I read The Star by Esther Claes. This story is about a girl who is a pop star experiencing the end of the world. In the story she keeps repeating that nothing is going to happen to her and that everything will blow over. She doesn't seem to realize that just because she is a star doesn't make her any different from the people who are dying right now. Her parents are talking of survival and starting to make arraignments for the end of the world. She still doesn't believe that anything will happen to her. At the end her mother is dying and her father is sick and is calling her name. She refuses to answer him claiming to herself that the maid will take care of him and tomorrow everything will be better. She is wrong.
The subject of the story is a young pop star experiencing the end of the world. The theme is that just because she is a pop star doesn't make her any different from the other people out there dying. In other words the end of the world doesn't care who you are, your going to die just the same as everybody else. I agree with the author. His message is very devastating but much needed. I feel that now a days people who are rich and famous think they are superior, but in the real world they are just the same as everybody else.
The author makes it very clear what he wants the readers to get out of this story. He shows this by the words that the girl says. Like when her parents are trying to explain to her that the world is ending she responds with "Not in LA ." Another way is when she is crying in her bedroom she says to herself "you can't comprehend how someone who has accomplished so much in such a short time should be allowed to go through something as horrible as this. You're a star, for God's sake, you deserve better than this." Why she thinks she deserves better, i don't know, money does strange things to people.
In the movie Titanic the subject is two people from different worlds fall in love on a boat. The theme is that it doesn't matter where you come from, love Concords all. The director shows this because they are sneaking around with each other because her parents don't approve. Another way they show their love for each other is at the end when the ship is sinking, Rose has a chance to get on the life boat, but she doesn't because she would rather die with him than live without him.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
short story 2
I read a short story called Butterflies by Roger Dean Kiser. This story is about the author when he was a younge boy living in a orphanage. He talkes about how because of what he witnessed he is now an old man. What he means by this is that he once had a free spirit like a little boy should and then out of nowhere it was torn apart. The author explains that one day he went out into the garden where he saw the house parent catching butterflies. After the parent would catch the butterflies he would kill them by pinning them to a cardbord paper. After a while the house parent gets a phone call and leaves the peice of paper outside. The boy then goes to look at what the man had done and he sees a butterfly that is still alive. He strokes the butterfly and knocks one of the pins holding the butterfly on off of the butterfly. The butterfly then trys to fly away but breaks its other wing off instead. The boy trys to help the butterfly but there is nothing he can do. The house parent then comes out and starts yelling at the boy and hits him on the head with the cardbord paper. The boy buries the pretty butterflys wondering how something so beautiful could be killed so cruely. The boy never plays with the butterflys again.
I think the reason the author wrote this story is because he doesnt believe this is right. I think he wants people to charish beauty and understand that those types of things should not be tampered with. I think he is also trying to explain that something like that can ruin and childs out look on the world and he doenst want that for anybody else. He states that "There was a time in my life when beauty meant something special to me. I guess that would have been when I was about six or seven years old, just several weeks or maybe a month before the orphanage turned me into an old man. " This is horible to me and nobody wants that for anybody else.
I think it is important to read about other peoples lives to understand how other people feel. I feel that eveybody should try to understand what makes other people the way they are. Alot of the time when people read about my mom it changes their entire outlook on life and that something so good can turn out bad. It also teaches them not to take anything for granted; especially their parents.
I think the reason the author wrote this story is because he doesnt believe this is right. I think he wants people to charish beauty and understand that those types of things should not be tampered with. I think he is also trying to explain that something like that can ruin and childs out look on the world and he doenst want that for anybody else. He states that "There was a time in my life when beauty meant something special to me. I guess that would have been when I was about six or seven years old, just several weeks or maybe a month before the orphanage turned me into an old man. " This is horible to me and nobody wants that for anybody else.
I think it is important to read about other peoples lives to understand how other people feel. I feel that eveybody should try to understand what makes other people the way they are. Alot of the time when people read about my mom it changes their entire outlook on life and that something so good can turn out bad. It also teaches them not to take anything for granted; especially their parents.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
writing four
Michelle Snavely
Lit/Comp 10/ Siegmund
October 1, 2008
Persuasive Essay
In the 2008 election, Obama vs. McCain, there are some very important topics that they disagree on in their campaign. The ones that caught my attention the most were the disagreements on immigration, the Iraq war and Climate Change. In my personal opinion, Obama knows a lot more about what he is talking about. I think that the way he wants to handle these situations are the best ways to do it for our people and for our country. I believe this because he seems very strong about his opinions and he seems to know what he wants for our country.
The first topic I would like to talk about is the debate on immigration. Obama believes that we should let the illegal immigrants become U.S. citizens. He explains that we should make them pay a small fine for coming to our country illegally but then give them a license and make them start paying taxes. In my opinion that is the most reasonable and mature way to handle it. On the other hand, McCain wants to do the complete opposite. He says he wants to build a huge wall, a lot like the Berlin Wall, all the way around the U.S.-Mexico border. This upsets me in a lot of ways because of the fact that it will give America the look of a stuck up country. We should be welcoming these people into our country. He also explains that he wants to find all eleven million illegal immigrants and send them back to Mexico. The only way they can stay is if the job they have right now cannot be taken over by an American, and if that is the case, they will be given a “tamper-proof visa.”
How does that make any sense at all? Any American can take over a job just like any Hispanic can take over any American’s job. Personally, I think McCain has the complete wrong idea as to how to get a handle on the illegal immigrants. And how does he propose to catch these eleven million immigrants? They are pretty good at hiding from the government thus far, how is he going to be any different at catching these immigrants?
The next issue going on in the 2008 debate is the Iraq war. I have a very strong opinion on the war and I personally don’t think we are over in Iraq for a reason anymore. Obama doesn’t believe in this war at all. He promises that if he is elected president that he will begin pulling troops as soon as possible. He sees this war as a flame that is only getting bigger the longer we stay stationed over in Iraq. In his opinion, the longer we stay, the Middle East is only going to grow more furious with the United States and that can cause unwanted bombing of our country. McCain however, is for the war. He believes that we are needed in Iraq “until the freely elected government of that country and its armed forces are able to defend their country from foreign and domestic enemies.” In a lot of ways both candidates are right on their stand on the Iraq war. The only reason why I disagree with McCain is because this is their country and we shouldn’t be over there trying to run a country that we have no say in.
The last debate I want to talk about is the debate on the Climate change. Both of these candidates have great ideas about what to do. Obama wants to stop the climate change right now and wants us to join the Kyoto treaty. The Kyoto Treaty is a treaty stating that all the countries need to join together to stop global warming. He says that America itself cannot stop the global climate change. Every country needs to join in to stop this downfall. McCain says that America needs to lower our energy consumption by itself. He thinks that there is no need for us to join the Kyoto Treaty until China and India join the treaty. He says this is because they are two big countries that have a lot to do with the Global warming and that there would be no point in us joining the treaty and giving up our energy until these two countries join the treaty as well. I disagree; I think that America should lead by example and join this treaty because maybe if China and India see us join they will join too.
Honestly, I think that Barack Obama would be a better president for the United States as of where we stand right now. He is completely against the war and I agree with him. I don’t think there is any need to be in Iraq anymore because first of all we have already won the war. The only thing we are doing over there as of now is getting our loved ones killed and trying to control a country that we have no part in. I also think he has a lot better plans with how we should deal with immigration and climate change. He knows what the people want and what the people need. This is the type of person that America needs right now, not someone who wants to stay at war and thinks that we cant do anything on our own.
Lit/Comp 10/ Siegmund
October 1, 2008
Persuasive Essay
In the 2008 election, Obama vs. McCain, there are some very important topics that they disagree on in their campaign. The ones that caught my attention the most were the disagreements on immigration, the Iraq war and Climate Change. In my personal opinion, Obama knows a lot more about what he is talking about. I think that the way he wants to handle these situations are the best ways to do it for our people and for our country. I believe this because he seems very strong about his opinions and he seems to know what he wants for our country.
The first topic I would like to talk about is the debate on immigration. Obama believes that we should let the illegal immigrants become U.S. citizens. He explains that we should make them pay a small fine for coming to our country illegally but then give them a license and make them start paying taxes. In my opinion that is the most reasonable and mature way to handle it. On the other hand, McCain wants to do the complete opposite. He says he wants to build a huge wall, a lot like the Berlin Wall, all the way around the U.S.-Mexico border. This upsets me in a lot of ways because of the fact that it will give America the look of a stuck up country. We should be welcoming these people into our country. He also explains that he wants to find all eleven million illegal immigrants and send them back to Mexico. The only way they can stay is if the job they have right now cannot be taken over by an American, and if that is the case, they will be given a “tamper-proof visa.”
How does that make any sense at all? Any American can take over a job just like any Hispanic can take over any American’s job. Personally, I think McCain has the complete wrong idea as to how to get a handle on the illegal immigrants. And how does he propose to catch these eleven million immigrants? They are pretty good at hiding from the government thus far, how is he going to be any different at catching these immigrants?
The next issue going on in the 2008 debate is the Iraq war. I have a very strong opinion on the war and I personally don’t think we are over in Iraq for a reason anymore. Obama doesn’t believe in this war at all. He promises that if he is elected president that he will begin pulling troops as soon as possible. He sees this war as a flame that is only getting bigger the longer we stay stationed over in Iraq. In his opinion, the longer we stay, the Middle East is only going to grow more furious with the United States and that can cause unwanted bombing of our country. McCain however, is for the war. He believes that we are needed in Iraq “until the freely elected government of that country and its armed forces are able to defend their country from foreign and domestic enemies.” In a lot of ways both candidates are right on their stand on the Iraq war. The only reason why I disagree with McCain is because this is their country and we shouldn’t be over there trying to run a country that we have no say in.
The last debate I want to talk about is the debate on the Climate change. Both of these candidates have great ideas about what to do. Obama wants to stop the climate change right now and wants us to join the Kyoto treaty. The Kyoto Treaty is a treaty stating that all the countries need to join together to stop global warming. He says that America itself cannot stop the global climate change. Every country needs to join in to stop this downfall. McCain says that America needs to lower our energy consumption by itself. He thinks that there is no need for us to join the Kyoto Treaty until China and India join the treaty. He says this is because they are two big countries that have a lot to do with the Global warming and that there would be no point in us joining the treaty and giving up our energy until these two countries join the treaty as well. I disagree; I think that America should lead by example and join this treaty because maybe if China and India see us join they will join too.
Honestly, I think that Barack Obama would be a better president for the United States as of where we stand right now. He is completely against the war and I agree with him. I don’t think there is any need to be in Iraq anymore because first of all we have already won the war. The only thing we are doing over there as of now is getting our loved ones killed and trying to control a country that we have no part in. I also think he has a lot better plans with how we should deal with immigration and climate change. He knows what the people want and what the people need. This is the type of person that America needs right now, not someone who wants to stay at war and thinks that we cant do anything on our own.
writing three
Michelle Snavely
Classic City High School
Writing Three
Mr. Siegmund Lit/Comp 10
Communities in Schools have made a huge impact on my life. In my honest opinion, if it wasn’t for Classic City High School and this company that made this school possible, I don’t think I would have graduated high school. I know for a fact that I definitely wouldn’t be graduating high school a whole year early. I know that I am a smart person, and that I can do a lot with my life. But I wouldn’t be able to do much of anything without my education. One thing that really helped me that Classic City has done is that the people are really nice, everybody really is at the school for their education and that’s it. Some other things are; there is no drama, the teachers really care and the student body is so small. I want to start this paper off with a thank you to Communities in Schools; you have made a big difference in my life.
I would like to start by telling you about why I choose to attend Classic City High School. When I moved to Athens, Georgia in the eighth grade from Atlanta, I was devastated. Everything was so different from the people to the way that the schools were run. There were just so many distractions and the people didn’t seem to care if they passed their classes or not. This really discouraged me, I just didn’t understand how people could go to school and not pay attention. I did pretty good my eighth and freshman years, but the beginning of my sophomore year was a different story. I was attending Cedar Shoals High School and for some reason I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I think there were just too many distractions going on in the class rooms. Another problem I was having is that none of the teachers seemed to care if I failed or passed. This brought me down a lot.
After a few weeks of school I became extremely depressed. I was so used to being praised for my hard work and having good grades and now all of that seemed to have vanished. I began to become really tired and soon I was skipping school just to sleep in. After about two weeks of constantly skipping every class I possibly could, my grades were so low that there was no way I could pull them up. I had also missed too many days of school so my classes were going to be dropped anyways. In my mind, my only option was to drop out.
After I had made my decision, I had no idea what I was going to do. It seemed like my whole life had gone down the drain and there was no way of reviving it. Then I heard about a school called Classic City. A few of my friends who had dropped out of school told me about it and it sounded like the perfect place for me. So I went up to the school to get an application and I was surprised at how happy everybody looked being at school. I took my test a few days later and passed, so they interviewed me. The principal seemed really nice and I felt at home at the school. Mr. Hunter accepted me on the spot and told me I could start next semester. He said that there was no reason to waist my education, especially with the grades that I had before I dropped out.
The whole rest of the semester that I was dropped out from Cedar Shoals, I couldn’t wait for my first day at Classic City. Finally that day rolled around and I had never been more excited in my life. I had never been more nervous in my life either. I wondered what the teachers and students would be like and if they would accept me or not. I soon found out that there was nothing to worry about and that everybody was really laid back. The part that helped me the most was that there was no drama. In every public school there is always people talking and starting rumors about everybody. This really distracted me from my work at Cedar because I was more worried what other people thought of me.
There was this one time at Cedar when some girl didn’t like me so she started a rumor that I was having sex with some guy that I had never even met before. This rumor spread like wildfire and soon enough people were giving me mean looks in the hall ways and calling me a slut. I was devastated; I just had no idea what to do to make it stop. It was almost like I was trapped in a whole that somebody else pushed me in and I couldn’t get out. I ended up making my first C in school that year because I could no longer concentrate on what was important. It is completely different at Classic City. People here are a lot more real and if they hear something they come right up to you and ask. Rumors like that don’t happen here in the first place because everybody is here to learn and they don’t care about stuff like that. If that were to happen here at Classic City, the rumor would only last for about an hour before things got straight.
Another thing I love about Classic City is that all of the teachers care. They care about your school life, your home life and your life with your friends. They all want you to make the right decisions and learn from your mistakes. I know every single teacher here personally and I love that. They don’t mind giving you advice and pointing you in the right path. I was on a lot of drugs when I started attending Classic City and when I had a deep conversation with one of the teachers about how I hated who I had become; they knew exactly what to say to help me get clean. There main goal is to help you graduate, if you ask any of the students they will tell you the same. Any teacher will stay after school with you when you need help; all you have to do is ask. Some of the time you don’t even have to ask, they will ask you. It was so surreal to me, a teacher voluntarily asking to give up their home time to help a student.
The size of the student body is also a big help. Because Communities in Schools made the student body is so small, the teachers have fewer students in a class, thus more time to help everybody. There is normally a max of about fifteen students and in two hours, the teacher can go around the room and help everybody at least ten times. Another thing is that because there are fewer people in a class, there are virtually no distractions. If for some reason someone becomes a distraction, there is one warning and then they are sent out. At Classic City, everybody is here to learn and if for some reason you don’t want to learn, they feel there is no need for you to be in class.
I think Classic City is the best school for most people. This school is perfect for people who want to learn and want to graduate but can’t deal with the public schools. In my opinion, I think there should be a lot more schools like Classic City High School. Again I just would like to thank Communities in Schools for your tribute to the school and helping people like me to move on with their life and make it better.
Classic City High School
Writing Three
Mr. Siegmund Lit/Comp 10
Communities in Schools have made a huge impact on my life. In my honest opinion, if it wasn’t for Classic City High School and this company that made this school possible, I don’t think I would have graduated high school. I know for a fact that I definitely wouldn’t be graduating high school a whole year early. I know that I am a smart person, and that I can do a lot with my life. But I wouldn’t be able to do much of anything without my education. One thing that really helped me that Classic City has done is that the people are really nice, everybody really is at the school for their education and that’s it. Some other things are; there is no drama, the teachers really care and the student body is so small. I want to start this paper off with a thank you to Communities in Schools; you have made a big difference in my life.
I would like to start by telling you about why I choose to attend Classic City High School. When I moved to Athens, Georgia in the eighth grade from Atlanta, I was devastated. Everything was so different from the people to the way that the schools were run. There were just so many distractions and the people didn’t seem to care if they passed their classes or not. This really discouraged me, I just didn’t understand how people could go to school and not pay attention. I did pretty good my eighth and freshman years, but the beginning of my sophomore year was a different story. I was attending Cedar Shoals High School and for some reason I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I think there were just too many distractions going on in the class rooms. Another problem I was having is that none of the teachers seemed to care if I failed or passed. This brought me down a lot.
After a few weeks of school I became extremely depressed. I was so used to being praised for my hard work and having good grades and now all of that seemed to have vanished. I began to become really tired and soon I was skipping school just to sleep in. After about two weeks of constantly skipping every class I possibly could, my grades were so low that there was no way I could pull them up. I had also missed too many days of school so my classes were going to be dropped anyways. In my mind, my only option was to drop out.
After I had made my decision, I had no idea what I was going to do. It seemed like my whole life had gone down the drain and there was no way of reviving it. Then I heard about a school called Classic City. A few of my friends who had dropped out of school told me about it and it sounded like the perfect place for me. So I went up to the school to get an application and I was surprised at how happy everybody looked being at school. I took my test a few days later and passed, so they interviewed me. The principal seemed really nice and I felt at home at the school. Mr. Hunter accepted me on the spot and told me I could start next semester. He said that there was no reason to waist my education, especially with the grades that I had before I dropped out.
The whole rest of the semester that I was dropped out from Cedar Shoals, I couldn’t wait for my first day at Classic City. Finally that day rolled around and I had never been more excited in my life. I had never been more nervous in my life either. I wondered what the teachers and students would be like and if they would accept me or not. I soon found out that there was nothing to worry about and that everybody was really laid back. The part that helped me the most was that there was no drama. In every public school there is always people talking and starting rumors about everybody. This really distracted me from my work at Cedar because I was more worried what other people thought of me.
There was this one time at Cedar when some girl didn’t like me so she started a rumor that I was having sex with some guy that I had never even met before. This rumor spread like wildfire and soon enough people were giving me mean looks in the hall ways and calling me a slut. I was devastated; I just had no idea what to do to make it stop. It was almost like I was trapped in a whole that somebody else pushed me in and I couldn’t get out. I ended up making my first C in school that year because I could no longer concentrate on what was important. It is completely different at Classic City. People here are a lot more real and if they hear something they come right up to you and ask. Rumors like that don’t happen here in the first place because everybody is here to learn and they don’t care about stuff like that. If that were to happen here at Classic City, the rumor would only last for about an hour before things got straight.
Another thing I love about Classic City is that all of the teachers care. They care about your school life, your home life and your life with your friends. They all want you to make the right decisions and learn from your mistakes. I know every single teacher here personally and I love that. They don’t mind giving you advice and pointing you in the right path. I was on a lot of drugs when I started attending Classic City and when I had a deep conversation with one of the teachers about how I hated who I had become; they knew exactly what to say to help me get clean. There main goal is to help you graduate, if you ask any of the students they will tell you the same. Any teacher will stay after school with you when you need help; all you have to do is ask. Some of the time you don’t even have to ask, they will ask you. It was so surreal to me, a teacher voluntarily asking to give up their home time to help a student.
The size of the student body is also a big help. Because Communities in Schools made the student body is so small, the teachers have fewer students in a class, thus more time to help everybody. There is normally a max of about fifteen students and in two hours, the teacher can go around the room and help everybody at least ten times. Another thing is that because there are fewer people in a class, there are virtually no distractions. If for some reason someone becomes a distraction, there is one warning and then they are sent out. At Classic City, everybody is here to learn and if for some reason you don’t want to learn, they feel there is no need for you to be in class.
I think Classic City is the best school for most people. This school is perfect for people who want to learn and want to graduate but can’t deal with the public schools. In my opinion, I think there should be a lot more schools like Classic City High School. Again I just would like to thank Communities in Schools for your tribute to the school and helping people like me to move on with their life and make it better.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Writing one
Michelle Snavely
August 25, 2008
Mr. Siegmund
Lit/Comp 10
In All My Life Experiences…
In all my life experiences, I would have to say that the most meaningful and important event would be the death of my mom. It was a very traumatic experience but it shaped me into the strong person I am today. I was nine when she died, and my brother was five. So after a while the memory of her begins to fade. That is probably the hardest part for me.
It all started in October of 2001. My mom got very sick so my family and I took her to Fayette Community Hospital, expecting her to have pneumonia. When we got there they said they had to run some tests and that she would have to stay over night. I remember the nurse telling my brother and me that we had nothing to worry about and that it was just procedure. The doctor said “She was going to be fine.” The next day, the doctors found that she had blood clots in her left foot, so she would have to stay a few more nights for more tests. Right away they discovered she had lung cancer, which had already spread to her stomach and other organs. The doctor told her, she had two to three months to live.
Despite her slim chances of survival, she was put on chemotherapy and extreme doses of medication. The cancer began to spread like wild fire. My mom felt a strong discomfort at Fayette Community and toward the doctors. They were just rude with the way they told her that she probably wasn’t going to live much longer and they kind of ignored her. Don’t get me wrong, they did their job; my mom just felt that they didn’t care if she lived or died and because she was so sick they were not giving her their full attention. A few days later, she was air-lifted to Emory Crawford Long Hospital in downtown Atlanta. Here the doctors were nicer and more respectful toward my mother and family. The treatment went on, but her symptoms only seemed to get worse. She was in a lot of pain and her cancer was spreading faster and faster. After a while the blood clot in her foot caused swelling and soon it was three times the size of her other foot. Aside from the size, her foot had turned black, blue, and purple. Blisters began to appear and I couldn’t look at her foot anymore without throwing up.
When March rolled around her cancer had spread to every possible organ in her body. Knowing that her fate was soon to come, the doctor granted her wish of letting her come home for my tenth birthday. She was pretty boring by this time, always in pain and always drugged up. On March eighth my dad finally went back to work and my brother went back to day care so it was just my mom and I at the house alone. Being only nine I was tired of sitting at the house with my mom, so I tried to leave. We got into a big fight and all the sudden, she stopped moving. I got scared, so I went to play at my friend Katie’s house. About two hours later I got a call saying I needed to come home because my mom was extremely sick and getting worse. When I got back to my house, my dad was already on the phone with the hospital.
Later on, I found out she had suffered from a stroke while we were fighting. It hurt to know that I could have done something to save her but I was too wrapped up in my own feelings to realize what was really going on. I went to see her in the hospital once after that and she didn’t remember who I was. She couldn’t talk either; it was almost like she was a new born baby. She was confused at the world and her whole memory was completely wiped out.
She died three days after that on March 11th, 2002. This whole experience scared me for life and will be an event I will never understand. The thing that hurts me the most is the last words I said to her as my mother and not as this “new born” were “I hate you.” We later found the cause of the stroke was the blood clot. It turns out the blood clot had shot to her brain, this caused new tumors, aside from the ones that were already there from the cancer. This shaped me into a person that learned to take responsibility for my family and friends. It also taught me to never get too attached to the point where I love them with all my heart.
August 25, 2008
Mr. Siegmund
Lit/Comp 10
In All My Life Experiences…
In all my life experiences, I would have to say that the most meaningful and important event would be the death of my mom. It was a very traumatic experience but it shaped me into the strong person I am today. I was nine when she died, and my brother was five. So after a while the memory of her begins to fade. That is probably the hardest part for me.
It all started in October of 2001. My mom got very sick so my family and I took her to Fayette Community Hospital, expecting her to have pneumonia. When we got there they said they had to run some tests and that she would have to stay over night. I remember the nurse telling my brother and me that we had nothing to worry about and that it was just procedure. The doctor said “She was going to be fine.” The next day, the doctors found that she had blood clots in her left foot, so she would have to stay a few more nights for more tests. Right away they discovered she had lung cancer, which had already spread to her stomach and other organs. The doctor told her, she had two to three months to live.
Despite her slim chances of survival, she was put on chemotherapy and extreme doses of medication. The cancer began to spread like wild fire. My mom felt a strong discomfort at Fayette Community and toward the doctors. They were just rude with the way they told her that she probably wasn’t going to live much longer and they kind of ignored her. Don’t get me wrong, they did their job; my mom just felt that they didn’t care if she lived or died and because she was so sick they were not giving her their full attention. A few days later, she was air-lifted to Emory Crawford Long Hospital in downtown Atlanta. Here the doctors were nicer and more respectful toward my mother and family. The treatment went on, but her symptoms only seemed to get worse. She was in a lot of pain and her cancer was spreading faster and faster. After a while the blood clot in her foot caused swelling and soon it was three times the size of her other foot. Aside from the size, her foot had turned black, blue, and purple. Blisters began to appear and I couldn’t look at her foot anymore without throwing up.
When March rolled around her cancer had spread to every possible organ in her body. Knowing that her fate was soon to come, the doctor granted her wish of letting her come home for my tenth birthday. She was pretty boring by this time, always in pain and always drugged up. On March eighth my dad finally went back to work and my brother went back to day care so it was just my mom and I at the house alone. Being only nine I was tired of sitting at the house with my mom, so I tried to leave. We got into a big fight and all the sudden, she stopped moving. I got scared, so I went to play at my friend Katie’s house. About two hours later I got a call saying I needed to come home because my mom was extremely sick and getting worse. When I got back to my house, my dad was already on the phone with the hospital.
Later on, I found out she had suffered from a stroke while we were fighting. It hurt to know that I could have done something to save her but I was too wrapped up in my own feelings to realize what was really going on. I went to see her in the hospital once after that and she didn’t remember who I was. She couldn’t talk either; it was almost like she was a new born baby. She was confused at the world and her whole memory was completely wiped out.
She died three days after that on March 11th, 2002. This whole experience scared me for life and will be an event I will never understand. The thing that hurts me the most is the last words I said to her as my mother and not as this “new born” were “I hate you.” We later found the cause of the stroke was the blood clot. It turns out the blood clot had shot to her brain, this caused new tumors, aside from the ones that were already there from the cancer. This shaped me into a person that learned to take responsibility for my family and friends. It also taught me to never get too attached to the point where I love them with all my heart.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
direct quotes from Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell Tale Heart
"He had the eye of a vulture."-metaphor
"For a whole hour I did not move a muscle"-hyperbole
"until, at length a simple dim ray, like the thread of the spider"-simile
"For a whole hour I did not move a muscle"-hyperbole
"until, at length a simple dim ray, like the thread of the spider"-simile
vocab words
simile-figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, resembles, or than.
metaphor-figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, in which one thing becomes another thing without the use of the words like, as, than, or resembles.
personification-special kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it ere human.
allusion-reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports, or pop culture.
hyperbole-an exaggeration.
irony-contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality-between what is said and what is really meant, between what is expected to happen, or between what appears to be true and what is really true.
metaphor-figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, in which one thing becomes another thing without the use of the words like, as, than, or resembles.
personification-special kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it ere human.
allusion-reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports, or pop culture.
hyperbole-an exaggeration.
irony-contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality-between what is said and what is really meant, between what is expected to happen, or between what appears to be true and what is really true.
The Characters in The Tell Tale Heart
In the Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, there are really only two main characters. These characters are the old man and the narrator. The narrator is pretty much insane. He tells the readers that he is not mad and that he is completely healthy and normal. You can tell that this is untrue because of the fact that he killed the old man for no reason and can tell the story like it was nothing. He says "Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story." That right there proves to you that he is crazy. This shows indirect characterization, because he tries to mislead you and tell you something that is not true. On the other hand the old man was completely different. He was a sweet, kind hearted person and even the narrator admitted this. The narrator told us "Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire." This is direct characterization because the narrator is telling you exactly what the person is like.
Monday, August 18, 2008
New Moon, Reading log
The Twilight series, in my opinion, is the best series of the modern age. The second book, New Moon, is my personal favorite so far. The suspense leaves you captivaited and wanting more. The romance is my personal favorite part of the book. The way she falls for the warewolf and when her love Edward, the vampire, comes back everything flips back to him. I would recomend this book to anyone who loves to read. This book is especilly written for younge females. The story line goes from the loss of her love, her everything to the depressing day by day routine that she has to get through to survive. Then it goes to the new boy that grabs her attention and takes her out of her depression but for some reason doesnt make her feel quite whole again. Most younge girls experience this exact story. The only difference is that in this book, her love comes back after her near death experience. On the other hand guys may be just as interested in this fairytale. For example all the mythical creatures that appear in this book is truly captivaiting, not to mention the action and drama. Like when the Vampire, Larrent, is about to kill Bella, the main charactor, a pack of five warewolfs come in and save Bella's life. In conclusion, this is the perfect book for all girls and boys of all ages.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
In the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, basically the story revolves around two men, the old man and the narrator. The narrator describes the old man as a very kind man that's has but one flaw and that is his eye which the narrator describes as a "vulture's eye." For some reason this eye really gets to the narrator, and drives him insane. Everyday his obsession with the eye seems to get worse until he decides that the only way to rid himself of the trouble is to kill the innocent old man. After making this decision, he spy's on the old man as he sleeps every night at midnight, shinning a light on the vulture eye. The only problem is that the narrator can not bring himself to kill the old man for every time he shines the light on his eye, it is closed. Finally on the eighth night he wakes the old man and the light shines on the mans eye, setting the narrator off. The narrator attacks the old man and kills him. To hid the old man's body, he cuts off all the man's limbs and stuffed him under the floorboards. Later that evening, three police officers came to the narrator's house claiming that the neighbors had heard a scream and they were there to investigate. The narrator kindly let them in telling them that it was him who had screamed in his sleep and that the old man was away on a trip to the country. The police easily believed him so the narrator asked them to stay and talk. They all sat in the old man's room talking for what seemed like hours, after a while the old man heard a beating identical to that of a beating heart. The narrator became frantic and was convinced that the police could hear it as well. So after minutes of anxiety, the narrator ripped up the floor boards exposing the old man's dead body. For the ticking had drove him insane.
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