to be thankful for!

1. Family
- my grandpa is dead and gone home in the sky, but my grandma is still here keeping my family together as best as she can. Im glad that i still have at least one of the two here with me to keep me going.

2. friends
- they always have my back and keep me level
3.Memories
- they allow me to hold on to the good of the past
4.luaghter
- times get rough and im glad that i can still laugh at some of them
5. my brain being sain
6. my house
7. school
8. having enough food each day
9. being priveledged
10.having hope always

speak

Luarie Halse Anderson's novel Speak is a tragic story of a silent rape victim and her road to redemption. The novel is an eye opener!!

In the begining of the story Melinda, the main character, is outcasted and all alone, with no one to understand her; the burden is upon herself to find her way back to normal life. When you see someone struggling to move past a horrific event would you help them? That was the question i had to ask myself. When reading Speak you take a look at your surroundings and notice that there are several Melindas that you never thought to help. The acknowledgement kind of makes you sad.

As Melinda found her way, i wanted to be more proactive and help others. Melinda struggled and no one could help her, she had to build strenght and courage for herself. Just as we as a people have to build courage for ourselves, because no one else will do the job for us. Melinda's journey proves that.

I recommend the novel! Melinda's journey ahs so many aspects and perspectives to observe and debate. The journey builds strength and raises actions inside you that you never noticed.

Touching Spirit Bear

This novel is a strong peice of evidence. Evidence of 2nd chances, for Cole Matthews a troubled teen bully/ victim, who seeking for something unknown. While on the desert island he discovers the true roots for his anger and aggression and breaks down his barriers. The novel uses many vivid details and greusom scenes to portray exactly how hard and vital the island is to life. While reading the novel i could feel all the emotions and see all the scenes. Cole is hard, but being hard was not his fault, life and the people in his life had forced him to put up walls to protect himself. The lesson I got out of the novel is that life is like the island and if you choice to let the bad hold you down you will get eaten alive by the spirit bears of your life, but if you choice to get yourself together and move and not dwell on the bad you will redeem yourself and go far. In the end, Cole learned his dances and worked on himself. Many things happened to get him there but he kept moving forward. Just like we as people have to do.

Free

What does the word free really mean? Is the meaning, unattached, able to move, mobile, or flowing? I believe free is when you have your mind made up and nothing is holding you back, you are able to move without restraints or caution. You can go as you please and do what you need to do without a second thought. I guess free without. Nothing there, alone, bare! It almost sounds painful and not worth the fights that so many have fought. But the state of being free is great, refreshing and pure. To be able to make your own choices and decisions is an amazing thing that so many take for granted, and I'm lost as to why? Soldiers are fighting for our freedom, not just mine but yours to and people walk like they have forgotten that. 9 years ago this country was attacked and lives where taking, even if you did not die your life was taken from your an your freedom was threatened. I dont know about you but that last sentence of mine sparks emotion. My point is that being free is important no matter how dull and bare the word sounds. So never let anything or being make you think different, because there are a lot of lifeless people that would love to get the chance to show you wrong.

Indian Captive

In the courageous novel Indian Captive, the character Molly Jemison portrays bravery and true heart from beginning to end.

This novel takes place in past time Pennsylvania on the frontier, where Molly's family grows corn and doesn't think Seneca indians will attack them. Soon they find out they were wrong! Molly is separated from her family and has to survive alone with the indian people."a pioneer never quits" is my school moto and Molly fits the moto well. "Home is where you make it" is another moto Molly fits in this novel.

Through the years she never gave up on herself and even coped with her new home. More people should be Mollys, instead of dwelling on the bad of the situation look at the good things you have no matter how small they may be. Rough times are bound to come and you cant control them, but you can control the responses you have. Keep your head up and just keep moving forward. All of these points are shown and proved in the novel.

The chapters are short and the text is not challenging. The novel is an easy read that you can pick up when you just need time to yourself and want to reflect on things. I recommend the novel to all people, because everyone needs to learn these homely lessons.

Tricks

Ellen Hopkins's novel Tricks, is an epic journey of the teenage love crisis. The novel consists of short poems that reveal the secret love lives of 5 teens. Each teens' journey is different and awakens different feelings.

In the beginning, i started out ill interested in the intros to the lives of 5 strangers and did not much care for their boring average lives, but as the poems progress i realized that, that is what makes the novel so grand. The idea of the novel," that love changes all aspects of ones life and even though the word "love" is spelled the same no two people go through the motions the same way'. All the people had average lives that they were content with until love took over their lives.

As the novel plays on, you also learn that everyone is looking for a different form of love whether the love be a relationship with a member of the opposite sex, parents and family, or yourself. Hopkins realistically portrayed modern teens and really addressed issues that are taboo and never mentioned unless Oprah and Tyra Banks are having a ratings craze.

The novel awakened me to the world of others and made me realize some many dynamics to others around me. I recommend this novel to the brave ones that dare open their eyes to real issues and situations.

My Year So Far!

My junior year has started, the classes have began, and the people are already into the swing of normal routines. Today is 9/11 and i'm reflecting. This year is a crucial year in my life. The actions I make will effect the rest of my life. i watch out for the destractions that could mess up my future. i have to look for oppurtunity and go for them, and never back down fromw challenges

kaitlyn's super sweet 16

im turning 16
my party is at 90 dry run circle
when: july 10th
everyone is invited
the theme is old school hip hop so dress like your from the late 80's or 90's( bright colors, nikes, chains etc.)

Their eyes were watching god

Zora Neale Horston's short story teaches people that you dont always get what you see. People may look all dignified but really deep on the inside they may as wild and rugged as a bucking bronco. You have to accept them for the way they are even if they dont do everything you approve of. People are going to follow their hearts regardless of what the town is going to say. Like Janice and Tea Cake, even though people talked about them like they were crazy, they still went off and enjoyed their new life together. Janice was always known as Mrs. Mayor Starks but really she was a free spirit that needed to be let go. Noisy people of the town were not going to hold her back from her real love that she had found with tea Cake.

My poem

so much depends
upon a girl voiceful and chocalate
so bold yet small
standing on a stage all alone

My fav techie tool

im not really big on techie tools. i never had to use them until my 10th grade year, the class was pre-ap english 10 and there was so much to do in the class that work piled up. i had to find a way to get all the papers and such done. My teacher told the class we had to make gmail accounts and i had no idea what she was talking about. so after a few classes i got an account, then i learned that gmail is really cool and dependable. i can get my work done online and e-mail the assignment to my teacher. Check turned in on time..... saves me work to repeat if lost and saves lots of money on paper. Gmail is okay in my book thats why i choose gmail as my favorite techie tool. gmail has allowed me to access so much imformation on the web and at school. the work i do at school and do not complete, gmail allows me to finish at home. I had no idea gmail even was availible til this year and now i get on the gmail every week. Gmail allows me to: have web pages, have blogs, send messages, hold messages, and even save files. gmail is my most used techie tool because the gmail server is user friendly. i suggest that if you are having problems and searching for a way out like i was get a gmail account.


That's just school uses you can also chat on up with your friends and family too. Not like facebook and myspace but any connection with the world is better than none.

the giver

Lois lowry's The Giver is novel of many lesson the most important being : Never Take Memory for granted! the main character Jonas is a overacheiver/ normal boy. He live in a land were Sameness is the name of the game. Climate is controlled, genes are controlled, peoople are controlled, including the choices that are allowed to be made are all controlled by councilmen.

Memory is forgotten and no one knows of life from the past. The Giver is the holder of memory and wisdom, he is responsible for the fate of the community, and he helps Jonas learn that life can be so much more meaningful than he knows. Can you imagine holding so much knowledge and not being able to share the gift with anyone not even your closet friends and family? Holding pain in and not being able to medicate yourself? Jonas did everyday. He felt the community's pain because the people were to selfish to deal with the truth of life.

After many memories were transfered to Jonas the Giver helps Jonas to escape and free the memories to the world. People would be forced to deal with the truth and deal with choices thay gave up long ago. Hopefully the people would the powerful lesson: NEVER TAKE MEMORY FOR GRANTED!!! A long journey lays ahead for dear Jonas but the gift he has given the community will forever be remembered.

With only a bicycle and his little buddy, Jonas must treck to new lands. The ending of the novel is not clear, but if you choose to believe, Jonas has made his way to better times and new memmories of his own.

Animal Farm

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, the lesson is not

sPRING BREAK

Spring break is over! my spring break was a mixture of heartache and bliss. the short lived break started with a funeral( my great grandma anne) that almost killed me, then the man of my dreams walked away forever. Hours of sheer torture went by, when i decided to pack away my sorrows and fix my life. Road trip!!!! My friends and i went to the city and got a hotel room and made due with the few days left of the break. Finally after many arguements me and prince charming made amends. Hotels always eem to relaw me but for some reason this hotel was not my friend. I got sick and was miserable all through the night, but when the morning came i got up and went to the gym which i admit is a strange combo. After coming back to batesville i realized that i want more from my time as a teenager, these are the best days of my life and i should not spend them letting people bring me down. The last days of the break were absolutely wonderful. i cleared my head mostly and made a few minor decisions. Cant wait for summer to get here so i can be a princess once again and maybe even get my prince charming with me.

Exert from anthem Essay

I recently finished the novel Anthem and entered an essay contest, and here is some of the work i entered:
Life is a precious gift to receive. “Learn like you are going to live forever, live like you are going to die tomorrow” were the words Gandhi lived by. Equality 7-2521 states that there are very few men that reach the age of 45 in the world he lives in they never got to live like there is no tomorrow. Men in that world more than likely don’t live to be 45 because of poor health conditions, lack of hope, and horrible self conditions.

In the beginning, the novel talks about the boys learned to bleed people to cure them of illness. Obviously medical technology was not up to par. If people get bled for every little illness people are going to be sickly all the time, bodies will not be strong enough to fight off ailments, and eventually people are going to die. Because the diseases are not going to be cured, viruses are going to spread like wild fires, and bacteria are going to infect people with no hesitation, civilization is going to be an ecological plague. There will be no chance to fend off foreign infectious DNA. People are going to die because there is no medical assistance to help cure them. Ailments that we of 2009 take for granted are going to wipe out people of Equality’s time. Babies would be at high risk due to no prenatal care and if by some leap of chance they survive birth will not adequately be taken care of, thus resulting in death. What happens when the bodies are no longer living? Nothing was said about proper burials of cremation processes. Dead bodies carry nasty and potentially deadly germs. Germs that could be engulfed into the human body and cause severe damage to the immune system, could be spread around like a sneeze. No one has a chance to make the age of 45 with the little health care citizens were provided.

In the end, Equality and the men of his time were rare to live to the age of 45, because of poor health conditions, lack of hope, and horrible self conditions. People had no fear of death and more than likely viewed death as an escape from the horrors of life. Can you imagine living in a world were no one cared if you were here tomorrow are not? These men did! No one wants to live like they did, and have to bear the burdens of life like a statue. Death comes to everyone but the life they lived sped up the process.

spotlight writing

lyrical freedom

Kids Games | Kids Video | Kids Music | Quiz

lyrical freedom

If the ones you love are the ones that hurt you the most are the ones that hurt you the ones you love?

I was always told "The ones you love hurt you the most" and never understood why someone you loved could hurt you more than someone you dont love. Time went by and I got older and wiser, and one day I found the meaning of that phrase. My beloved father was no longer there and the man i loved most in the world hurt me more than anyone could imagine. Never had i felt a pain so real and so intense. The feeling felt as if I had nothing to look forward to as if the word literally came down on me. WHY? HOW? ??? I just could not understand how someone that knew so much about me and someone that promised to never hurt me could hurt me so badly? People told me time heals everything but I'm still waiting for the cure to come my way. Yes, i have forgiven him and I have made peace with the whole situation, but i still cant fathom why he left. Now that Im older and people come in go through my life I tend to hold on to a few. I hold onto the special people that make me smile. Now, Im watchful of the fairweather people and the down for life people. The ones I love, I try to make every effort I can to keep them around, but i cant do everything by myself love takes two to tango.
On this lesson, Im still learning and living life like a normal teen.

Daddy Was The Black Dahlia Killer

Janice Knowlton's Daddy Was The Black Dahlia Killer is a thrilling spine chilling epic. One of the most enduringly fascinating crimes of American history.
The fact that the book is real and in such great detail, grabs the reader and holds on tight. The text tells if a monstrous murderer. On January 15, 1947, walker made a gruesome find in a lot of Los Angeles: the body of Elizabeth Short, a mediocre Hollywood actress was naked, cut into two, and babaricly mutilated. The demise of Short jump started a man hunt, people went crazy and the press even nick-named the murdered girl the Black Dahlia. How amazing the crime was for me when I realized the crime went on unsolved for almost half a century until here recently?
The chiling truth shall set you free. When the murders' daughter shared her repressed memories of her father's murders. By the age of ten Janice (the daughter) had many repressed memories of her father killing people in their california home. The Black Dahlia was not the first and cetainly not the last of her sightings.
How can someone let so much time go by without saying anything to anyone? Counselors took over four decades to put the traumaized girl together to get the memories to surface. No wonder she could not speak. The girl watched her father commit over nine sadistic murders including the murder of her very own infant son, a child of incest. Using a huge array of items, Janice exposed her father to the LA police.What's wrong with the father? The Dahlia Killer's crime spread from rape to murder for over thirty years.
Janice Knowlton took bravery and courage to tell the story of her evil father in this gut wrenching novel of America's most notorious serial murderer. If CSI and NYPD Blue dont quite cut the cheese for you i recommend reading this three hundred and sixty three page novel.

Cowboys

Sarah Davidson's novel Cowboy is 300 pages of gritty love. Inspiring without being mushy, Cowboy is one of the most unique rides you will go on.
An older professional woman, an well educated woman who writes books and screenplays moves to the country acres of Arizona. Love comes in unlikely places is proven when she meets a younger man that make bridles. The two magnets meet and fall head over heels. How low will you stoop for love? How coud a educated success fall into a fling with an uneducated bridle maker?
Does your career determine your love interest? In this case yes, for a whie the stature of the two does affect their love. Both think the fling will end soon or at least wont last long, but cupid has another thing coming for the both of them. The fling last longer than the both of them could have expected.
This novel is a page turner, you will be glued to your seat and your eyes will becolme stuck to the pages. Never will you want to sat the book down.

The Cheetah Girls

Deborah Gregory's Cheetah Girs series is a diva packed blast. The series tells the story of how five girls follow their dream of being famed singers and start a pop group. Book number one is Wishing on a Star.
Galleria, Chanel, Dorinda, Anginette, and Aquanette are the founders of the group and are all best friends. They work together to get a mega recording deal and those mega bucks. Everyday they hang out like regular kids, practice their songs, and enjoy their families. Cheetahs prove that fame does not mean you have to change yourself.
The girls go through many problems along the road of preparation. High school days give the girls time to get their priorities together. This is a book of divas and stars.

Anthem

Ayn Rand's Anthem is a novel of the hopes and dreams of tommorrow. The novel has many ways to approach the text from sci-fi to christian, but the true meaning is clear no matter how you approached the text. Hope is eternal, no matter how bad the times may get, hope will always find a way to survive.


Equality 7-2521(the main character) is different from everyone in the world around him and at first he fights his individuality and tries to be like everyone else. Everyone incuding teachers know that he is not fooling anybody. Individualism is not permitted in this Distopic/utopia, the law monitors everyone and everything that goes on. In reading Equality's journey you learn that being in a group all the time is not good. Having no voice in life is no way to live. Even if you are going to be called evil of damned for being unique then take all the names people through at you.

Another lesson be learned is, how far will you go for love. In the world Equality lived in nobody was alowed to love. Men over the age of 21 and women at and over the age of 18 go to the City Palace of Mating every spring and babies are born every winter. Women and Men never know their children and never get to wonder where there children are? The males of the time have never seen pregnant women ever!!! Love was a word that meant "the emotion you share for your fellow brothers, and no you can not love one person more than your brothers". Equality althrough out the novel took the law into his own hands, so when he saw Liberty he fell in love fast. Everyday he woud go to her job and watch her. They made eye contact and even gave each other new names. Their love was eternal and illegal. Time flew and they when they ran away together, they both agreed their love would get them through any trials that would come.

In the end, I recommend reading the novel and not taking the life we as people from the present are previledged enough to live for granted.

Call of the Wild

The novel Call of the Wild is a timeless classic. Call of the Wild touches many topics but the most stricking is related to Charles Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest.
Charles Darwin, a world reknown scientist developed the theory of survival of the fittest, which stated the strongest or most suited organism survives in the environment while the weak shall perish away. Organism may adapt to new conditions although not all organisms do. In the novel Buck a huge race dog most become well duited to his new life of racing. Just like the theory states Buck survived because he adapted to the cold wilderness environment.
Although surviving in the wilderness may have saved buck's life the massive dog was no where near eady to live in every day society by the end of the novel. The wild wolf ancestors of Buck's had taken over and he was not adiquit for being around humans like in the beginning of the novel. Does surviving come with a cost? In order to survive in rough situations do you have to give up all of your home training? Buck did, and had to pay the price of losing the life he had become so acostume to.Buck went through many hard tests and tried to stay true to himself as much as could. But the great dog could only bear so much of the burden. Buch had to endure horrible weather, brutal beatings, and creul dogs. When conditions get just right the urge takes over and your body goes into survival auto pilot.
If Buck was loved so much by the family he had grown with, why did no one come looking for him. The novel mentioned nothing about lost posters,search teams, or even someone establishing that he was missing. If my beloved dog was missing I take a stand and go to the edge of the world and back to fing him. For a dog that has been in the family for so long they really did not seem to heart broken to see him go. Why was that I wonder?
In the end, surviving takes a toll on you, you must decide if getting through another day is worth throwing away a whole lifetime of work or even if the situation is worth trying to survive.

To Perfect My World

The definition of Utopia is a perfect world for all of mankind. In my own unique Utopia there would be diversity, emotion, and freedom. My word would be vperfect in all the chaos of life.



Being an individual is vital to the world,for without individuals nothing could be accomplished. People that are content with being ther own man come up with ideas and trends of the future. Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity while paying in a storm, people of the time probably thought he was crazy, but his adventurous thrill for knowledge allowed him to discover electricity. Individuals are the future and woud most definately be included in my utopia.

Next in importance to diversity, emotions keep my imaginary utopia functional. Love, hate, lust, sadness, anger, and everything else the mind and heart ccan ponder are free to be felt in my world. Nobody has to monitor their feelings and thoughts, and everyone is free to as angry of happy as their hearts desire. Many mistakes can be made from some of these emotions but most of the mistakes are worth making. how can amyone enjoy living in a world like the one in Ayn Rand's Anthem? The law calls you evil if you have emotions for yourself!! Not ever in my world would someone be able to say that their emotions got them refered to as evil without just cause. Emotions are highly valued in my utopia.

Last but certainly not least is FREEDOM, the virtue of all of mankind. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of life itself are all offered in my world. People wont live like mummies going from day to day without any say in their lives. There is no fear of the law enforcement deciding your every move. Every indivdual is free and able to achieve their pursuit of happiness what ever that may be. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, "Letb Freedom Ring" and i shall let freedom ring from nation to nation in my world. In this amazing world of mine people can express there true selves and have no shame in being thereselves. If you are punk rock you are allowed to have a mowhawk and funk colored attire, even if you change your style everyday, you are free too. Amazing advancements would be made with the free people of my utopia.
In the end, no world that is filled with control 365 is worth living in. Citizens need diversity, emotions, and freedom to truely live in utopia. People have to have hope for the future and diversity, emotions, and freedom give way to that hope. My utopia is perfect in all the chaos and trials and tribulations that come with living in a perfect world.

Antigone Review

Sophocles' Antigone is an exeptional novel that shows people how taking a stand can alter life. I personally loved the novel and the major pionts hidden within the writting.
The main character Antigone, a young girl with a goal takes a stand for her beloved brother. Against all odds she does what she believes in no matter the consequences. Antigone gives proof that love conquers all. The headstrong girl fights authority and and buries her brother. A tragic hero Haemon portrays love by defying his father and comitting suicide for the love of his life. This novel raised questions to me like: what would one do for love?, How far would you go to save the love of your life?, and Is love as strong as Antigone and Haemon made the emotion out to be?.
Love is not the only important subject in the novel. Pride is not always the way to go. Pride ruined many lives in the novel. The major tragic hero Creon, pride filled and stubborn distroyed his whole life. Pride is an important part of life, but too much pride can kill. Creon killed Antigone and his son with his king size pride. Reading the book i wondered how could a father be so blinded to the fact that his own son was trying to persuade him to save his loved fiance? Or how could a man/leader of a city be so high and mighty that he can tell a sister that she can bury one brother but has to disown the other? I mean a good leader should not force a citizen to do a task he himself would not perform. In retrospect Creon could be considered a corrupt leader in a sense. He thought of his position before he thought or even felt a ounce of humility towards others. Pride can people everything.
What would family do for family? Not only did our Tragic hero lose his son he lost his whole family yoo. Antigone was Creon's neice along with being his soon to be daughter in law. How a true man could kil his neice is beyound my mental compacity. But even so, Creon should have known that the true love Haemon had for Antigone was not going to permit him to let her go without a hard core fight. In haemon's case he fought and gave up his life. Creon should have just admitted to being wrong and spared Antigone's life, therefore saving Haemon and allowing Creon to not lose another son.
This novel is full of minor tragic heros but the greatest of all is Creon, the pride filled father. I recommend reading the novel, because it teaches so many lessons and makes the reader think twice before letting pride get the best of themselves.

Art of persuasion

when i was younger i learned that i was going to get in trouble a lot so i had to become a master in the art of persuasion. one incedent that really tested my skills occured when i was about 8. my mom told me to watch after my sister while she walked to my grandma's house. i didnt want to so i went outside and played with my friends. after about 30 minutes mom came back and was not happy. the look on her face let me know i was in trouble. i begged for one chance to explain. i put on crocidile tears and told her that my school teacher told me to ealk away when people bothered me to avoid getting in trouble. i explained how my sister had annoyed me til i could not ake anymore so i went outside to relax. luckily for me she believed my little tears. i got off! i was so relieved. just as haemon tried to persuade his father to save antigone from a horrible death, i was succesful.

Taking a stand

taking a stand is a big theme in the book Antigone. Antigone is a book about a girl who takes a stand against a strong powerful leader, and then suffurs the consequences. taking a stand is important. you must take a stand for what you believe in even if you are all alone. once i had to take a stand against one of my family members. yes it was very hard and i felt remorse but they were wrong and needed to know how i felt. i boldly made my point and then left the subject alone. i stood up by myself but i did not care. i feel there are two paths right and wrong and if you watch people do wrong then you are just as wrong as they are. Antigone teaches people that the right path is not always the easy path but if you believe in the path you must stand up for the path.

the year is half over

i have been a sophmore for 1 whole semester. the year is going by so fast, and now another semester is starting. i feel like time is flying by me and i need to focus on my school work and set goals for myself. before i know it i will be a senior! 10th grade is for learning and so far i ve learned that life goes by fast and you have to buckle down and open yours books to get ahead. class may be hard but we the students have a duty to get the work done. we don't have that long until we graduate and after high school the real world will not be as nice as batesville has been. so as of the end of my first semester i am going to buckle down and give 110 percent in school.