Would They Fit In?

Author's Note~  This is a piece that me and a partner worked on.  It is about a Greek character and if they would be able to fit into a modern day middle school.

Would a Greek Methodical character fit into a modern day middle school?

This is a scene that happened today at lunch regarding trench ball:

Aidan: My trench ball team is gonna dominate.

Benjie: No they won’t it’s obvious Mikes’ team will win it all, and beat the teachers.

Achilles: I AM IMMORTAL I WILL BEAT EVERYONE

Benjie: Just because you’re immortal, that doesn’t mean you will beat us all in Trench Ball.

Achilles:  I am the strongest warrior ever!

Aidan: Let’s just call you Mr. Arrogant Achilles

Achilles: Its true! I am the strongest man every I AM IMMORTAL

Benjie: Bro……you think your all that when you have never even played trench ball before.

Achilles: True but I AM IMMORTAL

Nick: This has nothing to do with dying Achilles!!!!

Benjie: thank you Fonte!

Achilles: I totally could beat you guys!

Ryan: Whatever Achilles think what you want.

Achilles: You all will be jealous

The Tragedy Within a Spy

Authors Note: This is an essay about the symbolism throughout the story Snakehead, by Anthony Horowitz and how it affects the reader.

''He let them roll over his tongue, tasting them like a fine wine'' is just one example of symbolism throughout the book Snakehead, by Anthony Horowitz. Like other books, by Anthony Horowitz, there is a lot of symbolism. Most of the symbolism provides the reader with vivid imagery and a better understanding of the story. Alex rider, the main character, is a spy who has a background like no other. Both his parents died and the only family he has left is his god-father. The point of view is from Alex which provides the reader with a load of symbolism and imagery throughout the story. 

One example of symbolism is when Alex and his god father got into a gun fight. Ash, his god father, was about to get shot when the assassin died. It stated that a mushroom of blood erupted from the man's shoulder. Instead of the reader just picturing the man falling down they would now get the impression that the man died in a more horrific way. The red of the guys blood was a symbol for doom and death. Just by changing up some words the author made the scene go from a boring drought to a more exciting event. Because Ash was so close to death but escaped it would give the reader the impression that Alex and Ash needed to work harder because they got lucky. The reader would also realize that the action was about to begin due to the vivid detail. 

Another example is when Alex got into an unfortunate event in a boxing ring. The bad guys made Alex fight against a well-built competitor in front of a crowd. He won but not in an acceptable way. Now the leader of the Snakehead was going to shoot him right in front of a crowd of people. The author stated that Alex watched as the cold eye of the muzzle focused on his chest. The coldness of the gun would be a symbol for something tragic that was about to happen. Also considering a gun doesn't actually have an eye it would be an example of a metaphor. That phrase gives the reader a better understanding of the situation. The reader would also feel as if Alex didn't have anything left to do yet luckily someone shut the lights off which caused the arena to erupt into chaos.

Although Alex had gotten into a lot of risky events he finally arrived at the final process of the illegal immigration transition. Or at least that's what he thought. It was night time when Alex and Ash had gotten to the transport van. Alex described his entrance into the transaction van as if he were about to be swallowed up. Since the van can't actually swallow that phrase would be an example of a personification. Also since it was night time the reader would feel as if something tragic or important was about to happen. This brings a whole different level to the scene. It went form a casual ride to a claustrophobic mysterious van. The symbolism gives the reader a much more clear picture of what's happening in the scene.

This story incorporated a lot of great symbolism which definitely added to the level of excitement. The author strongly explained why some things were more important to the story versus other. Most of the symbolism fell beneath the tragic section throughout the story which would make sense since he is a spy. 

The Trojan War Parody

Authors note: This is a short response about how the parody of the Trojan war used more modern things to appeal to the audience.


In the original Trojan War story Helen is the most beautiful girl there is. The conflict is also a little different in the parody then in the real story. In the original it is just the Trojans versus the Greeks. On the other hand there is sort of a war in the parody, but it's actually a play of gods and goddesses.

There were a lot of things that were different between the original story and the parody. For example the parody changed Paris from a nice strong guy to a guy who wouldn't even fight. I think they made this change to make the story more humorous. I think that it is a good remake of the original Trojan Horse story. It did mostly stay true to the original story but of course there was things that were different. I think it is a good remake due to the humor involved throughout the story. For instance, Cassandra would always yell the word doom.

The Trojan Horse

The conflict is the fact that The Greeks army can't defeat the Trojans. They get it resolved by entering the Trojan's fortress through a wooden horse. The whole thing was very sneaky because the Trojans expected it to be a nice present because of all the destruction but it was really meant to defeat them. They also had a man that was believed to be telling the truth light the beach on fire so that the rest of the army would come over from their hiding spot on a corresponding island. 

This could happen now a days but it wouldn't have anything to do with the Greek mythology. Instead it would probably have to do with spies entering another nations headquarters. I haven't seen something like this in a TV show or a play. I have seen something that was similar though. It was the novel with Alex rider in it. He pretended to be an Afghan boy so that he could find out more information about a terrorist group. 

Ribbons

Some of the traditions in China are clearly different then the ones in America. You can see this in the story ''Ribbons''. The grandma comes over from China which is a huge change for her. The kids don't know it but the grandma has a terrible memory in her past. Here feet got bent backwards because that is one of the old Chinese traditions to make the child look pretty. The parents wanted the kid to look pretty so they would have a chance of marrying someone rich and powerful.

The grandma gets mad at here daughter when she sees that her granddaughter has ballet shoes with ribbons. She thinks that the ribbons are used to keep her feet from hurting but really they are just to make sure they are tight. The grandma is so strong about her cause that she doesn't even where the ribbons even though her feet will hurt.

Flip Flop

Authors Note: This essay is a text analysis about how something may change when you go from a story to a film.

Going from a story to a film can change how the reader feels about certain things. The author might not be able to express certain things as easy as a director can. In the story A Clean, Well-lighted Place, by Ernest Hemingway, there are things that the reader may interpret differently from the film. There are many scenes in the story that don't seem as important as they do in the film. These scenes either have a lot of emphasis or not much at all.

To start of the film there a music that comes across as creepy. It may give the viewer the feeling that this is going to be a scary film. When you read the story there isn't any music which is a big change. The reader will most likely feel that it's just a casual restaurant that has nothing to do with anything scary. The importance of the music is later revealed when there is the old man sitting by himself. You can then tell that is showing how lonely the old man is and how important it is for him to have any company. 

While the music seems creepy at first it changes when the Cafe closes. In the story you can't tell that the old man is leaving, is as sad as it is. The reader will just assume that man casually left. The director of the film gave a lot of attention to the man leaving by adding music and by making the scene long. One thing that stayed the same between the story and the film was how both of the waiters felt. In both the story and film the younger waiter was rude to the old man while the older waiter didn't mind him.

On the other hand there are some events that stay the same in both the film and the story. For example the bar scene that is towards the end comes across as confusing in the story and the film. Although each come out as confusing in different ways. In the story will most likely get confused due to the odd word selection. The transition from the cafe to the bar is more clear in the film but again the bar scene is puzzling. There wasn't a lot of words plus the true intention of the scene was hard to understand. Overall the story and film were good but some things weren't clear.

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place is just one example of how a readers interpretation may change by going from a story to a film or vise versa. There were many examples that came across different while there were also a lot that stayed the same. In the end the overall picture of the story and film was not impacted by the minor differences between the two. 

Who am I?

Authors Note: Try to guess who I am.


I've traveled from North Dakota to the Pacific ocean. I've been traveling for about a year now. Times have been real tough lately. I've gotten kidnapped twice and the last two years. When I finally had my baby Clark and the other Europeans   named my baby Poppy. It isn't exactly what I wanted but at least they have been friendly to me. I have been helping the Europeans classify whether or not the berries were safe to eat or not. I do owe it to them since they have kept great care of me and my baby.

For men they treat my baby well. I suppose they wouldn’t want to upset me since with one simple yes they are safe to eat, or a no they aren’t could end their life.  Before I had my baby, walking the trails of the mountains was very stressful especially since I was so close to birth. I have done nothing but slow them down, and you know saved their lives a few times.

On August 12, 1805, Captain Lewis and three men scouted 75 miles ahead of the expedition’s main party, crossing the Continental Divide.These mountains in North Dakota are very hard to navigate in. There have been many times where we have gotten lost. I have been incredibly important since we have gon

After You, My Dear Alphonse

This whole story is based off of reverse racism. Mrs. Wilson was assuming that Boyd was poor and underfed just because he was African American.  She is clearly trying to be nice to Boyd but ends up getting embarrassed herself. Mrs. Wilson finds out the Boyd lives with a fine family that is similar to most white families throughout the country.

It compares to our society because everyone in our city gets a stereo type. People will especially get a first reaction when someone knew moves in.  We may think that they are poor, weird or, un-athletic. The story compares to our city because both have people who may try to be nice to people which only makes them racist in the end. 

Root Root Root for the Red Sox

Authors Note: This is an essay all about the Boston Red Sox. It talks about their failures and how they regained from them. 

One of the greatest baseball organizations of all time would have to be the Boston Red Sox. They are an American League baseball team who owns a lot of respect. The Red Sox organization has been putting together good teams since 1901. Although they have their rivals; they do have a lot of respect. Boston has won many world series which only makes their organization stronger. They also play in one of the most elegant cities in the country. Boston itself is known to contain some of the greatest athletic teams in the country. 

The elegant Boston Red Sox began in 1901. Originally they were supposed play in Buffalo but they decided against it. For the first 7 years in the American League they didn't have a logo. According tohttp://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/history/index.jsp they were simply known as Boston or the "Bostonians". Their current ball park, Fenway Park, was established in 1912. The Red Sox won the first World Series ever against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Following the win was four more wins in the next decade. They continued to play well but didn't have success until 2004. It was one of the worst winning droughts in baseball history but it no longer mattered; they had won. 

The Red Soxs' had much success but there was also a lot of difficulties. In 1913 their long drought began. They took fourth place in their division which was only the beginning, or at least they thought. In the following season the Red Sox organization purchased the contract of Babe Ruth. They had a 5 year spurt but that was it for then. Their record started to fall back behind every year. According tohttp://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/al/bosox/redsox.html they maintained a common record of 77 wins and 75 losses. That wasn't good enough if they were going to be one of the greatest teams in the league.    

Success is measured by wins in all sports. Compared to other teams the Red Sox have won a lot of World Series. Although some teams have won more, it could be worse, For instance their is still 11 teams who haven't won a world series at all. Throughout the years the Yankees have been the Red Sox biggest rivalry. They both play in great cities with great fans.When the Boston Marathon bombing happened the New York Yankees honored Boston by singing Sweet Caroline at their game. This shows that that even know teams don't like each other; they still can come together in a tragedy. 

Without doubt the Boston Red Sox have one the greatest careers in the league. You always know that it's anyone's game when you are playing the Red Sox, especially if you play them in their own ball park. Lots of teams have failed but like the Red Sox you will eventually have a comeback. So no matter how bad you may be doing just remember there is always a path to success. 

Bibliography

• Drago, reliever Dick, who would retire the first two men he faced, and got. "Boston Red Sox (1901-Present)." The Sports E-Cyclopedia (Est. 2001)-The Ultimate Sports Resource. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. <http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/al/bo
• "Red Sox History | redsox.com: History."The Official Site of The Boston Red Sox | redsox.com: Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. <http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/history

Differences

The time period and the place did affect the realism in the story. It would have been different in our time period because things would have been more modern. For instance the restaurant would probably have more people. Also there was a guard roaming the streets instead of a cop.

Alex Rider's Choices

Authors Note: This is a cause and effect piece from the story Skeleton Key. It includes alternate endings.

Alex Rider was done being an agent after the incident at Point Blank. He wanted nothing to do with the agency. Yet that all changed when Alex got asked to go to the Wimbledon tennis tournament to be a ball boy.This action had a big effect. Alex got in trouble with an Asian mafia which meant he had to leave England. Alex's removal from England will eventually lead up to the climax. Unfortunately throughout the story many of Alex's actions resulted in negative effects. 

The Asian Mafia is a very dangerous group. Alex had no idea who he was dealing with. He had suspected that an Asian man was related in a robbery at the tournament. That's what led him into following the man. Unfortunately the man also suspected him as a spy and tried to run him over with his car. Although Alex still managed to take him out. Since Alex took the mafia member out the whole group would now feel hurt. This meant that they were going to try and kill Alex now. This also meant that Alex was going to have to leave England. Fortunately the CIA needed a kid for a new mission which would allow Alex to relax at a hotel. 

The mafia would be nothing compared to what Alex was getting himself into. The vacation sounded like a great idea but could Alex really resist the urge to not butt in on the mission. This mission involved Alex's fake parents to get inside  in old Russian General's house. This would be very hard since there was only one way in and it was heavily guarded. They were going to have to get in by water. Little did he know the breaking and entering would be a huge turning point in the mission. The General know about the water entrance and had a trap. Alex's fake parents had been killed. Alex didn't know of this until he got captured and turned into the General's custody. Alex was now trapped. Luckily Alex would eventually escape. This whole mission was the effect of Alex going to the Wimbledon tennis tournament as a ball boy.

If Alex wouldn't have accepted the job at Wimbledon the outcome would most likely have been a lot different. Some of the results would be positive but some would not. If Alex denied that job the agency he worked for before might have offered him another mission. That mission could have gone well or it could have been worse then the mission he really went into. Alex could have been killed in the other mission. Although if Alex had no mission at all things would most likely be completely normal. Unless of course he got hurt in an accident.

In the end the effect of Alex going to Wimbledon was bad but not as bad as possible. Being held captive at the General's home was much better then his fake parents' fate. Plus he still managed to escape. You never know what could have happened if Alex had declined the job as a ball boy. Luckily it didn't really matter because he escaped without much harm. Next time Alex better rethink his choices.

The All Mighty Train

Authors Note:This essay is about the figurative language in the poem "The Train" and how it effects the mood.

"I like to see it lap the miles" is just one example of figurative language from "The Train", by Emily Dickinson. The poet makes the reader feel as if the train is a beast who is doing a great job. She includes a wide variety of figurative language throughout the poem. The mood the reader will generally get is either wisdom or tiredness. 

The poets' wide variety of figurative language includes Allusions. The allusion "And neigh like Boanerges" provides the reader with vivid imagery. This phrase gave me the impression that the train was a big train who moved loudly as if it was a god. The tone of the phrase keeps the reader feeling the same way as when they started reading the poem. It continues to give the impression that the train is majestic and powerful. 

Even more great imagery was produced by the poet in the second phrase. It was a personification that said " And lick the valleys up". It is a personification because the poet gave the train human life abilities. Since the train can't actually lick it shows that it is a fast train that goes through valleys with tremendous speed. The tone the poet has is pride  towards the train. She is clearly dedicated to proving the train is the all mighty. 

Although the figurative language made the tone shine as a certain way they also made me, the reader, fell certain ways. For example when the poet used the personification "And stop to feed itself at tanks", it gave me the impression that the train was a hard working train. Although the personification " And lick the valleys up" gave me the impression that was fast slim train. In the end the figurative language made the whole poem more clear on he poets true intentions. 

The figurative language throughout the story continued to provide the reader with great imaginary. The wide variety of figurative language kept the reader from feeling boredom. I know that I defiantly wanted to finish the poem just to see if there was more details about the train. In the end the figurative language kept the reader from quitting the story early. 

The True Chimpanzee

I am a chimpanzee.

I am athletic when I want to be 

swinging from vine to vine

chewing bananas like a wolverine

But yes I can also be funny, creative, and thoughtful

nurture a kids soul with laughter when they go to the zoo

the wild makes me feel so very free 

Point blank Told from a Different Dimension

Authors Note: This essay is about point of view and how it can change the readers mood.

Alex Rider is an average 14 year old boy would would jump at the chance of becoming a spy. Luckily for him he got that chance. The story Point Blank, by Anthony Horowitz is basically about Alex Rider investigating a mysterious school out in the middle of nowhere. He works for M16 who believes that there is a connection between the school and the death of two fathers. Point Blank is told from the main character, Alex's, point of view. Alex's point of view can cause the reader to get a different perspective about the story compared to if the principal of the school, Dr. Grief, were to tell the story.

The book being told from Alex Rider can really affect how the reader feels about certain events. For example when Alex disobeyed Dr. Grief by leaving his room, the reader would get the impression that Alex was being good because he could discover something bad about the school. If the story would have been told from Dr. Griefs point of view the reader wouldn't have got the same impression. The reader would most likely get the sense that Alex was a terrible kid who didn't obey the rules. Another event where the characters would send out two different points of view is when Dr. Grief captured Alex after he figured out Alex was a spy. Dr. Grief then told Alex his long term plan which involved cloning himself. From Alex's point of view it seemed as if Dr. Grief was a creepy old man who only possessed evil. If this scene were to be told from Dr. Grief's point of view the reader would get the impression that Dr. Grief was a great scientist whose plans were trying to be ruined. 

Alex leaped from his bedroom window right into a soft pile of snow. He had to find a way to the forbidden top floor of the school undetected. He decided that he would go back through the front door and figure out a plan when he gets there. As soon as he walked through the doors he was unexpectedly acquainted by Dr. Grief. The whole mission was over and so is his life. This was a scene from the story with an alternate ending. If this were to have actually happened the reader would believe that Alex had failed and that Dr. Grief, the villain, was going to succeed with his plan. If this would have been told from Dr. Grief's point of view the reader would get the feeling that Dr. Grief the magnificent was finally going to succeed now that he got rid of the pesky spy.  

The mood the reader receives is defiantly something that changes from different character's point of view. That's not the only thing that changed. The other thing that changed was the readers feeling about certain characters. When you're reading a story where a character may come across as a bad person, try to think about how they might feel about certain things. Doing that will give you a better understanding of their true intentions. 

The Journey of Dan Smith

Dan Smith was just an average man who had the same old boring job of sitting behind a desk. From a coworkers point of view it would seem as if he were the most boring person ever. What his peers did't know was his true dream. That dream was to go on an adventure to a jungle in the Middle of Guyana. His intentions of going there were simple. His family had past down a map from generation to generation. Dan didn't know exactly what it led to but he did know it was something special that his family had left for future findings. The only thing holding him back was the ability to make friends. He just needed two people that would be willing to go on a dangerous adventure in the middle of nowhere. After work Dan goes to the library to read about the agriculture of Guyana. He has been talking to the librarian, Lauren Jemni, for a while and he is thinking about asking her to come with him. Once he finally got the nerve to ask her she accepted. Luckily she also got her sister to come along.

Thursday October 3rd is when they left. They had to find a private pilot to take them to the middle of the Guyana's jungles. Once they arrived they had to be personally driven to the starting point of Dan's map. They got driven by a young man in his little 4 door jeep. The jungle they drove through was as cluttered as the streets of Las Vegas.

" Do you know know when we are going to get there?" said Lauren's sister, Rebecca. 

"We will be there in under 15 minutes" said the driver.   

By the time they got there everyone had decided that they would want to make camp for sleep so they would have full energy in the morning. 

"Ahh alright guys lets eat breakfast and then head out for the day" said Dan.

" My map says that we better head north for at least 10 miles to find our next checkpoint'' Dan said.

" Alright then lets get moving!" said the anxious Karen.

They had reached there destination bu there was a problem. There was nothing around them but a big circle of open dirt. Dan held the map up to the light as if it was going to show some kind of hidden path. ''Nothing". Rebecca pointed at a tree with a confused face.

'' There! I think I saw light flicker from the stump of that tree"

With extreme effort they managed to peel the bark off the tree. What happened next was one of the most astonishing things any of them had ever experienced. There in the middle of the jungle was a ladder in the inside of a tree leading straight down into a very bright pit.

" Well lets go" said Rebecca. 

When they got to the bottom there was a hallway that led to a pit of gold. Or at least stuff that looked like gold.

" Does this stuff feel a little fake to any of you guys"

At that moment he realized was a trap. The ceiling caved in and they were all killed at impact. 

Katniss and Peeta Combined Personality

Authors Note: The two characters, Katniss and Peeta, had different points of view in many situations throughout The Hunger Games although there were ways to combine them. 

In The Hunger Games, the starlight put on Katniss Everdeen makes Peeta feel like he's part of the shadows. Both of them were selected in the annual hunger games to fight to their death against other children. From the perspective of Peeta, events feel a lot more different than Katniss, the main character's, point of view. In most of the situations the two characters will have a different point of view. In the book The Hunger Games there are events that would be told differently from two different characters. 

One way Peeta's point of view could affect the interpretation is when he and his gang were chasing after Katniss. From the readers point of view it seemed as if Peeta had turned on Katniss and was now trying to kill her. What the reader didn't know was the fact that Peeta was really trying to protect Katniss. Another scene where the reader may get a different interperpretation is when Peeta announces to the fans that he has had a crush on Katniss since he was a little kid. This would seem like Peeta was was trying to make Katniss look like a weak person form Katniss's view. You can't really tell Peeta's real intentions from the story. Peeta's real intention was to try and make Katniss like him more. 

While Peeta's view made things seem different, there was a way the author could have mixed in Peeta's view into Katniss's view. For instance when Katniss made it seem like she really did have a crush on Peeta the author could have had Katniss speak her mind. The author could have had Katniss say something like " I like Peeta a lot just not in a relationship kind of way". This way we would no that their relationship in the games was just for show.

In the end Katniss and Peeta had a different point of view in several situations. Even though their point of view was different at some times; there was a way the author could have added both views to each other. No matter what you read you always have to think of how the other characters may be seeing the event.

Fight, Fight, Fight General Washington

Authors Note: I explained the overall theme from the story "Guns for General Washington".

The frosty winter air left the soldiers of General Washington as hopeless as ever. Ammo was running low and it seemed as if there wasn't one more tree in Boston to use for a fire. Things weren't looking good for the petite army. In " Guns for General Washington ", by Seymour Reit, the one thing pushing the continental army forward was the hope of one day receiving their precious city back from the British.

General Washington's low hopes are clearly shown when he sends his troops on a dangerous trip to get cannons and supplies from another base. This trip could be fatal due to the fact that they would have to drag the cannons over steep mountains. Once the news of supplies scattered across the citizens of Boston they're hopes increased dramatically. One of the more prestigious soldiers took the role of leading the pack to their destination. It was a huge milestone when they reached the camp with the supplies. Reaching that base camp was definitely a huge confidence booster. The soldiers hope was starting to change to confidence.

While General Washington's hopes lie low of accomplishing his goal at first, hope was the only thing that made him prepared for what was about to happen. The fantastic patriots had managed to get all their weapons and supplies back to base without harm. Not to mention the French promised reinforcements for the brutal war. Now that Washington had his supplies, he finally had the confidence to attack the British. After all their hard work the army finally defeated the British.

Another book where hope factors in as a huge theme is "The Hunger Games", by Suzanne Collins. The main character, Katniss, gets randomly selected to participate in the 74th annual Hunger Games. She will have to fight to the death in an arena against 23 other kids. Only one of the kids make it out alive. The one thing keeping her and her family from falling apart is the hope of Katniss returning. The last thing that is similar is the fact that in both books their hope starts to turn into confidence when things start looking good.

One of '' Guns for General Washington's " main them is most certainly hope. The grateful army relied on the hope of one day capturing their city back from the cruel British. Maintaining the supplies defiantly changed their outlook on the war. In the end defeating the British let got their hope restored and changed to confidence.