Thank You, Founding Fathers

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;  or the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

The first amendment, in the Constitution, greatly affected the history and future of the United States. It's allowed amazing speeches, theories, opinions, and petitions to have been made. Without these events, our country would not be progressing, therefore, we thank our founding fathers for their gift of rights which we have received.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of thereof;". This statement gives us the gift of believing what we wish. This portion of the first amendment allowed George Smoot and John Mather to prove the Big Bang Theory. If this right were not in place, the scientific field would still remain oblivious.

"Or abridging the freedom of speech, of the press;".  We have the ability to say what we want. Whether it's broadcasting your voice to the population of America, or delivering a speech which helped drive unequal rights into the ground. Either way, this amendment let Martin Luther King Jr., to give his famous "I have a Dream Speech" to the public. Without this America, would still be oblivious to how they treated others, leaving the African American still an outcast.

"Or the right to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." .  We have the right to disagree with the government, and society. Thankfully, women's rights groups were able to petition the government, and earn the right to vote. Without this right this, I would never have the chance to vote.

What can you thank our founding fathers for? For the first amendment, or maybe their intelligence? Whatever it may be, everything they have done has greatly affected the United States. Therefore, the founding fathers, have affected not only the famous speakers and our country, but you as well.

It All Results in Death

Author's Note- This is my cause/effect piece, to be scored on the reading rubric. I tried to compare (or bring in) another book, to get a more advanced score. In this short description, I talk about My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi.

 Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed with Leukemia at a very young age. And to make everything worse, Kate had such a rare blood marrow type, the chance of survival was even slimmer. But Sara and Brian, her parents made a very difficult choice, which would greatly effect their family. They had a child, with specially designed genes, to be Kate's donor. Ana is that child, and the middle kid of the Fitzgerald family. When she discovers this, she is outraged. And she decides to sue her parents. The lawsuit filed, is the climax of the story.  At this point in the plot, tensions build and nothing will ever be the same again in the Fitzgerald family.  Because when arguments become more intense, and emotions rise, people begin to be torn apart.

Brian and Sara begin to argue, even more so then before, due to the new fear of losing Kate. Even though, they love Anna, at first they both cannot see her point of view, which causes Anna to feel like an outcast. And when all the focus shifts to the lawsuit Jessie, the older brother, begins to act out, trying to get attention. His actions and words, along with Anna's lawsuit uncover a dreadful secret of Kate's: she wants to die, and she is fed up with all the medical treatments.

A book with a similar cause/effect is The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Although this book does not have anything to do with genetically formed babies, it faces the same effects as in My Sister's Keeper, since Charlotte has to deal with lawsuits caused by someone wanting to die. To sum it up, Charlotte is accused of murder. The crew forms against her, similar to Anna versus her parents, and it results in terrible lose.

And what does all of this lead too? Death.

A Cliché?

Author's Note- This is my conflict/resolution piece, to be scored on the reading rubric. Please comment if the conflict is clear!

Massie Block: alpha of The Pretty Committee, polished, rich, and absolutely flawless. Claire: the new girl from Orlando, childish, bangs galore, and living on The Block Estate. Claire constantly wants to fit in with The Pretty Committee, a clique, yet she wishes she could have normal friends, such as Layne. When she makes choices about who she's involved with Claire causes a lot of conflict. But the main conflict in this book is person vs. person.

The person vs. person conflict is between Massie and Claire, and is continuous through out the whole book. Although,  all of the conflict starts because Massie is fighting with her parents, about Claire living with them in the first place. But why would she hate someone she doesn’t know? . Couldn’t she make friends with them? Apparently this thought never occurred to her, because from the minute she met Claire, she was a jerk. Whether she pretended to forget her in the car, giving her false directions, or painting red splotches on her pants.

You'd think in the end of the this cliché, mean girls, novel there'd be a clear resolution. Unfortunately there's not. At the end of the novel, Claire and Massie are left in a mutual zone (in between friends and enemies). The paint splotches- never again brought up. The false IMS were forgotten as well. SO I guess in a way there is a happy, forgiving ending yet in the sequel the battle picks up, once again.

The Beast

This is my narrative/memoir piece. I really tried to focus on word choice! Please comment what you think!

 The tall, untamed beast seemed to have lured my friends into it's trap, and I had followed them. I was standing in the hopefully  never ending line, while horrific thoughts came to my mind. What if I fall out? Is the steep drop safe? At the time I didn’t know how much safety precautions went into roller coasters.

"What if the cart suddenly stops? The bar holding me in wont offer much support! I'll lean right over the edge and--"   

"Calm down Sarah!" said Tori. She waved her hand dismissively at my comments. "Raging Bull is one of the best rides here, especially if you sit in the front row. Or at least that's what everyone says. I've never ridden up front before..."

Tori was my best friend and still is.  Although, I began examining our friendship over the fateful hour in line. And found she always pressured me into situations that caused me to feel  extremely uncomfortable. But I know realize, I would still be so afraid of the inevitable future, without Tori and her somewhat mental ideas.

"Wanna ride with me and Christina?" I remember thinking: Great no backing out now, as Reynna offered me an invitation to my funeral.

The conversations between my friends and I  had seemed so imperative in the moment, at least to me. Why was I so afraid, as if I had just seen a ghost? Yet everyone around me was excited?

Tori tapped me on the shoulder, interrupting the train of thoughts that were circling my brain.

"Is that Alex Wahlgreen?"

This remark sparked conversation among the whole group. I was thankful for a change of subject.

As we emerged to the top of the line, Alex passed below us. He was smiling because he had enjoyed the ride, or maybe he had caught sight of Tori. I couldn’t tell.

Tori, Chloe and Morgan were the first pieces of life the beast took away. Just as my had begun to stop shaking, shrieks filled the whole ride.  Then the next acrt returned for Christina, Reynna, and I.

We stepped into the cart, very cautiously due to the height of the track.

As we began to higher, and higher my anticipation rose as well. Although the worst part of the journey on the beast was when we got to the very top, and I could see the downfall leading to my immediate death.  I closed my eyes. We began to flirt with the edge of the hill. And as we began to head down, my stomach dropped.st.

Retelling

Author's Note: I chose on of my favorite books, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, by Wendy Mass to demonstrate my understanding of retelling (on the reading rubric). Although most boys probably won't enjoy this book, it still was very interesting, and I highly recommend it.

A average high school girl is forced to make an important decision, in gym class: duck or stay standing? Her lack of judgment knocks her unconscious , and whisks her away to a form of heaven. There she finds significant objects, which represent events through out her life, and finally realizes the small sacrifices and choices she makes, effect her more than anyone else.

The "Comedian"

Voltaire's quote, "God is a comedian, playing to an audience that is too afraid to laugh.", isn't necessarily about God. It's about use of power, which is trying to maintain a Godly image, without love and compassion. This persona often leaves the authority figure unquestioned, making what they say law.

The president of Panem, a post-apocalyptic country, supports a pageant that we know as The Hunger Games. This show is watched by many, and often stirs confusion, hurt, and excitement through Panem.Therefore President Snow is a perfect example of being a comedian, that has an audience so awestruck they can't enjoy this so called "entertainment". Although some may believe The Hunger Games is merely for a good show, others may say it's a chance for the capitol to show their utmost power.Who would question someone who had the power to kill them?

 I would question President Snow as soon as I had the chance. It's wrong for someone, besides God, to try to have unstoppable power over others. And even when they claim it's a show, this entertainment should not scare the audience. The bible says the Lord is with you wherever you go. That includes questioning the comic! Don't let the comedian frighten you, put fright in the comedian!

Rainbows

Author's Note: This piece involves some references to personal faith, even though the topic given was rainbows. I hope you will enjoy this piece, even though you may not share the same beliefs I do. I worked really hard making this piece "flow". Let me know what suggestions you have, because there's always room for improvement!

Genesis and Revelation: the first and the last books in the bible. These books, along with Ezekiel, have made references to rainbows, which are often over looked. Rainbows can be very symbolic. Noah saw a rainbow when he finally was of the ark, while a rainbow was seen (upon an angels head) in a vision, which was recorded as a bible book. Coincidence that rainbows are in the beginning and the "end"? I don't  think so.

In Genesis, there were many promises made to Noah, a man of older age. He was called to build an arc, and take two of every animal with him and his family because God had planned to flood the Earth. After this plan had occurred, a rainbow appeared to Noah. This symbolized a covenant between God and Noah, meaning it's a covenant between God and us. This rainbow symbolized that after the storm, God has promised to never flood, the whole Earth again. In my opinion, that is why rainbows appear after storms: a reminder to us all that the bad is over and a promise is kept.

In the book Revelation, an angel appears with a rainbow surrounding his head, and his feet like pillars of fire. For those of you who are not familiar with the "end" of the bible, you should know that it's basically a revelation of what is to come. I found it extremely thought provoking when I realized that rainbows are in the beginning and the end; this symbolizes a key concept for me.

Ever since discovering the rainbows, in the bible, I have found a new meaning to them. They symbolize a promise, a happy promise. When they appear after storms they promise a better day.