The Leak

Wrapped in blankets,

Pillow over head,

Jimmy couldn't sleep,

With the sound of the leak.

He tossed and turned,

even covered his ears,

But drip drip drip was all he could hear.

He tried to sleep,

But all through the night,

Drip drip drip,

 something wasn't right.

Jimmy rose from his bed,

When he saw the light,

Then drowsily he said,

"I'll call the plumber,

yeah that’s right!

He'll fix the leak."

The plumber arrives,

And Jimmy's amazed,

For all these days,

Lying restlessly in bed,

The loud dripping noise,

Was all in his head.

Themes from The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Author's Note: This is an analysis of a theme from The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

Blindly Following Tradition

A theme I noticed in The Lottery is the danger of blindly following tradition. They are completely blind toward the tradition because they have yet to realize the inhumanity and brutality of "the lottery". Warner, the oldest person in the town, claims that without the lottery there would be no order. That alone shows how little they actually know of what they're doing. You don't need an iron fist, or in this case a lottery, to keep people from getting "out of line".

I believe that The Lottery relates to Touching Spirit Bear and The Hunger Games. The short story relates to Touching Spirit Bear because Cole Mathews, the main character, blindly takes part in an old Alaskan Indian tradition called Circle Justice simply to avoid going to jail. The Lottery relates to The Hunger Games because they both blindly follow a tradition in which they draw pieces of paper and people are brutally murdered for no reason.

Stem Cells (Science Research Paper)

What is a stem cell? You are probably asking yourself this. It is ok, most people have never even heard of

stem cells. Whether you know about stem cells or not, I'm sure you'll agree. Stem cells are surprisingly

interesting.

Generally, stem cells are a fairly simple topic. Stem cells are cells that can divide indefinitely and have

the potential to develop into different types of cells (NOVA scienceNOW: Stem Cells). According to

theory, Stem cells can divide forever to replenish other cells as long as the organism is still alive (Stem

Cell Basics). This ability may make them important in treating diseases caused by the failure of a certain

kind of cell. There are two different kinds of stem cells.

The first kind of stem cells is adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are found among distinguished cells in a

tissue or organ that can regenerate and can differentiate to allow some or all of the major specialized

cell types of the tissue or organ (NOVA scienceNOW: Stem Cells). The primary roles of adult stem cells in

a living organism are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found (Chavis). Adult stem cells

are only able to differentiate into cell types of their tissue of origin (Chavis).

The other kind of stem cells is embryonic stem cells. They are derived from human embryos (Chavis).

Embryonic stem cells are fertilized and grown in specialized laboratories (Chavis). They can become all

cell types of the body because they are pluripotent, or capable of giving rise to several different cell

types (Chavis).

Stem cells are pretty cool. Studies show, stem cells may be the answer to treating devastating diseases.

A few examples would include type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Arthritis  (Chavis). Do you think that we should continue to research stem cells?

Bibliography

Chavis, Jason. "eHow." Advantages of Embryonic Stem Cell Research.

NOVA scienceNOW: Stem Cells. 16 April 2012 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/viewing/3209_04_nsn.html>.

Stem Cell Basics. 13 February 2012. 16 April 2012 <http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics4.asp>.

Public Transportation (District Assesment)

Public transportation is an extremely valuable offer that the government gives to the citizens. Looking at the public transport systems around the world in attempt to find the ideal set is very interesting. It is almost impossible to find the system that will always be appreciated by employees of the system, government and, of course, users of the public transport.

Public transportation and the way it should develop and benefit population in the country is one of the topics that media gives special attention. First of all, public transport and its role in development of convenient and easy living for elderly people from low-income families as well as disabled individuals is always on top of the social responsibility discussions. Should public transportation be free for everyone? Should it provide particular population segments with discounts and subsidies for its usage? Or should it be based on commercial ground and become a revenue generating tool for the governmental authorities? These are the core issues that are debated on high levels in the government as well as among regular citizens of the country we live in.

From my perspective, the purpose of public transport is to help people be mobile in the cities. It is especially important for elderly people, children and those, who for various reasons cannot afford personal transport. On the other hand, this is an investment of governments in protection of the environment and reduction of the pressure on traffic and air pollution. With that in mind, I strongly believe that while public transportation should be a self-sustainable mechanism and should be able to bring income to the authorities, it should also take into account the primarily objective of any community and government initiative to satisfy basic transportation needs of population.

Having a public transportation system that is approved by everyone is quite a ways away.What do you think is the purpose of public transportation is?

Gregor The Overlander POV

The point of view in Gregor the Overlander is told from Gregor's perspective. I'm pretty sure it is 3rd person limited, because it shows only Gregor's thoughts but tells the story in 3rd person style (Gregor said, instead of I said). If the book was told from the rat's point of view the book would have been way different. However, they didn't make an appearance until after the first few chapters, when Gregor tried to run away down the river. The book would have started with Gregor pulling the boat onto the beach, the climax would probably be the death of Shed and Fangor (the first 2 rats) because they threw the bodies into the river, and hen the other rats found out, it started a war. Then it would go through all the battles, which wouldn't really be that different; and in the end Gorger will get overthrown (killed) just it would tell it from the rats perspective.

Fast Food and Physical Education

People today are becoming addicted to fast food without realizing the effects. Anywhere you go today, you’ll find McDonald’s fast food near you, which is harming American children more than anything else. A typical child today lives and grows up on fast food just because parents don’t have enough time to cook. On top of all this, computers have made it even worse, as all children do is eat junk food and spend their free time playing computer games. Furthermore, children are not able to develop their life skills and harm their health by eating junk food, filled with harmful calories. As a result, due to present circumstances, physical education classes should be required for all public school students in all grades.

The foremost benefit of physical education courses in public schools is that it promotes general health. A typical teenager today spends much more time in front of a PC or TV, on a regular basis, than doing physical exercise. On top of this, children don’t eat healthy nutritional food which ends up harming their body in many different ways, such as having a poor heart at a young age due to obesity, breathing problems etc. Keeping this in mind, researchers have found out that exercise has maximum benefit if done regularly. Furthermore, learning about the importance of physical fitness it not only helps students stay fit, but also helps them to remain healthy throughout their lifetime.

Besides promoting general health, physical education teaches children transferable life skills. As children start to exercise or play games, they start to socialize in society among other children. Furthermore, playing games, they actually become a part of a team and start to learn about teamwork, by developing their confidence and leadership qualities. Furthermore, children also learn about important aspects of life, such as not letting themselves down even if things don’t go their way. They also learn about the benefits of healthy competition.

The third reason why physical education should be required in schools is that children can be better trained effectively, efficiently, and faster under a trained professional. Even though children can get exercise at home, trained physical education teachers can teach more effectively than parents. Furthermore, physical education teachers can usually point a student toward the sport that is more appropriate, as they monitor a student's progress on a daily basis. Also schools generally have the appropriate facilities and equipment to aid in better results, rather then exercise done at home.

However despite of all the benefits of physical education in public schools, some parents claim that only academic subjects should be taught in school, as physical games might be a distraction for students. However, most parents don’t realize that they themselves don’t have enough time to oversee their child's physical exercise, nor do they have the available resources in order for their children to get enough exercise. Therefore, it becomes the school's duty to ensure that children are healthy in both mind and body.

In conclusion, one can see that as children are growing obese, physical education is becoming more of a necessity than an elective in public schools. Physical education has often been downplayed as a minor part of daily school life and not been considered necessary. However, if its benefits are taken into account and if schools adopt a twelve-year fitness plan, the positive results will foster a new awareness of not only physical fitness but also communication skills.

Touching Spirit Bear Quote Revision

Author's Note: This is a revision of a previously written quote evaluation.
  

“The dances, carving the totem, carrying the ancestor rock, touching the Spirit Bear, it was all the same thing—it was finding out who I really was.”

Cole to Peter, p. 283

This quote, near the end of the novel, summarizes in a sentence the point of the book's title as well as the whole book. These particular events, while their content and character were interesting and important, were merely means to get to the end of personal growth, healing, and forgiveness. In this way, the author makes the lesson of the book go beyond a particular boy in Alaska who encounters a bear into a broader story of the man's search for self and meaning.

The Big Yellow Taxi & Field Below Comparison

Author's Note: These are comparisons of the poems and their songs, specifically The Big Yellow Taxi and Field Below. 
 

Big Yellow Taxi

The song is way different than the poem. The lyrics/words may have been the same but the tone and mood re not even close. In the poem the tone was kind of sad or depressed and the mood was sympathetic. For the song the tone was upbeat and the mood was happy.

Field below

For Field Below, they were pretty much the same. The background music matched the tone of the poem. Both the poem's and the song's tone were lonely and depressed and the moods were sympathetic. Also, the purpose was the same, too.

Blood Ninja Parody

Author's Note: This is a parody of This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams. This parody is for the book Blood Ninja by Nick Lake. After the parody, is a paragraph analyzing the parody.

P.S. Taro is the main character of Blood Ninja.

I have dropped

The bow

Given by my father

Into a ditch

In which

A drunken man

Took it

And threw it in a hut

I went back

With Heiko

I found the bow

And broke it in half

Blood Ninja. The poem relates to the book because It depicts the scenes when taro drops his bow and when he goes back for it with Heiko. Taro is the speaker and the audience is Taro (implying that the poem is taking place in his thoughts). The tone in the first two stanzas is apologetic and in the third it is insincere.

"Mother to Son" Analysis

Author's Note: This is analysis of tone, mood, and figurative language in the poem "Mother to Son" By Langston Hughes.

I found the tone to be to persevere. With the metaphor "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." as well as "It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor -- Bare." she, the mother, is obviously telling her son that life isn't easy, and that no matter what happens he has to keep on going. I felt that the mood was inspiration, because It inspires the reader to never give up despite all the hardships one will have to deal with.

ABCs of Cole Matthews

Author's Note: This is a creative piece based off of Touching Spirit Bear. I couldn't think of anything for X, Y, or Z.

Anger - Cole's biggest issue

Bruises - Peter's beating

Carving - Carving the totem pole

Death - Cole almost died

Edwin - Edwin's wise and clever teachings

Father - Cole's abusive father

Garvey - Garvey's assistance

Healing - The healing that took place on the island

Island - The island that peter was sent to

Jail - Where Cole was going to be sent

Knife - The knife used to carve the totem

Lessons - The lessons Cole learned

Mother - Coles alcoholic mother

Night - The cold wet nights Cole spent in the tent

Overwhelming - the overwhelming blows from the spirit bear

Peter - Peter's forgiveness

Quiet - The quiet nights alone

Rock - The ancestor rock

Spirit Bear - The gruesome mauling

Thunder - the thunder storm that knocked over the tree

Under shirt - the under shirt Cole used to dry off

Visit - Edwin's visit

Water - Cole's morning soaks

Thank You Ma'am

There are many, many important messages that the author Langston Hughes is trying to get across in his story, Thank You Ma’am. The main ones being the importance of: kindness, forgiveness, empathy and trust.

In the story it is Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones that epitomizes all of these traits. The first thing Mrs. Jones does after catching the boy that tried to snatch her purse was made him realize that what he tried to do was wrong. Next instead of acting negatively toward the boy and his actions she responds with kindness by taking the boy home and letting him wash his face. She then offers him dinner and finally gives him $10 to buy himself some blue suede shoes. These actions show us that Mrs. Jones is a truly kind person and.

We can also see that Mrs. Jones is also a very forgiving person because of her actions. Most people would have probably either beet the kid up or just turned him into the authorities. She not only forgives Roger for trying to steal from her but she also takes him home and tries to convince him to never steal from anyone ever again.

Another important trait that Mrs. Jones has is trust, after she takes Roger home she trusts him enough to leave him alone with her purse, Roger sees this and he wants to make sure that Mrs. Jones continues to trust him. So he does not try to escape and he gets away from her purse. In this scene I think the author Langston Hughes is trying to show us that if we treat other people with respect, kindness and in general they way we would like to be treated that they are more likely to treat us with respect and kindness in return.

Furthermore, we also see that Mrs. Jones is very empathetic toward Roger, probably because she herself also had a rough childhood growing up. We know that she is empathetic because she is able to see and understand why Roger tried to steal her purse. And after explaining to him that stealing is never the answer she gives him $10 because she understands how badly he wants those blue suede shoes.

Some people may disagree with the message that the author Langston Hughes is trying to give. Some people may think that Mrs. Jones was too soft on the boy and as a result gave the wrong message. People may argue that by taking Roger in, and being kind to him, feeding him and giving him money that Mrs. Jones gave him the impression that it is okay to steal because even though he got caught he didn’t suffer any negative consequences. These critiques may go on to say that by telling Roger that she was also bad as a child that it is giving him the idea it is a okay to lead the life of a criminal because Mrs. Jones did and she turned out alright.

However I would completely disagree with these critiques mainly because I believe positive reinforcement is much more powerful than negative reinforcement especially with children. These critiques would say that if Mrs. Jones had punished Roger he would be afraid to steal again. Again I disagree, I think if Mrs. Jones had punished him Roger would become more angry and would feel that the world is unfair which would lead him further along in the wrong path. On the contrary by being kind to Roger Mrs. Jones showed him that there are kind people in the world and that he doesn’t have to steal. Also because of her kindness Roger she’s that what he did was wrong and as a result he himself chooses to believe that stealing is wrong and that he should never do it again. And a choice you make for yourself is always much more powerful than a choice someone else makes for you. Meaning that you are more likely to believe in and follow through on the choices you make yourself.

Therefore, I believe Langston Hughes is giving the right message. He is showing the importance of treating others the way you would like to be treated. And the importance of showing respect, kindness, forgiveness and trust when dealing with people, even if those people are on the wrong path, and are not believed to be “good” people.

The Power of Nature

 Author's note: This is an essay about the themes in Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson .The purpose is to point out the importance of nature in the book.

There are many themes in Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson. Many of them are important, for example anger and revenge, but they were hardly brought about. I found the power of nature to be a rather pervasive theme.

The wilderness island setting for Cole's banishment and the Indian traditions surrounding the place demonstrate the importance of nature in understanding the environment, culture, and personal healing. Almost every chapter includes mention of a different animal. Each animal either teaches Cole a lesson or represents a symbol of greater hidden truths.

The author wants the reader to believe that nature indeed can reveal these hidden truths. For example, the beaver became a symbol for patients and perseverance. Another example is the eagle; it became a symbol of strength and freedom. And the whales became a symbol of wandering and searching for truth. Most important, of course, is the presence of the Spirit Bear as a symbol of nature's justice.

When Cole is mauled by the Spirit Bear after trying to attack it, his pride as well as his resistance to change are crushed and overwhelmed. He is incredibly humbled by this force of nature. He started to pay more attention to the environment around him. It was through this transformational process that he was able to heal and find a new path for his life.

 Even though anger and revenge as well as forgiveness and healing were important, the power of nature appeared to be the main idea.

Touching Spirit Bear Quote

Author's Note: I was assigned to choose a quote from the book Touching Spirit Bear and then write about it.

There are many quotes in Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson. The one that stuck out the most to me is "Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself;” I think that it is apparent in the theme of the book Touching Spirit Bear.

A lot of Touching Spirit Bear involves the quote, especially when Cole is on the island. When Cole eats the live mouse is like when the seagulls tore out tiny chunks of his flesh. Or when Cole is getting mauled by the spirit bear, it's kind of like what he did to Peter. Also when he stabbed the spirit bear in the chest, the spirit bear tore open Cole's. I find this less relevant but Cole ate the back half of a fish and when he tried to swim away from the island, the tide pushed him back towards the shore.

I guess that the events and partially the quote are sort of a way of punishment (or karma) for what Cole did.

Touching Spirit Bear Speech

Author's Note: This is a short speech about how the setting affects the plot and characters in the book Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson.

The book Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson takes place in many different locations. The book takes place around modern day in Minneapolis and a remote island off the Southeast coast of Alaska. The setting affects the plot because it is mostly Cole alone on the remote island. I think that if the Healing Circle had chosen to send Cole to jail, as many circle members have suggested, he would not have truly changed. Cole would probably get into fights and remain unchanged from his past ways once he got out. 

The reason why is because, as somebody said, "He has proved he can't be trusted." and his rather violent nature shown when he beats up Peter, burns the supplies, and attacks the spirit bear make me infer that he would not change.

The Man's Only Friend

Francis was an awkward man. The closest thing to a friend he had was his dog William. William was an old dog, about 12 years old. William was the only thing Francis lived for. They lived in an old 5th floor apartment, and were barely getting by with Francis' low income job.

Francis worked in a boring office building, in a small cubicle. Francis' boss, Jeff, was utterly strict. Jeff had a gaze as sharp as daggers that could paralyze a man with fear; anyone who got caught off-task was fired and replaced. Let’s not forget about Joey.

 Joey is the office jerk and Francis' rival. Joey is especially degrading to Francis. Joey has been trying to get him fired ever since Francis was promoted. Normally, Francis would just ignore him, but this day was different…

Francis was walking to the vending machine when he noticed Joey rise from his cubicle and pursue shortly behind. Francis stopped, turned, and calmly said "Please leave me alone,"

As usual Joey remarked, "Hey look, Francis is walking with all of his friends,"

Now annoyed, Francis angrily demands "Just go away!"

"You gonna' go cry about it to your dog!" Joey shouts as Francis storms off back to his cubicle.

Everyone stared at him as he violently walked down the aisle with his fists clenched. He sat down in his swivel chair and got back to work. Despite the fact that he was organizing folders, his mind was elsewhere. Francis was reflecting on what had happened. He let it get to him; he let himself believe that Joey was truly right.

As Francis gathered his things, he quickly fled the building, avoiding Joey, and sped to the apartment building.  He got into the elevator with an old lady. She stared at him until he got off at his floor. When Francis opened the door to his room, William greeted him with a big lick all the way across his hand. William then curled up on the bed as Francis stored his coat and shoes in the closet. Francis sat down next to William. Francis was still thinking about what Joey said. It was a mental cage, he just couldn't escape, just couldn't slip away…

Francis arrived at work 10 minutes early, as he usually did, so he wouldn't risk getting fired for being late. Francis started working immediately, so he could be sure he wouldn't be bothered. Francis ate his lunch at his cubicle because he didn't want to have another conversation with Joey. And, like yesterday, Francis fled the building and sped to the apartment building. He got on the elevator alone. Francis went to his room and was greeted by William.

Francis took William to the dog park, as he did every Saturday, but little did he know that death was imminent. Francis noticed William was acting strange, but he thought nothing of it. Francis assumed that William was scared. Upon arrival, Francis found a tennis ball, left out for the dogs to play with, so he threw the ball and said "Go get it William!"

William perched himself on the dewy grass and stared at Francis.

"Come on boy, it’s alright, go and get it,"

William continued to stare. Francis turned and sat on the bench behind him. William slowly followed and sat in front of Francis. They stared for quite a while before Francis decided to go back to the apartment. They spent the rest of the day in the apartment, all the while William acted just as strange.

When Francis awoke he couldn't find William anywhere. He searched the entire apartment and couldn't find him. Francis finally found William under the bed. William was cold and wasn't moving. He was dead. Francis was extremely depressed. Francis buried him at the pet cemetery on the edge of town. Francis went back to the apartment…

Joey got a promotion. As for Francis, he spent the rest of his life in that apartment, which wasn’t very long.

"Thank You Ma'am" By Langston Hughes

Author's Note: This piece is what I found the message to be in the short story "Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes.

The lesson I learned from "Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes is to treat others the way you want to be treated. After the boy attempted to steal Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones purse, instead of showing anger towards the boy, she showed kindness, forgiveness, and trust.

She demonstrated forgiveness when she invited Roger into her home so he could wash his face. She  demonstrated kindness when she gave him $10 so Roger could buy the blue suede shoes. Mrs. Jones demonstrated trust in the scene when they were at her house, she left the door open with Roger and her purse out of sight.

Mrs. Jones is a great example of a truly good person. She admitted that she has messed up in her past, she forgave the very person that attempted to steal from her, and she gave him food, a small amount of money and washed his face. If only there were more people like Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.

POV The Fighting Ground

The book is told in Jonathan's perspective. Jonathan's point of view tells the story as an early teen, so he sees things more frightfully than an adult would. For example, when he gets captured by the Hessians he sees them as giant trained killing machines, whereas if it were one of the other soldiers was captured they would have fought back bravely.