We write to express ourselves and to kind of get your ideas
and feelings down on paper. We write to influence and help teach others on our
experiences. The point of writing is to express yourself and your ideas
throughout paragraphs, poems, or songs.
If you really knew me…
If you really knew me you would know that I really care
about my family
And that I’m a great athlete
Also you would know that I try to make others live better by
making them laugh
If you really knew me you would know tat I want to be great
someday
And still haven’t planed out a route to get there
Only if you really knew me…
If you really knew me you would
know that I come from a family that strives for greatness
And for me it hard to follow in
their footsteps
If you knew me you would know I
try my best to keep up the juggle between friends, sports, and schoolwork
If you really knew me you would
know that I love music because I come from parents that also love music.
If you really knew me you would
know that my dad is my best friend, because he’s been there for me through
thick and thin.
If you really k new me you could
see that im always going to be me and none will change that.
Only if you really knew…
I feel like a person needs their
family to survive the world. Our family is there trough holidays and birthdays
and can be helpful in or life to get that advice you need. Holidays like
thanksgiving could help you because every one giving out thanks to each other
and sharing a meal and also you can experience them because you don’t see them
throughout the year.
On birthdays this is true also,
your family could give you advice about the future because
They have experienced things
throughout their lives and don’t want you to make the same mistakes.
In today’s world it is very
important to fit in with the crowd, through social networks, celebrities, and
friends influence them to become a person they are not. While being you self is
important the world is creating a new generation of followers and no one is
becoming a leader. So really the importance of fitting in is key to a social
life in today’s world.
The
book I read this semester was Monster by
Walter Dean Myers. This book has won many awards such as:
·Coretta Scott King Honor (Author)
·ALA Best Book for Young Adults
·ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
·Kentucky Bluegrass
Award
·ALA Best Book for
Young Adults
·ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult
Readers
·New York Times Notable
Book of the Year
The
story of Monster follows the court trial of Steve
Harmon and James King, Who are being charged with the murder of drugstore
owner. The story is told as if it were a movie from Steve’s point of view. This
Murder was not Steve’s fault, but because he was near the crime scene as a
supposed look out Steve was found in the wrong place at the wrong time. As the
movie rolls on the life of Steve goes with it, seeing that when the trial end
for the day he goes back to the cell where he feels uncomfortable and doubts
himself in a way that he mite loose this trial.
The main conflict was between Steve and
him self as he dealt with the fact that he was being labeled a monster. Steve
didn’t want to believe that he was monster, but the fact he watched out as a
James took another persons life must have been hard to swallow. Even though the
conflict still is still in his head, Steve sets morals for himself to become a
better person after this trial. Unluckily, James is charged with murder and
Steve is sent out to begin his new life.
My favorite character throughout this story was Steve Harmon, he shows
the strength and courage to believe that he is not something that people label
him as, a monster. That shows that the moral of this was just that, if people
label you as something, would you let people decide who are; or will you decide
who you become? I could relate to Steve the best because he went through
something that I
Have dealt with when I was in grade
school, I was stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I
would recommend this book because Walter Dean Myers is a good auther and can
relate his topic with many people.
If
I pulled off a great trick, I wouldn’t tell people who would tell the people
that the trick was pulled on. But I wouldn’t keep it to myself either. I would
probably tell 2 of my best friends and then I’d wait a little while until the
reaction to the trick had blown over or if I was far away when I played the
trick on someone, I would wait until I got home to tell people about the trick.
I would do this to ensure the people I played a trick on didn’t find out, and
to keep myself out of trouble. Also, I’d have to take into consideration what
the trick was, and who it would effect before I considered telling people about
it. I think that this all depends on who, what, when, and where.
This was about comparing the story of Everett and the story Odysseus
Roger Bracy 3/6/11
Everett vs. Odysseus
The
Odyssey and O’
Brother Where Art Thou featured two adventurers who went down similar paths
and confronted several dangers during their journey to get back home. O’
Brother Where Art Thou spotlighted Everett, a criminal who wants to get
back home to his wife and kids.He
had to take two men with him to escape the chain gang, a group of prisoners
working along side the road. Likewise, in The
Odyssey, Odysseus was a leader in the Trojan War, and was trying to get
home to his wife back in Ithaca with his crew. Even though Everett and Odysseus
had a long journey, full of anguish and battle, one crew returned intact
because of one man’s leadership skills. This great leader was Everett.
Odysseus and Everett both spotted
one-eyed creatures in both their quests. However, when they confronted the
beasts, they had different outcomes. When Odysseus first met Polyphemus, the
Cyclops was a huge obstacle that he had to conquer. Odysseus, a man of pride,
wasn’t going to let his men be trapped in the Polyphemus’s cave, so he made a
plan to get the barbarian drunk and opened up the cave so his men could be
free. “Hoisting high that olive stake with its stabbing point. Straight into
the monster’s eye they rammed it hard.” (Book 9: lines 427-428) Odysseus not
only makes the beast pass out, he outdid himself by piercing the eye of the
Cyclops, blinding him forever.
This reflects Everett’s journey where he
encountered a man of one eye, Big Dan Teague. While eating at a fancy
restaurant, Everett and Delmar are confronted by a holy man, by the name of Big
Dan Teague. He then took the men outside to eat and teach them the rules of
selling the bible, and as soon as they weren’t paying attention, Big Dan pulled
a branch off of a tree and beat the men with it. Dan took their money and car
and left them stranded, but Everett would encounter Big Dan again. He made his
second appearance when he chased and stormed after Everett and his crew while
they interrupted the Homer Stokes KKK clan. Once the men got away they cut the
rope of the burning cross the end the life of Big Dan Teague. Although Everett
and Odysseus both faced a Cyclops the after math was very different.
Everett and Odysseus’s journeys are comparable
by their Knowledge of their last obstacles. As Odysseus met his last challenge
the advice from Circe aided his quest forward and helped them reach the island
of Thrinacia. Her advice was “First you will raise the island of the sirens.”(Book
12: line 44) “Once you crew has rowed past the sirens a choice of routes is
yours.” (Book 12: lines 61-62), talking about the routes between Scylla and
Charybdis, and don’t eat the cattle, “Leave the beast unharmed, … and you may
still reach Ithaca.” (Book 12: lines 148-149) Odysseus’s knowledge of the
situation helped guide his men past the sirens and the two routes. To conclude
his task, Odysseus’s men ended up eating the cattle leaving him to return
without his crew intact.
Identical to Odysseus, Everett while at
the end of his journey remembered information that was crucial to his crew’s
survival. While facing their death, Everett and his men were going to be hung
and killed off for all the crimes they have committed. Everett stood strong, as
he knew that the dam was going to brake and flood the county by the lake. The
men were saved from their death by the knowledge of Everett and they soon
returned home. The ending of both men’s voyage was very similar as they both
got home safely, but only one of these men came home with his crew; Everett was
a better leader then Odysseus because he was able to get his crew home safely.
Furthermore Everett and Odysseus
encountered similar quests and faced identical obstacles along the way, but
only one man showed great leadership and got his men home. Everett has proven,
multiple times, that he could save his men in his passage to get home; he
wouldn’t leave his men in any situation that he wouldn’t overcome with them. As
for Odysseus, he was hesitant to save his crew throughout his Journey because
he had one task in his head; to go home. Everett and Odysseus, who come from
different centuries, both found their way back home, but one man’s journey
proved to his fellow crew that he could conquer all tasks that he was faced
with to get his men out of trouble.
This was about telling a story about our life through our eyes.
Roger Bracy1/7/11
The Ride of My Life
Forty-two stories of solid medal of stood in my way, and I wasn’t backing down from a challenge. (Interesting opener) That day at six flags changed my life; (Foreshadow) and the sign had stated “Kingda Ka”(dialogue) was my death ticket.
I was wondering why my friend had chosen this route to the other side of the park seeing that it had no outlet filled me with curiosity. Then I looked up, there stood the tallest coaster in the World, they called it “Kingda Ka.” Standing there trying to scare us on to this monstrosity was my friend Frank. Even though Frank is a loyal friend he has a way to trick you into doing things, such as, making you say stupid things, practical jokes, or things like getting on a scary ride.(magic three) As my sister and my cousin shied away from the ride I felt a little sorry for him seeing that it was the only ride that he enjoyed the most, and I gave in.
Walking through the maze of the line (metaphor) I questioned myself by saying, “Am I really going to risk my life over a friend.” Next I noticed that we were moving through this line really quickly was there absence of people. This had to be a mistake because this was the most popular ride in the park. We continued on to find that the ride had stopped temporally; this was my chance to leave. Having second thoughts about a ride made this experience even worse and frank wasn’t having it. Watching the ride load up, go up, and come down (magic 3) the ride got more and more intense.
The line finally caught up to us at the bridge, an area where the coaster was very clear. The train slowly would pull out onto a long track, STOP; shift back an inch and “CLICK” (onomatopoeia). Speakers shouting phrases of “don’t do it!” and “there’s no turning back now!” (Dialogue) The riders are consumed by terroras if they where a little kid waiting for a monster to jump out of a closet. (Simile) Like a rubber band, the coaster was ready to be released (simile) and the riders flung out at speeds of 85mph to climb the 42 stories which is known to be Kingda Ka.
As we approached the front of the line I was overwhelmed by fear buy some of the sights I was witnessing. There were foreigners, who had thick accents, they where very excited and had traveled all the way across the world to ride this giant piece of metal. Then religion started to show as I found people praying before the ride the left, right, up, and down hand motion of the cross gave some the strength to go on. Noticing that the line was beginning to congest, it was because of the exiting area, many people where exiting I guess felt a little like me.
Frank and I were next in line so kind wanted to get rid of my fear so I decided to ask people in the line some questions. I found a kid who was about my age and was very excited to go on, “what the hardest part of this ride?” I asked, (Dialogue) He answered going up this gave me the idea that if I can make it through to the top the rest would be pretty easy. Next Frank and started to count how long it takes to reach the top, it took about 14 seconds.
We were next; we hopped into our seats and waited for instructions. The worker told us to strap the harness as far as it could go down on our bodies. At this moment in time I was regretting that I had ever made fun of a fat person because they were the only people who could be held down properly on this ride as I was skinny and could shift all around the car. As we left the loading station the car slowly move us forward we stop the speakers were all around us shouting “No, No don’t do it!” and then all of the ride shot out like a cannon and we coasted our way up to the top. The ride became slower as everyone could now see that we hung over the parking lot and the view of black and white confronted us as we dropped down. It felt like an elephant was dancing on my stomach as we when down as it caved in. when it was over I was full of relief ans gave Frank a high five.
The ride ended, and I felt on top of the world and I thanked Frank for taking me on Kingda Ka. I figured that the only thing that held me back was the fact that I saw a challenge and I shy away and let my fear guide my mind. I never backed down and found that I would get through this nightmare.
This was about telling a story about our life through our eyes.
Roger Bracy1/7/11
The
Ride of My Life
Forty-two
stories of solid medal of stood in my way, and I wasn’t backing down from a
challenge. (Interesting opener) That day at six flags changed my life;
(Foreshadow) and the sign had stated “Kingda Ka”(dialogue) was my death
ticket.
I was wondering why my friend had chosen this route
to the other side of the park seeing that it had no outlet filled me with
curiosity. Then I looked up, there stood the tallest coaster in the World,
they called it “Kingda Ka.” Standing there trying to scare us on to this
monstrosity was my friend Frank. Even though Frank is a loyal friend he has a
way to trick you into doing things, such as, making you say stupid things,
practical jokes, or things like getting on a scary ride.(magic three) As my
sister and my cousin shied away from the ride I felt a little sorry for him
seeing that it was the only ride that he enjoyed the most, and I gave in.
Walking
through the maze of the line (metaphor) I questioned myself by saying, “Am
I really going to risk my life over a friend.” Next I noticed that we were
moving through this line really quickly was there absence of people. This had
to be a mistake because this was the most popular ride in the park. We
continued on to find that the ride had stopped temporally; this was my chance
to leave. Having second thoughts about a ride made this experience even worse
and frank wasn’t having it. Watching the ride load up, go up, and come down (magic 3) the ride got more and
more intense.
The
line finally caught up to us at the bridge, an area where the coaster was very
clear. The train slowly would pull out onto a long track, STOP; shift back an
inch and “CLICK” (onomatopoeia). Speakers shouting phrases of “don’t
do it!” and “there’s no turning back now!” (Dialogue) The riders are consumed
by terroras if they where a little kid waiting for a monster to jump
out of a closet. (Simile) Like a rubber band, the coaster was ready to
be released (simile) and the riders flung out at speeds of 85mph to climb
the 42 stories which is known to be Kingda Ka.
As we approached
the front of the line I was overwhelmed by fear buy some of the sights I was
witnessing. There were foreigners, who had thick accents, they where very
excited and had traveled all the way across the world to ride this giant
piece of metal. Then religion started to show as I found people praying
before the ride the left, right, up, and down hand motion of the cross gave
some the strength to go on. Noticing that the line was beginning to congest, it
was because of the exiting area, many people where exiting I guess felt a
little like me.
Frank and I were
next in line so kind wanted to get rid of my fear so I decided to ask people in
the line some questions. I found a kid who was about my age and was very
excited to go on, “what the hardest part of this ride?” I asked,
(Dialogue) He answered going up this gave me the idea that if I can make it
through to the top the rest would be pretty easy. Next Frank and started to
count how long it takes to reach the top, it took about 14 seconds.
We were next; we
hopped into our seats and waited for instructions. The worker told us to strap
the harness as far as it could go down on our bodies. At this moment in time I
was regretting that I had ever made fun of a fat person because they were the
only people who could be held down properly on this ride as I was skinny and
could shift all around the car. As we left the loading station the car slowly
move us forward we stop the speakers were all around us shouting “No, No don’t
do it!” and then all of the ride shot out like a cannon and we coasted our way
up to the top. The ride became slower as everyone could now see that we hung
over the parking lot and the view of black and white confronted us as we dropped
down. It felt like an elephant was dancing on my stomach as we when down as it
caved in. when it was over I was full of relief ans gave Frank a high five.
The ride ended,
and I felt on top of the world and I thanked Frank for taking me on Kingda Ka.
I figured that the only thing that held me back was the fact that I saw a
challenge and I shy away and let my fear guide my mind. I never backed down and
found that I would get through this nightmare.
I didn’t really feel anything when the “N word” was said to
us from the book we are reading in class. We are getting older and becoming
more mature and there are words we’ll have to encounter as we grow older. It’s
an important thing to encounter because the world isn’t always going to be rainbows
and butterflies. No one has a perfect life, and people who try to avoid these
words are avoiding the real world. In the real world there are sometimes people
who don’t think about their actions, or they’re bad and disrespectful people.
You will come across all sorts of people in your life time, And I know that isn’t
something we have any control over. People are going to use fowl language and
it is more important to know how to react, than to be angry or disappointed with
them because that isn’t always the best approach. The word is awful, but
inevitable. And in my mind words are only what you make them out to be. I also
think that it’s inappropriate because nobody should be insulted in that way but
unfortunately people will use that language.
Overview: This assignment was done in the beginning of the school
year, possibly the first couple weeks of school. For this assignment, it was
about us as well as and incorporating who we are throughout our writing. The
purpose was to be able to distinguish who we are, and what makes us unique from
others as well as seeing what we had in common with others as they presented
their interests and hobbies.
Overview: This
independent reading review project consisted of us reading a book that
interested us and righting a review on it. In the review, personal opinions
were accounted for as well as if we would recommend this book to another
person. The main purpose was to talk about the book, but mixing up some spices
without adding in the entire flavor before the meet starts to cook. In other words keeping
the reader entertained was the main purpose as well as making the book sound
interesting without giving away all the details. This is now my edited version
of the assignment, since slight adjustments had to be made.
Book Review
Jason and Kyra is a book that has been written by Dana
Davidson. The book was published in December 2005 and has reached a sales rank
of about 31,000 books. Jason and Kyra won a couple awards, which are the
Virginia’s choice award, National book award, and the Michael L. Prints award.
In Jason and Kyra the main characters are Jason and Kyra,
hence the name of the book. In the story they seem to live in totally separate
worlds, although they are both seniors at Cross High School. Jason being the
totally popular jock that everyone wants and Kyra being the quiet girl that
just doesn’t seem to stand out to many.
Their worlds seem to collide when they are both assigned to be
partners for a project, of course Kyra didn’t seem too excited since she didn’t
expect that Jason was smart. On the other side Jason looked forward to working
with Kyra. As time goes by Kyra realizes that Jason is truly smart and has such
potential when it comes to being in the classroom. They both start to gain a
small connection for each other and Jason tells Kyra things that he isn’t even
comfortable telling to his best friend.
Sooner than later, Kyra and Jason began to bond and end up
becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Only there is one problem, since Jason was
known to be and jock and the popular one and Kyra was the silent girl that was
mainly into the books, Jason’s ex girlfriend would do anything in her power to
see them apart. Like Jason’s ex many people didn’t want them together asking
them why they were together and on top of that Jason’s ex was trying to get him
back, which many could say was hard. But Jason and Kyra found in each other
beauty, confidence, and with that they learned to love one another and get past
societies thoughts.
Throughout this story Jason was my favorite character. He was
able to live above what others thought about his relationship and smarts, and
decided that being himself was the best thing to do in his situation. Also,
another reason that Jason was my favorite character was because he was able to
thrive in his path to success and what was on him mind usually became the
prize.
With that in mind, I believe that readers will be able to take
away a lot from this book. Many can learn that confidence can lead a good path
and that sometimes other people’s negative opinions don’t matter. Also, some
people will take out of this book that in life you have to learn to be willing
to surpass those little things in life that wont better your well being.
Lastly, this book teaches you to chase after your dreams because your dreams
surely wont chase after you.
Personally, from this book I am able to relate to Jason and
Kyra because they were both confident when it came to getting what they wanted
and they seemed to be the outcast of the school, which isn’t always bad. Of course
they were known as outcasts because not many people wanted them to be together,
but the fact that they fought through it is what made their love stronger for
each other. Like Jason I wasn’t always able to speak to the people that I
thought were close to me, so that is probably what made me enjoy the book even
more.
The book to me was well written and I surely enjoyed the way
that the author portrayed the character’s feelings throughout the story, which
made me attracted to the book as a reader. Although, I feel as though the book
could have talked more about Jason’s ex girlfriend and her feelings toward
Kyra. Also, the author could have possibly written more about Jason’s ex
girlfriend and let her speak throughout the book; therefore I found that portion
too be a weakness of the piece. Even though, this book had its weakness’ like
any other book, I would definitely recommend this to other people because it
teaches others the benefits of confidence, unconditional love, and inner &
outer beauty.
Overview- Everyday
during English class there was a prompt or it said “free write” on the board.
In these 15-20 minutes of class everyone was able to have a moment where they
could write about anything they wanted whether it was something amazing or
tragic. These 6 entries that will be showcased are the work that have been
written on my part whether well done or poorly written. These entries just show
my growth in general.
Journal 1-
There has been moments throughout my life where there are things that were
difficult to get. The struggle was to find in which manner would be best to go
about pursuing what it was that was difficult to get
This often
happens to me and from personal experience, although it is difficult it is best
to pursue it directly rather than indirectly. For ex. when my friends invite me
to places and there is no doubt throughout my mind that the idea is amazing but
the problem is asking. When I really want something though, there is no doubt
in my mind that I will strive for that certain something until I get it.
Journal 2- To
fit in isn’t much important from my personal perspective. Fitting in is bland, boring
and the same old stuff. When being yourself there is room for you be who you
are; unique, creative and most importantly you. Putting yourself in a position
where you act like something you’re not, is mainly glib.
Journal 3-A
time where I have felt where I could drop my racial, cultural, or gender
identity is when people feel the need to judge me. They feel as though just
because I look a certain way I’m expected to be “ghetto” or not be as educated
as I have been so far. With that in mind, another time I wish that I could drop
my culture is when I’m beyond hungry and my best friend asks me for some of
when I’m eating.
It picks a nerve
because I want to say when people ask me for food but sometimes the words don’t
come out and even if I say no I still give in and give her some. Its all
because I can imagine my mother saying “Katherine no se le niega la comida a nadie”. In other words my
mother is saying its not good to deny others food. I mean I’m not a greedy
person, but when it comes to sharing and im starving that’s when it becomes a
problem.
When people look
at me they automatically think I am of African American descent, but they
thought wrong because I am not black I am Dominican and Puerto Rican. When
people ask me what race I am proudly I can say “I’m Dominican and Puerto
Rican”.
Journal 4- There
hasn’t even been a moment in my life where there has been an impossible task.
Although time get rough, in my mind there isn’t a situation that as a human
that is impossible to surpass. Considering that the easy way out isn’t always
the best thing to, so when doing things that are difficult it really helps to
learn more. With this characteristics that end up defining myself are
hardworking and determined.
Journal 5- Your
environment shapes who you are and who you become because you usually are
influenced by your experiences. This behavior can be influence people in a
negative or positive manner. When seeing terrible things you can either flow
with it or live above the influence. When seeing things on a daily basis, you
can assume that it isn’t terrible if you haven’t had background information on
the concept.
Journal 6-
When encountering the word “nigger” there was a pause throughout the reading.
It seemed to be insolent behavior on Rufus’ part (he’s from the book). In this
time he is a child and his father was using this word as well as many other
people in his surroundings. Therefore, from his perspective the word “nigger”
was okay to say.
Rufus didn’t seem to understand the power behind the word “nigger” . He
didn’t understand how much hatred, agony and hurt lies beneath it. Therefore, I
wondered if Rufus ever encountered his father whipping the slaves and hear
their brutal screams the way that Dana had to.
I can’t remember anyone exceeding
my expectations. This kind of upsets me, because I think most of my childhood I
spent dreaming about fairies, being a princess, and stuffed animals being real.
I was a dreamer, and I guess nothing can live up to those expectations. Wait. I
just remembered one… When I used to go down to my grandpa/great aunt’s house I
had these neighbors. I don’t remember them that well, but I remember they had a
son. Their son and I would always play in the neighborhood. He taught me how to
boogie board and we would play detective looking for interesting things with
his “detective dog” in our backyards.
I remember one morning I woke up really
early and went to knock on his door, I didn’t think that he’d be awake but his
mom opened the door for me and smiled. “Wait right here” she said letting me in
to sit down at their breakfast table, she ran up the stairs and woke him up.
She had been making pancakes and invited me to stay for breakfast. I guess
because I don’t remember spending much time with both of my parents and
brother, it felt very homey and nice. They asked me about myself, and only
having known me for 2 weeks or so; they invited me into their home life. It
felt so nice. That boy and I spent what was left of my time there at the beach
on boogie boards, or playing with his and my grandfather’s dog Winston. It’s
such a fond memory because every time I think about it I remember the beach,
laughter, people caring about me, and happiness.
As for me I don’t really feel like I’m exceeding anyone’s expectations
often. I go out of my way to make certain people happy sometimes, and they act grateful
and happy but I just do it to see them smile. Also, I don’t know what anyone’s
expectations are for me, and I think it’s more important to live up to my own. Sometimes
I exceed my own, but my parents’ praise seems so paper-thin. I just think I
don’t live up to what they expect, my mom’s very loving and stuff, and my dad
always wants us to do well in school. I feel as if I haven’t really exceeded
their expectations, and I used to mind it a lot but now I think it’s more
important to live up to my own goals. On the other hand, My little brother
makes me feel like I exceed his expectations all the time. I like the feeling
of having him look up to me, and he always seems more genuinely impressed when
I do something I’m proud of than my parents do. I guess I love him more than I
realize…. my cousins are that way too. Not that I don’t love my parents. They
just don’t ever seem as genuinely impressed as I’d hope for, but they still
praise me.
My environment has shaped me. I didn’t want my environment
to ever affect me but it has as I’ve grown older. I can’t change that because I
didn’t plan it but it’s just the truth. Many of my friends do bad things and I
thought they’d never change. I know everyone and everything from 15 year olds
on acid and speed, kids who’ve done cocaine, kids who have piercings all over
their bodies, kids who have sex like it’s a hobby, kids who cut, throw up,
kleptos, drinkers, smokers. Everything. And I never thought I’d ever even
associate with it. I thought I was better than those people, that I’d never
even be their friend. I hate society for not finding a better way to teach us
about reality because it’s a lot scarier than anybody ever warned me. When it
hit me that drugs and violence, and people throwing their lives away were
everywhere around me I just felt overwhelmed. Because of this I just sort of
get frustrated with the way people deal with things. Everyone’s gotten MORE
immature due to these things if you ask me. I just get upset with how people
deal with things, and that makes me a hypocrite because I don’t always deal
with things in the best possible way either. When people are hurt, or upset
they do horrible things to themselves to self medicate, and make themselves
feel better. It’s something that everyone is going to see at some point in their
life, and some people will get trapped by it. I think that even so? What really
matters is that I try. What hurts me the most about seeing my friends fall into
these dirty, dark, habits is that they begin to forget everything that ever
mattered to them. And even scarier they begin to forget themselves. That’s what
separates me from them, is that no matter what happens in my life and no matter
how hard or painful it is? I won’t let it affect me negatively. I’ll only keep
getting stronger, better at dealing with these situations. I would never purposefully hurt myself
in any of the ways that my friends do. I just couldn’t let something consume my
life before I’ve had my full chance at becoming everything I can.
The book The Five People You
Meet in Heaven is a very interesting book about life and death and the
possibilities of afterlife. The Five
People You Meet in Heaven opens your eyes up to a whole new level of things
that could possibly happen when you die. This book was on the New York Times
best seller list for 95 weeks straight in 2003 when it was released. The novel
was also turned into a movie in 2004, staring John Voight.
The book starts out with the main character
Eddie (an old man) who has worked at Ruby Pier the amusement park for almost
his whole life. He dies trying to stop one of the rides at the park from
falling and killing the passengers inside, but once the passengers are safe,
the carts of the ride fall and Eddie gets killed.
When he arrives at heaven, he notices that the
sky changes rich, beautiful, colors and he feels his youth come back even
though he is still inside his old worn looking body. He meets one person at a
time in his or her own heaven and they explain to him certain events in his
life, how it affected them, and why his life had purpose. When he is done in
the first heaven, the sky begins to change beautiful colors again, and he
arrives in his second person’s heaven. He feels his body growing older every
time he reaches a new heaven as the people explain their relevance to his life.
When he is done meeting all five of the people, he gets to choose his heaven,
and then the book ends.
The
main character in the story is Eddie, but some of the other characters that
played big roles in his life where is wife Marguerite, his father,a little girl named Tala, Ruby, the
Blue Man, and the Captain. Marguerite is Eddie’s first and only love in the
story. He comes home one day and tells his brother that he met the girl he is
going to marry. And one day, he does. His father played a big role in his life
because his father was hard on him, and pushed him to follow in his exact footsteps,
working at Ruby Pier. This is something that Eddie regrets and resents his
whole life, as it is the life he wishes he had escaped. The little girl named Tala,
Ruby, the Blue Man, the Captain, and his wife Marguerite are the five people
that Eddie meets in heaven, all of which somehow played an important role in
his life, weather he knew it, or met them, or not.
This
story has many conflicts, because it focuses on Eddie’s life as a whole, and
throughout his life there are many things that weren’t right like his
relationship with his abusive father, and the way that when he came home from
the war he was a broken man.
My favorite character in this book was the Blue Man, because I
leaned about the way silver nitrate was used as medicine long, long ago and how
this man drank so much silver nitrate to help ease his tension and his jumpy
behavior that he turned blue. After he turned blue, he had to change his name
to “The Blue Man” and his father never spoke to him again because he saw him as
an embarrassment, so he went and joined Ruby Pier’s freak show. He is my
favorite character because I think his story was the most interesting one, and
he seemed very relaxed, and okay with himself the way he was.
The
most important thing to take away from this book is the fact that life isn’t
something that we can label or define, we can’t fully understand everything
that’s happened in our lives until they are over, and we really don’t know what
comes next, if anything. An important theme in this book is that we don’t know
what happens when we die, and the form of life after death in this book makes
you really think about the fact that when you die, anything is possible.
Regardless of what you believe in.
I could relate to Marguerite (Eddie’s wife) in the story because
she was the type of woman who was always happy with what she had. She loved
children, and when problems like being infertile came up, she thought of alternate
options without feeling upset or depressed for very long. I am similar in the
sense that I try and make the best out of every situation as well.
Eddie
always felt like he could never live up to his father’s expectations. Nothing
he ever did was enough for his dad. When I was younger, I remember wanting so
much to live up to the rest of the world’s expectations. I think back to it
now, and I’m glad that the only expectations that I live up to now are the ones
I want to live up to, and my own. I don’t think it’s good to live doing what
someone else wants you to do your whole life. Living up to a stereotype or
doing things that influence your life to please someone else isn’t smart, and
it won’t make you happy although completely understand what that feels like.
My opinion on this book is that it is really keeps you interested.
I liked it a lot because it was a different style of writing than the kind I am
used to, and because it had a lot of valuable lessons worded perfectly. One of
the strongest things about this book is that it was very well composed, and Mitch
Albom is great at setting scenery in your mind. Another thing that I think
Mitch Albom did very well is that he created connections to everything in the
story, and in the heaven he created he decided that everything important in
your life would get explained. This book was very well written, and I honestly
don’t think that there were any weaknesses. If I could change anything in the
book I’d change the ending to find out what Eddie’s heaven looks like, but at
the same time I think that might be hard to do since it was a great book.
I would very much recommend this book to people because it really
gets you wondering about how things work. We don’t know how many things are
going to happen and when they’re going to happen, so it’s nice to have that
subtle reminded to keep our minds open to the many possibilities.
Introduction I chose 6 journal entrees, that was from the middle and beginning of the school year. They are mainly form the book Freedom writers, that was my favorite book this year. These journal entrees are true and very expressive, I think you all would enjoy these.
Journal 1
I write because writing is am addiction. I’m
addicted to the way the pen makes music too the paper. The way it balances
between two lines. The way my soul and thoughts just fall out of the pen. It
tells all of your inner thoughts, the intertwine between the paper, pen, and
your soul is a match made in heaven. I fein for the way the pen races across
the line paper, it never gets tired. I don’t write because a teacher told me or
because it is an assignment. I do writing freely, just the way my small
chocolate hand grabs a pen and my soul just opens up though the pen. It’s
almost like I’m conversing with someone. I don’t need a clinic or hospital, but
with out writing I would be sick. I love my addiction.
Journal 2
They say I’m cocky, I will never be anything.
Coming from the deep dirty streets of south Philly, I’m just another black
girl. Trouble only come from girls like me, well at least that’s what they
think. Their looks cut me; I can hear their thoughts screaming so loud. She
going be pregnant by the age of 16, she going be addicted to boys. Only if you
really knew me, no question is do you really know me? I’m the girl who had to
grow up to help her mother. I’m the girl who smiles to make others happy. I
work my fingers to the bone to have a great education and to try to satisfy my
insatiable appetite to learn. I’m the girl who’s scared to step her foot out
side her door, or to even watch a movie with shooting in it. I’m that girl you
people think so bad of that helps her sick dad. The girl who doesn’t believe
she is conceited but confidant enough to walk with her head held high, never
looking down. That same girl who loves her family. Yes, I’m a black girl and
from south Philadelphia, but also this girl if not a whore, and I’ll not be
pregnant by 16. I’m glad you don’t know me, because frankly I do not want to
know you.
Journal 3
I feel sorry for you. They spit in you face and
treat you like dirt. They look at you like you’re a piece of dross. They look
at you like you’re a piece of gum on the bottom of shoe. They spit on you when
you’re down; you slice your arm and the red pain leak from your skin. You will
have sex for attention. You are insecure and feel your self-esteem is at a low.
Now you wear tight clothes, and show off the little you have on your body.
Suicide won’t be the answer. Show people you are a human just like them. I
never thought we would hate people for what they like. Race, creed, nationality
yeah maybe, but not for what they like. You hide who you are for friend’s
bullies, and families. You cry at night, because you don’t want to like what
your heat like. Be proud of your self; be proud to be gay and who you are.
Journal 4
The S sounds funny when people say it; it rolls
off there tongue in a stumble. They spell it so wrong; my family says it means
something special. People joke about it all the time, but I still yet to see
what’s so funny. My name seems so sudden and scary, like the
color grey. Grey is not to dark and not to bright, but dull and unfriendly.
My name is a mixture of my aunt and grand mom name. My aunt name
is Trina, my mother youngest sibling. My grand mom name is Sarah my mom’s
mother. She feels I remind her of them in some way, but I don’t think so. My
grandmother is so loud and rambunctious. Her attitude frightens people, and she
has a problem with listening to stuff people has to say. My aunt on the other
hand has attitude that people walks away from. She thinks she is still a young
girl, and her character seems like it should be forbidden off this earth. She
feels that she is better than every one; she doesn’t help with our family most
of the time. She takes responsibility for stuff that’s her, but not others. She
fun to be around and has the ability to relate teens.
My grand mom appearance seems so young and
sassy; her hair color is a shimmery gold. Moles on her face, and perfect square
bright teeth. I love knowing my grandmother she is spontaneous and full
character. My aunt dressy fun and sexy, her butt attracts much attention.
I have a mixture of two names that has two personalities. That’s
probably why I act the way I do, I don’t know weather to be shy or jus have
outburst. Does my name say anything about me? Does it even mean anything
special? These the questions I think of, like why did my mother think of this
name? But I know the answer to that question it’s because I’m special to her,
just like my grandmother and aunt.
When I get home my real name is never said, its always Re or Re
Re. At Home it’s like my name doesn’t exist, unless it’s a serious occasion.
They throw Re around but its only two letters from my name, the two letters smack
dab in the middle. I don’t love my name but I like my name sort of. Does it
define me? Watch when I try to say it, Sarena the S rolled off my tongue in a
stumble to.
Journal 5
I’m scared; I’m
afraid, and petrified. They do it but not me; I got a mind of my own. When it
comes to this one specific topic, my skin, and tummy, does a cartwheel. I’m on
my own as I walk with a straight posture; they stare and can smell the virgin
on me. Girls got gaps between their legs you can tell they been poked before. We
are so young in high school, and me having the attitude I have. I know for a
fact that Sex, won’t be for along time. I hope my scent lingers. But sometimes
I wonder does my mature ways and strong personality cause me to be different. I
hope the smell of my virginity makes them insecure and jealous.
Journal 6
I would gravel on
the ground and eat dirt. I was in my own unknown world, fresh meat. I seen this
one group, they were it. They seemed special, amazing, I would love to be part
of that group. I realized being fresh meat, means you are not ready to be
tenderized yet.
Overview- The purpose of the myth project was to research about a mythical God who we found to be very interesting. There was one catch though, in order to choose this God it was best to know the least information about this mythical character. It was best to learn information that was fresh to the mind, in order to ensure that new information was gained and doing the project wasn’t boring.
(For some reason the file wouldn't upload, so here is a link: https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B2LDaXKN0qv1NTcxZTE4MTMtYTk0Yy00MmY4
I think that
Odysseus and Max are very similar in the sense that they both take control in
every situation. But at the same time, Max would rather die than let anyone in
her flock be killed. Odysseus on the other hand is all about getting himself
home safely and finishing his journey by himself.Odysseus just wants to get through his challenges so that HE
can get home to his wife and son. He doesn’t really care too much about the
well being of his other shipmates who are just there for him, and trust him
completely.
Max and Odysseus
are fierce, strong, and confident leaders. They both are attacked with
challenges and face them without fear. Both leaders are very strategic and
unafraid of the frightful experiences they must face. Odysseus had to face the
horridly beautiful Sirens which makes a point about how things never are what
they seem. The Sirens are beautiful but awful creatures that if given the
chance would kill any man they see. Odysseus barely escaped them. Max likewise
has to get past the unknown sea creatures that have been formed by toxic waste
in the depths of the oceans. The creatures lure them in with their mysterious
shapes and sizes and leave them in awe, and almost destroy them. On the
contrary though, Odysseus is lured in by the sirens’ beautiful voices, and Max
and her flock are lured in by the mysterious sight of the unknown creatures in
the sea.
Max and Odysseus are both strong,
confident leaders, but every leader has his/her flaws.Max is impatient, and Odysseus is
selfish. There are people constantly attacking and throwing challenges at both
crews and they handle everything in similar ways. The only thing that isn’t
similar about the crews is that max is selfless and does everything to protect
the people she is with/that are backing her up. Whereas Odysseus just about
lets all his men die and be killed by monsters he knew he couldn’t stand a
chance against like Scylla. Odysseus is all about getting himself home safely
and finishing his journey by himself while creating as much glory for himself
along the way. Nevertheless Max is all about protecting her flock and trying
NOT to draw attention to herself. There are people constantly attacking and
throwing challenges at both crews and they handle everything in different ways,
both portraying them in my mind as strong and confident leaders.
Another thing that
is different about Max and Odysseus is that Max is a girl, and regardless of
how tough she comes off as she still does have her breakdown moments where everything
overwhelms her. Due to the fact that Odysseus is a good 30 years older than Max
at the least, and the fact that he is a man I think it’s safe to say that when
it comes to battling and staying strong and confident, it’s easier for him. Max
has to leave her mother and her sister at home and take the flock of
genetically mutated kids whom she cares very much for with her, and she worries
about everyone of them every day. Odysseus hardly ever thinks about his men as
people and sees them more as sidekicks who aren’t quite as important as
anything else.
More than
anything, I think Max and Odysseus have about as much in common as they don’t.
By that I mean that they are very similar when it comes to their rough
lifestyles, constantly traveling and not sure whom they can trust, and the
tough challenges they have to live through. But at the same time, they are
different because Odysseus is only thinking about himself and Max has a deeper
bond where she is honest with the people that accompany her on her insane
adventures and journjourneys.
You know how
people say great things happen when you least expect them? (Opener) Well
that’s the way it all began between Nick and I. It all started on a Friday,
(October 30th, the day before Halloween to be exact) a day that I
didn’t expect to be out of the ordinary. I had dressed up like a vampire to
school for the costume competition, full with plastic fangs, chalky white
makeup, and a cape.(Magic Three) Of course, I ended up being one of the only
people who dressed up, but on the bright side, that never fails to make people
laugh, right? My field hockey team had a very important game against a very
good, prestigious team that day after school. We on the other hand just
referred to them as “that snobby annoying school with a bigger field than us”.
Some of the younger girls on my team decided that since it was the night before
Halloween, we should try and “scare” the other team. I happily supplied white
and black face paint,(glad that
some use came of it) painting every girl on my teams face white with black
circles around their eyes. We were all laughing and making fun of each others
bad makeup, and I guess our game plan to distract them worked, because even
though we overheard them calling us freaks in the girls bathroom the victory
was ours.
My
best friend is named Emmi. Emmi has long blonde curls, and fierce, deep blue
eyes(Magic three). We do everything together and she had stayed to watch my
game. I went downstairs and she waited with me while I washed off the messy
face paint and changed out of my clothes, looking like I’d been tossed around
in a tornado(Metaphor).We were going to a haunted house that night with my
step brother, and his friend who I’d never met.
Emmi and I walked
out of school, and over to love park where everyone hangs out after school when
it’s warm. The cold hadn’t hit yet, and fall was at its warmest point. We went
and met up with some of the kids we usually hung out with, skaters. Swoooosh,
swiiiish, swoooooosh, their boards slid by us as they jumped around us doing
skateboard tricks, and we laughed eating junk food from the Seven Eleven (repetition
for effect).We didn’t feel like going to the haunted house anymore because we
were having fun with our friends, and left in dismay when my dad called.
We hopped on the
train and talked about school and field hockey, and how the other team looked
when they lost. We trudged into my house expecting a quiet, dull and boring
night and I had pretty much forgotten that Grace, Johnny (my step brother) and
his friend were coming to the haunted house with us(Magic three).
Emmi and I were
never pessimists, so I turned on music, and made both of us soup. We sat at my
table laughing andeating when
suddenly the front door opened, and a boy walked into my house. I didn’t know
him, but saw shortly after that Johnny was right behind him. The boy looked
around my house and made small talk with Johnny while they walked up the
stairs. I barely ever liked anyone at first sight, but when I saw him I
immediately thought he was attractive. I turned to Emmi and cupped my hands
around her ears“he’s cute!” I
whispered into her ear, she whispered back “I know!” they walked towards the
table where we sat and I searched my mind for something to say. I ended up asking
them the first thing that came to my head. “Want some crackers?” they laughed
and looked at each other “no I’m okay” said the boy smiling. My step mom walked
in through the door then andthe
introductions were made, I analyzed the boy standing in front of me, he was tan
with dark brown hair that flipped over his eyes. I signaled at Emmi and stood
up from the table, “we’ll be right back” I said grabbing Emmi’s arm and pulling
her into my room. We sat on my floor, my music was on as always and we brushed
our hair and wiped the left over Halloween makeup from our faces. Just then
there was a knock at the door. “Grace is here!” I said standing abruptly, Emmi
right behind me. We opened the door and introduced her to Nick and Johnny.
“Hi!” Grace’s freckle dabbled cheeks turned into a grin, and she hugged Emmi
and I.
On
the car ride over, I made small talk with Nick and Johnny, and Grace and Emmi
stayed moderately quiet. I found out that Nick played ice hockey, one of my
favorite sports. He lived in New Jersey, and according to him he “never got
scared”. We teased him, hoping that the pennententary would scare him the way
it always scared us. We got out of the car and signed our wavers, walking
through the long line of people and listening to the screams coming from the
inside of the haunted jail. People dressed as monsters crawled on the floor
and ran around, screaming and cackling with gouged eyes, rotten teeth and
bloody wounds, but I was more interested in the boy named Nick (Magic
three). Him and I decided to exchange numbers, solely for the slight chances
that one of us got lost, of course. As we walked in, there were foggy lights
and sirens going off. The jail looked like something straight out of a
horror movie and every five minutes an actor that looked like he’d fallen into
a bucket of toxic waste, would jump out from behind us or beg us to let it out
of it’s jail cell (metaphor). Nick started squinting and saying he couldn’t
see because of the strobe light, he kept walking into things so I grabbed his
arm and he walked with me. Johnny, Emmi, and Grace were all in front of us
and every now and again we could hear Johnny shrieking like a child at the
doctor’s office(Metaphor). Every little while I’d check in to make sure
Nick was ok, and he just kept blinking as if he were blind. Emmi, grace and
Johnny went ahead and Nick and I were walking slowly. Everytime I got scared
I’d jump andhe’d occasionally ask
if I was ok. Eventually we reached one of those bridges where the walls spin
around you in circles with creepy patterns on them. More actors were standing
underneath the bridge scraping the metal walkway with their fingernails. I got
really dizzy and couldn’t keep walking so Nick grabbed my hand and put his arm
on my back, helping me out of the tunnel. When we got out of the tunnel, we
didn’t let go of each other’s hands. I stood still for a second, (I’m known to
get dizzy very easily) “are you good?” he asked me, I nodded my head and
smiled. I was still holding his hand we braced the rest of the haunted house.
My heart felt full andI felt
comfortable with him. I remember thinking to myself“I don’t even know this guy…why do I feel so comfortable
with him? Why am I holding his hand?” but I never said anything. Eventually we
got out, and if it were up to me I would have made the haunted house a LOT
longer. We saw Emmi Grace and John, and awkwardly let go of each others hands
mutually feeling as though Johnny would not be happy if he saw. When Anne (my
stepmom) and my dad arrived, we took some pictures in front of the prison, and
piled into the car.
Back
at my house, I felt a sinking feeling in my chest as if an anchor were weighing
it down, knowing that I would probably never see the boy named Nick again
(Metaphor). We played with a football in my house, ate some chips, and
then asked if we could walk around the neighborhood with the boys. By then it
was like 11:30 but my dad said sure. We walked them to Market Street, and
everyone was quiet except for Nick and I. We were making jokes and having silly
arguments. We all eventually sat and talked trying to figure out who was
taller, about school, how Johnny didn’t like the kids where he was from, Emmi
and I teased them about being from Jersey, and Grace joined in every once in a
while. Eventually we had to go back home and I felt my heart sink even more. We
hugged them goodbye and I watched them close the door with brief smiles. Grace
got picked up shortly after, and Emmi was sleeping over so that the next day
(Halloween) we could go trick or treating together. We layed on my couch and
watched Chuckie, when all of the sudden I got a text that said “Hey it’s Nick
:P” my heart skipped a beat, and I showed my phone to Emmi. I remember staying
up until 2AM texting him. Eventually we became closer and closer, and he asked
me out. He was literally the boy version of me, and it still amazes me how when
your not looking, you find some of the most important things in your life. Nick
has now been my boyfriend for a year and five months, and he’s like my best friend.
This story isn’t supposed to be one of those lovey stories, but it’s supposed
to show that things happen when you least expect and that’s the greatest
suprize. That night will now forever be special to me, even if Nick and me
don’t stay together, he’ll still be special to me.
Introduction: this is my compare and contras benchmark
for my third quarter. This was about comparing big Dan from the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? And the
Cyclops is from the book odyssey. All this is about is how
both of them are alike.
Thesis: Even though Big Dan and Cyclops have some of the same characteristics,
they are portrayed differently in the stories.
Body Paragraphs:
#1. Point of Comparison—Big Dan
and Cyclops the same
Specific examples: Both have 1 eye
Both big and strong
They
greedy
Stick
#2. Point of Contrast—Big Dan and
Cyclops different (tricking)
Specific examples: Big Dan tricking Everett and taking all his money
Cyclops he
got tricked by Odysseus when he gave him wine that made him drunk then he fell
asleep. Odysseus stabs him in they eye and blind him.
#3. Point of Contrast—Big Dan and
Cyclops different (Big Dan is smarter than Cyclops)
Specific examples: Big Dan did not lose his eye, didn’t gettricked. Cyclops falls for Odysseus’ trick.
Big Dan was more prepared. He expected Everett to come. Cyclops didn’t
know that Odysseus was going to come.
Conclusion: Restate your thesis.
Your conclusion is that while both men have physical similarities, they are
portrayed differently in how they handle situations.Big Dan seems to be smarter than the Cyclops because he is
prepared for Everett and doesn’t fall for his tricks.
I have enjoyed myself in English class for my freshman year.
I have learned a lot and have grown a lot. In portfolio, you can see that I
have grown a lot, the more recent my work get. My project tells that I am not a
person that gets my emotions out all the time and like to get it out on paper.
Also, from my projects you can tell I try my best in everything I attempt.
Even though I have grown being in this class for the last
past couple of months, I still
have things I need to work on. One big weakness that I have and need to work on
is to stop procrastinating. My work is not as good if I do it the night before
and most likely, I won’t complete my work on time. I do think a strength is
connecting my emotions to my piece of writing or to a book. Making this
portfolio was really interesting. It almost seemed to me like an evolution. It
was fun looking through all my work. It was easy to edit because I had all of
my papers right in front of me. I am most proud of my book review. My book
review was one of the best papers I have ever written in my life. My grammar
was perfect and I scored really high on it. Maybe the highest I have ever
scored on a piece of writing.
Quarter one Benchmark was my first benchmark ever for
English. This was a project based around a Shakespeare’s play called Macbeth. I was walking into this project
naive and a little nervous. This was a project I wasn’t used to because we had
to create a thesis and I had to create a essay on a Shakespeare play.
Thesis- In the
beginning of the play, Macbeth was a beast on the battlefield and a very loyal
friend, but by the end he had a frozen heart and would do anything to get to
the top.
In Act 1, Scene 3 of
Macbeth, King Duncan has sent Angus and Ross to go pronounce the title Thane of
Cawdor to Macbeth. King Duncan gave this title to Macbeth because he heard of
the incident on the battlefield and felt that he deserved it. Also, the
previous King of Cawdor was not trustworthy and sneaky. So, King Duncan sent someone
to kill him and sent Angus and Ross to pronounce the title to Macbeth. Macbeth
and Banquo had just got their prophesies from the weird sisters. Macbeth’s
prophecy stated that he would be pronounced Thane of Cawdor, and later would be
pronounced King.Angus and Ross
surprised Macbeth and Banquo to pronounce Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor. After
this, aside Macbeth says, “Two truths are told, as happy prologues to the
swelling act of the imperial theme” (Act 1, Scene 3, lines 128-129). Macbeth is
in shock right at this minute. He really can’t believe all this just came true
because he didn’t believe the weird sisters. Macbeth was saying that part of
his prophecy came true and he can’t believe it. He has all these different
emotions stirring up inside.
In Act 1, Scene 7,
Macbeth started to think of what the murder of King Duncan would do to his
reputation. Also he felt that he didn’t have the guts to do it. King Duncan was
very good to Macbeth and trusted him. Macbeth just felt that he couldn’t betray
King Duncan’s trust and loyalty. In a result of this, Macbeth went to Lady
Macbeth and says, “We will proceed no further in this business” (Act 1, Scene
7, lines 31). What Macbeth means is that Lady Macbeth and himself will not go
through with the plan of murdering King Duncan. He can’t cough up the courage
to do something that cruel. He seemed to be very upset and stern with this
statement. Lady Macbeth was enraged with this decision that Macbeth has made. She
feels that he is being a wuss and needs to man up. She tries to convince him in
a very sexy and sneaky way to be back in tune with the plan.
In Act 1, Scene 7, Lady
Macbeth is trying to convince Macbeth to go through with the plan. However,
Macbeth was being kind of stubborn and strict with his decision not to murder
King Duncan. Then Lady Macbeth started to become convincing and Macbeth started
to become very gullible. Macbeth started to kick back in gear with the plan and
started listening to Lady Macbeth. Macbeth was feeling uneasy with the plan so he
asked Lady Macbeth “If we should fail?” (Act 1, Scene 7, line 59). Macbeth asks
Lady Macbeth this he wanted to know if she knew what they were going to do if
they did fail. However, Lady Macbeth came back with a very confident answer.
Basically, she told him to man up and don’t think about that type of stuff and
that they were not going to lose.
In Act 2, Scene 2, King
Duncan is a guest at Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s home. They decide to go through
with the plan. They were going to get the guards drunk and wait till Duncan was
asleep and murder him with daggers. After that, they were going to plant the
bloody daggers on the guards. Macbeth noticed that King Duncan was asleep and
wanted to get the deed over with. He had murdered Duncan and walked in the room.
Lady Macbeth was in the room and stated to Lady Macbeth “I have done the deed.
Didst thou not hear a noise?” (Act 2, Scene 2, line 15). He said this in a very
shaken up tone. Macbeth was terrified and paranoid. He couldn’t believe he just
did what he did and swore someone was going to find. He was so shaken up, that
he brought back the bloody daggers. Lady Macbeth noticed that he had them and
told him to go plant them on the guards while they were still out of it. He was
so paranoid that he couldn’t do that.
In Act 3, Scene 2,
Macbeth has decided to kill Banquo because he is getting to suspicious about
the murder of Duncan. Macbeth hires three murderers to kill Banquo. This was
going to take place while Macbeth and the lords were at dinner. Banquo was suppose
to attend this dinner, but this was all Macbeth’s plan so he could kill him.
However, Lady Macbeth wanted to know what was going on with this plan and
wanted to know what it was about. Macbeth wanted this plan to stay a secret and
on the “down low”. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth “Be innocent of the knowledge,
dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed” (Act 3, Scene 2, lines 46-47). What
Macbeth was saying was that he was not going to tell Lady Macbeth until his
plan was accomplished. He wasn’t going to tell anyone about this because he
didn’t want it to get out to anyone. He also wanted to think of this on his own
and didn’t want anyone to change his mind or manipulate his plan. He even went
through lying to his wife to successfully accomplish his plan.
In Act 3, Scene 4,
Macbeth was at the dinner with the lord and Lady Macbeth. Banquo was suppose to
be there, but Macbeth sent out hit men to kill Banquo. The murderers came back
and told Macbeth that the deed was done and Banquo was no longer alive. The murderers
then started to explain what they did to him. They told Macbeth that Banquo’s
throat was cut. Then Macbeth states “Thou the best of the cut throats” (Act 3,
Scene 4, line 19). This is when Macbeths really starts getting mean and cruel.
What he means by this is that he is glad that Banquo is out of the picture and
in an indirect way, he is saying good job to the murderers. Macbeth starts to
get hardhearted at this point.
In Act 4,
Scene 1, “The Weird Sisters” had came back. There were also three Apparitions,
which are ghost like images of people. These Apparitions were telling Macbeth
to be aware of Macduff and his family. Macbeth took this in to great
consideration when they had told him this. Macbeth then starts to think and
wonder why should I fear of thee. Macbeth says “But yet I will make assurance
double sure and take a bond of fate” (Act 4, Scene 1, lines 105-106). What
Macbeth means is that he will make sure that Macduff and his family is out of
the way. In other words, Macbeth is going to kill Macduff and his family. He
goes about doing it the same way he kills Banquo. He sends murderers to
Macduff’s home and only his family was there, there was no Macduff. The
murderer ends up killing Macduff’s family.
In Act 5, Scene 5, Macbeth has just
found out that Lady Macbeth has died from her mind disease. Lady Macbeth had
went in sane because she was guilty about the murder of King Duncan and that
was haunting her. Seyton has informed him about this tragic news. However,
there was also a very important war going on right now, so Macbeth states to
Seyton “She should have died hereafter” (Act 5, Scene 5, line 17). What Macbeth
is trying to say is that there is nothing he could have done about her dying or
keep her from dying. However, he is kind of glad that she has died because that
is one less thing he has to worry about while he fighting a war.
In Act 5, Scene 8, Macbeth and
Macduff are in the battlefield. “The Weird Sisters” had told Macbeth in a Act
before that Macbeth could not be harmed “none of woman born”. Because of this
Macbeth did not fear the English army. Then Macduff and Macbeth start to fight
and Macduff reveals to Macbeth that he was born form his mother’s womb untimely
ripped. Macbeth starts to get frightened by the situation now. However, Macbeth
is to stubborn to even back down. He says to Macduff “I will not yield, to kiss
the ground before young Malcolm’s feet and to be baited with rabble’s curse”
(Act 5, Scene 8, lines 28-29). What Macbeth is trying to say is he is not
backing down. He is not going to apologize for what he has done because it is
already done. He is not going to back down to Malcolm basically.
In the play Macbeth, Macbeth started
out as a very loyal and caring friend. However as the play went on, Macbeth
started to get very greedy, stubborn, and in some way evil. My quotes support
my thesis very well. In the beginning you could see that Macbeth was just not
one to betray his friends and cared about them. He also cared about what people
would think about him. However, by the end of the play, Macbeth would do
anything to get what he want and didn’t care about what a soul thought about
him. He also became very careless about people’s feelings. Shakespeare’s lesson
or message to the readers could have been don’t let anything take away your
self-respect, no matter how much it means to you to get it because it can do
you dirty at the end.