Helen

Author's Note: I wrote this piece for my final grade. I am also trying to get a 9 in conclusion.

Helen was a Greek legend for one of the most beautiful woman of Greece. She was so beautiful that the Trojan war started, just to have her beauty. If you could be a goddess, would you? Why? Just like Helen, Shay is a beautiful women in, No Safety In Numbers by Dayna Lorentz.

In the original story Helen is a very gorges lady but, it sounds almost as if she's not the sharpest tool in the shed. In the play she is acting as if she is a teen. Helen is moody and she gets what she wants. Not only is everybody fighting to win her love, she is dating people on  both Trojan's and Spartans.

Shay  is a popular girl and everyone around her wanted to be with her. She is imprisoned in a mall, due to a bomb in the parking garage. Once she is stuck In the mall, her grandma is getting really sick. The boy named Ryan is very helpful.  Once they start dating all the other boys are jealous and try to win her.  This is like Helen because the guys want her, for her beauty.

Beauty is the main subject of Helen and Shay. When Helen  shows her self, every body wants to be around her. This is the almost the same as the story, because when shay goes out of hiding, every guy falls in love.  The difference of the original story is Helen doesn't seem smart , but unlike her Shay is very smart and kind. She cares for all the people in her life.

Even thought some parts weren't the same I prefer the book that I am reading, because I can relate to it more, and it is more modern. Overall  the stories have the same concept of being beautiful, and everyone wants her.  Shay is smart and pretty, and Helen is mostly beautiful, but not that smart.

Alfonso

Author's Note: I wrote this piece for my goal, which was for text analyse, and conclusion. 

Imagine getting called mean names just because of your skin color or someone is being so nice that it is racist? "After You, My Dear Alfonse," is written by Jackson, and it talks about how people are so nice it is racist. The main theme of the story is about racism, reverse racism, and how people treated different because of their culture. In the story a boy brings home a negro boy. The mother that is white is trying to be nice but is saying reverse racism. The mother thinks that all black families have multiple children, and all fathers are strong, and they will eat any thing, because they never eat.

Reverse racism is wrong and people still do it now in modern society. I see reverse racism sometimes when I am at the mall or out and about. Personally I have done it multiple times before and I felt very bad after the fact it is done. I don't like to do it but sometimes it just comes out with me knowing until I see that I offended them. 

When I say something that his racist I think It is true just like the mother in the book Adventure of an Indian Princess. When the daughter is on vacation the family comes along a native American chief station, the parents stop there. The station was full of racist things, like the way the people dresses, and even the "home made items" where shipped to the store. The daughter was forced to take a picture with a man that was wearing a feather headband, holding a tomahawk, and wearing leather cloths.  That is racist because not all native tribes had tomahawks or had feather headbands.

When I say some reverse racism thing,  society ignores it, because people do it in modern day. I was young  when I went on a road trip to many different states. Arizona was the first time I experience it. There was a black man getting groceries, when a man walked up to him and asked if he needed help paying for food because he thought that all black people are poor. I was stunned at the time because I was 10 and barely knew racism. This relates to the story  because the mother thought that negro people were poor and would eat anything that is thrown at them.

Reverse racism is bad for to say because it is mean in many different ways, and it happens a lot to people that are at the mall, of just walking around town. Reverse racism can be stopped If our society would be careful to what they say. Like Abraham Lincoln said "all man are created equal."  Would you like it if you were getting made fun of, for your skin color?

Reverse Racism

Author's Note: I wrote this piece for the assignment we have, Writing about reverse racism and how it's different from our society. 

The importance of the story because it shows that the mother thinks that all black men work in factories are big, and strong. This story can relate to some people today, because they think that reverse racism is good, but most people in our society think that it's bad and shouldn't be done. People today think that all                                   black men are muscular, and big, but not all of them are. Most people in Pewaukee don't do reverse racism because we are around un native people of our culture.

Washington

Author's Note: I wrote my piece on text to world, using my trip to Washington D.C. and movies that I saw about Washington.

When I went to Washington D.C. I tried to relate to some movies that I saw. I can relate to many movies that I saw but some where a little different. Movies, or T.V. shows don’t let you see the detail's as you can see in real life.

The Lincoln Monument is huge in real life compared to videos and movies. Seeing every detail, every crack from age was cool to experience.  When I went to Abraham Lincoln's house it was dark and old. His blood was still on the pillow from when he got shot. The history channel was showing information about Washington and I compared the different in the Lincoln Monument, and the detail in the house.

The Washington Metro is full of people moving through out the day. When I was on the metro I saw many unique monuments like cemeteries where presidents died and many cool buildings, I even saw a little bit of the white house. The Metro was my mane transport and it was a fun experience. At one point where almost above the city and it felt like I was seeing Washington in a birds-eye view.

In many movies about Washington they show the white house, what everybody's jobs are. When I was there I saw a man mowing the law and doing garden work. The house was huge and I wonder what it's like to live in the white house and see people looking at the your house.

T.V. can show a lot of information about the monument but its not the same as being there.  Every crack, every detail makes the monument special and a wonderful creation.  Videos will never be the same as real life and if you want to experience the treasure of the monuments than it's best to be there in person.

A Clean Place

Author's Note: I wrote a piece that compared a story and a video. The book was A Clean Well-lighted Place.

The book Well Lighted Café has a very hard impact to my life. Like the old man when I’m depressed I like to sit near people that I know, but further away than sitting next to them. The old man drinks until he gets drunk.

The movie set a different tone, and mood that makes the story interesting. The beginning music sounded as if it was another boring day for the old man, sitting down drinking brandy. Near the end of the video the music makes you seem sad as if your puppy died.

In the book I felt like the waiters were different than the video because the mood, lighting, and some music made the waiters seem more inpatient.

Larten Crepsly

Author's Note: I wrote this as a theme assay. I also looked at the introduction sheet to help me get better intro.

Imagine being new to the vampire clan trying to make an impression that you can be someone important. Grasping the important Evanna the witch to your life is a match that is imposable, and overcoming a very deadly illness that kills almost all contestants. Larten Crepsly is determined to over come these life changing events. Determination is a major theme in this story, for several reasons.

Learning the ways of a vampire clan requires a lot a determination. Larten has to prove that he can be noble and is worth a room in the vampire mountain.  To earn a room larten has to be nice and smart about his decisions. You have to fight in a battle to get attention in the group of the blood thirsty beasts.

Larten is also determined to learn how other vampires use their powers, Like drink blood and live in the outside world with humans. Every year they have a festival and meet other vampires from all over the world, wiithc new vampires try to make their name know. As he learns the outside would larten meets a wonderful girl that can help him learn. That take determination for larten to trust the outside world.

Another story that has determination is Dessert Angle by Charlie Price. Angel the main character is determined to get away from her killer step-dad. The killer, Scotty trades guns and catches illegal animals for money, if he doesn't get what he wants you'll dead in a second. Angle has to hide in a banded houses and moves away from the area where she is threaten.  This takes a lot of determination to overcome the fear of living a life that could end in the scope of any gun.

Parody

Author's Note:  The poem is a short summery about Dessert Angle by Charlie Price. I wrote this poem as a parody. The point of view in the poem is the killer, Scotty.

I have killed

Your mother

She was trouble

You loved her

She is gone

A hid her

Now

I'm going to

Kill you too

You might

Run

But ill find you.

Pony Express

Author's Note: I wrote this piece for Social Studies. This is about the Pony Express in about 1860's.

David quickly grabbed his newspaper sack and got on his horse.  David hated his job because the pony express was deadly and dangerous. Like David most riders are orphans that nobody wants. At age 18 he was let out and lived for pony express. Clickity clack the horse was running faster than lightning. I was almost dusk when David got to the inn near Sacramento, California. He started at St. Joseph, Missouri.

"Would you like a room son" a man said as he opened the heavy wood door. "yes please, Sir" he replied. "well there is a room in 14, ill cost 10 cents." David hesitated, but to him this was a once in a life time opportunity. He saved all his money for the year to stay in a hotel. When he got to his room he saw a shiny thing hanging form a wall, After a look stare down he saw that is was a telephone. He hated those things because he over heard gossip that it might ruin the pony express.

The night was wonderful sleeping in a bed. David always sleeps on the ground or hay in barns when he delivers mail. He grabbed his heavy bag that was full of paper. Although the paper was tissue-thin paper he carried at least 1,000 pieces of paper. The horse was awake when David got to him and he slipped on and started riding. It was day seven when he got to the mansion size house.

Ding. He rang a bell hanging above the door. "hello, who is it?" his lips were dry but said "it's pony Express here to deliver you mail." she came running to the door and received the package. David walked away and rode on his horse. He had more mail to deliver. Once he got back to the station David heard the telegraph to over the pony express. October 1861 was when it fell.

Summer Grass

Author's Note: I wrote a figurative assay on Summer Grass by Carl Sandburg. 

There is a lot of personification in this short essay. "Summer grass arches and whispers it wants something. "  The personification makes it sound like the grass is whispering for something, almost like it need something important.

There is a language that effects to mood of the story. When the grass is whispering for something it sets a mood that it needs something like water. That makes the reader feel sad. When the story says "the rain answers" it sets a mood that is happy because the grass gets an answer for water.

Camping

Author's Note: I wrote an assay on what I do when I go out camping. In this assay I work on improving my word choice and body paragraph.

While camping you have to follow some major rules in order to have fun. Like don’t feed animals and don't touch the fire. Most people wouldn't think that while camping but many kids have the temptation for shiny things. There's many pros to camping, and many cons to camping such as bugs and rain.

Setting the tent is one of my favorite things to do as a frequent camper. I think that every time I do so I feel as if I'm Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild) making a shelter from the night. Fabric and poles hold my tent unlike Bear's, his is mostly wood and leaves. Next I like to place my items in the tent. Usually I call dibs first so my dad doesn't take the good spot to sleep, but he ignores my and sleeps in my spot.

When I go camping I always go fishing. Fishing is fun but hard to do when you are a kid, trying to get over the fear of hooking a worm to our line. When I was younger I went on my grandparents yacht and I when fishing. I was five and caught a fish that was stuffed with egg. So as a nature lover I put the female back so many more fish can be caught next year. As you go through your day soaking up the shining sun you might feel hungry. When I'm camping I feel like a mini chief because I do the cooking. The fire is the most essential thing for cooking because raw items will lead you towards throwing up and going to the hospital. Bear Gyrlls kills his food that's on the menu, I use packaged food like hot dogs, bacon, marshmallows, and many other foods.

After the essential tasks are done I like to take nature walk and go running around with a stick feeling like a native American. When the family and I go walking I feel safe and secure. As I am walking I look at the pretty birds and sometimes try to mock their tweeting. Most of the time I dismiss the thought of walking alone because I feel paranoid that there is unseen creature watching me.

Camping is really fun when you are cautious of what your doings. It also adds a adventure, and many memories to your life ahead. Nature walks and fishing are fun to do and so is telling your stories at the fire. Have you ever gone camping and had fun? What did you do?

Melinda Speaks

Author's Note: This writing piece is on cause and effect. The book I used is Speak ,by Laurie Halse Anderson.

In the book Speak, a girl named Melinda, has something horrendous happen to her at a summer party. Melinda is bullied and pestered at school the next year do to what happened at the party. This causes Everyone at her school hates her, because she called the cops and get people in trouble, and she ends up busting the party. Now she has now friends and doesn't even talk to her parents.

The effect in this book is when the main character, Melinda, gets attacked again by the same boy who raped her at the party, but this time she fights back. Melinda fighting back and winning causes everyone to find out the Secret that happened to her, and attacker is finally revealed. Once everyone realizes what happened they begin to fell sorry for her.

Eric's View

Authors Note: This essay shows how the story could change if the point of view was different. The book I used was The bystander by James Preller.

In The Bystander, by James Preller a boy named Eric moves to a new city where he had no friends.  He never knew his dad because, at a young age, his father abandoned him and his mother. The author wrote the book in Eric’s point of view. In his perspective a lot of events show confusion and even rage about his new school and his dad.

The story Bystander is in  Eric’s point of view. From this perspective, a lot of events and characters that are described in a way that creates confusion against Griffin, Eric’s friend. As the reader progresses they start to begin to hate or have anger against Griffin, like when they had the huge fight at the cemetery. A major event shows happiness in the reader as Eric moves on and shows he’s not afraid.

One way that Eric’s point of view influences the reader's interpretation is the perspective  about griffin. He was nice as a friend until he snapped. Griffin was starting to bully Eric for no reason. They both got in bad fight in the middle of the book. Eric’s point of view shows the readers Eric’s life and first person. You as a reader would have a different emotion against Griffin if it was his story.

However, the reader would feel a lot differently about the major fight in the graveyard, if the novel was written in the point of view of Griffin. For instance, the reader wouldn't think he was the bad guy at school. The reader would show sorrow and even love for griffin about his life. Griffin was nice to hang out with and even outgoing. They might show his father being mean and a jerk for beating him up and showing no love to his only son. As the reader goes on they would hate and be disgusted to be Eric. He would seem weak, ugly, and a nerd with no life. The fight in the graveyard was for a cause, to show who was boss around school.   

As you can see, the point of view of a story forces the reader to see just one side of an event or topic. In The bystander , the narrator's perspective makes the reader change many emotions about Griffin if the point of view was his. The narrator's point of view shows Eric is good and that griffin was bad and a bully. 

Speak Up

Author's Note: This piece is about comparison on two books. My two books were The Bystander and Speak.

Eric in The Bystander by James Preller, is outgoing and quiet. He might be popular but he also gets bullied. Melinda in Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, is shy, quiet, and unpopular. Both teens are quiet and get bullied. Melinda and Eric have many similar traits and different traits.

Melinda and Eric both get bullied. Melinda gets bullied for many reasons. Something tragic happened to her at a school party, and she is a cause for being bullied. Many people blame her for crashing a party but no one knows that Melinda got raped. Melinda also gets bullied for being shy, no one talks to her and barely looks at her. Eric gets bullied for a dark secret too. His father left his mother and Eric when he was 4 because his father had mental issues. He told a friend, but Griffin was a bully. Griffin spread Eric's dark secret around school.

Both are quiet and don't talk that much at school. Melinda is the quiet in class because she no friends to talk to. Near the middle of the school year she made a friend. Melinda over comes her quietness at the end of the year. Eric has a few friends and they are a popular. He doesn't talk much unless he's with friends.

Though Melinda and Eric have some similarities they are also different. Melinda is unpopular and shy. Eric is outgoing and popular. You could always be bullied or shy but no matter what this is a way to get through it.

Accelertaion

Acceleration by Graham McNamee was an intense and fast paced book. In the Toronto subway, Duncan is in charge of the ever growing lost and found department. There are always interesting things that turn up waiting to be claimed by their owners. One day he found a mysterious book full of secrets that contained dangerous things like murders and crimes. Small, Brown, and bound in leather the book was all about things someone may have done. The police didn’t think it was anything more than a story, but Duncan is convinced it’s real. Is Duncan determined enough to catch the dangerous criminal who wrote it?

The diary haunted Duncan, detailing not only what the sick person he calls, Roach, has done, but also what he is going to do. When Duncan reads further he comes across a description of a red haired woman that sits in the front of the train. As he looked up from the book he noticed there was a red haired woman in the front.

To get to the bottom of whether or not the diary is real, he decided to follow the lady to her house. He didn't find anyone else that might have tailed along. The red haired lady looked back; she was scared so she quickly walked to her house. By now he was sure the diary was true and it was midnight by the time Duncan got home. The next day while Duncan was working, a guy in glasses asked for a diary, he knew it was Roach.

Duncan followed him home and called his two friends for help. By the time Duncan’s' friends arrived the killer had already left his house. Duncan was determined to get the murderer arrested and stop him before he hurt anyone else. He made sure the coast was clear when he approached the killer’s creepy house. His friend picked the lock of the house. Duncan ran inside and looked around; he was on a mission to look for an ID so they could find the real name of Roach. He remembered the diary said his room was in the basement.

As Duncan approached the room, he heard the killer get home. There was a small room to hide in, but the guy knew something was wrong and searched the home until he found Duncan. Duncan ran under the guys legs, he ran up the stairs and up around the road. The man was chasing him and Duncan had nowhere to go except the subway. He ran down and fell in the tracks. The man jumped in and pushed Duncan around. Light began to shine on the two men, a train was coming. Duncan had no time to climb back up the track. He hid in the grooves of the track. Last thing he remembered was a loud scream. Duncan was unconscious and had broken bones. The killer was now dead. Duncan felt relieved that the killer was gone forever. His determination led to finding and eliminating the killer even when others didn’t believe him

Bystander

Eric was the new kid in his school. When you're new it's hard to know who to hang out with and to avoid. Griffin seemed like a cool kid to be with in school, he was funny and smart. After a while Eric finds out his friends deep dark secret. Griffin was not just a bully but a person that steals for fun. That was bad for Eric because Griffin will do anything to get back at someone. He even stole money and other thing from Eric.

The resolution was Eric got the courage to get his stuff back that Griffin stole. He went to Griffin's house and broke in. Eric quietly walked through the rooms to find his stuff, he finally got to Griffins room. Eric got his money back and other things. At school griffin didn't talk or look at him again.

Murder's Diary

Author's Note: Acceleration is about a boy who found a murder's diary. Duncan must find the guy quickly before the victim is killed

Duncan found the diary laying in his messy closet under all of his hockey pads. The books dark secret has to be uncovered. The murder still has to be out there and still lethal. Duncan took the book to a restaurant and started reading the book with a cup of coffee. He grabbed the newspaper to see if any of the three victims where killed. In relief Duncan had not seen and deaths. The boy flipped the page of the news paper, he had found a county map that might be useful. In a flash Duncan might know who it is.

Holding the diary in his hands he rand up Williams street and turned the corner. Running as fast as he can go he finally got to his destination. The door was locked but with his luck he unlocked the door in one twist. Duncan has found the murder. The crazy man was watching horror movies. Duncan slowly walked out and called the cops. The cops were at the house in minutes.

This was my prediction of the book Acceleration. I think that Duncan will do that because he is an outgoing guy and always curious. In the middle of the book Duncan wants to get the murder. Duncan worked on the clue for weeks and even tried to fit in his shoe.

Medieval Knights

Author's note: To become a medieval knight took hard work and determination. 

When people think of the Middle-ages, the first thing that often comes to mind is knights. They wore heavy armor, rode strong swift horses, and fought for the king with their lives. What was the life like as a  medieval knight?

Knights were trained to defend the castle, the kingdom, and most importantly the king. They were  like our modern day military. From the time they were young, they were sent to train with other knights and there they were taught all about fighting. There were three types of medieval fighters : knights, archers and foot soldiers. The knight was for close quarter battles against foot soldiers  and the archer was for long distance combat.  Knights had the advantage over foot soldiers and archers because of their heavy armor.

To become a knight you had to be from a wealthy noble family and be bright. You had to be able to buy your own armor, horses, and weapons, which is like buying a plane now. Most knights were trained at age eight  when their family sent them to live with an older trained knight. They did simple things at first, like learn to ride horses, body build, and learn how to use weapons and work hard. At the age fifteen they gained knowledge of elder knight by cleaning armor, caring for horses, and learned advanced fighting skills.

Knights had heavy armor and heavy weapons. They carried  a  large battle sword with their left hand and a knife on their right. The armor weighed about 50 - 60 pounds in all, mostly because they wore many different layers.  Linen shirt, chain mail, heavy pants, woolen pads, metal armor. The knight's chain mail had more the 200,000 individual rings which took years to make. Some of the different types of weapons the knight used were the lance, sword, battle hammers, axes, maces and many more.

Knights lived by the code of conduct called chivalry. This was a vow to protect the weak,  helpless and for the general good of all. If a knight were to disobey this they could get expelled depending on the trial. Chivalry influenced social behaviors hundreds of years after knight's no longer existed. For example it tells us how a gentleman should behave today.

The knights responsibilities were difficult and challenging to overcome. Succeeding meant fame and honor to the society around them. There was danger and glory as a knight, but today we remember how they lived and learn from them.  Knights played an important role to many countries in the middle ages and now live in our own code of conduct all over the world. 

The Founding Fathers

Author’s Note:  Have you ever wished to ask the founding fathers what they did wrong, or right.

"Jack step into that door, I dare you!" I hesitated to step into the red velvet looking room. But something in my mind said to go. I walked slowly into the wicked contraption. Turned around and closed the door.  I saw a dial that had numbers. I turned the dial as if it were a locker combo. WASSAHHAAAWWAH. The noise was getting louder and scary. I turned the golden plated door knob. I was in a different world.

It was misty, smelly, and dark. Horses and carriages were roaming the street. I looked to my left shoulder and saw a white building. "This building look familiar." I softly whisper. There was a person coming from the corner of the building. So I quickly ran to the building and went inside. The hall way was huge. Every step I made, echoed making a voice. I walked slowly into the dark creepy hallway. I Could start to see light. The closer I got to the light, the louder a voice I heard.

I was standing on a balcony fifty feet above fifty five men. The men had white curly hair, white powdered faces. They were talking about laws and politics. “Ugh not my thing”  I yelled not thinking. One of the guys looked up and saw my bright cherry face. The man looked at his friends and started to talk. I was relieved that they didn’t find me. But just as I was about to walk away the guy told me to come closer.

Slowly I walked down red carpeted stairs. I got there and I looked scared, I just realized the I’m in the past. The white faced man looked at me and when I saw his face up close knew that is was George Washington. I tried to say hi but I stuttered on my dry chapped lips. George and his friend were writing the constitution.  I said that I was from the future. Like in the movies the guy has a cheesy laugh, so did George Washington. Just before I was going to explain my IPod started to play music. He asked what is playing the loud, exasperating noise. My IPod was cold as ice but I handed the device to him. George started to poke at it but I laughed as if it was a hilarious joke. Everyone in the room wanted to touch the device. “Wow kid you are from the future, so what do you want?” asked George.

“There is some things that are wrong from 2012. People still treat African Americans  wrong.” They all laughed a one guy said “Those people deserve to be slaves.” I looked madly at that guy. I wanted to throw a punch at him, but I realized that this is no laughing matter. “Has your mother  ever told you to treat other people equally, Mr. George Washington?”he looked worried. He looked defeated. “Well yes but” I quickly cut him off. “ How would it feel to be treated the differently? Be a slave and no one cares to think twice before they beat you with whips? Just before he was going to talk a dark blue hole appeared in the wall. I got sucked into the portal like thing

Black walls filled the air. It smelted as if I was next to a hot dog stand, glorious chilly dogs and hamburgers. Now the smell was gone. The walls started to fill up with hourglass pictures filling sand.

I felt like I was in a computer trying to reboot. I all vanished in the blink of an eye. I was in a really cool room. It had baseballs, football jerseys, posters. It was a sports freak dream. I walked out of my room and saw my mother in a pink and baby blue dress. “Hey Hun how are you doing” Said my mother looking ecstatically. I said “good” and walked down to door. I opened my door and walked out to see a wonderful place. It was like a wonder land with snow. The snow was so cold I could feel my heart freeze for a second.  I walked half a mile down the street and went to the gas station,  but it wasn’t there. I was hungry so I remembered there might be a McDonald, but that means going into the dirty ghetto part.

The more I walked the prettier the houses. There were many African American kids playing in the snow. I slowly stopped an thought this isn’t ghetto. I felts a foam football hit me and a ten year old kid said sorry. I just laughed and asked were the nearest McDonald was. The kid said “Down the corner of Maple Street.” He waddled away in his overstuffed jacket and snow pants.  Snow was covering the top of my shoes and I began to jog to Maple Street. I walked into the building and ordered food. It was about Five o’ Clock when I got home. I thought hard and strong and realized that I changed the world for everyone. Cheerfully I skipped to my room to play my game system.

Cause And Effect

Authors Note: Cause and effect is something the happened in a story. If you could change it what do you think would happen. I did this on the book called "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson.

The book Speak had big cause and effect. The main character Malinda faces a struggle in her life. Something bad happened very bad to her and she doesn't want to tell anyone. if she tells someone no on might believe her and make fun of her even more

This effect made the whole story. Melinda eventually tell a guy named David. If Melinda told the kids at school what happened the first day she would ether get picked on or people might believe her. 

Conflict And Resolution

Authors Note: This was an assignment about conflict and resolution

 Hunger games is a Person vs person Conflict. The main character Katness has to battle with people face to face. She has to fight for her life or die. The reason it's person vs person is because katness face people. It could also be person vs self. She as to battle against her fears of getting killed.

 The resolution on the book is Katness hides from the people. Once some people find her she kills them and runs away. The other resolution is Katness faces her self. She was afraid of being killed of the one killing. Katness won the hunger games and got over the fear of killing people