I Have A Dream

Authors Note: I wrote this piece for my DWA and to show a little bit of conflict and resolution, and also to relate a story to real world situations. 

It was a cold and raining day and a young girl named Margot stood and stared out the window, waiting for the glimpse of sunlight or even a sign of desperation. Just like every day in April, but the scene isn’t just like this for one day . It’s been like this for seven years non-stop. Margot stands and waits, hoping today will be the day she sees the beautiful sunlight. Unfortunately we turn back into reality and income the realists who crush the hopes and dreams of the dreamers. Margot didn’t deserve this because she had a dream, but as we have seen in the past many others who have had a dream have not been treated equally.

Margot lived on Venus with many families including hers. She didn’t like it on Venus, so therefore her family was going to head back to Earth. Since she has lived on Venus the one thing she has never seen was the sunlight. All she has seen is rain and more rain. One day she heard on the radio that today would finally be the day where she would catch that glimpse of light. Even though it would only be for a short amount of time Margot says, “I think the sun is a flower, that blooms for just one hour.” This means to Margot that even if it is only for a short amount of time it will be a very special moment that she doesn’t want to miss.

Just like Margot who had a dream, others who have had a dream have not always been treated equally. An example of this would be like Martin Luther King Jr. The conflict was that not all people we being treated equal and he wanted to put an end to this. So he knew that he had to fix this conflict so he did what needed to be done. Another example would be Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat for a white person. For Rosa’s incredible courage and bravery she is now known as "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement". Just like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, Margot had a dream that would change the present and past. Margot was just like these amazing people because she had a dream but many people didn’t agree with her.

As you can see Margot didn’t deserve this because she had a dream, but as we have seen in the past many others who have had a dream have not been treated equally. The resolution isn’t always positive, but with some of our great leaders, it has changed the way we live now. If you were in Margot’s position, how would you feel? A quote by Walt Disney that I like that really shows what dreaming is all about says that, “If you can dream you can do it.” It means that if you have a dream, don’t let anyone stop you or try to bring you down.

Physical Exercise

What is physical exercise? If you ask 100 people this question you will probably get a lot of different answers. For some people physical exercise is a cruel punishment that none should have to endure. On the other hand, for some people it is their favorite part of the day where they get to go exercise and play a game that requires you to do more than just sitting on the couch and eating potato chips. Physical exercise is a huge part of life for me because that’s what keeps me healthy and provides me with a challenge and enjoyment.

Physical exercise to me  is a way to stay healthy and have fun while exercising. Physical exercise provides me with good health because when your participating, you’re getting exercise, you’re staying active, and when you stay active as a kid it will help you later in life. It may seem tough at times but you only have to be active for 60 minutes a day and you will stay healthy and in good shape. A way that makes this time easier for me is finding someone else that wants to exercise with me, such as a friend or a family member. For me it’s easy to get out and exercise because my family is always active with soccer, basketball, baseball, and much more.

People may not enjoy physical exercise but I love it. I spend any time that I can and go out and get some exercise because it keeps you in shape and healthy. I enjoy physical exercise because it’s fun playing games against your class mates, friends, or family. Physical exercise also provides me with a challenge. It challenges me to try to do better every time I do this activity or sport. An example would be like in soccer when my team is in the championship game and in order to win you must challenge yourself to play the best you have ever played.

Physical exercise is a huge part of life for me because that’s what keeps me healthy and provides me with a challenge and enjoyment. A quote that really stands out to me about physical activity is a quote by Edward Stanley, "Those who think they have no time for exercise will eventually have to make time for illness." This quote means that without physical exercise we will become weak and not as healthy. Therefore physical exercise should be a daily thing for everyone and I will always strive to make this part of my everyday life.

Lies

Authors Note- I wrote this piece to try to score a ten in conclusion, a ten in main idea and development, and a nine in character development. 

In the story Zach’s Lie, the Grangers were in the witness protection program. The reason they were in this program was because their father had something to do with a drug cartel that made him very rich but was also very dangerous, this put the Grangers lives at stake. This relates to real life because in real life today we still deal with the smuggling of drugs and trading drugs over the border. In life sometimes the family must endure the pain for ones doings.

“They will kill us if you talk.” This quote from Zach’s Lie really shows the danger that the Grangers are in. Zach is a boy who is in 7^th grade who is shy, quite, doesn't like to express himself; and has an imaginary friend named commander IF. He has a dairy that he writes in and expresses himself so he can write down his thoughts instead of having to say them to someone else. Since the Grangers are in the Protection Program they must be relocated so the people that run the drug cartel cannot find them, therefore they cannot harm them. The Witness Protection Program isn't something just made up; it is a program that relocates a family or a family member so they cannot be harmed. In order for this program to happen, there must be a crime that took place and you would probably be in danger. If you were in this program they would change your identity and they would relocate you to live somewhere else. 95% of these moves are due to criminal means in our time now.

Throughout this book Zach changes from being this boy who is very shy and doesn't like to share his feelings to a man who is brave and will say whatever he feels whenever. He also became a brave man who will put himself out there and looks after his family. The way Zach acts effects the way other people act; by showing other people to be courageous, brave, and do something that makes you happy. Zach’s actions causes his sister to go from being someone who stays in the house all day to being the star in the school play.  In life we should always do something that makes us happy because what’s the point if you live a life that’s not worth living.

As you can see in life sometimes the family must endure the pain for ones doings. In life we shouldn't have to suffer for someone else’s mistakes. Even though it isn't fair to the others, life isn't always fair. So before you make a risky decision that could harm the people you love, think how it could affect your friends or family. 

Eye to Eye- Revised

Authors Note: I am redoing this piece to add figurative language and to strive for a 9 in word choice.

In  The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton , the Greasers try to survive without getting killed or beaten by the dreadful Socs. The Socs are a gang from the west side who are greatly wealthy and enjoy starting fights and love the pleasure of beating up Greasers for fun. The story is written in the Greasers point of view. From this perspective, a lot of events and characters are described in a way that creates pain or discomfort in the reader about the Greasers who are overly abused by the Socs. Just like a wild gazelle and a lion. 

One way that the Greasers point of view influences the reader's interpretation is how their perspective shows that the Greasers just mind their own business all the time and how the dreadful Socs come and try to kill them for no reason. When a reader reads this story they feel bad for the Greasers getting beat up, but what the reader may not know is the Socs background story. As the reader I feel like if I knew the Socs story I would understand way they do the things that they do, but as a reader I don’t know that so I just have to go from what the book says. 

However, the reader would feel a whole lot different about the Greasers if the novel was written in the point of view of the Socs. For instance, the reader wouldn't think the Socs were so bad if they knew the Socs have had a rough time going through life, or if you knew that the Socs would get brutally beaten all of the time by their parents.  

As you can see, the point of view of a story forces the reader to see just one side of the story. In The Outsiders, the narrator’s perspective makes the reader think differently about the Socs and makes the reader feel like the Socs are bad people and the Greasers are helpless and innocent. Such as the Miami Heat against the Charlotte Bobcats. Understanding the narrator’s point of view is so important because if you don’t go by where the view of the writer is coming from, then the ending of the book will not make any sense because you think differently about the characters in the book; even if you don’t know the point of view of the other people, you’re just going to have to trust the reader and believe what they say.

I Think...

Authors Note: I chose this piece to show my skills with predicting and to show word choice that will improve my scores. 

In the story Touching Spirit Bear there is a boy who is a maniac and hurts a kid so badly the kid almost dies. The kid who did the beating was sent to either a healing circle or jail forever and he had a choice to make. This kid chose the heeling circle which meant he would have to endure countless days and nights in the skin tearing weather. From my understanding I believe that this kid will endure the most painful thing he has ever had to endure and he must find his self as a whole and find his inner piece. In order to do this he will meet up with some of the most fearsome creature known to mankind.

The reason I think this is because in other stories I have read most of them have a climax that have some kind of incident in the middle or end of the story. The reason I also think this is because when I was previewing this book it talked about the pain he will have to go through in order to survive. Thus leading me to my theory, and that’s what I think will happen at the end of Touching Spirit Bear.

The Great Sadness

Authors Note: I wrote this to show the retelling of an amazing book that touched me and is a great book to learn a life lesson.

The Shack is a story about a family who is having a wonderful time. At least until the Great Sadness. When they walk into the shack there lives will be changed forever and their lives will never be the same. What they witness could either be the most horrifying thing or be the most amazing thing they have ever endured. 

The Outsider

Authors Note- I wrote this piece to show how extraordinary cause and effect is and how it ties in to our everyday lives.

Cause and effect is when something happens, and that is the cause, and what happens after that is the effect. Cause and effect takes place in almost every good story, we just don’t really think about it that much. It’s kind of like connecting the dots.

In the story The Outsiders, there is a major cause an effect  that takes place. In the story one of the main cause and effect scene is when the Socs jump the Greasers. That is the cause and the effect is there  is a fight that breaks out. Without cause and effect there wouldn’t even be a story to tell it would just be a bland old washed up story.  Another outstanding example is the Socs parents beat them, and the effect is they take their anger out on the Greasers

In our lives there is cause and effect every day. For instance, I drank three bottles of water; therefore I had to use the restroom. Even if we don’t try to have cause and effect we will still and always have it.  

Letters to God

Authors Note: This movie is one of the most touching movies and if you haven't seen it I encourage you to see it because it will change the way you think about life and how you act every day.

Letters to god is a movie about a boy who is suffering from cancer and writes letters to god and inspires neighbors, friends, and family. The child in the movie with cancer is an eight year old boy named Tyler who is an extraordinary kid who has family and friends that encourage him and love him. In the movie Tyler writes letters to god and the letters are read by a new mail man and the man is touched by the letters and wants to make Tyler’s life the best it can be.

This Movie touched me and it showed me that we should be thankful for what we have because we are fortunate for all of the great things in life; because there are people in life that don’t have everything that we have and aren’t as fortunate or have a serious disease or are in serious conditions. Be thankful for what you have because someday it may not be there.

Eye to Eye

Authors Note- The reason I wrote this was because I wanted to show people that there is another point of view that people aren't seeing. I also wanted to show the reader that it may not always look the same because it is told from one persons perspective.  

           

In  The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton , the Greasers try to survive without getting killed or beaten by the dreadful Socs; the Socs are a gang from the west side who are very wealthy and like to start fights and beat up Greasers for fun. The story is written in the Greasers point of view. From this perspective, a lot of events and characters are described in a way that creates pain or hurt in the reader about the Greasers who are abused by the Socs.

One way that the Greasers point of view influences the reader's interpretation is how their perspective shows that the Greasers just mind their own business all the time and how the awful Socs come and try to kill them for no reason. When a reader reads this story they feel bad for the Greasers getting beat up, but what the reader may not know is the Socs background story. As the reader I feel like if I knew the Socs story I would understand way they do the things that they do, but as a reader I don’t know that so I just have to go from what the book says.

However, the reader would feel a lot differently about the Greasers if the novel was written in the point of view of the Socs. For instance, the reader wouldn't think the Socs were so bad if they knew the Socs have had a rough time going through life, or if you knew that the Socs would get beat all of the time by their parents.

As you can see, the point of view of a story forces the reader to see just one side of the story. In The Outsiders, the narrator’s perspective makes the reader think differently about the Socs and makes the reader feel like the Socs are bad people and the Greasers are helpless and innocent. Understanding the narrator’s point of view is so important because if you don’t go by where the view of the writer is coming from, then the ending of the book will not make any sense because you think differently about the characters in the book; even if you don’t know the point of view of the other people you’re just going to have to trust the reader and believe what they say.

Blue Swayed Shoes

Authors Note- Shoes would be important because I wear them everyday.

Shoes can come in many different sizes and colors and they all feel different to. There are track shoes, basketball shoes, wrestling shoes, running shoes, dance shoes, soccer shoes and many many more. There are over a thousand types of shoes and you never know just which one you want.

When I was a kid there wasn’t many choices for me, but now there are a ton of options for shoes. I like shoes that you can run around in but are also cool at the same time. I think the shoe that I am talking about would probably be nikes. Nikes are cool feel good on your feet and can stay together for a long time to.

Sound

Sound in my life is super important because if there wasn’t sound then there could be no music. IF there wasn’t music in my life then nothing would ever be the same. To me and my family the way of expressing how you feel is by music. My family feels more connected with each other by playing music together.

My family will come together and we will have my brother on the saxophone, my papa on the harmonica, my ant on the guitar, my mom and piano, and last but not least me on the trumpet. As you can see music isn’t just a sound. It’s a way of life and a way of living.

Symbolism from Dirty Dishes

Symbolism

Quality Headphones=Beats

Authors Note- The topic I chose I understand and can express it very well considering that I use the everyday and everywhere.

Good headphones are a pair that fits around my ear snug and looks cool on the outside to. I would base my choice off of a couple of things. One it would have to have good base, two it would have to fit around my ear perfectly. Three, it would have to be sound canceling and finally it would need to be cool and stylish.

I would choose to have beats because they have everything on my checklist of quality headphones. They have cool colors which make it stylish. They have amazing bass and are easy to carry around. If I had to give my headphones a rating from 1 to 10 I would give them a 8. Beats by Dr. Dre are one of the greatest earphones ever made.          When in doubt..... BEAT OUT

Semantic Devices

Semantic Devices

Spring Assessment

COLORS OF THE RAINBOW

                                                                                                                    
Judging the way someone looks isn’t the way to live life. If you go through life judging people you won’t have any friends. No one likes to be alone and that’s why we have friends.  In the story The Basket Counts the author Matt Christopher, shows that just because someone is a different color doesn’t mean you should treat them any differently.

The way Matt Christopher shows this because someone looks different doesn’t mean you can’t be friends with them. In the story The Basket Counts it shows how kids get over their differences to save a friend's life. Kids later realize that something like skin color isn’t a reason to dislike someone, or not to be a good teammate to them. No one on a team gets left behind no matter how well they play or the way they look.

"We learn to be racist; therefore we can learn not to be racist. Racism is not genetic. It has everything to do with power." A quote by Jane Elliot an American teacher and an anti-racism activist shows us that we can change the world. She says that we don’t have to look at people and not like them because they’re a different color. It tries to show you that in the book The Basket Counts that skin color doesn’t matter and that we should put our differences aside and work together.     


In the story The Basket Counts the author Matt Christopher, shows that just because someone is a different color doesn’t mean you should treat them differently. We can change the world one person at a time. Everyone in the world is equally important no matter what color you are. "Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color."-Jane Elliot.

The Big Picture!

  Author's note-  This is a topic that is strong to me and after two weeks of research I have taken a pole to decide that we shouldn't drill for oil.

People may say, “We should totally drill for oil in Alaska because if we do we’ll be loaded with money.” This may be true but I disagree. We should not drill for oil in Alaska no matter how severally we need it. 

The reason people think that we should drill in Alaska is because they think that it will lower gas prices, but this is a myth. The reason people think that is because when congress passed a law that would speed leases in the Gulf of Mexico and open up water off the Atlantic coast for oil exploration. Oil prices fell largely because investors are worried about the global economy, fearing we could be slipping back into a slowdown, which would likely cut demand for oil.

If we did drill in Alaska for oil it would greatly affect the wild life. It would affect whales and there would be hundreds of whales washed up on shore and it could put some animals extinct. Drilling will affect the polar bears and caribou because once they are giving birth it is the most vulnerable time in a species’ life cycle and disrupting it will lead to diminished populations.

           

According to a recent survey 59% percent of Americans say yes we should and 41% say no we should not drill in Alaska for oil out of all the people that answered a survey. People that answered the survey and said no think no they shouldn’t so they can protect the wildlife refuge.  The reason the people that answered the survey said yes was because they think that the oil will provide power and fuel and save money.

We should not drill for oil in Alaska no matter how sever it will get. The US should just keep importing domestic oil, and not hurt the animals in the arctic. Because together we can all make a difference. Although it requires more and more people it may require more money using this process. We can make all difference one step at a time.

" Should the United States Congress allow drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? – Juggle.com." Debate Topics – The Pros and Cons of Popular Issues – Juggle.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://debates.juggle.com/should-the-united-states-congress-allow-drilling-for-oil-in-the-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge>.

" Oil Drilling: Risks and Rewards | LiveScience ." Science News – Science Articles and Current Events | LiveScience . N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://www.livescience.com/4979-oil-drilling-risks-rewards.html>.

"Why Drilling More Won't Lower Gas Prices, And Other Myths of the Oil Industry | Ecocentric | TIME.com." Ecocentric | A blog about all things green, from conservation to Capitol Hill | TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/05/06/debunking-a-few-myths-about-oil-and-gas-prices/>.

"Oil Drilling in Alaska | Environmental News, Articles & Information | Global Warming News | EcoWorld." Environmental News, Articles & Information | Global Warming News | EcoWorld | Environmental News, Information & Articles on Climate Change, Global Warming and Sustainability. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ecoworld.com/animals/oil-drilling-in-alaska.html>.

Do You Understand?

 Authors Note- Friends are what make the world go round and who help you when your down and gives you a hand when your in need.

Anyone can be friends all you need is something you can both enjoy. In the book Unlikely friendships by Jennifer S. Holland. She shows that it doesn’t matter what someone looks like because what is on the inside is different then what’s on the outside. This is the most magnificent book, that contains all of what a good friendship needs.  A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world. A quote by Leo Buscaglia, a motivational speaker. This beneficial quote ties in to the book because it shows all you need is a friend.

Magnificent books are what keep readers enjoying the novel much more than the author intended.  Holland kept pulling me in from all of the connections between short stories. She showed how one animal can make a difference in another animal’s life. If someone in an animal’s breed didn’t like the other breed of animals one animal from that pack or group would step up and be the leader and be friends with the different specie or breed of animal.

Friends are like stars you don’t always see them but you know they are always there.  To have a good friendship you primarily need to have laughs, down times, and almost always a good time. Once you find that perfect friend, it could change your life forever, in a good way. 

This is the most magnificent book, that contains all of what a good friendship needs. This book stands out because it expresses to readers that the amazing things in nature can happen to anyone or anything in life, no matter how big or how small you are.

Family Matters

Authors Note- This book shows how I feel about family and life and how family is the most important thing in life.

Jacks Run a book by Roland Smith is a nonstop action thriller. That once you get in to the first couple of pages, and you don’t want to stop because you want to always find out what is going to happen next. This book is so enjoyable because the authors purpose on how family is more important than money has a huge impact in life.

When the author explains in the story that family is way more important than money, he explains to us that making a few extra bucks isn’t worth getting your family killed. Or even the people that you love killed or injured. For example in the book people would risk their own life just to save their families or friends or loved ones.

The way that it Impacts life is that family is always there for you and you don’t want to lose the ones that you love because once they’re gone no one will be there for you. People now and days are putting there self’s in opportunities that will make them a couple extra bucks but maybe what you’re doing is illegal like a drug dealer. In the story it explains that doing something illegal is NOT worth the price even if it does load you with money.

This book is so enjoyable because the authors purpose on how family is more important than money has a huge impact in life. As you can see this subject means a lot to me and I care about my family and I will never let money blind me from the people I love. Have you ever done something over your family for money?

Never Give Up

This quote and picture to me has meaning, they represent that if you don't work hard in what your doing you wont become good at that. It also tells me that if you don't practice you will never become good at the thing you might be best at. You'll never know if your good at something unless you try, and if you mess up don't worry everybody messes up at times. The main thing is just to never give up.