Comparison essay!! Due: 1/2/2013

Destiney Holbrook
G-Dubs
1-2-13
Equality

                                          Good and the bad.

Do you know what happens when equality gets throw into the picture of our lives? You get the good, but then again you also get the bad. The affects that equality can have on a society are huge. Some of you may think that it is a “good” thing, but in reality the “bad” always seems to take over.
You will begin to see how, in the comparison of these two stories.

       In the book The Giver, by Lois Lowry. There is a young boy named Jonas. He is the main character. He is a resident in a community, where everybody, and everything is exactly the same. The people who, I guess you can say made the community, made it to where the people who lived there, knew of nothing else. So it was basically that the only way to live was their way. That wasn’t the truth. Nobody ever doubted it, until Jonas, and the ceremony of the twelve’s came into the picture. About a week before the ceremony, jonas started seeing things “change”, little did he know, he had the ability to, “See beyond”. that’s basically what they consider to be a special gift. Jonas had been Chosen. His world, and everything he knew was about to be turned upside down.
          It was only a short time, during his training to become a giver, did jonas realize what he had to do. If Jonas didn’t escape, he would be stuck here forever. He didn’t want that, but he dint want the community to know what else was out there either. Because it would be to hard for them to cope with. It was the givers idea to have Jonas leave. “and, after we eat.” he went on, “We’ll make a plan.” ( Lowry 154). Jonas was confused, but he knew it was what he had to do. Because the bad, took over what he had always knew to be life. Nobody could handle that lifestyle, if they knew what Jonas knew.
     The next book, that falls into the same thing this does, is called Anthem, by Ayn Rand. Anthem is about another young boy, who doesn’t even have the privilege of having a normal name, he gets to be Equality 7-2521. I believe the community he is in, is like 10 times worse than the one Jonas was stuck in. In This community, the people can not even speak the word “I”, because no person is their own. If they were, not everybody could have been equal. Equality is smart, smarter than most people in this community. He pushes himself away from everybody, to invent one specific thing, a light bulb. When he succeeded he tried to take it to the board of scholars, but they freak. At first I dint really understand why it was taken so harshly, but then I realized why. It was because the board of scholars created the community, so they didn’t ant people to know there was other things out there, including the light bulb. If they showed the people what Equality 7-2521 It would have given the people of the community ideas, leading them to think of things beyond what they knew. When equality had run away, it was then that he realized there was more to the world, then he had been taught. The one he loved followed him. But since they knew not what love meant, he just knew he felt something different for her. She was named, Liberty 5-3000. But since they were no longer trapped, there were no rules, so he called her The golden one. They eventually realized that there was more to the world than they knew, so they made there knew world to each his own. With no equality, so no “bad” of society.
     While reading these two books, I put myself in their shoes, each and every day. Thinking how would I feel, if I was in the position they are. Asking myself these questions, What would I have done? How would I react? And so on. It made me think about how the world is now, and how eventually people could try to make us like this. To me that is just scary, I don’t want to be like that. Too many people in this world rebel, so it could go one of both ways. Everybody would completely change, and go with the new ways our the world, or everybody would think that this person, whoever he/she is; has completely lost their freaking minds, and put them away. Forever.
      So in conclusion, I think that societies like the ones that Equality 7-2521, and Jonas had lived in, have both good, and bad things about them. But even in a world such as ours, we have the bad and good. But we all know that the bad can take over. In a society where equality is present, the bad is defiantly going to over flow, and drown everybody. Which leads to nothing, but death.

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

Weekly post Week Of December 2nd.

Some people think, hey he is going to die fighting for what he believes in. I don’t see it that way at all. Have you ever had somebody you love go into the army? Have you had to go to sleep at night,and wake up the next day constantly worried if they made it through the night? I do. I try to be strong, for him. Because I know he loves what he is doing. But what about me? He just left me behind, to worry, to rot. Alone.  The thought of him never coming home, kills me.  Sometimes, I look up at the moon; and wonder, if he is looking up too. Thinking about me.  Most people enjoy having their loved ones come home for two weeks. Not me, the whole time, I am always thinking about how he has to go back. That makes it hard to enjoy the moment. One day I’m sure he will retire, and finally come back to me. So for now, I pray for god too keep him safe.

Week 11/18 (make-up Blog)

So, just saying, I do not like the idea of thanksgiving, at all! For one, I don’t like the idea of one person eating that much at one sitting. We should have just named it, the day to get Huge! That would be more appropriate. For two, some say thanksgiving is a day to be around loved ones, and have things to be thankful for. What about the people who have no family, and then it gets drilled into their heads, they have nothing to be thankful for. Plus you can’t say that when you eat that much food, you don’t get depressed, and feel absolutely disgusting! I know I would. Being depressed on holidays is not something to look forward to. When I look at people who are all alone, I get sad inside, because I can’t imagine what it would be like to not have anybody. I just feel so sad. So if youi see somebody all alone for the holidays, invite them over, or just make them feel good, everybody needs a smile sometimes.

Week 11/4 (Make-up Blog)

Okay, so heres the deal. T-Mills is the hottest guy in this freaking world! Oh my goodness, I want to marry him so bad! One day I will! I just know it! Warped tour 2012 was the first time I had ever even heard of him. Cassi and I went over to watch him perform, and I wasn’t very interested at first. But trust me, it all changed when he opened his mouth. I didn’t have a very good view…at first. When I heard him start singing, I pushed myself to the very front. Just to get a good look. That was the day I learned what love was. My new definition, Love is: T-Mills! Yupp. Hottest boy I have ever seen, trust me when I say he will soon marry me. I will take on anybody for him. Dang he is gorgeous! So if anybody out there knows how to get a hold of him, let him know im single, and looking. ;)

week 10/28 (makeup Blog)

Seriously!! Ughhh I hate this! I want to be on highest honors so bad! Okay, so here is what’s up. I made high honors for the first time in my life last term, so this term I am trying so hard to get on highest honors. The only two people in our class that are on it are Jamie, and Feleisha. They are like the smartest people I know. But I also have the easiest classes EVER! So I know if I push myself I can do it! The only class I seem to have trouble getting a 100% A in is this class. English hasn’t always been my best subject, I have always passed by with a C, but not this year I only seem to be getting a B. So I am going to push myself to the extreme to get where I want to be. I know it is possible, mostly because if I can land myself a place on high honors without trying, than if I push myself, I know I can do it. Wish me luck!!

Weekly post! 11-7

I hate this overwhelming feeling of stress. It is just eating me away! I cannot wait to leave this all behind, and get a fresh start. To begin my life, and finally have a chance to be…me. The one thing I learned this week, that has stuck, not including my cry baby post up there. Is that our country is freaking screwed. Big time. How can all these people put Obama back in office? Are you not aware, our country is sucking right now? The first time he was in office, he did NOTHING to help us, why would we give him another chance to ruin our country some more? We need a president who knows what he is doing, and can at least try better than Obama did to get us back on our feet. I mean come on people, really? And watching all of these people get excited on TV about it, sucks. I personally don’t know Obama, and I’m sure he is a great person, but not a great person to have in office, for sure! We need a change, a bigger change than he is willing to offer, and now we can’t get one for another four years. All I can say is, this sucks!

Common Theme essay 10-24-12

Nobody understands the burden, unless it’s placed on your shoulders.  Three particular stories we read stood out to me. They are, “lullaby”, “What you pawn I will redeem”, and “Domingo”.  The reason they all hit me so much, is because I saw a resemblance in these three stories. All the characters in the stories feel like they are responsible for the problem.  In my eyes I don't believe that they are. You will understand why.  

In the story titled “What you pawn I will redeem”, a young man named Jackson, who is homeless, and not doing so well, lost his grandmother, in 1972. He was hurt by it. Walking with some friends one day, he came across a pawn shop, and recognized something hanging in the window. It was his grandmother’s regalia, which were stolen fifty years ago. He suddenly felt he had an attachment to her through her regalia. But there was a problem. The owner wouldn't give it to him without pay, 1,000 dollars worth of pay. He didn't have that kind of money; he couldn't even afford a place to sleep. So, he went on a wild man hunt for that money, while doing that he stated, “I know it’s crazy, but I wondered if I could bring my grandmother back to life if I bought back her regalia.” (pg.443). He felt a big burden on his shoulders at that point. But what if he can't do it? Will he always beat himself up?

The second story I compared was titled, “Domingo”. This story is about an older man, who ides a very hard working guy. Sounds completely fine right? Well, hers why it was actually not. He is constantly working to keep his mind off of the loss he faced. The death of his daughter. She was barely old enough to start walking when it happened. She had fallen into a fit of fire, and ended up with some very intense burns. Over time they took their toll. And the guilt took its tale on Domingo. He blames himself for the death of his baby. We know from this one statement. “Even now he had trouble understanding why his wife left him with the baby.” (pg.76). It’s an intense feeling just thinking about the guilt that is eating him alive everyday of his life.

The third story I compared to the two listed above, is “Lullaby”. This story is about a Native American family, which can't speak English very well, except for the father.  The lady in this story is a mother, and a beloved wife. One day, two white men from the government came to her home, and trick her into signing some papers. Little did she know, by signing those papers it gave those men approval to take her children. It gets sad from that point on, because she blamed herself for what had happened. She stated, “If Jimmie had been there he could have read those papers and explained to her what they had said”. (pg.98). she let the thought of just letting those men take her children eat her up.         

I believe it was very hard on all of the characters. As you can tell, they were all faced with completely different challenges. I tied them all together is for this very particular reason, they all blamed themselves for the tragedy they faced. I placed myself in each of their shoes, and looked at it from there point of view. I now see each of them from both sides. If I was in those places they were, I would probably blame myself, they way they do too. But from where I stand, I don't believe they should tear themselves down. I was raised to know, God has a plan, and everything happens for a reason. Even if the plan, is not what you had in mind. So in conclusion, nobody understands the burden, unless it’s placed on your shoulders. I hope that whoever reads this paper, realizes you can't change everything, and you shouldn't let everything tear you apart.                                                                                                                                                                                        

weekly post :)

This week has been a difficult one. Can I just say friends don’t exsist in Green River. Everybody here that says they are your friend, lie. I can understand if you don’t like somebody, but don’t turn everybody else against them too. Just so you look “cool”. Guess what, I’m the girl that has no friends that will go far in life. You’re going to be stuck here, living from paycheck to paycheck, and having nothing in life. It sounds kind of bad on my part, but I wish that for you. Do you know how hard it is on somebody to wake up every day not knowing what to expect at school? Not knowing who is going to torture you, or hoping everyday that maybe just maybe somebody will turn against her, and you will have a friend again. I can say from experience it is not the funniest thing I have come across. I look around, and see all these young kids that have it happening to them already. I don’t want this for them. I hope something changes before it hurts them. The young kids in our town can be somebody big and important, with a little push.  Just a good push, from the right person.

Response to "WOMAN HOLLERING CREEK"!!

“Felice was like no woman she’d ever met.”  Response paper. Let me think, oh wait I remember. We got three things to choose from. Observation, compliment, or criticism. In my opinion it could be all three. Listen close, and I will explain why.

Observation.  I think that this sentence could be an observation, for one reason. In paragraph 82 after she states she is like no woman she ever met, it explains how she observed her crossing the Arroyo. Yelling like a “Crazy”. Obviously she was observing that about Felice. That could have been why she commented on her, the way she did.  This also in a way leads up to why it could have been criticism.

                Criticism. This comment could also be criticism. Sort of like I explained with observation. She explained how she was yelling like a crazy. This could have been a dig in a way too.  I am pretty sure if somebody told another person I was yelling like a crazy, I could take it wrong too. It took me quite a while to think on this one. Mostly because, I had to compare it to my personal feelings, and how it would fell to be in that position. This leads to Compliment.

Compliment. I thought very hard on this one. I Re-read the story about fifteen times to finally get it. Felice is a very strong independent woman, and tries her hardest. She looks up to Felice. So she is like no woman she ever met.  It all made sense when I thought about it, and finally let it run through my head with all the possibilities. This one just made the most sense.

So in conclusion, the sentence “Felice was like no woman she’d ever met.” Turns out to be a compliment in my perspective. At first it was all mixed up in my head, but after a long deliberation, it finally clicked. It’s a Compliment.

Weekly Post #3

This Week I learned many different things. But one thing stuck. Stir fry.  YUMMM! In foods class on Tuesday, we made the best chicken stir fry in the world. Its white rice, fried chicken, soy sauce, and lots of different veggies. It was so good; I am actually going home to make it for dinner for my family tonight. I loved it. I enjoy all the recipes Mrs. Church finds for our class we have made so many amazing things. So far our class has made chocolate chip cookies, monkey bread, stir fry, brownies, fudge, and no bake cookies. So deliciously tempting, I know. But I know if I keep eating all this yummy food, I am going to gain some major freaking weight.  That is never ever good! It is so hard because I love food; I know we all love food, but I defiantly love it the most. Anyways, back to the real subject, stir fry. If anybody wants some, you know where I live. BHAHAHA just kidding, you can’t have any. I’m going to eat it all by myself. Yupp. Here comes the 500 pounds right back to my butt. We meet again. YIKES!!

Culture!!

In school this week, I learned only one thing. And it was in Mr. Gowans class. We read a story from a book called “Arranged Marriage”.  It talked about the Indian culture, (like the ones from India). I was very interested in the story; it was titled “Clothes”. I found it fun, and it defiantly made me want to get more information on the Indian culture. In India, they have arranged marriages, where the Young woman’s parents pick the husband for her, and the men either choose to accept or deny. In the story the young woman’s friend, has been trying to get a husband for years, but they keep denying her. They say her skin is too dark a color for their liking.  I think the biggest reason I found interest in this culture is because, I got upset finding out that this ladies have to obey what their parents choose, and they basically have no say in anything. Even their marriages. But I wasn’t the only one who got upset while reading it. Comments from the class seemed to be flying too. I defiantly don’t think I could live a life like that, so all my support goes to those ladies.  

Success!

I can’t even believe it. It’s already Friday. I learned so much new interesting things in school this week. Some school related, and some friend related. I would personally rather learn school related things, but for some reason I seem to be everybody’s crying shoulder. I guess I don’t really mind that much, but I find myself never having time to fix my own problems. That always ends up with me having a C average. No Bueno!  This last week, I tried to spend on me, myself, and I. I’m sure you can guess how it ended. I was behind, and very disappointed in what I accomplished, NOTHING!! I have not finished my response paper, or my weekly blog posts. I know I can do better than what I am, why am I just giving up? There is one thing I really want to do in life, and it’s get straight A’s. Why is that so hard for me? I have been struggling since 5^th grade, and I shouldn’t be. I know I am smart. I guess all I can really do to change this, is give it another go next week, because I know I can succeed. Push through.

Patience is A Virtue!

            “Its Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday.” That stupid song kept playing in my head, over, and over again plus to make it even worse, it was only Monday morning. The weekend seemed to slide by so slow, but I’m pretty sure I know why. It was because I was so thrilled!

            My very first dance competition was Friday. I was so enthused, Nancy, (my dance instructor), picked me. Out of all 62 girls in my age group, I got picked to compete at nationals. I just couldn’t believe it! Then, BAM!! I was suddenly smacked back to reality when, Mr. Bensons hand slammed hard onto my desk, that unruly detention slip flashing in front of my eyes. I really needed to quit daydreaming in class, it does me no good. “Oh, how I hate Mondays!” that’s all that seemed to flow out of my mouth lately. As I walked into the detention cold, dark detention room, I kept my face pointed down. All I could do was list the ways of how I could make that week pass faster. Should I take a trip to visit Family, and see the great sights of Utah? Nooo! I couldn’t miss anymore school. Thanks to my recent obsession with gorging myself full of watermelon, and getting to full to move, I had already missed too many days.  I could go see granny, but I don’t think my fingers would be able to take anymore of her extreme knitting sessions.

            What seemed like hours past, and it finally hit me. The rock climbing team! If I joined that, it would at least be kept busy for the rest of the week. The rest of the day I wandered around the halls, mostly because I was too zoned out for any other classes. The day seemed to just drag on, and on. When the dismissal bell finally rang, I had just enough time to change into my P.E clothes, and race to the gym. They all were very friendly, and welcomed me with open arms. Before I could begin with actual hands on climbing, they made me read the safety packet. It was huge! The only thing running through my head while I skimmed was “I wonder how many trees they killed to make this stupid book”. Besides that safety stuff only mattered if I was in the club to stay, I was only here till Thursday so I didn’t care too much about it. When I finished skimming, I was allowed to begin climbing. I have to admit I was pretty excited. I got to race Sarah, (she is the leader of the group), to the top of the rock wall. I actually beat her, crazy I know.

            Before I knew it, it was Wednesday night. Plus to add to that the club had planned a trip for Thursday after school to go get some what they called “hands on experience!” I can admit it sounded like a blast to me. From what they explained we were going way up, and were going to get to do it on our own. I know the real reason was because we had nobody volunteer to be chaperones, but I didn’t want to rain on anybody’s parade.  My dreams were sweet that night. School flew by the next day; it felt like the bus trip to get there took longer than the actual school day. I was so eager to get climbing the moment we pulled up; I bolted from my seat out the doors, and almost ran up the mountain. I didn’t even think about safety gear till Sarah had reminded me. Since I didn’t read the safety book, I had to have another member of the club help me put mine on. By that time I was so anxious to go, I was rushing everybody else into theirs. 

            It had only taken us thirty minutes to get everybody done, and ready, but it seemed like forty hundred years.  By the time we got to climb, everybody looked like snails, except me. I was so speedy, jumping from rock to rock. I totally ditched the safety rules. I figured it was Thursday anyways they couldn’t kick me off, when I was quitting anyways.  Sarah hollered my name, and when I looked down I stepped up onto a loose rock. My short sad, very dim life flashed before my eyes, and I knew I was gone. Alright fine, so I didn’t die but I got a really snarly black eye, broke my leg, and snapped my collar bone in half. Awesome right? Well not so much. Nobody can dance on a broken leg even me as stubborn as I am.  Later I had found out while I was running around like a mad person waiting to climb my waist piece became loose, so when I fell, I fell right out of it.  And nobody was on the ground to help break my fall. What selfish people.

            In life patience can be a very good thing to have. If I wouldn’t have been so impatient, first off I would have read the safety booklet. Secondly I wouldn’t have been running around like a chicken with no head. Actually now that I think of it, If I would have been patient to begin with, I would have never had to join the club. Apparently knitting with Granny is always the better choice.