Work Cited

Works Cited

" Beauty Pageant Statistics | Statistic Brain." Statistic Brain | Numbers  |  Percentages  |  Financials  |  Rankings | Statistic Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013. <http://www.statisticbrain.com/beauty-pageant-statistics/>.

Calvert, Roz. "The Impacts of Child Beauty Pageants on Children | eHow." eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you.. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013. <http://www.ehow.com/info_8425656_impacts-child-beauty-pageants-children.html>.

"Child Beauty Pageants: What Are We Teaching Our Girls? | Psychology Today." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/food-thought/201108/child-beauty-pageants-what-are-we-teaching-our-girls>.

Collins, Jada. "Instagram Beauty Pageants | Teen Girls Self-Esteem | Toddlers & Tiaras | Tips for Parents | Total Life Counseling for Children, Teens, Adolescents and Adults in Orlando Winter Park Clermont Lake Mary and Central Florida." Total Life Counseling Services Orlando and Central Florida. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2013. <http://www.totallifecounseling.com/2013/04/instagram-beauty-pageants-teen-girls-self-esteem-toddlers-tiaras-tips-for-parents/>.

Morgan, Mandy. "Toddlers and Tears: The sexualization of young girls | Deseret News." Salt Lake City and Utah Breaking news, sports, entertainment and news headlines - Deseret News. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2013. <http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865567072/Toddlers-and-Tears-The-sexualization-of-young-girls.html?pg=all>.

Post, Global . "How Do Child Beauty Pageants Affect a Child's Development?." How Do Child Beauty Pageants Affect a Child's Development?. N.p., 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 8 May 2013. <everydaylife.globalpost.com/child-beauty-pageants-affect-childs-development-3088.html >.

Terms, commenting you acknowledge acceptance of GoodTherapy.org's, and Conditions of Use. 

"Beauty Pageants and Children: It’s Not Always Pretty." GoodTherapy.org - Therapy, Find a Therapist or Marriage Counselor. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/beauty-pageant-children-effects-1115127>.

"The Safety Report » Beauty Pageants: Are Parents Bullying Their Children – By Accident?." The Safety Report . N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://thesafetyreport.com/2013/02/beauty-pageants-are-parents-bullying-their-children-by-accident/>.

"Year 9 Persuasive SAC Beauty Pageants." Year 9 Persuasive SAC Beauty Pageants. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013. <https://sites.google.com/site/9bericarmstrong/year-9-persuasive-sac---beauty-pageants>.

Nobody's Perfect

Author's Note: This is my last piece and it is a research piece, I didn't want to just ramble on with facts about how beauty pageants aren't good for children, so I spiced it up a bit. I wrote this piece in the perspective of a 6 year old who takes part in pageants and how it affects her life. I wanted to meet my goal of receiving a 9/10 in all areas of organization. I also wanted to meet my goal of using dialogue properly in an essay. I hope you enjoy my research paper about children and beauty pageants.

As I see my competitors walk on stage I can't help but think to myself: "they are extremely ugly compared to me, nobody can be as beautiful as me! I have everything, a fake tan, caked-on makeup, fake teeth, a glitzy dress and hair that is as hard as a rock! I'm definitely going to win!" After I placed second in the pageant, I never knew what my future would hold. I never knew that all this beauty pageant stuff would cause me psychological problems and self esteem issues for the rest of my life. Nor would I have ever believed that I would end up with an eating disorder by the age of 11!

40% of girls WILL have psychological problems, and I never thought that I would be in that 40%. By the time I turn 20, I will suffer from the stress and anxiety of feeling that I ALWAYS had to be perfect. I never realized what could happen to me, and it's all because my mother forced me into doing pageants since I was 3 years old. I bet 60% of the girls that compete in beauty pageants aren't happy. That would be me! My mom puts so much pressure on me to look perfect and to perform flawlessly. I feel like the ground is crumbling underneath my feet and I would soon go down as the fast as the earth beneath me.

Today is the day I will compete for the biggest title and most money, $100,000, no wonder kids my age, or any girl in pageants will have psychological problems and stress issues. I was not looking forward competing in this pageant today at all. I felt like I wanted to just curl up in a ball and cry, I could tell my self esteem was running on empty. I have never actually won a grand prize, no wonder I felt like this. Sure, I may earn a college scholarship, communicate well, develop personally, and be outgoing, but I think they are terrible! "Mommy", I mumbled. "Yes darling?", she replied. I was so scared to tell her that I didn't want to compete in pageants anymore. "Iwanttostopdoingpageants,Ihatethemtheyareruiningmylife!" I purposely said that really fast because a part of me wanted to tell her and a part of me was scared to see her reaction, I even thought she might scream at me or worse smack me. "I didn't catch that love. Could you repeat what you said? Something about pageants?" I was going to reply slower but she interrupted me, "Oh my gosh! Look at the time we are going to be late!" I was not prepared for this. We walked down to line up and I looked at all of the girls I will be competing with, and I thought to myself, all these girls are beautiful, I'm so ugly I should just put a paper bag over my head.

After the pageant we went home, I did so bad I didn't even place, but my mom said she would keep taking me to pageants until I fulfilled all that she accomplished when she was in pageants. On my way home, I started feeling a rumbling sensation in my stomach, I was extremely hungry, the last time I ate was at 5:30 in the morning, it was now 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon! My mom says I'm only supposed to have 700 calories a day, most of it being energy drinks and pixie stix to supposedly "keep my energy up", if I only keep eating 700 calories I'm going to have a serious eating disorder! After thinking about that for a minute I took my phone and searched eating disorders, yes I'm only 6 and I have a phone. Anyways when I searched eating disorders it came up with this startling fact: 80% of 10-year-old girls in the U.S. report they have been on a diet, according to a recent study. I'm not even 10 years old and I’m not getting the right amount of nutrition I need to grow up healthy! Little did I know I would be anorexic and in the hospital by the time I am 11, but don't worry I'll become healthier in my later teen years!

If I only knew that competing in beauty pageants at such a young age would cause me psychological problems, self esteem issues, and an eating disorder before I was even a teenager, I would have taken up sewing! When I grow up and have a daughter of my own, I will never force her into doing something she doesn't want to do, especially pageants! Even if she wanted to do pageants, I would never make her stress about being "perfect" and endure what I have endured. Even Hannah Montana wrote a song called "Nobody's Perfect", and it's true. Nobody is perfect!

The Fighter's

Albert Einstein would be a great "fighter" because he was a scientist and came up with the formula E=Mc^2. The E stands for energy, the M stands for mass, c is the speed of light squared. He must've created this to defeat "The Black Thing." Another thing he discovered was that time is relevant, while light is constant. An example of that was if you wanted to travel to the nearest star Alpha Centauri it would take 5.7 earth years, however they would only age 3.8 years and return at a younger age than expected. You experience time difference the closer you are to the speed of light. This would've helped fight "The Black Thing" because it's like tessering, when they travel to different planets they don't age and when they get back they will be "younger", the same age as they were when they left. 

Another person in society that would be good for this job would be Katniss from the Hunger Games. Even though she is a fictional character she is strong willed. She would be ready to fight The Black Thing. She would be like one of the stars that give there life to defeat it.

Jesus Take The Wheel

Author's Note: I did this point of view piece on a song, Jesus Take the Wheel, by Carrie Underwood. I wanted to write about this song because it has a lot of meaning to it. I also thought it would be neat to write the alternate point of view through Jesus' eyes. 

Imagine yourself driving home on Christmas Eve on a highway. The road is like a thin, black sheet of glass and the winds are fierce. You have so many thoughts going through your head about everything that has gone on in the past year, and you realize you are going way too fast for the icy conditions. This scenario is what you might picture while listening to the song “Jesus Take the Wheel”, by Carrie Underwood. While Underwood sings the song, she tells her listeners a story. She paints a picture in your mind of woman driving home on a cold, blizzard night “with her baby in the back seat” to visit her parents for Christmas. While this song is written and sung mostly in third person with Carrie Underwood telling this story from her point of view, the song switches during the chorus, from third person to first person and the listener feels the woman’s terror of spinning out of control in her car on the black ice.

In the song you hear the lyric “Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy with the baby in the back seat. Fifty miles to go and she was running low on faith and gasoline. It’d been a long hard year”. This lyric leads the listener to believe that the woman is sad and she wants to give up because of the difficulties that she has experienced in the past year. Which leads us into another quote from the song. “She had a lot on her mind and she didn’t pay attention, she was going way to fast, before she knew it she was spinning on a thin black sheet of glass, she saw both lives flash before her eyes.” This lyric from the song is so powerful.  It gives you the feeling that at the last second she snapped out of her daze, and she realized that her and her baby might die. Her faith in Jesus took over during this time of helplessness, and she came to the conclusion that her life would not turn around without his help.

The chorus that is repeated throughout the song: “Jesus take the wheel, take it from my hands, I can’t do this on my own, I’m letting go, so give me one more chance, save me from this road I’m on, Jesus take the wheel” is so powerful! The woman wants a second chance and unconditionally asks Jesus for help. It is also a very powerful quote because in the next verse it says: “And the car came to a stop, she saw that baby in the back seat sleeping like a rock, for the first time in a long time she bowed her head to pray, she said I’m sorry for the way I’ve been living my life.” This lyric is meaningful to her because she wants to thank Jesus that they both escaped a tragedy due to her faith and belief in the higher power. She wants to create a better her life for her and the baby and she realizes that it won’t happen without her faith in Jesus.

Jesus’ Point of View:

As I listened to her thoughts, her faith in me diminished: “He is such a jerk, I hate him! I can’t believe he left me by myself to raise our beautiful child!” “Now, I am a single mom without a job heading home for the holidays.” I couldn’t help but wonder why she’s lost faith in me this past year. No prayers. No belief that it can get better. Before I knew it, I heard a cry for help.  I saw a woman so terrified and so lonely. Her hands let go of the wheel, and I heard hear scream my name and plead with me to take the wheel and save them. I had to help her, it wasn’t her time to die, nor was it the newborn baby’s time to die. This was a real cry for help and I never disappoint. As they were about to crash I swerved the car onto the shoulder of the road. I heard her speak to me. She prayed. That was something she had not done in a long time. She stated that she was going to change her life, and now she has made me proud. Never lose faith in me. I am here for you…to guide you, to protect you.  

The Maze Runner (point of view)

Author's Note: This is a piece I wrote for point of view and how it might affect the reader's interpretation of the story if the point of view was in someone else's perspective. This point of view piece was written on the book The Maze Runner. 


The book The Maze Runner is written in first-person, Thomas' point of view. This affects the reader because when you read the book it produces a lot of imagery. If this book was written in third-person it wouldn't be as adrenaline rushing as it is in first-person, especially when Thomas goes through "the maze." The other way the point of view would be affected would be if the book was written from Teresas' point of view, being the only girl in the "glade", while being in a coma for part of the book. I think if it was written in Teresas' point of view it wouldn't have been as thrilling as a book. The book would also be interpreted in a different way than the original way, in Thomas' point of view.

A Clean, Well- Lighted Place

How does Hemingway use light and dark as symbols? How do the shadows fit in?

He uses dark to symbolize that the man is sad and depressed, that is why he sat in the shadow of the tree. 

He uses light to represent happiness and the waiters were in the light of the cafe and they weren't depressed, and they didn't want to commit suicide. 

The shadows fit in because because the old man that was drinking was sad and depressed and tried to commit suicide so he sat in the shadow of the tree.

Analysis of film and story.

In the film the man sat in the light of the café and he didn’t seem as sad/ depressed, he just looked drunk. In the story we read the old man sat in the shadow of the tree.  Also when I read the story I thought of the older bartender older and not in his 30’s, but I imagined the younger bartender about the same age as in the film.

The bartenders were also Irish or Scottish so they cut out a part in the film, in my opinion was important. Another thing with the video was that the screen shots were really lengthy, so it became a little boring while watching it. I honestly think the story produced more imagery than what was in the film.

Symbolism In Hunger (text analysis)

Author's Note: This is my text analysis piece, it is not an essay. I wrote about 3 symbols in the Hunger Games. The first paragraph and third paragraph relate to something in real life. 

In the book the Hunger Games, there are many different objects that the author uses to represent symbolism. For example the author uses 13 districts and each one represents something.  District 12, for example, is a coal mining community; District 11 is primarily agriculture and District 13 is the rebel region that the capitol obliterated during the “Dark Days,” to remind everyone that everyone in Panem must obey the power and rule of the Capitol. These 13 districts can be compared to the original 13 colonies in North America:  Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia.  Similarly, these colonies were under the rule of the British Empire.

Another symbol that the author uses in the story is the mockingjay pin, worn by Katniss throughout the Hunger Games. This pin represents the free spirit Katniss portrays just like a Mockingjay. These birds are also a symbol of resistance and rebellion in the book.  Katniss gave the pin to her sister, Prim, to keep her safe hoping she would not get chosen to be part of the Hunger Games. When Prim was chosen to partake in the games, Katniss offered to take Prim’s place as a tribute and Prim returned the pin to her and whispered in her ear, “to keep you safe,” she said. This meant a lot to Katniss because she wanted to win for her sister, Prim.

The last symbol I found was “the double suicide.” Katniss realized that the only way she and Peeta may have a chance of both coming out alive, is to take the whole star-crossed lovers bit to its logical conclusion: tragedy. Like the doomed teenagers Romeo and Juliet, Peeta and Katniss decided not to fight each other to see who will win the Games, but instead to deny the Gamemakers any winner at all by downing some poisonous berries in a double suicide attempt. This symbol shows Katniss is a rebel and courageous, she will do anything to win with Peeta, and win for her sister. 

My Poem (choice/context analysis)

Author's Note: This is a poem parody I wrote based off of Robert Frost's poem Desert Places. He wrote about the snow, I wrote about rain.  I analyzed this piece after I wrote it, most of what I analyzed was hyperbole's, personification, and imagery.This piece is about how rain makes me feel sad, depressed, scared, and how deserted I feel when it rains.

Is It Real?

Author's Note: Have you ever read a book about someone who has died and gone to heaven, then after a short amount of time comes back to life? In this story, a child dies and visits heaven, then comes back to life. After this happens his dad thought that his child's life story about going to heaven would be a good book to write about.

When have you ever imagined what happens to you when you die? The author of Heaven is for Real, Todd Burpo, summarizes in his book real life events that happened to his son, Colton, during his three minute experience with death. In his book, Burpo’s description of his son’s brief experience in heaven is very similar to what we experience here on Earth. In addition, while I was reading this book, I made a connection to another book I read called 90 Minutes in Heaven.

What do the words thrones, gold, rainbows, light, people, and war, remind you of? According to Colton, Todd’s son, heaven consists of all these great wonders. You might wonder why there would be war going on in heaven?  It is supposed to be a peaceful place, a place where everything is just perfect. Based on this true story, Colton tells his father that

“when you go to heaven the men have to fight monsters with either a bow and arrow or a sword and the women and children get to watch."

"There’s going be a war, and it’s going to destroy this world. Jesus and the

angels and the good people are going to fight against Satan and the monsters and the bad people. I saw it.” (136)

The experience, as Colton describes it, is very similar to what we experience on Earth today: war, good versus evil, kings, and rainbows. The irony of it, is that we experience it in a different way here on Earth as human beings, than we would in “heaven”.

Consequently in the book, Heaven is for Real, Colton shares unique facts about heaven that are very similar to those mentioned in the book, 90 Minutes in Heaven. The one that stood out in my mind in particular, is the fact that there is no such thing as “old” in heaven. Burpo explains in his book,

“This is how I remember Pop, I said. Colton took the frame, held it in both hands, and gazed at the photo for a minute or so.

I waited for his face to light up in recognition, but didn’t. In fact, a frown crinkled the space between his eyes and heshook his head.

 Dad nobody's old in heaven, Colton said. And nobody wears  glasses.”(121)

 I thought to myself that what Colton describes must be true because I recall reading a book called 90 Minutes in Heaven where the main character, Don Piper, describes a similar experience when he encounters heaven. In his book, Piper dies for a brief time and goes to heaven. He wrote about his trip and described his brief ninety minute encounter while he walked through a heavenly paradise. He was greeted by those he knew in this life, all of whom were “quite conveniently”  the same age as they were when he had last known them.

In addition to both characters experiencing agelessness in heaven, these two books have something else in common. Colton’s dad, Todd, is a pastor by profession. Similarly, Don Piper is a Baptist pastor. Both have professions that connect them spiritually to God and the church. Likewise, both were authors of books that had similar experiences and wrote about it. I feel that the fact that they both had professional religious experiences gave both books authenticity. It really made me believe that something that sounds so far-fetched could really happen when you have such a special spiritual connection with God.

In Heaven is for Real, Todd Burpo shares many events that Colton explains to him about the experience and how similar it relates to events we encounter in our real world as living people. Both Burpo and Piper describe many similarities in their books in their brush with heaven, Burpo through his son, and Piper’s firsthand experience. Although there were similarities, the authors make the books interesting in their own ways. Both authors let me experience heaven through their eyes. I wonder what it will be like when I eventually leave this world and visit that special place?

The Ransom of the Red Chief

"When I got back to the cave Bill and the boy were not to be found. I explored the vicinity of the cave, and risked a yodel or two, but there was no response"

In this story these  two guys kidnap a kid because they want ransom money for him. One day the kid is gone and nowhere to be found, until he comes back! This quote is kind of the turning point because the kid goes missing, he comes back, and they realize they can't stand him anymore. They try for the ransom money but end up paying the parents just so they could run away from the kid. 

Can You Survive?

Author's Note: Have you ever wondered if an intriguing disease could be manmade and the deadliest? The author of The Death Cure makes the "Flare" seem so creepy and real because of the descriptive pictures he paints in your head.

What would you do if you had a deadly disease that took you to extremes to find the cure? The author of The Death Cure, James Dashner, does a unique job of describing a deadly disease called the Flare, a disease much like the swine flu. The symptoms of the Flare are similar to swine flu: fever, fatigue, and body aches, except with the Flare, you start murdering people because this virus takes over your brain. Even though this is a fictional book, it seems life-like because the author describes this horrific life threatening disease in a way that sends chills down your spine.

“It was the smell that began to drive Thomas slightly mad. Not being alone for

over three weeks. Not the white walls, ceiling and the floor. Not the lack of

windows or the fact that they never turned off the lights. None of that. They’d

taken watch; and fed him the exact same meal three times a day--- slab of ham,

mashed potatoes, raw carrots, slice of bread, water---never spoke to him, never

allowed anyone else in the room.” (1)

Realism, that is the word that popped in my head when I read this quote in The Death Cure, it felt as if I were in the room with Thomas. Readers especially enjoyed when Dashner described the way Thomas was isolated and received the same food three times a day. When Dashner explains situations the characters are in, he has a unique way of portraying how they are feeling whether it be pain, rage, or happiness, and the obstacles they try and conquer. Regardless of where Thomas and his gang are, the author always makes it seem like you are actually in the book, especially when the “cranks” ,the crazy people, go insane.

Well it’s a good thing “cranks” don’t exist in today’s world or we’d all be “past the gone” ,full out insane, where you start to become a cannibal and a serial killer, and we’d all be doomed! When Thomas is isolated in WICKED, World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department, he feels helpless. While reading this book, I try to relate to the character's feelings. I think about my own experiences or how I would feel if I were in that character’s shoes. I think to myself...what if I woke up one day in a box, like Thomas experienced in the first book, and had no recollection of my memories, except my first name. That is really something to think about!

 Dashner, the author, doesn’t just make you feel what emotions the characters are feeling, he also makes you feel as if you are really in the book experiencing what Thomas, Brenda, Minho, Newt, and some of the cranks go through . It seems as if Dashner actually researched deadly diseases and came up with a realistic disease, the “Flare”, which would be the deadliest disease of all. The author makes the “Flare” seem so life like it’s scary! In addition, when Dashner portrays the scene of the crank palace, he does such a fantastic job describing this “place” that he painted a vivid picture in my mind as if it were real. It was almost as if he had researched psychiatric hospitals and investigated what truly goes on there.

In The Death Cure, the author depicts many different examples throughout the book about how it relates to the real world with emotions. Dashner also makes the story interesting by including realism in many different areas of the book. These “tricks” the author uses, capture the reader’s attention and make you feel engrossed in the book. You feel like you just can’t put it down!

Concert Review

Author's Note: This piece is written for band. It was a review of the 7th and 8th grade concert. I used one quote in this piece and it was what the composer wrote about how one of the songs should sound like when you listened to it.

Have you ever went to a concert and really listened, I mean  really listened to the music? On March 6^th, 2013 at the Pewaukee High School there was a concert. There was a 7^th grade band, and an 8^th grade band in that order. When I was there I listened to the different selections of music, and  that is what I will be telling you about.

The first band to play was the 7^th grade band. The first piece they played was called “Knights Destiny”, as I listened it sounded medieval like knights riding through the darkness. The next piece the 7^th grade band played was called “Space journey”, this was a slower song and flowed very well. It made you feel  like you were in outer-space.  “Abandoned Treasure Hunt” , was a very unique piece and when they were about half way done they began tapping their pencils on their music stands to a rhythmic beat. They ended their portion of the concert with “ZOOM!”. This piece was fast and up-beat and in some parts flowed into a slower section when the spotlight was on the clarinets. It was an excellent piece to end the 7^th grade part of the concert.

After the 7^th grade band came the 8^th grade band. Their first song was called “Mars”,"darkness, death, and  brutality", as the composer stated and that was exactly what it sounded like. After that came “The Great Locomotive Chase.”  This piece was remarkable, it sounded like someone was actually chasing a train. “Among the Clouds”, was a very peaceful song, the beginning sounded so beautiful.  The next song was different, and it was called “Music From Carmen”. In this piece it sounded like there was multiple songs within the piece, first it was up-beat and then went into a slower pace which was a very smooth transition. The 8^th grade band ended with “Adrenaline Engine’s”. I think this was the right piece to close the concert with. It was a very energetic and just like the name of the song it was an adrenaline rushing song.

The 7^thand 8^th graders in the band were excellent, they played very well! Now that I’ve told you about the different selections of music the bands played would you ever go to a concert and just listen to the music? 

Rolling in the Deep

Analysis: This song Rolling in the Deep is written by Adele. When you listen to this song it's about her relationship and also when you listen there is so much imagery. Especially when she says, "There's a fire starting in my heart", "The scars of your love remind me of us", and "You had my heart inside of your hand." Also in the song she sounds like she wants to get revenge, but she also sounds sad, and depressed. I loved using this song because it had a lot of figurative language.

Through My Eyes

 Author's Note: This is a piece I wrote for social studies, it is on the California Gold Rush. I wrote this piece from my perspective as a piece of gold. I worked on using A/B transitions and a clear thesis statement.

I sat there for days on end waiting for someone to find me. My color glistened in the sun while I sat in the water and stared at the blue sky. The earth felt cool against my shiny, gold outside. Suddenly, I heard a noise coming towards me, it sounded like a horse. Then a man named James W. Marshall discovered me in a river near Sutter’s mill. He murmured loud enough for me to hear, "I found gold!" He then grabbed a lot of us gold nuggets from the river and gave us a whirl in a bowl. This sparked the California Gold Rush on Jan. 24, 1848. I've been waiting for someone to find me so I can fill my inner gold with knowledge about this "California Gold Rush" and you too can learn about it, as you accompany me on my journey. 

About a day later, while on my expedition, tens of thousands of people came to find us while digging up 12 billion tons of earth. Only a few hundred people lived there in the 1840s, but the discovery of us gold nuggets brought unimaginable growth to the big city. San Fransisco soon averaged 30 new houses and two murders a day! A plot of San Francisco real estate that cost $16 in 1847, sold for $45,000 just 18 months later. In less than two years, the city burned to the ground six times, but there was always money to rebuild it bigger and better.  Nearly a half-billion dollars worth of us gold nuggets passed through the city in the 1850s.

Besides all of the new houses being sold for huge amounts of money, I learned that the lure of gold unleashed the largest migration in United States history! It drew people from a dozen countries to form a society.  Every day I found myself with a new person learning amazing new things. For example, the miners used mercury to extract gold from the ore, contaminating local rivers and lakes with 7,600 tons of the toxic chemical. "EEW!", I thought. In 1852 the take for the year was $80 million.  Believe it or not, that would come to be worth $1.9 billion in 2005. But as time went on, we gold nuggets started to become sparse and disappear.   

Even though toxic chemicals were being released into the rivers and lakes, and the take for the year was $80 million, people were soon having a hard time finding us little gold nuggets. Eventually there were none of us left. After seven years of mining for my friends and I, the California Gold Rush was over. It wasn't a bad thing that there weren't anymore of us left because San Francisco already had more millionaires than New York or Boston! As time passed, I kept up my travels all over until I was lost. Eventually, I was found and put into a museum as one of the first gold pieces ever discovered. At last I found a new home to retire to!  Now everyone can admire my gold sparkle behind a glass case where I am kept safe. I feel honored that I became a part of history and was able to share my story and the part I played in the California Gold Rush.

Edward vs. Max (compare&contrast)

I chose to use these two books in my compare and contrast because they have an equal amount of similarities and differences. These comparisons I made aren't just simple comparisons for example: Max has blonde hair, Edward is a brunette, Max is a girl, Edward is a boy. I made higher level thinking comparisons like their emotions towards people they care for or how courageous they are.

Just A Dream...Or is it?

Author's Note: This creative piece that I wrote was based off of a book that I read called Everlost. 

As my eyes opened I saw silvery flakes drift down, glittering in the bright light of the harvest moon. My whole body was shivering, probably because I had bear feet and I had a light blue party dress on that was tattered, but in a way it still looked presentable. I gently lifted my arm off my body and placed it on what I think was the ground. I felt softness beneath my grip, and as I turned my head to the right i saw the uneven ground covered in these silvery flakes that felt like snow. My heart started to race and a bunch of questions came popping into my head. Where am I? How did I get here? Why am I here? What is "here"? Then I heard a noise it sounded like a city, horns honking, people yelling, trains whistling there horns, but when I looked around there was nothing.The sound still grew louder and louder and louder, then stopped. Everything around me became dead silent, as if the world fell into a deep sleep and would never wake up. I jolted into a sitting position I peered around me trying to see if there was anything Icould see, but there was nothing. Nothing but silvery snow covering the ground, the forest near by and the harvest moon shining down on me. "Of course!, I should walk to the forest," I thought. I stood up and walked wobbly towards the forest. As I ambled towards the forest I saw a figure at the edge, so I walked closer. The figure seemed to look a boy. I wondered if he was there the whole time and as my mind was wondering I went into what I thought to be a deep sleep, as if the world fell into a black hole. 

Friends Together Forever

Author's Note: This writing piece is about point of view and how the reader could be affected differently depending on who's point of view the book is written in. I also wanted to meet my goal of using A/B transitions at the beginning of my paragraphs, like in the second, third, and fifth paragraph. I also looked on online sources to score a 10 in introductions, and I did that by making my thesis statement clear. Finally, I included clear topic sentences to start each paragraph.  

What would you do if you lived during World War II and met a Jewish boy and became best friends with him ? In the book, The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, the main character Bruno, is kind of a brat and isn’t happy that the family had to move away to another house. As the story progressed Bruno found Shmuel, a Jewish boy, and that made Bruno happy again. He had no idea why Shmuel and the others had to be locked in and surrounded by a fence. Bruno’s perspective changes on things, for instance, when Shmuel tells him that the soldiers took them away from Poland and put them in the concentration camp away from his mother and grandmother, Bruno starts to feel sad. If the book was written in Shmuel’s perspective it would be a depressing book.  In the book The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, it definitely shows how the reader could be affected differently, in Bruno’s point of view and in Shmuel's point of view.

One way that Bruno’s point of view affected the way the book went is when he had to move to a new house across the country. There weren't any houses around and led him to become curious. His curiousity led to finding Shmuel, who became his best and closest friend throughout the story. The first time Bruno went to the fence he found Bruno which made him feel excited and overjoyed! I think if the book was in Shmuel’s point of view he would feel happy too. Especially when the soldier took him in to Bruno’s house and Bruno snuck him food.  After that Shmuel was scolded and he became very emotional.

Another part in the book that would be emotional in general for the reader would be the end scene.  Bruno meets Shmuel at the fence and tells Bruno that his grandfather is missing. Bruno becomes sad and offers to help find Shmuel’s grandfather. Shmuel goes to get an extra pair of striped pajamas for Bruno to put on. He undresses, puts on the striped pajamas and wriggled under the fence to assist Shmuel. They looked and looked but couldn't succeed in finding the grandfather. Then they scrambled over to where a group of people are and ended up in a room with no windows. They start feeling aghast because there were no windows and nobody could get out. That’s when Bruno takes Shmuel’s hand and they perish in a gas chamber. If this part was written in Shmuel's point of view he would be terrified and shocked, like a little kid watching a horror movie. He would feel differently than in Bruno's part of view. As you read that ending it makes you feel nervous about what would happen to the two boys and  after you read the l ast few sentences you feel sorrow and heartbreak.

Since this book has different emotions in it, it shows how the reader can be affected differently from the point of view of Bruno. If it was in Shmuel’s point of view it still would be a very emotional book. This book also shows how much of a good friend Bruno was to go with Shmuel  to find the grandfather and die trying to help. If in the book Shmuel was Bruno he would probably do the same thing, so in the next book you read try imagining what it would be like as the other character in the book. 

Revolutionary War

Author's Note: In Social Studies we are learning about the Revolutionary War. We had to read a book that took place during the Revolutionary War, I read the book Give Me Liberty. Then we watched a movie that took place during the war called The Patriot. After we watched the movie we had to write an essay comparing the two. I worked on using more advanced transitions in my body paragraphs.

Through the novel Give Me Liberty contains true events from the time period of the Revolutionary War, the book contains even more events that did not occur in history, so it is realistic fiction. The book is very similar to the movie The Patriot, which is also about the Revolutionary War. In the book Give Me Liberty thirteen-year-old Nathaniel Dunn is an indentured servant laboring on a tobacco plantation in colonial Virginia. Life is hard, and it’s about to get harder when Nathaniel is sold.  (Elliot)On the other hand in the movie The Patriot, ashamed of his savagery during the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin, one of the main characters, decided he would sit out the American Revolution, while his oldest son Gabriel enlisted minutes after South Carolina joined the fight. (Emmerich) There are many similarities between the book and the movie and there are some differences too.

Some of the similarities between the book and the movie is one of the main characters is a boy. Another similarity is they both joined the war young, Nathaniel had just turned 14 and Gabriel was 17. Towards the end of the book and the movie some of the British soldiers burned down houses, stores, and churches, with people in them. Also if the slaves wanted freedom they had to fight in the army for 12 months. In The Patriot  and in Give Me Liberty  people had to make chairs, tables, desks and many more things by hand. (Elliot) (Emmerich)

From the similarities comes the differences. There were only a few differences, for example, in the book Give Me Liberty Nathaniel and one of the boys he worked with had gunpowder plot day, where you throw all the tea in a huge bonfire and watch it burn (Elliot) Another difference was that in The Patriot Benjamin Martin had to fight in the war alongside Gabriel and be there for his 5 other children and in the book Nathaniel doesn't have any other siblings. (Elliot) (Emmerich)

In conclusion, there are many similarities than differences between these two characters in the book and the movie. Even though Gabriel was 18 and Nathaniel was 14, it showed how much they wanted to fight for their freedom! 

Courage, Bravery, and Determination

 Author's Note: This essay is about the themes in Midnight Sun and how it relates to Martin Luther King Junior and the book Touching Spirit Bear. In this essay the introduction is about Midnight Sun and the thesis is about how it can relate to everyone can relate to in life. In the second paragraph it talks about the main character Edward and how he wants to drink Bella's blood. The third and fourth paragraph is the relation to the themes one is about a person and the other is a book. 

Imagine yearning for someone’s blood so much it feels like someone is ripping you from the inside out.  Every day you struggle to even be in the same room with them, as your mind spins uncontrollably. As the days pass by, the monster inside of you craves for their blood, but you manage to be by them. In the book Midnight Sun, by Stephanie Meyer, the main character Edward experienced various difficulties trying to control his thirst when he’s around Bella Swan. The author demonstrates three major themes in this book: courage and bravery, determination, and justice that people can relate to in life.

Edward, the main character in the book Midnight Sun, which is Edward Cullen’s point of view of  the book Twilight, was so determined about killing Bella. He ran all the different ways he could kill her and not leave any evidence. The monster inside of him was so eager to taste the innocent humans’ blood and if he did taste her blood he wouldn't be able to stop until she would die. In result of killing Bella, everyone in the Cullen family would be very disappointed and they all will have to flee Forks, Washington and start a new life somewhere else. With this, he was portraying determination, he was set on killing her and tasting her blood.

Some of the greatest people in history got very far in life because they were determined, courageous and ended up fulfilling whatever they set their mind to. For example, Martin Luther King Junior, he became a pastor at a church in Georgia 1954, which was during the time of segregation. After a couple years he was sick of being treated differently just because of his skin color. That was when he started the civil rights movement and in Washington DC he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. He was determined to influence people to not be judgmental. He was also very courageous and brave to stand up and speak in front of tons and tons of people, and not only is he the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.

This book, Midnight Sun, and the themes in it also relate to the book Touching Spirit Bear. In Touching Spirit Bear, Cole was determined to kill the spirit bear on the island. After the bear mauls Cole over and he is taken to recover  Cole is brave enough to return to the island to finish his banishment.  Cole receives justice after he realizes that killing the spirit bear won’t make him feel any better.  

Edward had to overcome his urge to drink Bella’s blood in which took courage. In result of not killing Bella he felt the need to protect her and that led to him falling in love with her. Martin Luther King Jr.  was determined to have everyone be treated the same  as equals whether you were African American, Hispanic, Asian, German, or Caucasian. Cole from Touching Spirit bear found justice when he realized anger is not the answer to all his problems.  Bravery, determination, and justice are themes throughout the world  that can relate to people in life and in books.  

Edward and Bella (compare and contrast)