Patriot Pen Essay

Author's Note: In this writing piece I made my thesis clear about what I would tell the founding fathers. I also wrote this Patriot Pen Essay in letter format.

Dear Founding Fathers,

Have you ever wondered how this great nation of ours has progressed over the years since the founding of our country? Many things have changed over the years since you founded this great nation such as criminal laws, government debt, and voting laws. Yes, we have come a long way, and some of the changes that have occurred since your time have been for the better.  However, there may be some changes that will come as a surprise to you.

Back when you founded the United States in the early 1770s, there were very few laws at all except when it came to crime. Back in the days, when a citizen committed a crime, the consequence was simple. Their punishment consisted of being hanged, being shot to death, or being crushed by stones. Today, the judicial branch of our government has various laws that allow criminals the right to a fair trial, which determines their punishment. This change has resulted in overcrowded prisons, which is a comfortable life for many of these prisoners. Also, the need for prisons costs our government billions of dollars a year.  

In addition, since you founded this great country, the Federal Reserve has devalued the US dollar by 95% since the year 1913. As a result of that, the US has built up a national debt. Today, our government has compiled this debt, and it is rapidly approaching 14 trillion dollars! Unless the government stops spending, the number could increase to 18.3 trillion dollars by the year 2021. Can you believe it?

On a happier note, voting laws have changed significantly over the years. Mr. Washington when you ran for president in the year 1789, only white men with property could vote. Everyone else including poor people, women, Native Americans, and enslaved African Americans were not allowed to vote. It wasn't until after the 1920's that everyone in the United States, if you were over 18 and a citizen, had gained the right to vote. It was really a change for the better.

Although some of the changes that have taken place over the years may have come as a surprise to you, I want you to know that I am grateful for this magnificent country you started and the ideas you established that we could build from.  I am proud of our nation and proud to be a citizen of the United States of America.

Sincerely,

Kaitie Scanlan

Cause & Effect

Author's Note: This writing piece is about the main cause and effect in the story The Hundredth Dove.

In the story The Hundredth Dove there is a few causes and effects but the main one is about Hugh and the doves. The cause in the story is when Hugh was summoned by the King. When he was summoned, the King told Hugh to catch 100 doves for the wedding. The Queen did not want doves but the King insisted. On the first day Hugh caught 21 doves and one white dove. The white dove slipped threw the net. Hugh wasThe determined to catch that one white dove. On the night before the wedding Hugh had captured the small white dove, the hundredth dove.

The little white dove pleaded to be let go, she even told Hugh that the Queen would be his if he let her go. He was not a fool and did not fall for her tricks because he saw the engagement ring around the dove's foot. As he saw the ring he envisioned the Queen it made him very angry. The effect was he snapped the white dove's neck and the next day there was no wedding.  Hugh quit his job and  never saw another dove again. 

Just Keep Swimming...

Author's Note: This is a Personal Narrative piece that was based on the prompt "Did something I now do every day." I worked on improving my introduction. To improve my introduction I opened with a setting.


 I sat on the wooden ledge of my neighbor’s pool as I gazed into the clear calm water. In my eyes as a two-year-old, the pool was intimidating, although it looked like an enormous bath tub. I wanted to jump in so badly! Instead of jumping in I stuck my "little" big toe into the water. I never knew, after that moment I stuck my toe in the water, how much "big bath tubs" became a part of my life.

 Shortly after that, I turned 3 and I started swim lessons at Healthbridge Fitness in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Once a week, for two years, I was overly excited to go to swim lessons. Every week when mom brought me to Healthbridge, I eagerly jumped into the pool to learn how to swim all those strokes that I saw all the big kids swim. I will never forget the day that I gave my “lady” instructor a bloody nose. It was the first day that my group got to swim in the "big pool" and learn the backstroke. The instructor told us to push off the wall and do three strokes on our back. After about four people I was next. I placed my little hands on the wall crouched my legs up to my chest and accelerated backwards. Immediately after I pushed off the wall my head collided with her nose. She clasped her bloody nose, jumped out of the pool and scurried to the locker room. Because I was just a 4 year old, I didn't think anything of it, except that I gave her a bloody nose. Now, 9 years later, I realized that she was the one who stood behind me and said, "push off the wall."

 The winter after I turned 5, I joined my first competitive swim team. The name of the team was The Woodstock Dolphins. Over the years of swimming for the Dolphins, I improved my strokes and my times. I will never forget when I heard the elongated whistle blow. I stood on the starting blocks and I grabbed the front of the block when the official calmly said, "take your mark." As the loud beep from the starter buzzed in my ears, I jumped forward off the block and sprinted down my lane. I was so nervous because I was swimming next to one of my best friends in lane 6. I was gunning it in lane 7. I did my final turn and exploded off the wall. In that instant, I had no idea that I was out in front of everyone else. As I touched the wall and looked up at the scoreboard, I found my name and ran my eyes across the board. My time read 1:22.17. I placed first in the group I was swimming in but not sure of where I place overall in the event. I was so nervous! I walked slowly toward the podium not certain of what place I had received overall. They called off 8th place, and then 7th place. By the time the announcer called off 3rd place I was really kind of disappointed because I thought didn't place. Then all of a sudden they called my name for 2nd place. I was ecstatic! They honored me with a red rose and slipped a second place medal around my neck. For a minute, I felt like an Olympian. Over the next two years I had no idea what my future swimming plans would be because the swim team was collapsing. I was crushed! 

Then something amazing happened. Last year my family had to move to Wisconsin because of a job opportunity for my dad. Lucky for me because that meant I was moving to a new swim team too! But where was I going to swim? I really wasn’t sure what we would find in southeastern Wisconsin, and I was hoping there was a better swim team out there for me. Then my dad found it! They called themselves “Express”. I was so nervous the first day I swam with the new team at a meet in Wisconsin. When I arrived at the meet, the coaches were very welcoming and the swimmers were kind. July marked my one year anniversary with the Waukesha Express team and in just over a year, I have made astonishing accomplishments. One that I am most proud of is my 22nd place finish at the Wisconsin State Meet in the 100 Meter Breaststroke. I felt pretty awesome after I had such a fantastic finish.

 I never had thought that the day I stuck my “little” big toe into the pool that I would come so far in swimming. I am so glad that I took up swimming as a sport and one day I want to make it into the Olympic trials and maybe make the USA Olympic team. Look out here I come!

Conflict & Resolution

Author's Note: This piece is about the conflict in The Hundredth Dove and how the conflict gets resolved.


The conflict is that Hugh could not catch the white dove because it kept escaping through the holes in the net. Which is person vs. nature/ person vs. person because the white dove is the kings fiancé. After five days and five nights Hugh still could not capture the white dove, Hugh was determined to catch her.

 The conflict was resolved on the night before the Kings wedding. Hugh waited patiently in the forest waiting for the white dove to show up, and when she did arrive Hugh flung the net on top of her. He grasped the dove firmly with both hands. The white dove pleaded to be let go, but Hugh did not let go. After the last thing the dove said Hugh felt rage throughout his body and that led him to snap the white doves’ neck.