Struggles Through Similarities

Authors note:

This piece is a comparison between a book and a movie that talk about the Revolutionary war. While reading this please look for my use of descriptive use of vocabulary. 

The Revolutionary War was a immense time for people of all walks of life.  Especially for the people that are part of the continental army, the militia army, and their families. I have recently read an excellent and insightful book called The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi and watched the movie The Patriot by Roland Emmerich. The movie and the book were similar in many ways such as rebelation, and fighting, but they were also fairly different.

In the movie The Patriot, Benjamin is a single father of seven but oldest son, Gabriel, goes off to war without the blessing of Benjamin (Emmerich). Likewise in the book The Fifth of March,  Rachel Marsh who is nanny to John and Abigail Adams' children and also a patriot meets a solder by the name of Matthew, but she like Gabriel, disregards the awfully important and smart warnings of their parental figures and does whatever they wish (Rinaldi).

The book and the movie the kids should have took their parental figures advise because while Gabriel and Rachel sneak out there ate many dangerous things that happen. In the book there are various times when the church bells rang for a riot; people were throwing rocks and stones at the soldiers from inside their houses there was people yelling out their windows and then a riot was started and people started getting vicious (Rinaldi). In the movie the battles were taking place right in the town also.  After Gabriel was shot in a nearby town he hobbled to his family’s house where a fight broke out once Colonel Travington found out that Gabriel went home. As the war was raging on Gabriel and Benjamin had a front row seat sitting inside their house just 50 yards away from where the battle was going on (Emmerich). Having the battles right in your front yard would be very horrifying and shocking especially during the frightening time period of the Revolutionary War.

Although there was a lot of fighting in both the movie and the book, the ways of fighting only had a modest difference. In The Patriot there was a lot of the fighting and a lot of mind games involved; trying to sneak up of the other side and not get caught because the movie was taking place during the war. Unlike the book The Fifth of March because the book was taking place  before the war was started while the colonist were still upset because the British kept making more taxes to help pay for the French and Indian War. This made the battles more of a rage and more out of control because all the colonist were upset and were just trying to get the Red Coats back for all the taxes. While all this was going on a  supplementary amount of soldiers were showing up making the colonist upset to a greater extent.

As you can see this essay has shown many similarities and differences between The Patriot and The Fifth of March. Although these two books take place during two different time periods the themes are many the same. Even if in The  Patriot there are many more deaths, the drive for both sides to win is very apparent. In The Patriot the colonist could have given up but they didn’t and it paid off so always go after what you want and you just might get it. 

Never Give Up

Theme Essay

Courage,  the mental or moral strength to persevere, and to withstand danger, fear, or difficulty; to keep going even in a daunting situation.  Determination, the firm or fixed intention to achieve something, the will to keep going during the tough times (Merriam-Webster). These are only two of the countless themes that are in millions of books across the globe including the book Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

During the beginning of the book you can really see the courage shining through. Rosealeen, a larger black caregiver poured black tar all over the biggest racist in town and he got her arrested then she was put in jail. After that Lily, a young lady who gets abused by her dad after her mom died at a young age, showed tremendous bravery when she broke Rosaleen out of jail. Once they are free they both have the courage to run away from the house that was filled with dreadful people and exceptionally bad memories. Courage is all around.

There are many examples of courage in Secret Life of Bees likewise there are other books with this same theme. In My Sisters Keeper Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can fight the leukemia that has overwhelmed her since childhood. At age 13 Anna decides to show great strength and courage when she puts her foot down doing something that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and perhaps have fatal consequences for the sister she loves so dearly to her heart.

Although courage is important we would have no need for it without the determination to accomplish a task. When Lily runs away with Roseleen she shows the determination to break free from the house that was filled with anger, frustration, abuse, and many other things. Once Lily runs away she shows tremendous determination to find out the secrets to her mother's past.

Without the determination of Lily and Rosealeen in the book Secret Life Of Bees the plot would be flat and boring, this is also true for the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The books are about the adventures of a wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry shows remarkable determination on his quest to overcome the Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, whose goal is to conquer the wizarding world, control all non-magical people, and destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry Potter.

There are numerous different themes in the book Secret Life of Bees including determination and courage.  When a child takes their first steps, finally walking alone it is a huge step on the ladder of life, they had to show great determination and courage to get up off their stomach and see life from a whole new perspective. This just goes to show you that determination and courage is everywhere and is in everyone.

Compare and contrast

Contrast- hunger games	Same	contrast- us
- they have their children die because the government says so.	- government control	- government doesn't want our children to die
- in everyday life everyone in the village struggles to get food	- poverty	- most people in america are comfortable with their food situation
- the games (war) is shown on live television	- get training before they go to war/the games	- the war (games) is not put on live television
- before they go to games (war) they get a makeover and get awarded for their sacrifice		- no one except people close to them know what great thing they are doing for the country
- If you survived the games (war) you got great praise		- I you survived the war  ( games) no one really knows unless you are close to them

Can Change Really Happen

Prediction

Emily B.

 Authors note:

This is a prediction essay on the book Mr. Masons Jars . The purpose is to show what I predict will happen later in the book, and explain why I thought that would happen.

In the story “Mr. Mason’s Jars,” Mr. Mason is the meanest, smelliest, loudest, and strangest teacher in the whole school and everyone avoids him. Mr. Mason has these jars with an unknown substance in them, super bizarre. When Troy is the new kid on the block he went after school to Mr. Mason’s room to see the jars in person. People warned him not to go, and pointed out to him the other student who went and now is like a zombie but he ignored all the advice. He went to Mr. Masons room and before opening the jar of the mucky glowing purple goo he told Mr. Mason that he was the his favorite teacher, then he took one sniff and plop…fell right on the floor. I predict that Mr. Mason will turn Troy into a zombie but then I think he will change Troy  back. I also predict that Mr. Mason will start being nicer in class. There are many reasons to support these predictions.

During the thought-provoking story there were numerous things that I could predict and many more reasons to support my predictions.  If I am correct in my theory Troy will turn into a zombie because that is what happened to the other kid that went to Mr. Mason’s room after school to see the jars.  I also thought that after Troy is turned into a zombie I think that Mr. Mason will use some other goo in another jar to change Troy back because Troy said that Mr. Mason was his favorite teacher and I believe that Mr. Mason heart was touched when Troy said that. I also thought that after Mr. Mason changed Troy back he will start being more enjoyable to his class because when Troy told Mr. Mason that he was his favorite teacher Mr. Mason saw a glimpse of what it would be like if he started being nicer in class.

“Mr. Mason’s Jars” reminds me of the book Matilda by Roald Dahl. These two books are similar in the sense of when Mr. Mason comes around no one wants to talk or screw off because they know that children who misbehave in his class get do deal with the harsh consequences.  Likewise when Miss. Trunchbull, a mean principle who doesn’t like children at all,  comes near no one even thinks of misbehaving because she always has some sort of way to deal with them.   

My Ending:

Troy slowly woke up and he felt blank, kind of sleepy and a little odd. Mr. Mason in a creepy voice asked Troy how he felt. Troy blankly said “I feel like fallowing directions and listening to the teacher.” This made Mr. Mason very pleased and he was about to send Troy on his way when he had a change of heart;  because Troy told Mr. Mason the he was his favorite teacher and Mr. Mason liked that. So Mr. Mason grabbed another one of his extraordinary gooey jars, opened it up, grabbed a handful of green slimy goo out and rubbed it all over Troy’s arm;  swiftly Troy was rejuvenated and was himself again and from then on Mr. Mason was pleasant and almost everyone thought that he was the nicest, the most normal, and definitely not the smelliest teacher in the school.

Strong Impact

Character Analyses

Emily Becker

Authors Note:
This is a piece that analyzes how the main character, Lily, in the book The Secret Life of Bees changes when she meets August throughout the journey of a lifetime.

“I’d been kneeling on grits since I was six, but I still never got used to that powered-glass feeling beneath my skin. I walk toward them with those tiny feather steps you expect of a girl in Japan, and lowered myself to the floor, determined not to cry, but the sting was already gathering in my eyes.”(page 25) In the book Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd the main character, Lily changes from the inside out as she meets the right people to help her through her life.

As the story begins Lily and her "fill in mother" Rosaleen, run away from home to get away from her abusive and cruel dad and she wants to learn more about what happened to her mom who had died when she was four. After Rosaleen gets arrested for confronting three racists, Lily decides to break Rosaleen out of jail, and together they run away to a place Lily suspects once was a special place to her mother.

When Lily and Rosaleen run away they end up living with the Calendar sisters in Tiburon, South Carolina. All the sisters are super polite people but the one who had a strongest impact in Lily's life would be August. August is a strong person physically and emotionally, she is an exceptionally wise person whose words give you hope and fill you with knowledge. When Lily and Rosaleen showed up at the sisters doorstep they  were hungry, dirty, and tired; yet the sisters took them in with open arms. Since lily and Rosaleen were strangers, the sisters wanted to know some things first, but because Lily and Rosaleen needed to find a place to stay; they had to lie to Calendar Sisters about their past that were filled with crimes. As there connection grows,  Lily trusts August so much that she finally confesses the guilt she felt from her past, namely that she accidentally killed her mother when she was four and broke Rosaleen out of jail. After Lily told the truth August helps Lily confront her father and August convinces him that Lily should stay in Tiburon to live a joyful and free life.

In the book Touching Spirit Bear the main character, Cole, is in a bad place in his life. He has resorted to lying, stealing, and injuring innocent people. After Cole attacked someone on the street and nearly gave them life threatening brain damage he is banished to a remote Alaskan island. There is where he come to meet a white bear from the native american legend, and that bear transforms his inner soul and shows him the consequences for  his horrific actions. This is just like Lily because although Lily does not critically injure anyone around her, she does start to lie and steal but fortunately when she meets August her whole life changes. In the two books the white bear is like August, they both use the skills they have in different ways to transform a young person's life.

Once cole met the bear he was changed because he was surrounded by good people. In the book Secret Life of Bees, Lily changes when she meets the right people in life and that is true for anyone. Having good dependable people in your life can help you structure yourself so you can have a successful future. When Lily was living with her dad she was a mess, her dad wasn’t any help at all he was just mean to her, but when she moved to the Calendar sister’s house she was well balanced and better setup for success in life. The best people in your life are going to be the ones who help you through tough times and be with you all through life so you can live happily for many years.

An Exciting Climb

personal Narrative

Emily Becker

Authors Note:This piece is my personal narrative I wrote about my fun filled adventure with my family.

I could feel the cold moving through my body, as the temperature dropped lower and lower I put on all the layers that I had brought with me. As I looked up, I saw the 11,000 foot  mountain towering over me as if I was a little bug below it. Being only 12, I didn’t know how I was going to make it to the top and back, but I was going to try.  I will never forget the entertaining, joy filled day that took place when I hiked Telescope Peak with my family.

Because the mountain was so tall, we had to start hiking from our campsite that was already 8,000 feet up the mountain. To get there, we first had to drive up the rough road ahead of us. The road was incredibly bumpy and had sheer cliffs with 90 degree drop-offs; this road was extraordinarily difficult to get up. Once we got up to our campsite, we set up our camp and went to bed. In the morning none of us felt like sitting out in the 45 degree weather and eat breakfast. As a result, all five of us sat in an average sized SUV as we ate breakfast while the windows steamed up with condensation.  Once we finished breakfast and got the courage to face the cold,we got out of the car and we were ready to leave for the 14 mile long hike.

We left at seven in the morning for the hike. We were expecting it to be cold so we put on a ton of layers. As it turns out, we were facing the east so we were sweating buckets. Since the path circled around the mountain we were soon cold enough and the sweat had cooled, making us even colder. 

 

After the five hours of hiking, we reached the top of the mountain. I remember twirling around at the top and being amazed at how high up we were and how beautiful and breathtaking everything was. On top of that, it was a perfect day for hiking because of the bright blue skies, crisp air that is easy to breathe in and out, views as miraculous as you could even imagine, and all this time I’m spending with my family. When I stopped looking around at the view I saw a green box,  an American flag, and  a picture frame sitting at the top. Inside the box was a notebook and a pen where you could write your name and the date of when you made it to the top.  In the picture frame was a picture of a soldier who died in war. One of the solders good friends hiked up the mountain and put the American flag and the picture in his honor, which was really fascinating  to see. It was lunchtime, so we all sat on the top and ate lunch, and all this time we were soaking in all the beauty that was around us. After lunch we were really tired so we decided to take a nap, and now I’m one of the few people who can truthfully say “I took a nap on top of a mountain in North America.”

After refueling with lunch and  a much needed nap, we decided to head back down, which was very slippery because of the snow. It was also very tiring on our toes because as we walked down the steep incline our toes were constantly getting rammed into our shoes.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the most painful part. After walking down about one third of the mountain I tripped on a rock, my hand went out to stop my fall and I got a fistful of cactus.

After thinking about all the joy, fun, pain, and beauty that went on that day I realized that my family and I hiked a 11,000 foot mountain for a total of 14 miles in one day. Even though I was young when I climbed that mountain, I’m glad I did because that day was filled with a lot of family  memories that will last a lifetime.

Anne Frank

Conflict/Resolution

Authors note:

I wrote this piece as a re-do of my first conflict and resolution peice. While you read this please look for my use of text to text connection. 

Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl who lived and died during the Holocaust in the late 1900's. The Frank family hid from the Nazis for two long years in a Secret Annex at the back of a warehouse. During that time, Anne kept a diary in which she not only wrote about the horrors of war but the everyday problems of being a teenager.  In this book the main conflict is person vr. society . 

The conflict is that the Nazis wanted all Jews like Anne frank eliminated from this world. This story relates the book Among The Hidden because in the Among the Hidden any third child in a family isn't allowed, and they have to hid because of the government and this makes them feel like they "don't  belong." This reminds me of Anne Frank because she has to hide from the Nazis and as a result she feels like she doesn't belong.  When you read the book you will notice that it is through the eyes of her journal and as a result there is no defined resolution, because once the Nazis have her she cant write in her journal any more so the ending is mostly based off of research.