Similarities and Differencs

Authors Note: I am writing a compare and contrast paper about two different characters from two different books.

Hope is the main character of the story, We are the Patriots, and Anne is the main character of the story, The Diary of Anne Frank. Both of these characters are similar and different in many ways. In both of these books the main characters are the narrators. They explain what happens from their point of view.

When comparing the two novels, Anne and Hope both desired to be free. Where they lived and what time period they lived in took place when major wars in history were going on. Anne lived during the Holocaust and the Nazi’s were the German soldiers that worked for Hitler. Hitler disliked the Jewish citizens that lived in Poland. Hope lived during the Revolutionary War, which was lead by George Washington and they were fighting against the British. During both of these books, the main characters wanted to be free. In these situations, a lot of humans wanted to be free, but were not able to be. Unfortunately, in The Diary of Anne Frank, thousands of people died, including Anne. In the olden days, when women didn’t have rights, many of them had no choice on what they could do. There wasn’t really any way Hope and Anne could be “free”.

Another similarity between Anne and Hope in each novel, is that they both felt that they should not complain about anything in their lives. Both characters were in terrible situations, yet tried to be positive. Anne was in hiding and trying to stay away from the Nazi’s, while Hope was praying that her father would not die fighting in the war. Anne felt like she didn’t have it too terrible since some of her friends and families were being sent away to special camps that would eventually kill them. Hope also felt that she should not complain because there were people that were fighting for the lives of the people in their town. She was lucky that she was a girl and did not have to risk being killed by British soldiers. Their lives were difficult and they felt they shouldn’t complain because things could have been worse and were worse for many others.

An example of a difference between Anne and Hope was that Anne suffered so much more then Hope did. Later in Anne’s life she was taken away to a concentration camp and ended up dying because she suffered from the disease called typhus. There were many sicknesses that were being passed around, from person to person at the camp. Anne and many others were not given medicines and were starving from lack of nourishment. It was a camp that would eventually kill you and there were not many survivors. Hope on the other hand was able to live at home and take care of her family. Her only fears were getting sick and having her father pass away.

Additionally, a difference between Hope and Anne was that Hope could have died from disease like Anne but she did not because of the care she received from family. She did not suffer as Anne did while living in the concentration camp. Typhus was the disease that was going around Hope’s village as well as the concentrations camp but many more died in the camps than the villages because of the poor treatment the people received in the camps.

Lastly, Hope didn’t suffer the hand of human cruelty as did Anne at the concentration camp. People that lived where Anne did had to face the “death chamber”, a room that exposed deadly gases to people within the room.
In conclusion, there are many similarities and differences between these two character and historical books. Even though these characters lived in two different time periods, they shared many similarities and differences.

Main Conflicts

Authors Note: I wrote about one of the main conflicts of the book We are the Patriots
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In the story We are the Patriots, is taking place during the Revolutionary War. It is a diary of a little girl named Hope, who writes in her point of view of the war. When she finds out her best friend, Polly, is now loyal to the king, things start to change.

One of the main conflicts in the novel was that Polly, Hope’s friend is now loyal to the king. Even though their family’s disliked each other, they still were close friends. When they wanted to see each other, they would have to sneak it. If their parents would happen to find out, they would be in lots of trouble. Eventually, when they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, they start write each other letters. The letters worked for a while because then they could write down what was happening, but they had to make sure no one found the letters they wrote to each other. There secret was safe for as long as the book lasted.

By the end of the story, they were still friends even though they had to face many obstacles. Some major obstacles were, the war, their parents, and at school they were not allowed to speak to each other. Even though it was tough they still got through it.

Hope’s Point of View of the Revolutionary War

Authors Note: I am writing about the point of view of different characters in the book.

The story, We are the Patriots, is written in the point of view of Hope. Reading in Hope’s perspective creates sadness in the reader when learning the details about the Revolutionary War and Hope’s family. Hope talks a lot about how her dad is in the war and how her brother went missing for many, many months. Just imagine if that happened to you when you were ten years old.

One way that Hope's point of view influences the reader’s interpretation is how this perspective describes her father leaving and coming back and then leaving again. Her name is Hope and it’s symbolic to how she feels throughout the story, and how she feels about her life. She hopes for many things at the beginning of the story, like her father coming home. A quote she said in the book that symbolizes her hope is…”I must be an example and not complain. I pray God will help me be more patient, kind, and faithful.” says Hope. She talks about her hope for being patient and hope for seeing her father and brother come home. Hope wants to be a good role model for people and she wants God to help her with it, so she prays for her hope.

However, the reader would feel a great deal differently if the novel was written in the point of view of Polly, Hope’s best friend. It would be very different because Polly’s family is now loyal to the king. Hope and Polly are forbidden to talk to each other. For instance, the reader wouldn’t think the way Hope did and would want to support the king and what Polly’s family thinks about him. While the readers are reading what Hope had to say about the war, they would want to defeat the king. If Polly wrote in a journal, the reader would be on her side about the Revolutionary War.

As you can see, the point of view of a story forces the reader to see just one side of the topic of the book. In We are the Patriots, the narrator’s perspective makes the reader support Hope and her families view of the Revolutionary War. Her family had to sacrifice a lot to be able to live without her father living in their house for a while, due to fighting in the war.

Dynamic Character

Authors Note: This writing piece is about how Cherry is a dynamic character, and how she has changed her thoughts and opinion about the Greasers throughout the story.

A dynamic character is a character that changes throughout a book. Cherry is a notable example of a dynamic character, because she starts out intimidated by the Greasers and by the end she has changed her opinion about what she thinks of the Greasers. Cherry changes her thoughts about the gang, the Greasers, making her a dynamic character.

During the movie scene, Cherry and her friend seemed offended by the Greasers, especially Dally. When he left, she turned around and asked Johnny and Ponyboy if they were going to bother her too. All of the Greasers know that Johnny and Ponyboy would never hurt anyone. Cherry obviously thought that since they were Greasers they were going to bother or annoy her too. “You two are too sweet to scare anyone.” Cherry said after the movie was over, to Johnny and Ponyboy. She altered her opinion about them and realized that not all Greasers are bad.

After Johnny killed Bob, Cherry announced that it was probably Bob’s fault because he was drunk. She didn’t stick up for Bob, she stuck up for Johnny. Bob was her boyfriend, she could have been mad at Johnny for killing him, but she wasn’t. Cherry knew that it was probably Bob’s fault, because of how he acted and behaved. Everyone that knows Johnny knows that he wouldn’t hurt anyone or anything. Johnny was only trying to defend himself and save Ponyboy. Self-defense is why Cherry believed it was most likely Bob’s fault.

“I wasn’t trying to give you charity, Ponyboy. I only wanted to help. I liked you from the start…the way you talked. Do you realize how scarce nice kids are now a days? Wouldn’t you try to help me if you could?” At the end of the book, Cherry talks to Ponyboy. What she just said to him is a good example of how she is a dynamic character; because she talks about how she liked him from the start and that he was a nice kid. Ponyboy and Johnny were one of the reasons why Cherry had changed. If they never talked to her at the movies then she could have stuck up for Bob, and never would have gotten to know them.

In conclusion, Cherry is an example of a dynamic character because she changes her opinion about the Greasers. Cherry learns that the Greasers are not all bad and that you shouldn’t judge someone until you have gotten to know them.

The Improtance of Family

Authors Note: I am writing about how family is important and that your “gang”, like the Greasers or your friends, can be a substitute for the lack of a family.

Family is important to all people. Some people are unfortunate because they don’t have a "family". Having a family doesn’t always mean you have to be related through blood, but you can be close to other people that act like they are your family. Best friends that are close to you could be considered family. The Greasers are a gang and they are a family to each other. Some of them don’t have parents or they have parents that abuse them. Family influences your life in positive and negative ways.

Darry turns down an amazing scholarship to help take care and be the guardian of his brothers. If he would have accepted the scholarship, he could have lived the life of a Soc. Instead, he chose to raise his brothers so they could stay together as a family. Ponyboy thinks that Darry doesn’t love him, but Darry loves him so much that he worries about him and is strict. He doesn’t want anything terrible to happen to Ponyboy or Soda. “Are you all right, Ponyboy?”Darry said to Ponyboy when he found Socs trying to jump Ponyboy. He was really scared for him and wanted to protect him. This shows compassion and caring for another person he loved.

Johnny had a mom and a dad, but they abused him. He got whipped by his dad and ignored by his mom. The Greasers were family to Johnny. Sometimes Johnny didn’t go home at night, because his parents fought so much. “We were used to seeing Johnny banged up- his father clobbered him around a lot, and although it made us madder then heck, we couldn’t do anything about it.”(pg30) This quote relates to family because the Greasers tried to help Johnny by caring for him like a brother. They became Johnny’s family because his parents weren’t there for him. “If it hadn’t been for the gang Johnny would have never known what love and affection is” says Ponyboy (pg14). Ponyboy pretty much says it all. If Johnny would have never been a part of the gang no one would have loved him as much as the Greasers did. While Johnny was in the hospital, his mother wanted to see him. He told the nurse that he didn’t want to see her because it was too late for her to care about him. He realized that she only came to yell at him, not because she loved him. The Greasers obviously love him more than his parents ever loved him.

Dallas Winston was tough, mean and someone you didn’t ever want to run into. Deep inside Dally was a good guy, because he loved someone. The person he loved the most was Johnny. Dally never really had a real family. He was in juvenile detention at the age of ten. That is when he lost his innocence. Family meant so much to him, even if it didn’t seem like it. Dally was there when Johnny died in the hospital. He was so heartbroken that he bolted out of the hospital room. “How can I take it? I (Ponyboy) wondered. Dally is tougher than I am. Why can I take it when Dally can’t? And then I knew. Johnny was the only thing Dally loved and now Johnny was gone.”(pg133). This quote explains that Dally really loved Johnny, like a brother or son. Having someone that close to you die, is very heartbreaking and Johnny was all Dally had.

In conclusion, having great friends that you consider family can sometimes be better than having your real relatives love you. The characters in the book, The Outsiders, are all Johnny and Dally could rely on. They were their families because no one else loved them like the Greasers did.

What Will Happen to the Greasers?

Authors Note: I am writing a predicting writing piece about The Outsiders.

In the book, The Outsiders, Greasers are people that want to be involved in a fight. Greasers are a type of gang who stick together and are loyal to one another. In later chapters, I predict that the Greasers will have many more gang fights with the Socs because they don’t respect each other. Being a Soc means that you are wealthy, you go to school and get good grades. No one can really pick what group they are in, they are born into it. Ponyboy, Darry, Johnny, Dally and Soda are all Greasers and are poor. Some of the Greasers don’t have families,so they consider other Greasers their family.

Knowing that the Greasers are one big family, if someone gets hurt all of the others are there for each other. Fighting is like second nature to them, because it happens all of the time. For example, Johnny always keeps a pocket knife in his pocket wherever he goes as a form of protection. Most Greasers never walk alone, otherwise they might get jumped by a Soc.

Ponyboy told Cherry, a Soc, what happened to Johnny when Socs attacked and severely hurt his friend. He felt that Cherry was a Soc that could maybe help the Greasers. Later in the story, Johnny described the Socs that beat him up describing one as big with rings on his fingers. Johnny also said that there were lots of Socs in a mustang car. I am predicting that one of the Greasers will get badly hurt or die, because of what happened to Johnny.

In conclusion, I predict that someone from the Greasers will get seriously hurt or injured due to flash backs in the book. Being in a gang can be very dangerous and it seems like something really bad has to happen in order for people to change and try to get along better.

Pride in My Country

Being proud of your country is a great thing. I am proud of my country! I am proud because we have lots of freedom. Having freedom is enjoyable because you don’t have restrictions of what you can and can’t do. Our country has laws but we still have freedom. The United States of America has a president. Our president is Barack Obama, he makes the decisions but he doesn’t “rule” us. There are kings and queens they’re rulers because they make you do things. In the olden days, there were slaves and around the world there were dictators. Since 1789 we have had a president of the United States. Currently, people should realize how lucky they are because of where they live and what country they live in.

In addition to freedom, our country helps other countries. When I see on the news all of the things are army and marines do overseas. Helping other countries, might help us because it could cause less fights or wars. Thinking that my country is helping others is amazing because it makes me feel happy. If I ever go to another country, I can set a good example because many people immigrate to the United States. People come here because they need a new life or there are many other reasons. I know I am lucky to be living where I am living.

Basketball Legend

Authors Note: Larry Bird was a famous basketball legend who still is very well known today.

Squeaky shoes, basketballs bouncing, whistles blowing are all sounds of basketball. Being out on the court was an opportunity not everyone could have; Larry Bird didn’t take that for granted. Having an unfortunate childhood, basketball helped turn his life around.

Born on December 7th, 1956 Larry was raised in French Lick, Indiana. He had an awful childhood, including having a father who was an alcoholic. It is amazing how Larry was able to overcome his difficult childhood and make it to the NBA. Children with that kind of home life when they are young can have difficult adult lives, because they end up acting like their parents. Larry could have turned into an alcoholic, but sports in general helped him get through it.

Earning a Division One scholarship is a dream come true to most athletes. It was to Larry for sure, but he ended up switching schools during his first year. He switched to Indiana State, which was a little school compared to Indiana University. He did a phenomenal job at Indiana State and led his team to the National Championship. At the end of the game, they left with an unfortunate loss. Indiana State has never gone that far again since. Larry Bird was a huge leader and a great player for Indiana State.

In addition to a successful college career, Larry Bird was selected in the first round, with the first pick for the Boston Celtics. While he was on the Celtics, they won several World Championships. Larry, himself, won three Most Value Player (MVP) awards. Larry Bird has always been a humble player. Being six feet nine inches tall, he wasn’t a high jumper and was an underdog compared to other players. Getting this far in life was a great accomplishment considering where he started in life.

As one can see playing basketball at the highest level provided Larry with a fulfilling and productive life. His dedication, hard work, and commitment to excellence helped him become the person, the role model, the team leader and the legend he is today.

Money for the Young Atheltes

Authors Note: I wrote about how college athletes should be paid to play their sport and because I love watching college games.

Being a college athlete would be a pleasurable experience to anyone who enjoys playing a sport but it takes a lot of hard work. Has anyone ever thought of paying college athletes for playing? College athletes play because they love the sport not because they want money. They have to work hard to go one step closer to what they like to do, which is play the game. There are many reasons why colleges should pay for athletes for playing for their school.

Currently players and coaches are getting in trouble for breaking the rules of recruiting young athletes. Some players have been getting paid and/or receiving gifts secretly which is illegal. An example of a college breaking the rules recently is Ohio State. Men on the football team were getting incentives for playing the game and were receiving special privileges they weren’t supposed to. When people found out, the coach got fired and players were suspended. If athletes could get paid, then these coaches and players would not have gotten into trouble. Lots of athletes are playing because they love to play but they are also making sacrifices to play the game they love.

In addition to breaking the rules, paying athletes is an excellent idea because it would allow the big colleges to make more money. Most colleges, like University Wisconsin-Madison are considered big schools. If they paid their players then their school would get lots more money and it could bring more students to their school. Having a successful athletic program benefits the college and brings in more revenue. The more money a school can have the better education it can provide its students.

Lastly, the players that the colleges may recruit may have had unfortunate upbringings limiting their chances of bettering themselves by attending college. If they were to pay the players then those players would be able to buy things they need while also getting the education they need and playing the sport they love. The athletes that they don’t pay now might not be able to pay for food, clothes or other needed items. Paying the athletes can help them; it can help their families too.

In conclusion, paying college athletes is a great idea for the future. Paying students for playing a sport they love has lots of positive effects because it can not only help the students, but can help the families and the colleges too.

How Casey Ruined the Game

Authors Note: This is a diary entry about how Casey ruined the game for his team; it is also from a former fan of his. (From the story, “Casey at the Bat”)



Dear Diary,

Today during Casey’s game his team was losing four to two and he totally lost the game for his team, all because of his ego. They were losing, but when Casey was up to bat the crowd went wild, expecting to see something amazing happen. I don’t understand why everyone thinks that Casey is amazing at baseball. He seems like he is just as skilled as the other players on his team. When he was up to bat, he didn’t focus on the ball or the pitcher, but he just focused on the crowd and the fans. He was so focused on what everybody saw; probably hoping he could be the star player. When Casey was batting, the pitcher threw the ball and strike one called the umpire. He said to the ump “That ain’t my style.” Which I think is really bad because it can either ruin your reputation or make your fans dislike you. People that were watching him wanted to kill the umpire, because Casey had gotten a strike. If he really wanted to win then he could have swung at one of the pitches. On the second pitch he gets another strike and eventually strikes out. I think that Casey could have changed the game if he would have tried and not tried to impress anyone.

Sincerely,
A fan

CBA basketball

This weekend we have our first CBA basketball tournement. It is at center court. We play after school at 5 and later at 7pm. We also have are tounement all weekend. I really hope that my team does well for our first tournement. We are playing with a bunch of other girls from other schools. We have practice tonight, so we will probably be working on our plays and things for the tournement!

Memorial Day

Yesterday was Memorial Day. It was really fun because my neighbors and I walked to the parade which was pretty boring. So we went to the beach and skipped stones. Later that day after lunch, we got our swimsuits on and went through the sprinkler and later we blew up water balloons and we made little ones. With the little ones, we put them in the freezer and then they frozen inside. Sometimes the balloon blows up and pops. It was a really fun Memorial Day. After Dinner we walked down to the waterski show and we played in the lake again. We skiped rocks and we left during the show because we had school the next day.

Women's Basketball Essay

Do you watch men's basketball or women's basketball? Some people don’t even think that there is a women's basketball. Women's basketball has been around just as long as men's its just that women have to do a lot of jobs around the house, like take care of the kids. Although women's basketball is not as popular as men's, it still should be just as important.

Women's basketball started in 1892 and men's started in 1891. In the olden days women didn't have that much freedom. It only started a year after men's did. Basketball was invented in Massachusetts by a guy named James Naismith. The first ever women's basketball game was on April 4th, 1896, played by the two college's Stanford and Berkeley. Although the first two games were between Berkeley and Stanford it was invented at Smith College. Back when it was invented the rules were different by the genders. Another name for women's basketball was net ball but it all eventually changed to basketball. Women's basketball steadily became more popular throughout the years. It started to go into to different countries, and also got into the Olympics in 1976.

Men's basketball is really popular because every night when you go to the sports channels there are rarely ever women's basketball on. It is mostly the NBA or MLB(which is men's baseball). Also the NBA players really only do it for money it seems like they are not really wanting to play when you watch them. They show off there skills but they are doing nothing good for their reputation. The women that play for the WNBA are more intense and more exciting to watch because they are playing because they want to not because they want to show off like the men do. They also don’t get paid nearly as much.

I think that people don't want to watch the women is because they think that the carrier is not going to last if they decide they want to have a family. Also people around the world believe that women are not as tough as men. That is not necessarily true because there are many women that work their tails off in any thing they do just to get where they are now. Everything is the same about men's and women's other then the ball size. The ball that women play with is size 28.5(28 and a half). It's only because they have smaller hands. In 1976 the women got a bronze medal for the Olympics in basketball, in 1984,1988,1992,1996,2000,2004,2008 and in all of those years the women got gold medals in basketball against all of the other countries that participated. The WNBA was only created in 1996, which was not that long ago. Looking at the players and teams the WNBA has come a long way, but not as far as the NBA.

In conclusion, Women's basketball should become more important to basketball lovers. Watching the WNBA or Women's college basketball should have more people believing that they are just as good as men.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is a famous singer that is really popular. She is 25 years old and has been in her singing career for a few years. Some people think that she is inappropriate at times, which she is because of the clothes she wears. Lady Gaga's real name is Stephanie Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She was born on March 28th, 1986, in New York City. Lady Gaga is left handed and she began to play the piano at the age of 4. She wears many interesting clothes for all of her concerts, some examples are bubbles, meat and just swim suits. I think that she wanted to be a person that wasn’t afraid about what other people thought of her looks or her beliefs. She had a very large nose before her career as a singer and she eventually had her nose job and now it looks more normal. People probably made fun of her for her nose and that is probably one of the reasons she wears those clothes. I also think that she wears those clothes because she wants to make a point about something that she cares about.

Creative writing piece # 2

Focus on the rim! Sweat dripping down her forehead. Jennie the star of her team was at the free throw line waiting to hear the buzzer ring and her team to win. She was one of the out side shooters. Lately she has been making a good percentage of shots. She was on fire this game, which was good because it was the most important game of the year. Jennie's team was first in state for years in a row and they were working towards there 3rd year winning state. Another great player on Jennie's team was Madi. She was a great shooter also but was tall enough and strong enough to be in the post.

Later in the state championship game they were up by 1 point with 2 minutes left. Anything could happen in those 2 minutes. They could end up loosing. Jennie was taking up the ball as point guard. Along with Madi following her along the side. Since there was only two minutes left they thought that it would be better to waste the time on the clock by passing the ball around. Jennie passes to Madi and Madi drives to the hoop and gets fouled. The ref blows his whistle and Madi is at the line. Her first one she made the second one she missed, now they are up by 2 points. The other team had the ball and Jennie and Madi's team decide to press them and when they trap on the side lines it doesn't work and the offense gets passed them. They let them score so now the score is tied at 35 with 30 seconds left they throw the ball in and Jennie dribbles down the court and passes to Madi and Madi shoots a three and swish! Jennie and Madi win the game by three to win the state championship. Jennie and Madi start to cry it is so exciting. It was the best moment of their life!

writing circles: Matt!!

If you never meet Matt you will really miss out. Matt is probably the best brother you could ask for. Matt is in 4th grade and loves sports, just like me. He just turned 10 and also is a really smart guy. He is fun to be around and all of my friends love him. Here's a story about a time we made Matt really happy!

This year during the Opie Tounement Matt's team got into the championship game for basketball. Matt thinks that all of my friends are his sisters. So during the game we decided to make a cheering section for him. It turned out that matt lost but did really well. If you ever meet matt you will love him just as much as I do!! I also think that all of my friends have a hang shake with him!!:)

writing circles: Soccer

This weekend my soccer team had two games. We won the first game 4 to 1. Then on Sunday we tied the best team in the league and we had a good lead for a while and then they tied it and started winning but then there was not much time left and we ended up scoring again and tieing the game. Unfortunatly I don't get to play, all I get to do is watch. One good thing about watching is seeing what other people do wrong. Also when I get to play again I get to watch what people do when they are playing my old postion. Also when you are there sitting and watching the games you can get tan. Yesterday I got really sunburned and right now it really hurts!!

Creative Writing Piece(1): Soul Surfer

It was a normal day in Hawaii. Bethany and her friend Alana, went to practice surfing for their competition. Bethany is now a famous surfer. This is a true story and is also a very good movie. Bethany, Alana , Alana's brother and father. They are all amazing at surfing. After a few waves later and Bethany and Alana were floating on their board and talking. Bethany's arm was resting in the water hanging off of the board. Then all of a sudden a shark was swimming around them and they didn't even know. The shark came up and bit her arm. It was a good thing that Bethany didn't go into a coma. It was really scary for her friend and Alana's Dad because he was the only adult there and had to take his swim shirt off and rap it around her shoulder. In the process of trying to save Bethany's life, Alana's brother had to run through the part of the ocean and through the forest to call and ambulance. When Bethany and Alana went out surfing, Bethany's dad had to have knee surgery.


When Bethany was all healed she able to do many things with only 1 arm. It was probably hard at first to be able to figure out how she was going to survive off of 1 arm. There were some things that she was not able to do, like put her swim suit top on or tying shoes(not like you wore tennis shoes when you lived on the beach). This was probably my favorite true story that I have read about and watched about in movie form! I recommend this for any one who likes true stories.

Creative writing piece 2

My family and I have a cottage. It is in Westfield, Wisconsin. A lot of people ask me where that is well it is about 2 hrs away and is right by Stevens Point. We go up there a lot during the summer. Like on holidays and just whenever we are bored or when we have free time. It is close enough that we can go there for a day. It is pretty small. There are three rooms in the cottage with two beds in each. We are normally outside all day and are right next to a lake. The lake all you have to do is walk in the front yard and you are on the lake. This year I am happy because I might be able to bring a friend. Last summer I learned how to get up in the deep water on 1 ski. Also last year my brother, Matt, learned how to ski on 2 skies. Also last year on labor day my friend up there, Daley and I went double skiing together. I have to say the best place in the world is up north. It is very fun, and there are many activities.

The Lovely Bones

This book is about a girl that gets murdered. She was walking home at night and her neighbor asked her if she wanted to have a coke with him in a secret place he made. Mr. Harvey was her killer. She was taking a short cut through the corn field so she could get home faster because it was getting dark out and she was really hungry. It was very suspicious because of all people why would he murder her? She thought that he was a nice neighbor. Obviously you can't judge people by their looks because Susie would have never thought that it would be him to kill her. Susie told Mr. Harvey that she wanted to go and eat and he like grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down and she got killed. After that when she makes it to heaven she tells about her life and about her heaven and how she wishes that she could have changed the whole cornfield incident.

State Basketball

This year our basketball team went to state. We won all 7 games by a lot, except for the last two games which were really close. The last 2 games were against Deforest and Eisenhower. We won the championship by on point and it was really exciting. At half time we were down by 25 points and ended up winning by 1 point. It was probably the best moment of my life.

Spring Break

For spring break I am not going really anywhere. I will probably practice basketball. Last year during spring break I was practicing basketball and got plastic in my eye. I had to get it removed from my eye. At first I didn't know that it was plastic,but it got all red and puffy and it hurt really bad. Later that day I went and got to see morgan, because she was visiting. It was a raelly fun Spring Break other than when I got plastic in my eye.

Jon Leuer

Jon plays for the Wisconsin Badgers, and plays basketball. He is a senior in college. Jon is 6 foot 10 inches and is amazing in the post position! Someday I would like to play college basketball and be at least 5 foot 11 inches so that I can play post. My dad thinks that someday he will go pro because he is so good.

There are a lot of people that think that he is amazing, which he is.
Someday it would be really cool to meet him. I would have to look really high up just to say hi to him. I thought that my dad was tall but he is 4 inches taller than my dad.

I wish he wasn't a senior because then he would have another year at wisconsin and next year it will be different because our two post players are seniors. I also hope that the badgers will get farther in the NCAA tournie because if they made it to the champioship this year they would have had to play UCONN which I would have loved to see that game. Jon is the best!

Good Choices

If you were a dove hunter and was ordered to catch one-hundred doves would you follow the king’s instructions? It depends, especially if one of the doves that you catch talks to you and says that you should release him, and if you do you get he will get the beautiful lady that the king said he will be marrying. If that happened to me than I would probably release the dove, but the dove hunter instead kept him and he never saw a dove again, because he didn’t release the white dove. If you believe that what you are doing is right then follow your conscious and keep on doing it.

Sometimes if you are in the same kind of situation, like the dove hunter, do what you think is right. Hugh, the dove hunter probably was in the middle, when the dove told him that he would get the king’s wife if he let him go. Hugh wanted to please the king and also get the girl. When he was told that by the bird he probably didn’t know what to do, but instead didn’t listen to the bird. If Hugh would have thought about it and listened to the bird then his life would have probably been better, especially since the king lied to him and he wasn’t really getting married. I don’t believe that Hugh thought about it, he probably thought that it was just a bird and thought, why would anyone listen to a bird. That’s what I would probably do if a bird that I caught was talking to me but you never know when weird things like that will happen to you.

What would have happened if Hugh listened to the bird? The white dove specifically told Hugh that if he let the dove go that he could get the beautiful girl that the king was marrying, if he let him free. I don’t think that Hugh believed the dove because he ended up keeping him and giving him to the king. If I was the dove hunter, I would have no clue who to believe because when he found out that the king wasn’t even getting married, he was disappointed when he caught all of those bird for nothing. He was also probably cursed by the white dove, because he didn’t let it go, but instead gave it to the king to eat. If the dove hunter would have known that the king lied to him just so that he could eat some birds, then he probably would have let the white dove free and gotten what he wanted.

In conclusion, if people do what they think is right then it is most likely right. Follow your conscious and keep on doing it, even if other people think that it is wrong. You also shouldn’t put yourself in danger just to help someone else.

Mr. Seebach

Mr. Seebach was probably the best sub I has ever had . He was really fun and entertaining. He is a famous magician and was doing really cool magic tricks. One trick was making 3 strings the same size. Then Madi showed him one of her magic tricks was making a quarter come out of her mouth, but there is also a secret to a magic trick. People that are Magicians never show there secret, but I don't understand why because then everyone can know how to do "magic tricks". I wish Mr. seebach would come back to sub for one of my classes.

Personal metaphor

Authors note: i wrote this poem about myself
I am a runner sprinting to the finish line.
I am a basketball player stealing the ball.
I am a water-skier gliding across the water.
I am a sister caring for her brother.

Rules By: Cynthia Lord

How would you feel if your sibling had a disability? There are a lot of people with brothers or sisters that have disabilities. I wonder how they deal with having a family member or friend with a disability? There are too many bullies that hurt the feelings of the child with a disability. In the book Rules by Cynthia Lord the main character Catherine has a brother with autism that she has to babysit all summer. She has made rules for him so it is easier for David to listen and easier for Catherine to take care of him. She is hoping that he learns something from these rules so that he won't be as hard to take care of. People should learn more about how kids feel when they have a sibling with a disability.

Catherine has gone through a lot considering that she has a brother with special needs. David is a very smart little boy; he just needs help from his family and friends sometimes though. Many kids that have brothers or sisters with a disability get bullied and that is not right. People that have a disability are usually born with the disability so it is something they can’t help. The bullies sometimes call the kids “retards” which is a really mean word to say. The word retard is a word that you don’t want to be called. Many people get their feelings hurt when they hear it. It is especially offensive to the special needs students that know the word. Retard really means “slow”. The kids that may be mentally retarded are just slow at learning things like math or reading. It isn’t supposed to mean anything mean, but the way bullies use it, makes it sound like a terrible word.

I have a friend that has a brother with a disability. My friend’s brother that is disabled has had numerous surgeries and it is hard to have your close family member go through many surgeries. If you have a disabled brother, would you get mad when other people pick on them? Will you stick up for him? I wonder how it feels to have a family member that is disabled. My mom was a special ed teacher, so I understand that you should treat them like they are like normal kids, because they are normal people but people act like they aren’t. Having a child with a disability is really hard for many parents, especially when they are inexperienced. It is really nice when kids treat the disabled kids like they are their friends.

In conclusion people should be very nice to kid with disabilities. Catherine in the book Rules was a very good sister being able to take care of her little brother. It would be very difficult to have a family member with a disability so she is a very brave girl.

Childhood Memories

A childhood memory that I had was when my best friends, Morgan visited me and she surprised me on my birthday. I remember the door bell rang and she was just standing there and I guess that everyone knew that she was coming but me. It was defiantly a good surprise for my birthday. I have known Morgan since I was in kindergarten. When she moved to Maryland she came back to Wisconsin to visit. When she showed up at the door I was so surprised and that night she slept over at my house and we had so much fun playing Bratz dolls and Morgan took all of my stuffed animals and she put them all over my room in the middle of the night. We also had lots of fun with our other friend Mackenzie who we also had a sleep over with her. She has known Morgan since they were two years old and they have been friends ever since. Morgan, Mackenzie and I have had lots of good childhood memories.

Another time that Morgan visited is one time in the summer in 6th grade. Morgan, Mackenzie, Lauren and,I went to the state fair. It was a really fun time with all of my friends. We went on all of my favortie rides, like the three thousand. We were screming like little girls, it was a really fun time hanging out with my friends.

Wisconsin Dells

I went up to the dells on friday with two of my friends, Courtney and Ashley. After we got up to the dells we went swimmming in the waterparks. The wilderness is a very delightful place, considering everyone got sick after the weekend of basketball. The wave pool was the best even though you get squshed by many fat dudes trying to jump over the tall waves. The hurricane was the best ride because you drop so far down and our tube went so high up that we got air.The dells was especially fun because our team took first for the third year in a row. We ended up playing the red team in the championship. They should be really proud because they beat an A team and they are a B team. By the end people got sick but no one wants to go back to the widerness again!!

Papa's Parrot

Imagine if your father owned a candy store, would you be happy or embarrassed? If my parent was overweight and owned a candy store I would not want people to know that that was my mom or dad. The short story, Papa's Parrot, by Cynthia Rylant is a good story to read about. Harry, the son started to stop visiting the family’s candy store because he was getting older and wanted hamburgers instead of candy. Although you might think that your parents embarrass you, you should always be thankful for what you have.

Many teenagers are really picky about what their parents can and can't do. Harry would always love to come to the candy store after school with his friends, but eventually he got older and decided that there were many more things to do than go to a candy store. It would be heartbreaking if I found out that my parents bought a parrot instead of having me there with them. If I were Harry I would try to spend more time with my mother and father. A lot of teenagers aren’t thankful for what they have until it is gone. Many kids in middle school need to think about all of the other people that don’t have as much as they do. People should be more considerate about what they have when they have it.

Do you remember a time this year when you thought that your parents were embarrassing you? After reading this story I have changed my understanding of “embarrassing”. You may not want your parents to go out in public, but parents were teenagers once in their life, so they know what it is like. They also only want what is best for their kids. After Harry’s dad had a heart attack, reading about Harry, you could tell that he felt jealous after he found out that the bird replaced him. Harry was upset that his dad was talking to the bird because he missed his son. Harry heard what his dad had taught the bird to say which was disappointing because it made him feel badly for not spending time with his dad. After hearing the parrot speak, Harry felt terrible that his father felt disappointed. Harry learned his lesson about how is dad felt about missing his relationship with his son.

In conclusion, be thankful for what you have and don’t be embarrassed by our parents. Thanksgiving is not the only day for being thankful; everyday you should be thankful for something you have.

Worst Enimies/ Best Friends

Worst Enemies/Best Friends by Annie Bryant is a good book for girls that are in middle school. The story is really easy to relate to considering the four best friends are all thirteen, just like most of us in middle school. Avery is one of my favorite characters in the story. She is enjoyable to read about and reminded me a lot of my real friend, Avery. One other character I liked reading about is Charlotte. She is quiet and a nice, the kind of person that anyone would like to be friends with. Relating to the story and its characters makes the book Worst Enemies/Best Friends very enjoyable.

I truly liked reading about the character, Avery, because I felt that she acted very much like me. Avery’s passion is sports and I am also passionate about sports. Avery also reminded me a lot of one of my friends who also happens to be named Avery. They are similar because they have the same sarcastic attitude and both are athletic. In the story, Avery is very adventurous and energetic and so fun to be around. She is always happy to be with friends and loves playing soccer and basketball. Avery is the type of person that people would want as their friend.

Charlotte is another character that I really related to because she loves to read. Charlotte is a very smart girl and has many hobbies but especially loves reading. We are similar because I love reading when I have free time. Charlotte writes stories too and likes to look at the stars. It is very interesting to read about her because she talks about all the places that she has lived. I have never moved before so I don’t know what it is like to go to a new school. When the author writes the story about Charlotte, you feel like the character in the book and whatever happens to Charlotte feels like it was happening to yourself. When Charlotte got embarrassed in front of her whole grade on the first day of school, I could almost feel her embarrassment and it made me feel bad for her.

In conclusion, Worst Enemies/Best Friends is a very good book for girls that are in middle school because the story is interesting and the characters are relatable, almost like they were your friends.

shoes

Shoes can be really ugly or really colorful and bright. I have so many kinds of shoes,but my favorite is the pink and gray nikes that I have. I love running in them. You can feel how tight they are to your feet. Sometimes you feel like you are in bare feet running, but you r not. I ran the mile run in those shoes,it felt like I could run faster than usual. Running is like a stress reliever for me and other people to. Running in those shoes is like nothing I have ever felt in the world. Shoes are a wonderful thing to have!

So B It Essay

In the story, So B. It, the little girl, Heidi, overcame many difficult challenges in her life. Heidi was very brave in the book, because she had to travel to New York all by herself at the age of twelve looking for answers to questions her mentally disabled mother couldn’t answer. Growing up with a mom that was disabled was very difficult for her. Heidi was a very brave young girl and had to overcome many challenges in her life to survive.

There were many obstacles that Heidi had to deal with throughout her life. For example, the fact that her mom had a mental disability was the biggest obstacle she lived with. Her mother could hardly speak or take care of herself, so it was up to Heidi and Bernie, their neighbor, to take care of her mom. They had hardly any money because her mother couldn’t work and Heidi was too young to have a job. Their neighbor, Bernie, hardly had any money either because she was afraid to leave her house so therefore could not work either. Heidi never went to a real school although Bernie tried to teach her all that she could. Heidi didn’t even know if she had any other extended family members that she could go to for help. Since her mom couldn’t say many words, she couldn’t tell her anything that would be helpful. Lastly, Bernie their neighbor had such a strong fear of going outside that she would faint the minute she stepped outside.

Obstacles and phobias were something Heidi dealt with daily. Having a phobia of going outside was very hard because it got very boring for Bernie sitting around the house all day. Lucky for her she had Heidi who could go to the store and get food for her and anything else that they needed. Bernie was a very kind woman especially to Heidi's mom because she took Heidi and her mom in when Heidi was just an infant. Not being able to go to school was hard for Heidi because it would make it difficult to learn new things and get out of a bad situation like Heidi was in. Once in awhile Heidi got books from the library that helped her learn. Since her mother could only say twenty three words she couldn’t tell Heidi if she had any grandparents or a dad. She knew nothing about her family so that's the reason why Heidi took the trip to New York. Heidi found pictures of her mom when she was at a nursing home for disabled people. These photos were the clues that helped her locate the nursing home her mother had once lived in. Money was very tight for her family because Bernie didn’t have a job and her mom was disabled. Heidi was resourceful and got money by babysitting and finding coins from the coin machine at the Laundromat. Bernie also had left over money that her dad passed down to her after he died so they were able to get by on that for awhile. Lastly, her mom’s disability was the biggest obstacle of all. Heidi didn’t know any different but she knew her mom wasn’t like other moms. She knew that her mother had limitations so she felt a need to take care of her mother. She did know that her mom loved her in her own way.

After reading this story I realized that I really should be thankful for what I have. Even though we all have challenges in life, my life is nothing like Heidi’s was. I am very thankful that I know that I have a family and everything I could ever need. In this story Heidi was very brave, and had to overcome many struggles in her life.

I am Confused??

I am confused!!!! Same here! Me three said other people. In math class along with her friends Avery, Madi, Jennie, and Eli. They were doing muilti- step equations. It was very hard. They were trying to figure out the equation before everyone else did! "I don't like math anymore!!" said Avery. "Nobody does!" replied Eli. Except for Robert the math nerd. Also Taylor the other math nerd! The whole class cheated of each other during the test.They all got A's on their test. Then Avery said" I am still confused.

My group in Language arts class wrote this story, but I started it. It was a chain story that was sent to all the people to add what they wanted to the story. A lot of people added random things. So most of the story might not make sense.

The Super Bowl

The packers are going to the super bowl this year. They are a really good this year. They play the Steelers. The packers are so going to win this sunday. The packers have had the best fans in the whole NFL. They are always rooting for the packers. Also we have had the best coaches, such as Vince Lombardi. He was amazing at coaching the packers. GO PACK GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Snow Day's

Yesterday was a snow day and I really didn't do much. I slept in until 8 in the morning. Then I took my dog outside to play and she sank in the snow. She could hardly even run because the snow was so deep. When I went into the snow it was up to my waist in the big piles on the side of the road. I also had my neighbors over and we went sledding. It was really fun. After we were done outside I went inside and just relaxed and watched TV.

Snow Day

I am really hoping for a snow day. If we had a snow day tomorrow I would do many things. The fist thing that I would do is go outside and go sledding with my neighbors. Then we would go inside and drink hot chocolate and eat some cookies. I would really love to sleep and relax. I also would play Just Dance on the Wii.It is really fun to just stay inside and do nothing. I would really love to have a snow day this week, especially since there is going to be a blizzard.

Deep Water

Drowning is a fear that many people have. People have experiences that may scare them for their entire lives. In the non-fictional story, Deep Water, by William Douglas, a boy almost drowns. After he almost drowns, he becomes fearful of swimming. Eventually, the boy overcomes his fear by taking swimming lessons. I can relate to what this boy was feeling when he almost drowned because I witnessed someone almost drown a few years ago. Being frightened of water is a phobia shared by many people.

After this boys bad experience he was afraid to go near water. He knew he wanted to overcome his fear of water so he took swimming lessons. If I couldn’t swim, I would make sure to swim with someone who knew how. Swimming with a partner is very important so that if something were to happen, you would have someone there to help you.

When I read this story I felt I could really relate to it. I remember a time when I was at a pool party and one little boy nearly drowned. This kindergartener wanted to go swimming, but his mom said no because everyone was getting out of the pool to have lunch. He didn’t listen and went any way even though no one else was in the pool. He tried to jump onto a raft that was in the deep end of the pool but he missed and went under. This young boy had taken swimming lessons before but he was so scared that his body wouldn’t move. Thankfully, an older boy was just returning from practice and jumped into the pool only to discover the little boy on the bottom of the pool. He grabbed him and carried him out of the pool to his screaming mother. It was so scary because he was blue and his eyes were rolled back. CPR was done on him right away and he began to cough up water. The little boy was lucky that afternoon that he did not drown. If he would have swam with someone and listened to his mom then he could have prevented this terrible experience. Having been there that day did make me and my family more aware of the dangers of deep water.

In conclusion, being frightened by something is normal. Most people are fearful of something whether it be water or something else. The short story, Deep Water was a true story about a boy that was afraid of water, a fear shared by many all over the world.

The Pearl Essay

The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a great book. I really loved this book, but if I could change anything it would be the ending. The ending to this book was very depressing and sad. It made me feel like I should write an alternate ending. Although The Pearl has a very surprising and sad ending, I believe there should be a different ending to this book.

The Pearl has a violent ending. If I could change the ending I would make it a happier ending with less violence and death. The worst part was when the baby died. If I rewrote the ending I would make sure that the baby doesn’t die. Another part I really didn’t like was when Kino started killing people. Kino could have just listened to Juana and thrown the pearl back into the ocean. If he would have thrown the pearl back into the ocean sooner, he would have prevented anything bad from happening to their family.

The first thing that is happy about my ending is that the baby wouldn’t die or get bit by a scorpion. The first day, Kino and his family go in the canoe searching for pearls. Kino jumps into the water to go try and find some pearls, because he is a pearler. He comes up with a handful of oysters. In one of those oysters he finds the pearl of the world. When Kino comes home, people in town find out that Kino found this amazing pearl. Everyone in the town wants the pearl. People want to try to kill him for the pearl. When Kino finds out that people want to kill him for the pearl, Juana and Kino decide that the best thing to do to save their family is to throw the pearl back into the ocean right away.

The people in the town still think that he has the pearl, so some trackers try to find him and kill him. Knowing this, Kino leads his family into the mountains. When Juana and Kino hide in a cave Coyotito doesn’t start crying. The trackers never hear a noise so they don’t shoot at the sound of crying. The story ends up not as depressing and sad as the book. The baby ends up living and the pearl is thrown back into the ocean. Kino doesn’t kill anyone and they end up living happily knowing that owning the pearl of the world isn’t what makes you happy.

In conclusion my alternate ending would have a happier ending than the original. It would be less depressing and sad. My alternate ending would be more enjoyable to the people who read The Pearl.

The Pearl

Over all the entire book was very good. Many people have read this book and have disliked it but I thought it was very good. It was easy to understand and very descriptive. The ending was not what I thought it was going to be like. It thought it was going to end very happily and they would be happy and rich. As it turns out they do not get rich or anything. The ending was also sad especially when Coyotito dies.
I really like the author of the The Pearl. I thought John Steinbeck was a very great author. He was very good at describing scenes in the book, such as the scene when Kino was attacking the Trackers. If I could I would read another one of his books I would probably love it. People said that they disliked this book, but I would say that if I could rate the book I would give it a four out of five. The reason a four is because I didn’t like how sad the ending. Otherwise I thought this was a outstanding book.

The Pearl

This is a very good story. It is very descritive and very clear in its wording. When I read the story I can really imagine it when I read.I liked how the author really describes all of the scenes. This story so far is very good and I would recomend it!

Will the pearl destroy them?

Juana thiks that the pearl will destroy them because bad things have happened since they found the pearl. The pearl is giving them bad luck. The doctor has come over a lot to "help" the baby,but he really just comes over to see if he can probably steal the pearl. I think that in the end the pearl will be either stolen or Kino will do something with it like throw it back in the sea. The pearl has done no good to the family!