Rocks Rock

Rocks Rock

They are much better that Socks

Although they are Heavy

They still are better than Socks

Rocks Rock

They can be used as Locks

Or they can Not

Rocks are Locks

Rocks Rock

They are cheaper than Stocks

Rocks are worth more in Bundles

Rocks are not Stocks

Symbols of “The Lottery”

Author’s Note: This is a text analysis piece using symbols on the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson.

            The short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a small village in the middle of nowhere. In this village, there is a tradition that every year, one person is chosen to be killed by their fellow villagers in some inhuman way. The belief of the village is that the men are better or more prized than the women. So, the man of the family is the one to choose the family's fate.  Symbols in a story can affect the way that the reader interprets their meaning.  


            I found that there were many symbols in reading this book. Some of the symbols were the black dot on the paper to symbolize death, or when the children piled rocks so they could eventually kill the one unlucky person in the whole village. In this story, winning the lottery by drawing the black dot would mean eventual sorrow because of death, when in real life, if you were to win the lottery it likely would mean riches and a life of happiness. The rocks in this story can be construed as another death symbol but, I saw them as a kind of last hurrah. Everyone in the village knew that if you were to draw the black dot, you were going to die. So, the rocks were a way to show that by throwing them at a person, they can die knowing that everyone was there to witness the last seconds of their lives.

            A book that I thought had the same kind of symbolism was the "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. In this book, the tributes' names are picked from a bowl.  Their names are written in black ink on a piece of paper. It is similar to "The Lottery" because they picked from a box, and if they pick a black dot, it means death, much like it did in the "Hunger Games". Also, in the "Hunger Games", photos of the tributes that died were shown in the sky at night, kind of celebrating their death. Just like in "The Lottery", the rocks are kind of a celebration of the person being killed.  

            Other people might think differently than I did, but there are many different ways to interpret a piece like this. They could have seen the other village as a new future for the coming generations. Shirley Jackson could have been thinking that the traditions followed in her time could be considered silly in present day. The symbols within this book did not really point in any definitive direction on where the author was going with this story.      

Birthday Card

Hello, I am the birthday card that you got for your birthday last year. I have been sitting in your room being squashed underneath tons of papers. At least this isn't the worst thing that could have happened, I could have ended up like Bill who got thrown away right as I came about a year ago. Even if I won't be remembered I will still remember you and the very first time we met a year ago. Oh, look someone is shifting through the papers, oh the glorious light. I wonder what they are doing with me now. Oh no, what is the smell, oh great the garbage can. I was hoping that you forgot about be and would let me live another day, now I just have to rot in the landfills. Goodbye forever.   

What is Cloning?

            When people think of cloning, they think of the mad scientist type, sitting in a tube and waiting 30 seconds for an exact copy to be zapped up. Well, that is not exactly true. On TV, cloning is used for doing tasks that a lazy man wouldn’t do, but in real life, cloning could be used for saving lives and enhancing what we know about ourselves. If used correctly cloning could change the world we live in today.

            What exactly is cloning? Cloning is the copying of a being by using DNA to create an exact replica of that same thing (The University of Utah). The cloning process, unlike what is portrayed on TV, can take months to complete. For example, if someone wanted to clone their dog, first they would take a cell from the dog, and place the nucleus of that cell into an egg cell. Then, over time it grows into an embryo.  Once the embryo grows enough, it would be planted into a surrogate mother.  The embryo would then be born through the normal birthing process.  As a result, the same dog would have been  created twice (The University of Arizona College of Science).   The first cloning was done in Scotland.  Scottish scientists were able to create a copy of a sheep in 1996.  They named her Dolly (National Institue of Health).

            Cloning has proven to be successful with animals.  One of the advantages with cloning is that it could help endangered species become less endangered.  In addition, cloning could be used to make a pet owner happy with creating a copy of their beloved pet.  However, there are disadvantages that go along with the advantages.  For instance, not all of the clones are exact.  They appear to be exact when first created but, over time, they turn out to be a look-alike.  Further, while people think that it takes one attempt to create a clone, it actually takes several hundred attempts to create a successful clone (The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloning).

 

            To some religious groups, cloning has been thought of as unholy because of the process in creating a copy of the same being.  But, to some people, it is thought of as helpful to the environment and the world.  Also, because the process involves taking DNA from another being and trying to create an exact copy,  sometimes it doesn’t come out right on the first try and can take several hundred tries (Park).

            Sometime in the future, cloning could become an advantage for the world because of the power of creating an abundance of everything.  While it could be used to everyone’s benefit by ending hunger and possibly curing disease, it could also be abused if there were no rules or regulation as to when cloning would or would not be proper.  Cloning animals has already changed the way we think about cloning.  If, someday, rules or guidelines can be established to satisfy everyone’s interests, maybe cloning could become a common occurrence.             

National Institue of Health. "Cloning." 1 July 2011. National Human Genome Research Institue. 17 April 2012 <http://www.genome.gov/25020028#al-7>.

Park, Alice. "The Perils of Cloning." Time Magazine (2006): 3.

"The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloning." 24 January 2009. Method of Healing. 18 April 2012 <http://www.methodsofhealing.com/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-cloning/>.

The University of Arizona College of Science. "Cloning Controversy." November 2007. Home-Made Stem Cells. 18 November 2012 <http://student.biology.arizona.edu/honors2007/group01/controversy.html>.

The University of Utah. "What is Cloning?" 2012. Learn Genetics . 17 4 2012 <http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/cloning/whatiscloning/>.

Blooming Katniss

Author's Note:  This is a text analysis piece on how Katniss Everdeen was a dynamic character in the book The Hunger Games.

               What would it be like to live in a post-apocalyptic world where two children, a boy and a girl, between the ages of 12-18 from each of the twelve districts could be chosen as tributes to fight to the death against each other, just to make sure that the districts' citizens understood that the Capital was in control and not to rebel?  When Katniss Everdeen's  younger sister, Prim, is chosen for the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place.  Would you risk your life to save the life of someone you love?

               In the beginning of the book, Katniss is a hard-nosed, unapproachable person who has the responsibility of providing for her family and acting as a parent figure to her sister.  That all has to change when she volunteers to take her sister's place in the games.  She has to appear likeable to the Capital so she can earn sponsors to have a chance to survive. 

               The first change that Katniss made was actually set-up by someone else -- Peeta, the other tribute from District 12.  Peeta told the nation that he was in love with Katniss.  She was furious when she first heard it, but after Peeta explained, she changed her mind and decided it was a good strategy to use to get support from the nation. 

               When the games first begin, she is alone and has no allies while the other tributes have multiple allies.  She figures out that being likeable could be an advantage, so she forms an ally with another tribute who reminds her of her sister.  That ally motivates her even more to try to win the games so she can return home to her sister.  But then, something terrible happens to her younger ally and she is forced to team up with Peeta and be the couple that she never wanted to be. 

               As the games go on and she spends more time with Peeta, she sees that she connects with him.  She sees the good attributes in him and takes care of him.

               In conclusion, Katniss was able to change and become likeable and befriend other tributes to become her allies in the games.  By doing so, she was able to keep herself and the other tribute from her district alive, and now everybody in the nation loves them.  However,  the president thinks that they were rebels for challenging the rules of the Capital by having two victors of the games instead of one.  Katniss's love for her sister compelled her to be a dynamic character in the book in order to survive the games and return home to Prim.

"Field Below" Response

In the poem "Field Below" by Regina Spektor  she is in a crowed city where she can't enjoy the things she once did, like a rooster crowing or a big open field below her house. Her tone in the poem is depressed that she can't enjoy everything she once did even though living in a big city should have better things to look forward to. I fell the author is trying to portray to us that living in the big light of a popular city isn't all its cracked up to be .

In "Field Below" the song I felt that she did sound depressed even more so than in the poem. But the mood is still the same feeling sorry for her living in a big city and not feeling right about where she is living. This shows that the way you interpret isn't always right, we don't know if she is truly feeling depressed about where she lives or if she is depressed about something else.    

"Big Yellow Taxi" Response

In the poem "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell the author is expressing her feeling towards what is happening in her paradise. Her tone for the poem is depressed that her paradise is being destroyed for concrete jungle that will last only as miserable memory instead of a positive memory. I feel the author is trying to portray to us that what we think of a big city as cool and a big rush of fun isn't what we think, and being simple and peaceful is what the ideal life is like.         

In "Big Yellow Taxi" the song I felt that she was more happy than sad compared to the text of the poem. But the mood is still the same feeling sorry or sympathetic for her living in the destroyed paradise she once loved. This shows me that the way that you listen or read something can effect the way you think of something or someone. It is strange that one version she is sounds happy and joyful and in the other she sound depressed and angry, which to me is confusing. 

How Free Were They?

Authors Note: This is a research essay about whether the free blacks in the North were really considered free.

            When the wealthy white men brought slaves over from Africa they never thought that they would try to become like the whites. Well in the 1800’s they did just that, they wanted to be able to do what the white man was able to do and not be treated like they were incompetent. So how free were the black slaves in the north? Although they were able to overcome slavery I still don’t think they were free.

            One reason why I don’t think they were free is they all had restrictions, they couldn’t go from town to town without a pass and they had to sit away from the whites during church. They had so much discrimination that most of them thought that it would be better to be a slave rather than have so many things they couldn’t do. Also the free slave weren’t even allowed to vote on who they thought would be a good choice to run the country to be president.  

            Another Reason why I don’t think they were free is they didn’t have any rights that that were held throughout all the northern states. In some states they were allowed to marry whites, vote, file lawsuits, and sit in on juries. Even when the law allowed them to do these things the white majorities outlawed them from happening. In 1795 when law in Massachusetts allowed black to vote, Judge James Winthrop and Thomas Pemberton wrote “that Negroes could neither elect nor be elected to office in that state.”

            Although the Blacks were not allowed to vote in some states they were allowed to represent the country in joining the army. This is just strange because if you are allowed to make a decision on who you want to represent in battle then I think you should be able to vote for who you would want to lead you in battle. Even when the slaved black became free because they helped their country win a war they were still not granted the right to vote.

            In conclusion even though they were granted the right the whites were and they were hardly free at all they still had a better life than the slave in the south. But if the right for them to vote was actually enforced in the states then they might, but probably not, have had a black president sooner than we did. Although the white men were able to vote the white women weren’t able to vote either, so in a way the white women had as much say in politics as a freed black man.

Sources:   "Northern Exclusion of Blacks." Slavery in the North. Web. 07 Mar. 2012. <http://www.slavenorth.com/exclusion.htm>.

  

I am Sorry Ricky

I have stole the bullet
That was in the store
So I could show you
That yours was fake

And which
You were probably wanting
For your war collection

Forgive me
I wanted to be right
So you could be wrong
so I stole the fake bullet.

This is the part of the story when Bobby stole the fake bullet from the gift shop because Ricky claimed that he had found a really bullet from the war many years ago so it is Bobby half apologizing to Ricky. This poem is in Bobby’s point of view and he is saying it to Ricky. The tone is that he is feeling sorry but not really sorry because he is talking how he just wanted to prove him wrong. The mood is sorrow and anger because Ricky is still mad even though he left the note.   

Mother to Son

Authors Note: This is an analysis of the poem Mother to Son by Langston Hughes.

In the poem Mother to Son by Langston Hughes, he describes trough poem what life was like for a person living in the Harlem renaissance. In the poem he uses this metaphor “Life for me ain’t no crystal stair”. In my head it sounds like it was a tough time to be going through and it was hard to enjoy the wonderful things happening with their culture. I think the author put this in the poem because he was one of the people that were in the Harlem renaissance and he knew what it was like and how hard it was to enjoy everything, but he never gave up and was able to persevere through all the tough times.  

Jayson Williams

Authors Note: This is a descriptive piece about Jayson Williams in the book Loose Balls.

              

               Jayson Williams is a pro basketball player who played 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association.  He is as tall as a tree and a very muscular person how could crush anybody in a heartbeat, which he often does. Jayson like most basketball players can have a little temper, he could be like a bull in a china shop, or he could be as peaceful as a butterfly. He went to school at St. Johns University but he didn’t finish all four year because he left early to go to the NBA. Jayson has had some trouble with alcohol in his past he has gotten in trouble many times because of drinking.

               Jayson can sometimes have an uncontrollable temper and that got him in trouble once when he pop, pop, popped a limo driver with his gun and then he was sentenced to jail time.  Even though he is in jail doesn’t mean that he is always a mad person. During his NBA time he was very good with being charitable throughout the cities he played in. Jayson is overall a nice and kind person he adopted his late sisters children and has taken care of them ever since.

Loona

Authors Note: This is a Character Analysis of Doon and Lina the two main characters from the book The City of Ember, Where the both of them face ignorant adults and a greed ridden government. (The title is a combination of Doon and Lina’s name.)

                Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet are the main characters of the book The City of Ember. They are two young adventurous kids in a underground city where the ignorant adults think the kids are foolish. But Lina and Doon are different their curiosity of finding a new city lead them to find the Instructions left by the builders. With their advanced knowledge they are able to find a way out of the dying city and into a bright new world. Lina and Doon are dynamic characters because they changed in many ways, they learned to work together and become friends once more.

    

  First off, Lina Mayfleet is a curious and adventurous girl. She is a messenger for the City of Ember, she knows the ins and outs of the city. She is a dynamic character, she changed throughout the book in many ways, she was able to repair her friendship with Doon, and she became vocal in the possible solution to save the city. Lina was not only able to find the instructions out of the city; she was able to piece them together when her sister destroyed them. The she was able to follow the instructions out of the city. Overall Lina did not only grow as a friend but she changed into an intelligent young adult able to change the ways of an entire city.

Secondly, Doon Harrow is a smart and curious boy. He is a pipe worker for the City of Ember, he knows how the generator work and is curious to go into the deep passages of the pipes. Doon is a dynamic character because he was able to change throughout the story him and Lina became friends again and he was able to stand up for himself when he was treated poorly. Doon was able to figure out what the instructions were trying to say. Like Lina, Doon was also became vocal in front of the city, he was known around town as a shy person who spent his days in the library reading and thinking of ways to improve the way he lived. He was able to make sure they were able to get out of the city safe and sound.

          

      Finally I think that Harry Potter is a character that most resembles both Lina and Doon. He was quiet and shy when he entered Hogwarts. He then grew into the most popular wizard in the world just by being very vocal through his beliefs and being curious with what happens at Hogwarts.  He created a new world by defeating the evil dourer. That isn’t exactly what Lina and Doon did but they were able to defeat the crisis in the City of Ember by finding the new world.

          

      In Conclusion, Lina and Doon are definitely the only dynamic characters in the book. They were able to become friend again and through their curiosity they were able to save a whole city. Lina and Doon changed they grew and became closer to each other by traveling to the new world. Though they still have more to do in order to completely change the way of the city they might have a big role in making the new world more kid friendly.  

To the City of Ember

Authors Note: This is what I think Doon and Lina said in their note to the City of Ember with the instructions to get out of the City to the new world.

                Dear, The City of Ember

                The recent adventures of us, Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet have proven that there really is a way to escape the horrors of the crumbling city. We have found a lost article that was left by the builders explaining the escape route out of the city. Unfortunately it was destroyed when Lina’s little sister Poppy chewed on and then destroyed it. Luckily with our advance knowledge we were able to piece together what we think was the original Instructions out of the city left by the builders. As you might have noticed we have not been in town for a while we were on our way out of the city. To our surprise we were lead out of the city into the new world by the instructions. The new world is a great and magical place where wondrous creatures roam and this place isn’t lit with a light bulb it has a strange fiery circle floating in the air that appears to be spreading light throughout the whole world as we can see. Now if you could just follow the instructions we have left in Ms. Murdo’s house in Lina’s room, on the desk where the pieced together instructions should be. Hopefully if you follow the instructions correctly the rest of you could be out of the city and into a new world by no time. 

                From, Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet

Outside The City of Ember

Authors Note: This is a Response essay to one of the quotes made by Lina in the book “City of Ember” when they come out of the City of Ember into a New World.

                “I wonder if anyone still lives here” said Lina. When Lina said this Doon, Poppy and her, had just came out of the exit of the City of Ember to the new world they would live out their lives. They had just read a journal about the creation of the City of Ember. It told that the people would go underground and live their because of what was happening in their society. When Doon and Lina had come out they had never seen such a beautiful place so they didn’t know who or what was out there.

                First, Lina is a curious person. That is why she even got involved with the instructions and finding a way out of the perishing city. She had never been outside of the city so she had no clue what to think of this new world around her. After she said that a big dog popped out of a bush besides her not knowing what it was she and Doon were quite scared of the other beast that there might be, she was just hoping that a human would be out here that could help them. It would be quite scary not knowing if there are anyone real people around if you just came to a new world.

  
              In conclusion, Lina and Doon will probably find some help being the curious people they are. Doon had even noticed a road that might lead them to a civilization that knows what happened years ago when the City of Ember was created or they could find the descendants of the builders. Even though Doon and Lina are young I think they are able to find some people that are able to keep them safe and help them get the rest of the city to the new world.

Conflict in City of Ember

Author's Note:  This is a conflict and resolution piece about the possible solutions to the conflicts for survival in the book "The City of Ember".

               In the book "The City of Ember" the city is an underground civilization that is lit by a single light bulb on the top of the cave.  Two hundred fifty years ago, the city of Ember was built by the builders.  They left supplies that would last decades.  When the supplies ran out, the city is in doom.  The smartest people in the city are trying to think of solutions to save the people of Ember, but they have not found any.  Now it is up to two kids Doon and Lina to save Ember.

               The main conflict in "The City of Ember" is the flickering of the light bulb that lights the city because the generator is losing power.   They are also short on the food supplies and other necessary items to live.  While the mayor is responsible for finding a solution, he is of little help because he has caused the crisis.  The mayor is in an underground chamber hogging all of the supplies to himself, and thieves are breaking into the store rooms to get rare items to sell on the black market. 

               GIven these points, the townspeople of Ember, specifically Doon and Lina, have thought there is a secret city that the builders intended for them to go to.  They think that the pipe works could be a way out.  Doon works in the pipe works.  Lina is excited at the thought of going to a new city because she has created many pictures of what she thinks the city looks like.  Doon and Lina have found the instructions that the builders left behind so that the people of Ember could find their way out to get to a new city.

               Furthermore, another possible solution could be to travel into the unknown regions to see if there is any other possible living places that could provide food and shelter for the townspeople.  The only problem is that the people of Ember don't know how to carry light because the only light they have known is the light bulb in the top of the city.  While Doon and Lina were on their quest to the new city, they have found a possible solution to carry light. 

               In conclusion, these solutions could possibly help the city of Ember survive for more decades to come.  While Doon and Lina are on their quest to find a new city, for now the people of Ember are doomed unless somebody comes up to tell about the wrongdoings of the mayor.  Doon and Lina are the only people to know about the builders' instructions.  They hope that while they are gone that somebody goes through Lina's bedroom to find what she thinks is the instructions the builders originally left.