The Lottery

In the short story, "The Lottery," there was many themes used. One of the themes I believe was corruption. The town in this short story was a little bit strange than your typical place. There's a tradition in this town that every year the lottery takes place, and when you think of winning the lottery you'll usually win thousands even million of dollars. The lottery this small town had was that if you win, you will die. Before the towns people start drawing cards the one thing I noticed was how people were acting. Their reactions and emotions told me that it wasn't just a regular lottery. Once the lottery begins the male of that certain family is in charge of picking the card. Once everyone is done drawing their cards you see which person has a black dot. If you do have that miserable dot you will die! Mr. Hutchinson in the story choose the dot and later on he was stoned to death. Overall when you analyze the story and think that the idea of killing people and having a lottery like that is very strange.

Last Flower

I’m the last flower in this flower bed

I’m lonely and depressed

No one is by my side when I want to say hi

I have not a soul to talk to and no one to play with

Therefore I sit here waiting for more friends

I wait long days and even weeks for someone to show up

No one has blossomed yet but I know there’s hope

All I can do is sit and wait for there to be another mate  

Response to poems "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Field Below"

     The mood and tone seemed different when I listened to the song "Big Yellow Taxi". The mood of poem the is so sad and depressing while the song was upbeat. The meaning of "Big Yellow Taxi" is that you don't really appreciate little things in life until they're completely gone. The purpose of this poem is to inform readers about what is happening to nature and how the author feels about it. The overall tone of "Big Yellow Taxi" is angry and sad at the people who are destroying nature to build a parking lot.


     The meaning and purpose of "Field Below" is not having something in life that you really dream for. It shows what the author really wants and even that she wants to be in a more happy place. The mood of "Field Below" is feeling bad for the author and having the feeling of depression/sadness. The tone is very unsettling and shows that the author is clearly unhappy with her life. The tone/mood of the song is exactly how it is in the poem. It's not one bit different form the poem.

     Overall this shows readers that poems and songs can be exactly the same but the tone can be very different. Or even like "Field Below" where you have the same exact everything and just translate it to a song or poem. Furthermore they were both great poems and songs to read and listen to. 

Gummy Bears

Gummy Bears

Gummy Bears are a sweet sensation in your mouth

You can always count on  them being there

They all come in different colors and flavors 

and they're better than life savers

Everyone loves gummy bears 

for they all care

Finding Your Real lIfe

     Have you ever wanted to escape the life your parent’s granted you with and actually have the life you should be living? This is exactly how Auden’s dull life has been like in the book “Along for the Ride” by Sarah Dessen. Auden has been this perfect girl her whole life who gets straight A’s and is pretty much a perfectionist around everyone.  She finally comes to her senses and realizes it's time to rebel and find the life she should have.

            Throughout the first part of the book Auden embarks on a journey to visit her dad and step mother in the tiny beach town of Colby. This is where she meets Eli; a boy who becomes very close with Auden and shows her the teenage years she’s missed. My prediction is that by the end of the book Auden will end up falling in love with Eli because they have this close relationship that only they are able understand. Furthermore if you take a look at page 43 it reels you in with how intimate Auden and Eli are getting on the board walk by the beach. Eli turns up his swag and continues his mild flirtation towards Auden. Another thing I found was that Auden is attracted to Eli because he is showing her the ropes on how to be a carefree teenager that she has been denied. Meanwhile Eli invites Auden to a night party at the beach. Here Eli and Auden just get to know each other better and Eli shows Auden the night life in Colby. In addition another event where both of them connect is when Eli offers Auden the chance to ride a bike but she rejects his offer. Eli gets close and assures Auden that it’s nothing to be ashamed of if she doesn’t know how to ride a bike. She replies with a very touching answer to her life. That Auden knows how to ride a bike but she’s never had the opportunity too. This indicates that Auden never got time for the young life she wanted to live. 

            I believe the theme of this novel so far is love and compassion. Auden is falling in love with Eli and also starting to regain love for her parents since they went through a divorce the past year. In addition compassion comes into place because it surrounds everyone and everything in the novel. Furthermore I’d connect this book so far to the story of Cinderella. Cinderella doesn’t have the life she envisioned herself having but all of that changes once she meets her royal prince. The same goes for Auden once she meets Eli her life gets full of love and excitement.

            Overall I believe Auden still has great things to come her way and Eli will show her many of those things.  Furthermore I think my prediction will come true because both Auden and Eli have much in common.     

Life Isn’t Always What You Expect It to Be

     In the short poem Mother to Son by Langston Hughes there’s much figurative language used.  An example would be "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." The poet means by this that his life was not perfect or luxurious. I believe the purpose of this metaphor was to create a visual in the readers mind to think of a time that they had to overcome an obstacle in life. Furthermore it tells the reader how difficult Hughes past was and makes it easier to understand from the reader’s point of view. In this touching poem the mood is very solemn and the tone is very moving because this poem is told from the mother’s point of view, so it’ saying how to never give up when life gives you hard times and complex obstacles.      

Character Analysis

Author's Note: I decided to write a character description on Junior (main character) from the book "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian". In this piece I'm working on figurative language and I'd like it to show throughout this short piece.

    Junior is the type of person that if he walked into a room full of people he wouldn't say a word because he's shy as a mouse. He's an odd ball and has a abnormal size head. This is due to health related problems he was born with. Junior also has a very poor self defense. He gets picked on 24/7 by anyone and everyone. On the bright side though Junior's smart as Albert Einstein. So he can use his head in situations and work his way through.

Where do I belong?

Author's Note: I decided to write a creative piece based on the story Speak. I choose to do a journal entry on  Melinda's (main character) point of view. It will display how she feels so alone and closed off from everything. In this piece I'm trying to show emotion towards Melinda and connect that with readers to their lives from the times they have felt cold and by themselves.

Dear Journal,

     It's been a tough year of high school so far but luckily it's almost over. I feel cold and alone in this huge dark world full of evil. I just don't fit in with anyone and I never will. There's this new girl Heather from Ohio but this certainly is not working out. Heather and I want different things in life and in our school environment. She wants to hang out with the Martha's and this clique consists of Rachel (ex best friend) which is most definitely not going to work. Rachel and I don't speak anymore based on what happened over the summer at that party I told you about. If it wasn't for that stupid party I wouldn't be in this position feeling all by myself. Plus on top of that Rachel is dating IT aka Andy Evans. This is the whole reason why everything got blown out of proportion was because of IT. He raped me at that summer party and what was I supposed to do just sit there and take it... no. I called the police and since then I've been know as the girl who got everyone busted for drinking and doing underage things at this wild bash. I guess I'm just not your average girl. No one really accepts me because of who I am. Every time I look into the bathroom mirror I notice that I'm probably not the little girl my parents expected to raise. Instead I see my reflection staring back at me distorted and feelings broken into tiny pieces. All I want is to fit in and find somewhere that I belong. Let's hope I can take on that journey and it will happen quickly. Anyway I have to go but thanks for letting me write down what I had to say. I'll certainly be back within the next day or two.

                                                                                            Your friend,

                                                                          Melinda S.

                                                                                     

Above the Influence

            In the book Speak by Laurie Anderson many themes run throughout this novel, but one in specific is loss of innocence from the main character. Melinda is a girl who is very closed off from others and doesn’t really speak at all. She really starts to lose respect for others and herself throughout the novel and this does start to take a toll on her life.

One scene from the novel is when Melinda is at a senior party during the summer. Melinda probably thought that this was a regular party but she had no idea what she was getting herself into with her friend Rachel.  Once there Melinda starts drinking beer. At first she says that it tasted worse than cough medicine, but one at a time she pours the alcohol down her throat and this leads to Melinda getting drunk, which is her first encounter with growing up to fast. Another event that tells about Melinda’s loss of innocence is found on page 135. After she was all liquored up, Andy Evans, an admired senior, comes up and starts flirting with her. From there Andy takes things a bit too far and rapes Melinda before she can even say anything or cry for help. These main events are what destroy Melinda and show her loss of innocence to readers.

This theme can also be found in the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. One scene that describes this is when Ponyboy fights with Darry. Pony and his friend Johnny were sleeping in a vacant lot that night and Ponyboy fought with Darry. He hits him with all his might and Ponyboy decides to run back to the lot. This is when loss of innocence starts to occur in this novel. Afterwards the Socs show up at the lot and they nearly kill Ponyboy. With this happening Johnny’s reaction was to stand up and he ended up going too far. This resulted in Johnny killing Bob. Hinton definitely showed loss of innocence between the two characters Ponyboy and Johnny. 

            Most definitely both books show loss of innocence between each character. Melinda should not have done what she did at that wild party and Ponyboy and Johnny should not have made poor decisions to fight.  Both novels have main characters lose who they are and lose their own virtue inside them. Overall readers can certainly learn from this and apply it to their life because loss of innocence did play a big part in the book Speak and The Outsiders.

Chacter Analysis-Speak

      In the book Speak by Laurie Anderson the main character is Melinda Sordino. Melinda is the type of girl who is very closed off from others and doesn't really speak. She doesn't have many friends except Heather from Ohio. Melinda's attitude towards situations and people is very negative. She always stereotypes people in her school since she doesn't have many friends of her own.She believes that everyone if against her for calling the cops at a drinking party. Menlinda's overall attitude affects Heather because she's pushing her away. Also it affects her parents because Melinda gets bad grades in school and her parents get mad at her, but she has no explanation for this behavior. Overall Melinda affects the story with her beliefs, values, and attitudes very much because she is negative towards most things.
 

Love is Blind

I see you walk down the hall with my dark chocolate eyes staring at you

 Your wonderful scented cologne whirling through the air

Your caramel color hair swept to the side perfectly

Those striking defined ocean blue eyes you have wandering around,

but for what reason?

Looking for that perfect girl… how do you not see me?

You always get caught up in a love affair with those girls’ hearts

But why -- when you have me?

All I want from you is to feel your soft lips pressed against mine

I feel inside my heart pumping a thousand beats per minute just glancing at you

How do you not notice my affection towards you?

The Lottery Ticket

Author's Note: In this creative writing piece I was trying to accomplish good word choice. I hope you enjy it and I reached my goal.

It was a calm and frigid afternoon in the city of Reno. David had just gotten home from work and pried open a box of goldfish crackers to eat. He was awfully tired figuring he had a schedule full of meetings today. David briskly walked to his room to go put on some comfy sweats to watch his favorite TV show. While David was looking around he froze, checking his work pants pockets. He wondered where did my lottery ticket go? David panicked because the lottery numbers were coming out later that night on Fox 6 news and he was positive that he would win this time. David rushed out his front door down to the first level of his apartment building to go search in his BMW.

            David finally approached his car. He looked everywhere but the lottery ticket was nowhere to be found. Finally out of broad daylight David spotted his lottery ticket. It was in between the passenger seat and the seatbelt. Rapidly David clicked the lock symbol on his car remote and from there he ran back up to his apartment building. As he passed others going through his building everyone gave David a strange look. David thought it’s probably because of his casual outfit. He was known for dressing very professional and no one ever thought they’d see a man like David in Wal-Mart clothes. Finally David had reached his apartment door. He opened it very slow and this caused the door to creak very loud. David just made his way to the couch and took a long nap till the news would be on tonight.

            David woke up once he heard the weather man talking on TV. Immediately David sat up because he knew that the lottery numbers would be coming on next. He held the lottery ticket tight in his hand as he recited a pray in his head. At last here it was the Badger 5 was going by with its numbers, but that wasn’t the one David had. He was grasping the Mega Millions in his hand. Then came the Supercash, Megabucks, and here it was Mega Millions. The numbers corresponded correctly to David’s lottery ticket. He jumped up in excitement and thought about all the things he could do and have with all these millions of dollars. David truly was the luckiest person on Earth at the moment. He had won millions and millions of dollars and the first thing David was going to start out doing was quit his job. Overall it truly turned out to be the greatest day of David’s life.