided that the will of God to commit murder. His mistakes affect the whole family in a way that changes their lives forever. They drive in a camper wherever God leads them -- whether or not it is towards Davy. The father, Jeremiah, finds a wife while his children Rueben, who has a problem with his lungs, and Swede learn what it is like to follow God unconditionally.

The story eventually leads to where both Rueben and the father are shot. They go together to another "country" but only the father is allowed to continue into Heaven while Rueben must live the rest of his life. Jeremiah died to save Davy. He died so that Davy could be forgiven and so Rueben could breathe. His death was the death of Jesus Christ as was the rest of his life leading up to this point; Jeremiah Land was Jesus Christ all along.

"At the end of the book, after Jeremiah had died, Dr. Nokes spoke to a cured Rueben. "Your father shouldn't have died, Rueben. Did you know that?" Rueben should have died from his wound from the bullet and from his asthma, but his father was not injured enough to die. This shows how Jeremiah died like Jesus to save his family.

Hope

This essay was written to the novel, Fahrenheit 451. It talks about the hope in life, and how hope can be seen in the smallest of things, and the largest things. Hope is everywhere, some people just have to look harder for it.

Without hope in the world, life would be just another chore to complete -- cleaning joy from the world one day at a time. Hope is needed for love and learning; it is the power behind life. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag hopes for a world of love and knowledge, a place where there is a reason for living. The need for hope drives the world; it is a need to look towards the next day and see something better; a need to see a new world in the future.

Hope can be seen in so many small places during life -- a gift from a friend, or the knowledge that you are alive. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, it says that the firemen are "custodians of our peace of mind." The people in the city are convinced that the firemen keep them safe; they are bias against the people in love with knowledge and books, and this shows no hope for the people who want this safe feeling. Yet a man of knowledge, Faber, says "I sit here and know I am alive," a reference to Des Cartes "I think therefore I am." This shows hope that some people want to learn; people who want to have knowledge are still alive and working towards a better world.

As hope is seen in the small places in life, there can also be moments of hope that change your life and perspective on life. Clarisse, a seventeen year old girl who Montag just met, asked him as they were walking home, "Are you happy?” His response to himself was a gut reaction, quick and thoughtless, "Of course I'm happy! What does she think? I'm not?" Our whole life can go from having no hope in the world to seeing the opportunity we are given with life; we question ourselves and suddenly we have a goal -- a goal to succeed, to improve, to change. Montag begins to question whether or not he is happy and his perspective of life changes into something that has hope for the future.

Hope can be seen in many people, young or old. Montag's seventeen year old friend, Clarisse, often walks him to and from work while they talk about life, love, or anything that pops in their head. Once when he saw her alone walking in the rain; Montag asks her what she is up to now and she simply says, "I'm still crazy. The rain feels good. I love to walk in it." He replies saying that didn't think he would like it. Rain, or water, represents life; by saying that she loves to walk in it, Clarisse is saying that she loves life and it feels good to live in it. At the time, Montag's mind has barely begun to look at life as something that has hope, so him saying that he doesn't think he would like walking in life shows that he doesn't have hope for his life yet.

A phoenix represents life and how we are born and reborn again to another life; the hope of a new world and life. In John 3, Jesus says to a Pharisee, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." Montag's life is like the phoenix or the people of God, they both have hope for a new world and life; they want a clean slate to start over, to create a new. As Montag and his friends walk towards the city with the hope of starting over, they are creating a new life; they are hoping for a new world.

Fear & Pain

This is a response to the novel Fahrenheit 451, a story about a distopic world that revolves around fear. I wrote a response to the quote "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" relates to Montag in this story. This is how I thought it related to him.

Frederick Nietzsche once said "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." This is what happens in so many lives with people who have pain that forces them to go forward. They spend their entire life trying to lose this pain that is inside of them -- a pain that is making them stronger without them realizing it. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 Montag, the main character, learns to open his eyes causing him an unbearable pain of knowledge -- a heavy weight set upon his shoulders to save people from living their life of not knowing. This causes him to keep going forward, to be stronger; have a purpose. Strength can come from fear and pain; these are what keep us going and give us purpose.

Fear is a weapon, a strength, a weakness; it is a force that drives many and a weakness that kills many. The country Montag lives in is based on fear -- a simple force that the government uses to control millions of people. This weapon causes people to do things they wouldn't do in their right mind. "He glanced at his hands to see what new thing they had done." This is what Montag did right before he killed Beatty and it was all from the fear of being arrested and taken to jail; he couldn't believe that he going to kill a person because he was afraid.

Strength comes from fear yet is also comes from a pain that is not strong enough to kill but is strong enough to hurt. After Montag kills Beatty the mechanical hound stabs him with the needle that injects a poison into his legs; he described it as thousand of needles stabbing his leg. With pain the strength comes from being able to look past the pain and keep moving forward with a purpose.

When the quote "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" was thought up there had to have been many things to consider. First would be the task of finding something that doesn't kill you yet still makes you stronger -- this might lead to fear and pain. These are things that people have to get through to keep going -- they make a person stronger. Without these people wouldn't have to try hard to keep going; without these people wouldn't have strength. Sometimes people need an extra push to get them through the pain and fear -- sometimes people need a purpose.

Patriots for Life

This essay was written to the prompt, "Does patriotism still matter." I decided that patriotism does matter, people just don't choose to show their patriotism. I talked about ways that it can be shown, and ways that it is shown.

Watching fireworks explode in the sky, the beauty of the American flag, seeing the people who fight for our country marching through the crowds -- these proud moments represent our country; they represent how we live; they represent why we are free. These are times we can show our patriotism, but they don’t come every day. We should let our patriotism ring like a bell on the top of a church, let it be heard by all who listen, telling them that we are America, the United States.

So many things can be done to show patriotism, whether it is being a soldier, fighting for our country, or following the Constitution and voting. These acts of patriotism can be spontaneous, just like Rick Monday, a baseball player, did on April 25, 1976. As two people ran on to the field to burn the American flag that was soaked in kerosene, Rick Monday ran past and grabbed the flag, earning a standing ovation from the people in the stands. These moments are what stay in history, but being a patriot doesn’t mean you are known in history, it means so much more.

While some people may not show patriotism from spontaneous acts, it doesn’t mean that their acts have less value. Courage, respect, honesty: these are the acts that represent us, represent our country. Many people each day do these small acts that may not be known by everyone, but are seen by some. These acts could be as significant as joining the armed forces. When other countries look at us, I hope they not only see the land of the free, but I hope they see patriots, people who love their country.

Patriotism, it is one word, yet it means so much more than just that. To love something means you will do anything for it; there are people in our country who do this, they lay down their lives for their country. That is patriotism. Saving the American flag from being burned. That is patriotism. Voting and following the Constitution. That is patriotism. We are America, we are patriots.

Power in its Darkest Hour

Being in charge isn't always easy, it requires a lot of dedication, patience, and knowledge. My personal opinion is that people aren't fit to rule over other people with complete control. This also goes for animals.

Having complete control can drive on to do things many would not do in their right mind. People were not meant to have power over others due to our inability to remain sane. This is also in the case of the animals the novel Animal Farm who attempt to run a farm by their own. Their attempt to drive out humans is a success, but their idea that all animals are equal fails due to those put in charge. Power over few is a challenging job for humans, power over all is an impossible job for anyone with a mind of their own.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This means that any country with one person in complete control, will undoubtedly fail. No one person can handle the responsibility of ruling over a country without help, or someone to share the power. Still, even if more than one people are sharing the power, there is always the possibility of jealousy and selfishness arising between the companions.

In the beginning of the book, the idea of a revolution excites everyone, adrenaline runs through them. When the animals have overthrown Mr. Jones and his workers, they have no leader or anyone to follow. Put to power by themselves, the pigs make decisions convincing the less bright animals that it is for their own good. Each animal is bound to the seven commandments, meant to keep them from turning into what they had recently overthrown. A human. The seven commandments includes the idea that “two feet bad, four feet good” as the sheep constantly chant, wearing clothes, sleeping in a bed, and drinking alcohol is unacceptable. It also says that animals may not kill another animal, and that all animals are equal.

As the story continues, each rule is slowly and mysteriously changed to make seem as though the pigs are obeying every rule. The once worshipped commandments now represent exactly what was feared in a animal ruled farm. These animals slowly represent what was the one and only fear of the Animal Farm, not to become like the humans they had just driven out of power. Those animals not educated enough to understand the true meaning of what is going on, that their fearless leader has the mind of the propaganda, turn a blind eye to all deaths of their comrades and the truth they cannot look in the eye.

As a satire should, these characters represent the personalities and weaknesses of historical characters form the Russian Revolution. The three pigs who take control over Animal Farm represent Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky, these six share the weakness of power. Mr. Jones and his wife represent Czar Nicholas and Alexandria, who used to enjoy lives many luxuries while their people starved on the little food they could afford. Some characters represent a group of people that play a large part in the Revolution, yet not on person. For example, the sheep represent all of the peasants, fooled by the mask of glamour put up by the Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky.

In the novel Animal Farm, power is the true ruler, not Napoleon or Snowball, power controls their every rule and action. With the strength of power in control, Mr. Jones is overthrown and Animal Farm succeeds, yet they never truly won. With Mr. Jones out of the way, the true enemy is still in control, to win they must over throw power or Napoleon. The animals need to remember what their revolution really meant, their freedom, and know what Old Major meant by a revolution.

The Reign of Fear

an essay to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Many people live with fear in their lives. They let their fear of something control them, for example, if they are afraid of spiders, it may be hard for them to do things that require contact with a spider.

Fear rules the lives of many, some young and scared others more mature yet still live with fear. As a young child, the thought of a monster under their bed is unbearable. It cannot be thought through enough to decide the unreasonable part of a monster living. After becoming a mature adult, actions are the cause of nightmares in their sleep, whether it was witnessed or done by their own hands. In the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom and Huck, such fear released the truth of what they saw. Without fear, most people in this world would learn nothing from their mistakes and actions.

The difference between fear and danger is that in danger, it is necessary to think quickly. In fear, it is hard not to be too scared to think; therefore most actions are not the best. There is a time, though, that when the need to protect a loved one from fear, overcomes the fear on the outside, and helps make the right decisions. When lost in the cave with the fearful Becky, the strength to keep on going was hard to come by. Between loss of food, and a shortage of sleep, a soft descent into death didn’t seem so bad for Tom, but the thought of Becky leaving the world so young was unbearable. The fear from this thought fueled Tom to find an exit from the cave to save their lives.

Fear can control the shadows of the night while you sleep, as much as the daytime. As a witness to a vicious murder, the fear of Huck and Tom is unbearable. The fear is strong enough to control their minds, their actions and words are no longer their own. With an inhuman murderer on the loose, the thought of him lurking in the shadows is punishment enough for sneaking out to the graveyard, the crime scene of the murder. Though the consequence of their actions was fear, it is a reward for the innocent witness who is still partially guilty. Their wrong mistake saved the life of a framed murderer, while taking the life of the guilty man. Most wrongs come with a consequence, something to help the person remember not to make the mistake again, yet some wrongs will also come with a reward.

Fear can toy with our minds, causing us the pain of death. It can cause us to go paranoid, forgetting the simple thoughts of reality. Yet even with all of this, if fear didn’t exist, we would never learn from those mistakes caused by fear controlled actions. It is hard to enjoy fear, as Tom learns in the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but it is needed in our world as a painful reminder of evil. This world, though, doesn’t need to be surrounded by fear, because the enemy of fear, love, is needed just as much. Within the world, a balance of good and evil is needed; otherwise one would have too much power over everything.

The Choices of Love

People often misjudge the true meaning of love, the commitment and the meaning behind the three little words. Love may come easily for some, yet it may be more difficult for others, but somehow, it is able to make us do things we would never do for just anyone.

Love is the way of life, needed and wanted by many, received by the deserving. It can decide if someone will live, or whether they will become depressed enough to decide that love isn’t worth the pain of living. Whether someone is born, is decided by the choices of different people, some believe it is fate, others think it is pure luck. The power of love can decide many things, good or bad, given to those who work hard for it, and taken from those as a consequence of their actions.

As a young, innocent boy, love comes easily for Tom Sawyer. Love and adventure are his food, fueling him for each day, nothing to him but something to live off. It comes and goes for him, there when he needs it, and hidden when it is useless, yet indelible from his mind. That is, until Becky comes along, changing his world forever, causing him a longing that is unknown to his heart and soul. Yet somehow, his need for adventure wins, taking him on a journey farther away from Becky, all in the sake of fame. Upon his return, his fame and fortune go to his head, he makes himself believe that he doesn’t need her. “ Tom decided that he could be independent of Becky Thatcher now. Glory was sufficient. He would live for glory.” All Tom thinks he needs now for fuel is the power of glory. The love once indelible, is replaced to the selfish and human needs of glory and everything that comes from it. Love is a delicate thing not to be messed with or replaced. The only way for a flower to grow is for you to feed it and care for it as best as possible, and it is the same is with love.

Tom’s own innocence is his shield from maturity and the world beyond it, making him blind to the right and open to the wrong. This same innocence leads him astray, off the path of love. Many people can only dream of the fairytale love many seem to have, they see those people make it seem easy, and when they get a chance at it, they let it drift away. Love needs to be taken care of, not abused or put aside to one’s own power and human indulges. Without love, our world would seem a place of hate, war, and pure evil.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Final respnse to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

People hear the saying 'Life is never easy', but what they don't expect, is for that to be true. Nothing will come easily, if you don't work hard for something, it's not worth it. Life is different for everyone, and it is not hard for everyone at the same time.

The strength in life doesn’t always come from where we expect. It could come from someone who has loved you your whole life, or a complete stranger. All people have struggles in life, hurdles they need to jump over, but many people live without the money to provide simple necessities. They don’t have the most struggles, but they do get their fair share of them, just as Francie does in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. A life of difficulty is prominent among many people with a low income, but the love and strength demonstrated by many of them is contagious. Though some choose to show the courage inside them, many choose to wallow in self-pity by drinking. Life isn’t always worth the pain, but it’s the things in life that we love so much that gives us the strength to continue.

An agile, young girl growing up in a appalling city, Francie faces her struggles of life very often all by herself. Hate, poverty, and hunger, against a meek, innocent child. Francie tries each day to overcome them, though, sometimes it just isn’t possible. She learns the most important lessons in life that many learn after years of mistakes. Francie finds herself enjoying the simple things, while still longing for the items beyond her reach and budget, and she is forced to see the truth behind the meaning of poverty. At her age, Francie has learned more responsibility than either of her parents can or will. Her mother works cleaning during the day, and depending upon Francie in the night. Johnny, her father, is out drinking almost every night, losing himself sip after sip. Though he drinks most nights, you cannot say he doesn’t love Francie.

After her graduation from middle school, it is a custom for the girls to receive a bouquet of roses, but Francie knew she would not receive any due to financial issues. Johnny, though, knew of this and gave Francie’s aunt money for the roses, and to Francies surprise, there were roses on her desk. Though she is the oldest and the most responsible in her family, and she is still in middle school.

The love of someone else is not an object that can be priced or promised. It is like an animal with no control; you just have to let it roam free. If we start promising ourselves when we are young, we won’t have anything left of ourselves to continue the journey of innocence to experience. Love can promise the world, or it can hold you back, but it’s the choices we make in life that chooses.

Loss

A response to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Death is something that has occured in my life, leaving many challenges, yet new opportunities. Yet, even with the sadness, I learned that something good will always come out of something bad. Life goes on, sadness will not stay, and love will last forever.

It swallows you whole, leaving nothing but sorrow, deception, and hate. You’re in a hole, unable to get out, crawling, scraping, clinging to life by a thread. Clinging to that thread, knowing that they, your loved one, your own father, had his thread snap above him while he was desperately grabbing the air. The loss of our own kin is experienced by many as we grow wiser and stronger, closing the gap between innocence and experienced.

As Francie is physically growing older, so is her mind and experiences. Parents try so hard to protect there children from the Truth, that when it is experienced, it hits you harder than you can imagine. That one final night of innocent sleep before the Truth of Johnny is revealed, her last before those memories and thoughts are there forever,creates a sorrow unlike any other. A memory as black as the mourning clothes, draped upon her shoulders, a shield from the world’s evil, and a sign of what the world’s evil has done for her, become her indelible memories of that faithful night.

People who have never experienced the weight of a death, do not understand the feeling of life. The need, the pull, to live is taken away, it is grabbed from them, leaving them cold, alone. The feeling of loss with turns to a feeling of betrayal, never learning how to deal with this quagmire. Francie comes to learn the need of family, that they are there for you when you need them, always there. Without the love and support of her family, Francie would never be able to contain the weight of this loss.

Life
Life is a gift, given to many, lived by few. People take life for granted, never realizing what a gift they have with food, clothing, and shelter. Money isn't the only thing in life, ans each person has something worth living for.
The choice of the life you will live, lays in your hands, in the choices you make as a human being. Scarred by your own intentions of evil and good, you can only do so much to live a happy life. Everyone has a silver lining in their few years of living, a gold thread among the bare. But everyone also has a black curtain, a shadowing of their own troubled years. With the needed balance of evil and good, people must decide if they are going to turn that weight more towards one side.

Living in a life of poverty and hunger, Francie’s mother, Katie, does what she can to educate her children to live a less scarred life. But Katie cannot hide her from everything, the ugliness of life cannot be avoided. There is a scene where Francie wants to help her mother in her time of hardship and pregnancy. She is about to reach into a bucket of water to help clean when her mother stops her. “No, don’t put your hands in that water. It is made of soda and lye. Look what it has done to my hands. I don’t want your hands to get like that.” As water is a symbol of life, and hands are what you have done, Katie doesn’t want Francie’s life to be ruined by the evil and cruelty. Katie wants to save Francie.

As the choice of life lays in your hands, many people wish you well in those choices, while others try to deceive you. Francie is learning to stand strong against life, just as we all should. The choice you make will either weaken you to your knees and strengthen you for harder times yet to come.

Veterens Essay

Veterans Essay
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
With everyone's busy schedules, when should we make time to celebrate those who fought for our freedom? Every day, people forget those friends and family who fought for our country, and those who might have been wounded, or even those who lost their lives. If we continue to remember them only a handful of times a year, they will begin to fade from us. As long as we don't forget them, those friends and family will stay alive.

Out of 365 days a year, only three of those days are dedicated to commemorating those who fought for our country. On May 25, our nation celebrates Memorial Day. Our nation remembers those who fought for our country and died. July fourth is also Independence Day. This is the day meant for us to remember the Revolutionary War, and our separation from England. November eleventh could also be called be called Veterans Day. We remember all those soldiers, dead or alive, and commemorate them for their help to keep this country safe.

Citizens of this nation should remember those soldiers who fought 365 days a year. We should express our thanks each day, so as they will not be taken for granted. Whether a friend, family member, or stranger, each day someone is in the armed forces, protecting our country. Whether they are in harms way, or home safe, they still have said they will fight and protect us. Thanks to all of the soldiers, we are safe.

Heritage is what should truly shine in a person. Everyday we should stop and think about those people who fought for our country and our heritage. The people who died, died for our safety, whether they knew us or not. Without them, we might not have had the freedom and safety we have today.

College Bound Brother

College Bound Brother:


It was an incredibly cold, windy day as I trudged down the sidewalk. I could barely suppress the tears as I when I opened the door. It felt like just yesterday that my brother had been accepted to Marquette University on a full-paid scholarship. The look on my dad’s face said he couldn’t be more proud. My mom’s face revealed how happy and sad she was at the same time. Personally, I felt neither emotion. All I could concentrate on was holding back the waterfall of tears. Alex, my older brother, my best friend, the one who held me for an hour straight at the hospital when I was born. Now he was leaving me just when I was going into eighth grade then high school! For the moment I felt pure anger at him, then realized that college was going to be extremely hard for him. At least harder than high school would be for me. Except for the fact that he wouldn’t be here anymore. Just when he is leaving, I realize how much I truly need and depend on him. Because I need him so much, I knew I would miss him more than anything.
Today we will be moving Alex into his dorm. His roommate, Sean, is a good friend from high school. It’s good that he’ll have someone at college that he knows. I gave a heartfelt gift to Alex as a going away present. Even though he was against it, he allowed me to organize, design, and decorate their dorm. Of course, they did all the heavy work. Very slowly, I began to have fun with them in their dorm, and even began to forget that three hours from now, I would be home without my caring brother beside me.
On the ride home, I sat silently, staring out the window, listening to my ipod. I focused on the words and the beat of the song, avoiding anything that might remind me of Alex. When we arrived home, I ran upstairs, and enclosed myself in my room. Suddenly my cell phone rang on my bed stand. I leaned over and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hi Kelsey, it’s Alex," a familiar voice whispered. "I just wanted to say ‘I love you."

English Room Renovation essay

English Room Renovation Essay:


Des Cartes once said, " I think therefore I am," but it is very difficult to think with uncomfortable environment of the English room. Without a change to the English rooms structure, students will have difficulty feeling passion and creativity. The school should put forth the effort to help make the English room a place where kids can work hard and still relax. While other rooms require work, this English room needs to allow students to relax in order to do their best possible work.
Inside the English room, the students know to expect a cold area with colorless walls held together by hospital-like, tile flooring. As they walk through the room to their seat, the rows upon rows of the cages school calls desks, are set up in straight lines in order to keep things organized. While the students sit uncomfortably in the desks, all they can do is sit and listen to their teacher’s voice. Nothing can really catch their eye or give them something to listen to as a background noise. Instead of promoting creativity and knowledge, the school sees the need for everything to be neat and orderly.
Warmth, beauty, and nature should all be incorporated in a classroom. The first floor of the English room should be a place where students walk in and immediately feel warmth. A stone-lined fire pit in the center of the room adds warmth, decoration, and a soothing sound. Surrounded by a border of stones, a waterfall cascades from the ceiling into a miniature pond. Leather armchairs allow students to relax in an ideal spot for reading or studying place. Navy blue walls and a grass green carpet give a soothing sensation to the room. Two oak wood bookcases tower over the room, supplying students with a surplus of books for enjoyment, resources, and laptops. Alone in a corner, a spiral staircase leads students up to the second floor.
As warmth, beauty, and nature are important pieces of a classroom, these pieces have a potential to create a usable classroom on the second floor. A circle of armchairs allow student to see and hear other peers. At the center of the circle, a fire pit lined with stones adds warmth and beauty. Complimenting the fire pit, a dark brown carpet and navy blue walls tie the classroom together. Off to the side, a stainless steel fridge holds food and drinks for students and the teacher, and beside the fridge is a row of oak wood cabinets with a green granite countertop. In a corner of the room, a door leads to a tranquil atrium. This atrium holds many flower and bush hedges. For decoration there is a decorative well, a waterfall, and a koi pond. Many students would think this an ideal place for reading, talking, or studying because of the many benches. Students are given the opportunity to proceed to the third and final floor.
Instead of a having a classroom outside, students should be able to bring the outside in. When students enter the third floor room, they are walking on a clear floor with a river below holding fish. A waterfall softly cascades in a corner, while in the opposite corner; a koi pond lined with stones sits, showing students the beauty of nature. Large, white, leather couches are placed against separate walls giving the room a sophisticated and serene atmosphere. Three bookcases hold an excess of books for enjoyment, helpful resources, and laptops. Complimenting all the water is a plush white carpet, along with sky blue walls. This room should inspire students with natural and modern beauty.
With its uncomfortable interior, the English room does not allow students to be inspired or creative. Without a legitimate learning environment, students cannot succeed at showing their passion and true selves. By changing the furniture, color, and design of this room, teachers will detect a tremendous change in their student’s behavior. Passion, encouragement, and creativity will be expressed to it’s fullest, because of these few changes. Fixing the many issues of the English rooms should be one of the schools top priorities in order to increase the knowledge of their students.

response to 'All Summer in a Day'

‘All Summer in a Day’
You are forced into this place, a place where sights of the sun are rare, a rareness the drives you insane and fearful, insane enough to a quagmire inside yourself between life and death. You fear yourself, for you put yourself in this situation of solemn separation. Margot fears herself, though she may not know it, for she secludes herself in a way the other children cannot. She brings upon herself, the loss of friends. A loss that cannot be forgotten or forgiven. A person's fear is theirs and only theirs, making it a part of them, forcing them to fear themselves.　　　 　
Margot is stuck in a world of tragedy. 　Forced to move from the place where the sun shines frequently, to a world of darkness and rain, where depression devours her until she is nothing but a girl of death-looking appearance among children of life. 　She has an absence that steers children away. 　Finally, something other than the sun brings her out of death, the only thing that could, Truth and the sun, as she states in her frequent talks and poems about the sun, her only hope. Her only obstacle, the wall she put up between herself and the children, one that cannot be broken. This one mistake, like ours, can be strong enough to keep us from our hopes and desires. A person’s past will come back to haunt them, almost like karma, forcing them on a chain, allowing little leash for life. 　　　 　
Without the sun, Margot is the living dead. 　Her past won’t allow her to come back from depression. 　It is the leash of her life, giving her happiness sparingly. 　　Only she can control that leash though, for she chose her past, present, and future. 　She is her own quagmire, stuck in herself, between life and death. Separate from others, because of herself, her fear, her enemy, her life.