Comparison Essay

Similarities can be found almost anywhere. Jonathan and Ponyboy have a few. Even though they come from two completely different backgrounds, they're actually quite similar in comparison. Despite a few differences they have a lot in common.

Jonathan and Ponyboy are a lot alike. They both proved a stereotype to be wrong. Jonathan discovered that the Hessians aren't heartless killing machines and Ponyboy discovered that the Socs' aren't perfect and get everything they want/etc. Another similarity is that they both lived in fear. Jonathan was scared out of his mind when he was first captured by the Hessians And Ponyboy was so afraid, he couldn't go outside because he was afraid of getting jumped by Socs. Jonathan and Ponyboy are alike but have differences, too.

Ponyboy and Jonathan only have one difference from what I found. Jonathan wanted to fight. Jonathan was so eager to go to war. He disobeyed his own father and joined by lying to the corporal about his age. Once he actually did fight, he realized that it was way worse than he thought. He ended up getting captured by the enemy and wanting to go home.

Whereas for Ponyboy, he didn't want to fight at all, he was afraid of fighting I guess. Johnny was jumped when they were younger and they both have been frightened ever since. When they were at the park and they got into the fight with the Socs is an example of what they were trying to avoid.

Stereotypically, characters from two different books are extremely different, but Johnathan and Ponyboy prove this wrong.

The Story of May I. Takorder

Author's Note: we chose a character and a setting from a hat then wrote a story using both.

Introduction:

My name is May, May I. Takorder. I have always dreamed about being a starting quarter back for the Green Bay Packers. I got as close to the field as I could, but with my range of skill, the closest place I could get a job was as a waitress at the diner not too far from Lambeau field.

"Good morning Green Bay, This is Todd" CLICK...

May turned off her alarm. Lazily she got out of bed,  and got ready for work. Every day, May drives past Lambeau field, and grins, because she knows that anything can happen. And every day, she cheats death, as she realizes she's driving on the wrong side of the street. Once at work, she checks in and starts taking orders.

"Hello, my name is May I. Takorder and I will be serving you today. What'll you be havin'?"

" May I have a turkey sub." asked the strangely familiar man

"Sure thing" May responded as she walked back to the kitchen to get one for him.

"HEY, HEADS UP!" she yelled as she threw the sandwich across the room

"Huh?!?!?!?" said the strangely familiar man

THUD…

Sir… Sir... Are you alright. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hit you in the face with the sandwich.

"That’s quite an arm you got there. Hey, I want to hire you as a quarter back!" the strangely familiar man said

"REALLY!?!?!?" May Asked

"Sure"

May went with the man. May Got in the back of the limo with him and they watched "Justin Beaver: I Sometimes Say Never" on the way to the destination.

"Were here." said the driver in an Australian accent

"But… This is the bank?"May noticed

"Yes, and quarter back is what we call the person at the withdrawal desk" the strangely familiar man said

Suddenly May realized where she remembers him from, he is the owner of the bank she goes to.

"Oh, you're the owner of the bank I go to!" May said

"You're quite right." replied the driver with an Italian accent

"didn't you just have an Australian accent?" May asks

"Um… no?" The driver responds in a Russian accent

"Ok?" May said

"If you don't mind I'm going to get some lunch." said the driver with an Irish accent

May took the job as a "quarter back" and lived happily ever after… well she didn't live too happily, so let's just say she lived.

From Hostility To Compassion

At the beginning of the novel, Ponyboy, like all of the greasers, hates and fears the Socs. As his understanding of them changes, Ponyboy sees the Socs more sympathetically. Over the course of the novel, Ponyboy’s opinion of the Socs shifts.

 Ponyboy thinks of the Socs as dangerous enemies. After he meets Cherry at the movie theater, Ponyboy begins to realize that Socs are human just like greasers. He sees that he and Cherry appreciate many of the same things, like sunsets. His outlook of the Socs suffers a setback, however, after a group of them attacks him and Johnny in the park.

When Ponyboy rescues the children from the burning church, it opens him up to the idea of a human compassion that over powers gang loyalties. Later, Ponyboy talks with the Soc Randy about the rescue, and the two come to a peaceable understanding. Still, Ponyboy does not suddenly remove his hostility towards the Socs, not even after Johnny pleads with him to stop fighting.

 His painful experiences have scarred him. As the story ends, gang tensions still exists, and Ponyboy still feels angry. Yet he is about to begin an intelligent exploration of his tragedies by writing about them.

Halloween riddle

I've am feared and loved. I'm a girl's costume on Halloween. I can be found in a pet store. What am I?

what is 81 divided by 27?

AKBRULHEAYSCSTKYTCSHAIOT

Tell-Tale Heart

The narrator in Tell-Tale Heart pleas that he is not mentally insane. He believes that because he is cunning,  and sneaky. This man plans to kill his boss, not because of hatred, but because of his eye. Despite his caution, he still proves insane in my eyes.

The narrator decides to murder his boss. He is only doing so because of his boss's eye. The eye "haunts" him. So the narrator watches his boss for several nights, cautiously moving. And when he decides to kill him, he smothers his boss with the mattress he was sleeping on, cuts his boss's body to pieces and stuffs the body parts in the floor boards. The only smart things the narrator did was cut the body in the bath tub and putting the pieces in the floor.

Though the narrator is wise, he proves to be insane. He murdered his boss because his boss had a strange eye. The narrator also watched his boss sleep  for eight days before he murdered his boss, which I don’t really understand why he did that, that makes me think he's even more insane. In my opinion, the narrator is insane.

Patriots pen

I am proud of my country. Even though we have a strong reliance on fossil fuels and a lot of pollution, we have more freedom than some other countries. Here in America, we have good education and are technologically ahead of other countries. The thing I am most proud of is our rights as a citizen.

Peter Pan cliff-hanger

Author's note: the assignment was to create a cliff-hanger ending using the topic chosen randomly by my group. I think this is a good conclusion because its not too long and it makes you question why something happened and/or want to know what happens next. I would like feed-back to be what could be better/different to appeal to you more and your  thoughts about it.

Peter and Wendy made their way to Netherland. As they soar across the night sky, Peter begins to realize something. Peter Pan looks at Wendy as she gazes down at Netherland; Peter lets go.

Author's note: the topic was Peter Pan realizes he hates Wendy.

Mack essay hook

Mack is a 14-year-old unicorn salesman; he is the best in the business. Mack makes so much money he doesn't know what to do with it. He already possesses one of everything and doesn't want any pairs. In my opinion Mack should just quit his job and donate most of his money. What do you think he should do?

Bobby at the line

The score was 11-13 and Georgetown was winning.

 Francis high scored again.

One more point for Georgetown and they would win

Stanley got the ball and threw it for a pass to Mike.

Mike was tripped by one of the Francis high players and sprained his ankle.

There was 15 seconds left on the clock.

Bobby was subbed in and the crowd broke out in joyous shouting.

Bobby walked up to the free-throw line and the room went silent.

He quickly aimed and took his first shot.

He missed and Stanley said "Don't worry, you'll make the next one Bobby".

Bobby was frustrated because of his first shot, he aimed and violently threw the ball at the hoop.

The ball bounced off the backboard and was caught by a Francis high player.

The Francis high player made it to the other hoop and scored just as time ran out.

The game was over and Georgetown lost.

The climax was similar because the climax was when they got mad

Public Speaking

Public speaking is hard,

There are so many areas of critique,

You may be good at some,

And at others you might stink,

For me eye contact was the hardest part,

Looking at everyone would take over two minutes,

Just thinking of looking at a crowd of people made me nervous,

But with lots of practice I was able to hold it all back an I did it,

I passed the final speaking test,

And also on the first try,

If you get nervous when publicly speaking,

Find a technique that works for you,

And you will do good too.

Night

The night reveals the moon,

It seems to float in the sky,

like a balloon,

Slowly drifting by,

All the stars,

Shining bright,

Coloring the sky,

with their light,

And sometimes with a creative mind,

If you search the sky with your eyes ,

A picture will be shown in time,

A constellation is what you'd see,

A constellation of some kind,

Is always revealed when you use your mind,

As the moon starts its descent,

The sun begins to rise,

shining ever so bright,

And the moon says "good bye",

Until the next night.

Facts about me

I like to eat frozen custard,

I'm quite small,

I don't think that I "cut the mustard",

My favorite animals are the colugo, lizard, and panda,

If you knew me well you'd know that I'm quite random,

I like going outside,

And watching thunderstorms,

Any rollercoaster I will ride,

No matter its shape or form,

I like firework displays,

As well as magic tricks,

I remember Billy Mays,

And have built things out of sticks,

I  don't like to wait,

I was born in a different state,

And I wish that people would comment,

Those are a bunch of facts about me,

So could you respect my wish,

And leave a comment please.

Patience

Patience is difficult,

To learn as well as teach,

Learning patience is especially hard for me,

Recently  I ordered something and I still must wait a week,

It attracted all my attention,

The longer I must wait the greater the tension,

Will it work like all the reviews mention,

I just can't wait,

I want it now,

It better not be late,

If only somehow,

I could go to the future and have it now,

Too bad there is no such thing,

Down with my spirits it does bring,

Whenever I have to wait this long.

Summer turns to fall

Summer is drawing to a close,

And fall is beginning,

Beginning with the leaves,

Changing color,

Then blowing away with the breeze,

The heat from the summer,

Is slowly fading,

Into the chill of the night,

The sun seems to shine,

A little less bright,

And at all the stores,

What grows is the line,

As parents and students try to get supplies,

For school in time,

They got new books and met their teachers,

In new clothes as well as sneakers,

Found their locker,

Memorized the combination to the lock,

Spent the next day staring at the clock,

Waiting for school to end.

School turns to summer

School is nearing an end,

And for that day I cannot wait,

After that date,

For 3 months school I wouldn't have to attend,

No more homework no more teachers,

Only sports events and sitting in bleachers,

No more books and no more tests,

Just mosquitoes and other pests,

Summer would be starting,

Me and school would be parting,

I could play video games and stay up late,

Man this summer is going to be great,

I wish the summer would last forever,

But I know the possibility is never,

They say good things come to an end,

If only there was something I could use to extend,

The length of this summer so it never goes,

But there's nothing we can do,

That's something everyone knows,

If only we could,

Make summer forever,

But that would happen never.

Comments 2

Nobody has left me a comment,

I don't know what you think of my writing,

Haven't you read my comments poem,

Your opinions could be good or frightening,

But if you don't comment I won't know'em,

Like I said before,

Please leave a comment,

Do I need to tell you more,

I'm begging on my knees,

Your opinion is all I need,

So what do you say,

Will you leave a comment please?

Nobody is leaving comments. So I made a poem about it, yet no one left me a comment. Its really disappointing that I have to write another poem begging you all to leave a comment. Please leave a comment and don't make me write another poem about you all never leaving comments.

Garbology story

Author's note: we were handed a bag with random stuff in it, then we had to write a story that included all the items in the bag and the story also had to follow one of the modes of literature
By Jacob Kogod & Joe Labs

Austin and his parents were eating dinner when his parents said "We have some thing to tell you," "What is it," Austin asked "We're getting a dog,  your father and I will be going to the pet store tomorrow," his mom continued "You should get to bed, it's getting late." "Okay mom." Austin replied. Austin went upstairs, got the toothpaste, brushed his teeth, then went to bed. The next morning, Austin woke up to his mom making breakfast. When he went downstairs and he saw his mom flipping pancakes with her spatula. After he ate, he went to school. Austin came home to a tiny Chihuahua. "Say hi to your new dog Scruffy," said Austin's mom. "How big is he?" Austin asked "I don't know, let's find out," Austin's dad got out a tape measure and measured the dog. "He is 9 inches tall and 10 inches long," answered his dad. "Can I play with him outside?" Austin asked "Why not," answered his parents. Austin went into the back yard with his dog. He grabbed a stick off the ground and threw it saying "Fetch". Scruffy darted across the yard, going after the stick. The dog took a sharp turn and started heading toward a bunny with a cotton ball tail "No, Scruffy, no!" Austin yelled as the dog chased the bunny into the woods. Austin sadly went inside and told his parents what had happened. They lit a candle so the dog would know which house to come back to, if he ever came back. Austin went up to his room and cried, thinking the dog would, like a balloon when let go, would never come back. The next day, Austin decided to go check the back yard to see if Scruffy had returned. Sadly, he hasn't returned. Austin spent the rest of the day worrying if something had happened to him. Once it started to get dark, an idea had struck Austin. He was going to go look for him. Austin grabbed a battery powered flashlight and set out into the woods. Night was almost upon him, when suddenly he heard something barking at him. When he turned around, Scruffy was there. "Scruffy! I missed you so much," Austin said as he picked up the dog. He went home and told his parents the good news. Scruffy was given a bath and Austin's dad built a fence the next day, so this wouldn't happen a gain. Austin went outside with Scruffy, after the fence was finished, and they finished their game of fetch.

Colugos

Author's Note: this is a picture journal, we had to find a picture and write about it.

Colugos are crazy,

Unlike me,

Are the least bit lazy,

They move by gliding,

From tree to tree,

And if they fall,

They climb with ease,

They have big eyes,

For such tiny heads,

Any tree serves as a home,

For where there's food,

Is where they'll go,

Small plants,

Is what they fancy,

And if you try to catch one,

Gliding is what they'll do,

Colugos are small,

They could fit in a shoe,

Although that,

They would not do,

And now,

I have nothing left to say,

Except colugos are awesome,

And that colugos are here to stay.

Pandas

Pandas are awesome,

You can see them at the zoo,

They eat bamboo,
And they're not just black and white,

There are red pandas too,

Look it up,

You'll see I'm right,

They're also herbivores,

Just in case you've never heard that word before,

It means they eat plants,

Vegetation,

They can't dance,

No education,

'cause they don't go to school,

Educated or not,

Pandas will always be cool.

Personal Metaphor

Author's note: this poem is a bunch of metaphors that describe me. P.S. this is a picture of a colugo.

I am a crab,
born by the Chesapeake,
I am a colugo,
small and weird,
I am a squirrel,
climbing up and down,
I am a mime,
making no sound.

"Eagle Strike" by Anthony Horowitz

Lets say you were a spy on vacation with your friend and you see a contract killer pull up to a dock on a large boat. What would you do? If you answered go find out what the contract killer's plans are, then you would do exactly what Alex did in the beginning of "Eagle Strike" by Anthony Horowitz. Alex was on vacation with his friend Sabina and Alex saw Yassen Gregorovich, a contract killer, and had to know what he was up to. As a result, he got tangled in Damian Cray's evil plan. "Eagle Strike" is obviously follows the tragic mode of literature.

Anthony's book fits the plotline perfectly. For the world is in conflict Alex spots Yassen while on vacation with Sabina. And for the rise to power, Alex found out what was going on. As for the tragic flaw or human weakness, Alex was caught by Damian Cray. The tragic fall was when Sabina got pulled into Damian's plan as well. Lastly, the death or death symbolism was when Yassen told Alex that his dad was a contract killer too and that they were partners.

The characteristics matched as well as a little bit of symbolism too. For the characteristics, Alex was in control and the story was realistic. As for the symbolism, Anthony mentioned both red and night throughout the book. Red was mentioned in the second to last chapter after Yassen was shot his shirt turned red with blood. He mentioned night when Alex was forced to fight the bull in France.


Anthony Horowitz's book clearly matches the tragic mode of literature. Honesty always leads to trust appeared to be the moral because Alex tried to convince Sabina that he was a spy and it didn't work at first, but after she got sucked into Damian's plan, she believed that he really was a spy. The moral also appeared to be that not everyone will believe you until you prove it because Alex was the only one who believed that Damian was villainous, but it wasn't until after Damian died that MI6, the British intelligence agency, found out that Alex was right. Alex gained trust from MI6 after proving them wrong.

"Sucker" by Carson McCullers

Imagine sharing a room with your little cousin Sucker. Your little cousin has lived with you ever since his parents died. Sucker admires you. He listens and remembers everything you tell him, he respects you. This boy still believes you after all the lies he was told. Once, you told him that if he jumped off the garage, an umbrella would act as a parachute, so he did and broke his knee. What you just imagined is what Pete's point of view is. The short story "Sucker", by Carson McCullers, is obviously a tragedy.

Carson's short story perfectly fits the tragic plotline. For the world is in conflict, Pete felt like he's been mean to Sucker. Talking to Sucker every night before bed was the rise to power because he was building a stronger bond with Sucker. The tragic flaw or human weakness was when Pete yelled at Sucker after being dumped by Maybelle. After Pete yelled at Sucker, Sucker started to dislike Pete, which was the tragic fall. As for the death or death symbolism, Sucker's admiration of Pete came to an end.

The characteristics matched as well. "Sucker" is realistic. Carson's short story is realistic because it seemed like something that really could have happened. I also thought that the main character, Pete, was in control. Pete was in control because he decided to start being nicer to Sucker once he realized how mean he was before.

There was a lot of tragic symbolism too. Maybelle was described to have red nail polish. Red is tragic symbolism because it could resemble blood. It said Pete knew that Maybelle smoked in her basement so he brought her cigarettes and asked her out. Basements are tragic symbolism because in horror movies, bad things usually happen when someone is alone in a large open space like a basement. Pete and Sucker would talk in the darkness of their room at night. Darkness and night are symbolism because bad thing would usually happen at night or in darkness.

"Sucker" by Carson McCullers appears to be tragic. Pete lost control, after being dumped by Maybelle, and yelled at Sucker without even thinking about what he was saying, which brings us to conclude that the moral of the story seems to be to think before you act or speak. It is really important to control yourself, especially when you're angry. Have you ever lost control of yourself?

"To Build a Fire" by Jack London

Imagine going down a trail, in weather colder -50 degrees, to get to your sons at a different camp. Do you think that would be a good idea? That is exactly what the man did in "To Build a Fire" by Jack London. A dog followed the man at his heel, for it the man expected was going to go to a camp, but didn't expect the journey. Jack's short story appeared to be both an irony and a tragedy.

"To Build a Fire" fits all of the tragic plotline. When the man fell through the ice was the world is in conflict. And the rise to power was when the man built a fire. The tragic flaw or human weakness was he built the fire under a snow covered tree. As a result, the tragic fall was when the snow fell and put out the fire. Lastly, the death or death symbolism was when the man froze to death.

Unlike the tragic plotline, the ironic plotline doesn't completely match. I couldn't find a match for the world is in chaos. But I found a match for all the other points. When the man fell through the ice and couldn't start a fire, that was the major conflict. And the death or loss of sanity was when the man froze to death.

Not all of the characteristics matched either. For tragedy, it was realistic, but the man did not seem to be in control. And for irony, it wasn't unrealistic or a nightmare vision of reality and there was no "bad" so bad could not be strong. But the man seemed not to be in control and he was stupid, weak and could do no right. When he tried to kill the dog to keep his hands warm but couldn’t because he forgot about his frost bite, that made me think that he was stupid and can do no right.

There wasn't a lot of symbolism for both tragedy and irony.  The man in the short story mentioned a tale about a guy who survived a blizzard by climbing into an animal carcass, blizzards are ironic symbolism. In the very first sentence, Jack was describing the day as cold and gray, gray is both ironic and tragic symbolism. Jack also said it was winter and mentioned cold wind, both are tragic symbolism. He also described the dog to look just like his cousin the wolf and that is tragic symbolism as well.

"To Build a Fire" by Jack London seemed to be ironic and tragic based off of the plotline, characteristics, and symbolism. The moral of the short story was to use common sense. If it is so cold outside that if you were to spit and it would freeze before it hits the ground, that would be a sign to stay indoors and keep warm. The man should have waited until it got warmer to go visit his sons. He probably would have lived if he did. Using common sense could save your life.

"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury

Imagine going back in time to hunt a t-rex. A sheet of fog sets in as the t-rex climbs over a hill not too far from where you are. Then it all goes wrong. That is just what happens in the short story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. The story fits most of the criteria of the Ironic mode of literature.

"A Sound of Thunder" fits all but one point on the irony plotline. The one point that doesn't fit is the world is in chaos. When Eckels fell off the path, that was the major conflict. And finally, death or loss of sanity is when Eckels gets back to the present. That is so because Eckels noticed the words on the sign were spelled weird, so he looked down at his boots and saw a dead butterfly stuck to the bottom, he had altered the universe. Lesperance, the safari guide, was right when he said it might alter some thing little like the way we speak.

Like the plotline, Ray's short story almost matches all the characteristics. It was highly unrealistic as well as a nightmare vision of reality. For the main character is not in control and also the main character is stupid, weak and can do no right was when Eckels went the wrong way and fell off the path. I didn't find anything for good is weak, but for bad is strong the t-rex was bigger than they expected.

In addition to not completely matching the ironic mode of literature , there wasn't a lot of symbolism either. They mentioned red, from when the safari guides marked the dinosaur. Also, they mentioned nightfall, when they started up the time machine. Maybe the dinosaur could be symbolism because it's kind of like a snake and a dragon. That was really all the symbolism I could find.

Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" almost matches the Ironic mode of literature. In the story, one dead butterfly altered  the way they spoke. What do you think would happen to the present day if someone killed a butterfly a million years ago?

The Island

Author's Note: This was a chain story. I only wrote the first sentence, the class wrote the rest.

It has been 3 hours since the plane crashed. We were flying over the island when our plane went down. Now we're stuck here, but it's okay. The island is great, its beautiful and there are so many animals. But there is one bad thing. All the animals are carnivores. The fourth hour had passed and we have run out of food. We are currently building shelter and sending groups to get more supplies. We have already hunted and eaten 300 lions. We're stuffed! It has been 24 hours since the crash. Our camp was attacked by bears and one ate my legs. Luckily, one of the passengers was a doctor. So much for being rescued… It has been 30 hours since the crash and still, nobody has shown up to rescue us. I wonder where they could be? 7 years later… They finally arrived. I felt like Bear Grills when I had a little amount of food and had to eat liver. When I got home, I got a cool pair of mechanical legs, to replace the ones that were eaten, and a story that will be passed on for ages.

Llamas

llamas are weird,
they spit in your face,
and can't grow a beard,
I don't think they can race,
they need water all the time,
a llama is an odd creature,
they don't have many rhymes,
llamas have a strange feature,
they can spit,
I don't think it's that great,
get too close and you'll be hit,
then llamas you will come to hate,
llamas will always be weird.

Candy

candy is something I like to eat,
but only if it's new,
'cause if you eat it off the street,
it will taste like a shoe,
it can also make you sick,
so do not give your shoes a lick,
'cause that will make you ill too,
when you're sick you might throw up,
and that tastes worse than a shoe,
and if you think it's a lie,
then go ask a grown-up,
because being sick is something you don't want to try.

Comments

Please leave a comment,
Be it nice or be it censure,
Leaving a comment will bring me pleasure,
Leave a comment day or night,
It will help me when I write,
So just leave a comment,
It is that simple,
I don't care about your dimple,
So keep it on topic,
That would be nice,
It could be long or microscopic,
leaving a comment has no price,
What I'm trying to say,
Is that comments are free,
You don't have to pay,
Every comment helps me,
Your comments are priceless,
So show some niceness,
And leave a comment today.

Deep Water Essay

In the story, Deep Water by William O. Douglas, William tells the tale of how he overcame his fear of water. After being thrown into the deep end of the pool, he nearly drowns, making his fear of water from when he was three or four, even stronger. Everyone has a fear, for example I'm afraid of heights and William was afraid of water, but it's important to get rid of your fear, like William did, because if you don't you may regret it. William O. Douglas and I both have a few things in common, but we still have some differences.

William and I only have three similarities. The first similarity is that we both know what it's like to be sucked underwater by a wave. I was eight when it happened, we were at a water park and I was in the wave pool. Once the waves started, they pulled me in to the deep end where I couldn't stand and my sister pulled me onto her inflatable tube and we waited until the waves turned off (the waves come on and off every fifteen to thirty minutes). Where as William was three or four and was at the beach and his dad pulled him out of the water. Our second similarity is we both have been trapped underwater. This time I was older and at a different wave pool. They were about to turn on the waves and I was pushing my inflatable tube toward the middle of the deep end, because that is where the waves are the biggest, and the waves started before I was on the inflatable tube. My hand slipped off the handle of the inflatable tube and I went under and I didn't have much air. I couldn't go up to the surface for air because of all the inflatable tubes covered it. When I finally got to an opening, I swam to the surface and took in a deep breath, then I got hit with a bunch of inflatable tubes as I swam back to the shallow end of the wave pool. As for William, he was thrown into the deep end and couldn't get to the surface. Finally, the last similarity between us is that we were both bad at swimming. Those were the only similarities shared between William and me.

Me and William only share two differences. The first is that I wouldn't be afraid to go boat fishing in the middle of a lake. Our second and final difference is I would have more trouble overcoming my fear. I'm extremely afraid heights. All William had to do was put on a harness attached to a pulley and swim across a pool. I would probably have to dangle over the edge of a building or something like that. Therefore, I think that I would have a harder time overcoming my fear of heights. Those were the only differences I could find between the two of us.

Both William and I have similarities, but we still have our differences. After William nearly drowned, he tried to avoid water when ever it was possible. He did so for a few years, then he decided to put an end to his fear of water. It is important not to let fear control your life.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

In The Pearl by John Steinbeck, Kino (the main character) finds a giant pearl and instantly becomes everyone's enemy. Imagine having people breaking into your house almost every night, being in constant fear that your family will be harmed. Imagine being at risk of attack every time you step outside your house. Do you think having a giant pearl would be worth undergoing all those things? The book, The Pearl by John Steinbeck, obviously is a tragedy.

John Steinbeck's book The Pearl, fits the plotline quite well. When Coyotito gets stung by the scorpion and the doctor won't help, that is when the world is in conflict for the main character (Kino). The world is in conflict for Kino because to him, Coyotito and Juana are the most important things in the world, and if anything were to happen to them he would live an empty life. The rise to power is when Kino finds the pearl. The reason why that is the rise to power is because now Kino can afford to hire the doctor. The tragic flaw or human weakness is Kino lets the pearl get into his head. Kino now realizes that the pearl is worth more than enough to pay the doctor and starts to fantasize about sending Coyotito to school, getting married to Juana in the church and so on. The tragic fall is that Kino is constantly being attacked and having people trying to steal the pearl. The reason for the tragic fall being so, is all a result of Kino not selling the pearl. Because Kino decided to keep the pearl, he was attacked, and out of self defense, he killed the attacker, forcing him to leave the village. The death or death symbolism is that Coyotito died. There was also a lot of symbolism that matched as well.

The symbolism from The Pearl matches the tragedy mode of literature. With most of the scenes taking place at night, that plays a large part in the symbolism. The mentioning of shadows as well as the darkness of a moonless night also played a rather large part. A bit of not as important symbolism is that they mentioned a dog barking. That was all the symbolism that I pulled out of The Pearl.

The Pearl has a match for each of the characteristics. I found that the book was realistic. I thought The Pearl was realistic because this seemed like it really could have happened. The second and final characteristic is that the main character (Kino) is in control. Kino was in control because he could have sold the pearl for one thousand pesos, or let Juana throw it into the ocean, but Kino didn't because he was in control and wanted to keep the pearl. There were only two characteristics, and I think that they match the book perfectly.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck obviously is a tragedy. The pearl Kino found was as big as his palm and worth over ten thousand pesos, that is why everyone wanted it. Kino threw the pearl back into the ocean because it ruined his family. If you had a pearl that big, what would you do with it?

Reflection onThe Pearl

Now that I've read the book, I can honestly say that it was really good. Other than all of the confusing parts and some advanced vocabulary every now and again, I enjoyed the book. A part that I found confusing was in the last chapter when Coyotito was crying and the watcher person with the rifle shot him in the head, how could that happen if Coyotito was in the back of the cave with Juana? My favorite part was when coyotito started to cry and Kino sort of sprung into action. I think the moral of the story is with great fortune, comes great misfortune. By that, I mean when you get wealth/etc. (the pearl) comes misery (Coyotito's death). Other than the confusing parts and the advanced vocabulary, I thought it was a good book.

Will the pearl destroy Kino's family?

Juana mentioned that the pearl will destroy the family. I agree with Juana. I believe it will because everyone seems to be jealous of Kino. Like they said in the book "The towns people all became Kino's enemy". And the doctor tricked Kino into giving away where it was hidden. and then later that night, someone came into their straw house and tried to dig up the pearl. People all over the town wants the pearl for themselves. Another reason is because it might go straight to Kino's head. He already has a bunch of ideas about what to do with the money. My last reason is because Kino's actions tell me that he is insecure. Ever since the person broke in, Kino acted weird with "the song of evil" constantly playing in his head. He felt he couldn't trust anyone. He could only trust Juana. And Juana said that the pearl will destroy the family. I predict that Kino will get rid of the pearl.

Journal Reflection on "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

So far, I didn't really enjoy reading the pearl. One of the most interesting parts was when the scorpion jumped off the rope and Kino tried to catch it. Another interesting part was when Kino found the pearl. The final part that i found interesting was when the person came into the straw house and tried to dig up the pear land Kino and attacked the intruder with his knife. That was really all that I found entertaining. Not that I'm saying that the book is bad, it's just not exciting. Well, not as exciting as I would like it to be. I like lots of action and suspense. That's why I likes those parts of the book. When Kino saw that giant clam, it made me wonder if it would have a big pearl, it kept me guessing. The rest of it didn't really seem to stand out or really interest me as much.