"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"

Author's Note: My Language Arts Class just finished reading and discussing, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"  by Ernst Hemingway. We were then asked to write a short response... Soo Here it is :)

Ernst Hemingway committed suicide, though he seemed to live a happy rich life. He was able to tell, long stories with few words and descriptions, with sentences striped into simplicity. In "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" there is an old man, who is constantly in the "shadow of the leaves" and staying ran the cafe until almost 3 in the morning. We find the old man attempts suicide, only to be saved by his niece. He was no wife. No children. Only a relative to check up on him. The old man, was on the verge of despair, sitting in the shadows-- trying to find, and keep, a clean well lighted place. 

In many ways, Hemingway can relate to the old man he created. They were both rich, after all. And according to the young bartender in the story- money is happiness. The old man and Hemingway, both try to find company, take Hemingway's four wives for example.But mainly, they were both searching for a clean, well lighted place, away from the darkness. 

The Stutter

As I was walking to class, this short and perky brunette ran up to me and taped me on the shoulder.

"Hey there! I'm Becca… Are you new?"

"Y-y-y-ye-yesss-yes," the second I spoke, she looked at me as if I had a disease. "My n-na-nam-name i-is B-b-brr-bra-brad-d."

"Oh, um, nice to meet you…" she said as she started to walk away, obviously not wanted to be seen with me.

Whatever. Someone at this school won't mind my speech. Someone at this school will be my friend. Someone at this school will understand me.

I walked into homeroom.

Becca stares at me, along with other eyes sending looks of pity. And then someone shouts.

"Look Becca! It's your retarded boyfriend!"

Laughs soon followed. I sit down at my desk, my face obviously red from embarassment, and pull out my notebook and a pencil. I begin to write.

They listen

But they do not

Understand

They do not understand

The h*** I've already

Lived through

Breathed through

And spoke through

They listen

But

They do not

Understand

I know I'm no Robert Frost but when I write, I feel free. Whoever reads my words, won't focus on my literal voice. They focus, on what is true. They focus on what is important. And they forget for a moment that I stutter. They forget for a moment that I am different. Different and a stutter, not mentally challenged.

When I write, I am understood.

Pressure

If a nail is hit, one too many times, the surface, of which it is entering, will crack. Just as if a shoe, is worn too often, its very sole becomes worn, and broken down. Even air pressure, when it becomes high, can break our ear drums, making it impossible to hear a voice of reason.  A solution? One does not exist, and will never exists. Pressure comes from authority. From friends. From any force, that we submit to. Pressure. It cracks us. It wears us down. It breaks us. 

Point of View

Author's Note:  In the song "Little Talks", by Monsters of Men, there are two points of view. There's a wife. And her dead husband, as a ghost. Although, since the husband is slightly over-powered, I found him more intriguing to write about. That being said, this is a short response to show my understanding of POV.

The only way to tell the whole story is to hear both sides, both points of view, from both people.  This being said, the point of view, of which a story is told, truly influences its reader. Is the narrator unreliable? Or telling the truth? How many details are you given? "Little Talks", by Monsters of Men is a perfect example, of two sides being told, two points of view, from both people.

The Widow.

She lives alone, in a big, empty house, ever since her husband died. Often thinking thoughts like, "The stairs creep as you sleep, it’s keeping me awake". At this part of the song, her point of view tells the reader that she is alone, that her husband deserted her, and she is trying to communicate with him, yet he only sleeps. She is frantic and frustrated. But she doesn’t know that her husband truly does care, making her an unreliable narrator, with a swayed point of view.

The Dead Husband.

He sees her, franticly living on her own, and tries to comfort her. When she speaks of the stairs creaking, he hears her and responds saying, "It’s the house telling you to close your eyes". He truly wishes for her to sleep in peace, yet she hasn’t ever heard him, since he has passed. Only he knows both points of view, seeing as he is constantly trying to prove his presence to his wife. He is the reliable narrator, the one who knows both opinions, both stories. His point of view comes after examining the pieces.

Both characters sung about in "Little Talks" have a unique point of view, based from the husband's death. But if the husband's voice wasn’t heard, it would leave the listener to believe the wife was truly abandoned. Although, if the wife's point of view was removed, the husband would seem insane, making him unreliable.

Truly, the story's point of view, affects the reader.

Short Scene:

Mom says the house is empty. Ever since Dad died. But it's full. I'm here. Well, every Friday at least. My job requires a lot of attention. And no one else ever cares to stop by. It's probably because they couldn’t handle seeing her, in the state she's in. She's just so, um, frantic. I mean just two days ago I went to check on her, and she was in her bed. Just lying there, with no sense of emotion running through her face. I asked her how she was doing, and she said she heard noises. And felt as if someone was trying to contact her. Someone. Someone who's dead. If only I could tell her, it was dad. If only I could tell her how much he hates seeing her upset, and going crazy. But I cannot. I simply can't tell her I'm a medium.  That dad was spoken to me. That his presence remains in the house. That he tries to communicate with her. That he wishes to see her, but only when it's time for a "ship to carry her to shore". Dad had always liked metaphors. Anyway. It would only make her state worse. Make her think, she isn't special enough to hear her husband. Make herself fall asleep forever. I couldn’t be responsible for that. So I carry the burden. I carry it. I see mom crazy, and unable to sleep. But my dad does too. And it hurts him as well.

Themes in "The Patriot" and "Just Jane"

Author's Note: This is an essay comparing the themes of The Patriot and Just Jane. I originally wrote it for social studies although, I realized it can also be scored on the writing/reading rubric.

What if you lived in the Revolutionary War? Would you long to gain knowledge of the war, and its soldiers, or remain a naïve citizen? How would you treat your children? Would you follow the themes of The Patriot or Just Jane? The main similarity, in The Patriot and Just Jane, in theme, is, “becoming aware”. However a difference in themes, includes: “trusting children” versus “over-protective guardians.”

When Benjamin Martin, the main character in The Patriot, thought he was aware of The War, and it’s soldiers, he was asked if he was a Patriot.  He responded, “If you mean by patriot, am I angry about taxation without representation, well, yes I am”. Yet he still believed war should not be an option for the colonies. Although, once Gabriel, his eldest son, briefly returned from The War he learned more of the British Army. He learned that they fought unfairly. He learned what they truly fought for was worse than it had seemed. He became aware of what The War truly was, and that he was deeply needed. (Emmerich)

Jane Prentice, the main character in Just Jane, moved from England to live with her Uncle Robert, a true loyalist. She was surprised when her uncle’s travels forced her to live with her other relatives, who were patriots. Being new to the colonies, Jane quickly learned about both sides, and their specific beliefs.  She learned of her Uncle Hugh’s patriot thoughts, and her Uncle Robert’s, loyalist thoughts. She listened to others. She learned of the conflicts. She developed her own opinion after truly becoming aware of The War. (Lavender)

 Benjamin Martin, the widowed father of seven, truly cared for his children yet he had always been unsure of what to allow his children to do. He never wanted his two eldest sons to join the Continental Army, but later allowed Gabriel to enlist. This leads to Thomas, his second eldest son’s, death. This gave Benjamin a change of mind causing him to make his younger son shoot a marching group of “red-coats”. But I guess once someone dies, you learn that you cannot shelter your children forever. Therefore Benjamin began to trust his children. (Emmerich)

Jane Prentice’s Uncle Robert and Aunt Clarissa, loved Jane yet never gave her freedom. She could not go where she please. And she could not, publically, believe what she believed. So when Jane developed her own opinion, her curiosity grew and she was put in the position to sneak away to see her Uncle Hugh. Although, this gave her Uncle and Aunt a reason not to trust her, they still wished to shelter her from what truly was occurring in the war, and in their family. They over-protected her, only wanting her to think loyalist thoughts. They did trust her. However, they did not want her exposed. (Lavender)

                The Patriot and Just Jane share an important theme, along with themes that are not so similar. However, each taking place in the Revolutionary War every character gains different perspectives, due to their different experiences. Theme is decieded from characters. Theme is developed from setting. Theme is developed by perspective.

Bibliography

Lavender, William. Just Jane. Gulliver Books Harcourt, 2002.

The Patriot. Dir. Roland Dr. Emmerich. 2000.

Theme of Lies and Deciet

Author's Note: This is a theme analysis on New Moon by Stephanie Meyer. 

Nobody in the world is 100% truthful. Not with themselves,  and certainly not with others. We deceive our minds. We begin believing our lies, and other's lies, turning life into a game of deceit and confusion. In New Moon by Stephanie Meyer, we find that Bella and Edward are playing this unfortunate game. Edward deceives himself, along with Bella, leaving Bella to lie to almost everyone left in her life. With all of this said, one of the main themes in New Moon is deceit/lies.

               

                Edward deceives himself, along with Bella.

                Edward wanted Bella in his life. Yet he convinced himself that she would be better off without him. He said to her, “My world is not for you”, making her believe he truly doesn’t want her, that he definitely has no soul. At first Bella finds it difficult to believe this, but as soon as he left her stranded in the forest it all fell into place, she realized he had dug a hole through her, leaving her to suffer in depression . Edward always claims he is too dangerous for Bella, making him think that she’s better off without him. He knows she’ll be devastated. Yet he deceives himself saying that “humans move on”. But even when Bella tried to move on, she found more lies and deceit.

                Bella deceives, well, everyone.

               

Bella was deceived, causing “a hole through her heart”, that grew deeper and deeper. But at the beginning of a dig is always overlooked because no one knows the cause. In the beginning of her depression, after Edward left, she began to shut out her close friends, and even her dad. Then Jacob was there. Bella used him. And she knew it because she thought to herself, “I was so wrong to encourage Jacob” as she made him believe she may finally like him more. And he was unaware of have deceitful Bella could be in such a depressive state.

                New Moon teaches us—

“If you cannot tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people”

               

We Are Admirable

  Author's Note: This is my essay on Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter. Spoiler Alert: In this essay I mention who the "baby-daddy" is!      

      Imagine that you live in a Puritan Society, waiting for your husband to return, yet you remain young and beautiful. You have always been a good citizen, followed the rules set by God. And your reverend. You live a perfect Puritan life. Then, you commit a sin, you fall short of the expectations set for you to live by. Now you, and your child, are outcasts: underneath the shadow of your fellow adulterer, Reverend Dimmesdale.  He begs, and begs, for you to admit it was he, who had helped her commit this sin, but you refuse.  This is your punishment, and although the circumstances prove otherwise, you are an admirable person.

Imagine you are Hester Prynne, in Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter.

           Hester Prynne is an admirable woman. She is generous. She is bold. And most importantly she is a good single-mother. Hester is been all of these things, even seven years after the first time she wore the scarlet 'A' publically. Although, she is ridiculed constantly, she chose to stay near the town she had known for so long, but on the out-skirts of coarse. It was familiar to her, one of the only things left near her that couldn’t "ruin" her life.

           And because she had struggled in society herself, Hester sewed clothes for the poor. Being a fantastic seamstress, it was truly an act of kindness, especially sense she didn’t charge them. This was an act to repay her sins, with God and herself. It made her feel Godly. And like a good person again, until she remembered she bore a scarlet letter upon her breast.  The 'A' would never truly leave her. But the acts of citizenship masked the pain, the letter pressed. It lightened the load. It made her happy. It made her proud.

          Although Hester is proud of her donations, she isn't proud of the scarlet embroidery she must wear. Yet she continues to be bold, taking the ridicule, and speaking up when appropriate. As she walked from the prison door, she surely knew of what the gossips had said. Their stares burned into her cheeks, showing her embarrassment. Although, she walked quietly by them, not starting a dispute of any kind. On the other hand, when Governor Bellingham threaten to take Pearl, Hester's daughter, into the custody of another, Hester spoke of what the letter, and its shame, will teach her daughter and ends up keeping Pearl in her custody.

           Her fight for  Pearl proves that she is a strong single-mother. And that she allows Pearl to express her own opinion, whether out of fear or respect. Although, Hester had began to believe Pearl was of the Black Man (what Satan was referred to in the 17th century), she didn’t let that possibility change the affection she had for Pearl. Yet Pearl could be a pain. She always decorated the scarlet letter, and even kissed it at times. Even though, Hester repeatedly mentioned it was bad. Pearl wanted to know why, and like any child she wanted her way. But Hester knew better than to give her wildly-spoken child all of the information.

Go back to imagining you are Hester Prynne. An outcast. An adulteress. A generous yet bold woman. A strong mother. A role model. There is no need to imagine anymore. We are all Hester. We sin. We give. And we are admirable.

Roots

Authors Note- This is a "mini-essay" about technology in the United States, and how much we crave it. This also includes some references to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury- a genius author. Enjoy :)

Values in our country continue to worse, day by day, and year by year. New technology is the thing we most desire, we work for it. It buries itself deeper into our lives. Forming roots  deeper, needing more products to remain satisfied. Why do we work so hard, only to become weakened by our desperation? We are no longer focused on what used to be important? Books. Plays. Articles. Learning from life experiences.  Why have we gone so down hill? Why is technology so deeply rooted into our lives?

January 24, 1984: the date the Macintosh was released by Apple. This was the seed of our obsession. The thing that caused the roots to start to grow. This piece of technology replaced our writing notebooks, pencils, and pens. It made life easier, and inspired an era of new technology. If the Macintosh was not created- Apple would cease to exist, along with Dell.  Without these companies the U.S. would continue to research in books. Read them. Have more intelligent conversations. Things that are very difficult to do, when there are so many roots constricting you.

In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, which takes place in a futuristic United States, technology continues to be rooted in to everyday life. However,  the strength of the roots has overtaken human intelligence, brainwashing them into thinking books are evil. Televisions are more craved than before as well. Each household aspires to have four walls of TVs. Without these symbols, they are considered poor- outdated. They neglect the books they once knew, as the roots continue take money putting it towards selfish and foolish goals.

Ray Bradbury predicted what is to come, and what has become. This book was published in 1953-- 31 years before the Macintosh planted itself into our lives. He saw the 1925 version of television. He saw it would become a problem. He knew roots must be weakened. He did not want the United States to become too reliant.

 Unfortunately, we now are reliant on televisions. Computers. iPods. Everything that is not important. Everything that Fahrenheit 451 predicted. If we do not learn from his, accurate descriptions of what is to come- the roots will be stronger, making it ever so difficult to break free. We are deeply rooted in to technology, and it will only worsen over time. 

Pieces

A newly constructed house shines tall and proud, as its shadow covers its old, broken pieces. Pieces of all shapes and colors hide in the dark, fearing one would find them.  Then comes the light. It shines bright, and begins to see the ruins. Yet they still are not visible, causing them to be forgotten. The owner, has not forgotten though. The failures. The discouragement. The losses. The pieces are still there.

It had been a year since my father had died, and left me with my druggy of a mother.  He was the one who protected me. He was the one I told everything. He was the one who helped me through school. And he was dead. And no one knew why. The police had their suspicions: heart attack, brain dead, suicide. But nothing added up. After a while they were only left with one scenario -- murder. 

My mother had murdered my father. I was all alone. And this was the first piece of me to fall.

Naturally I was put into the care of my grandma. She lived in the hills of Orange County, a place which was all too expensive for my taste at the time. But it was better than nothing, or at least I thought. I ended up staying almost two years in OC, finishing my high school education . And every day I received more critics, but even more discouragement towards my aspiring writing career, and everything I did. I wasn't talented enough. I wasn’t dressed right.

I cut myself for the first time that year. And with every slit, another piece of myself fell.

After I graduated Fullteron Union High School, along with "esteemed classmates", I had a choice to make. College? Or begin working immediately? I wanted my writing career. I wanted it with a deep passion. So I applied to Hamilton, in New York. That was the school I had dreamt of going to, ever since I saw my dad's diploma. After weeks of waiting for a letter back, I received mine. My application had been rejected.

I was a failure. My father was great enough. I crushed my laptop, which contained all my writing. Another piece fell.

And another piece.

And another.

And another.

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.

Clocks

Author's Note: This is another writing circle piece, even though it's not finished, I had to post it. Does anybody have any suggestions on what I should do? Maybe have the intro be like a "flash-foward" or something? Let me know.

 

I sit in the room undisturbed, except the clock mocks me with every tick. Tick. What have I done? Tick. I don’t deserve to believe alive. Tick. Are they coming for me? With every tick, my anticipation begins to rise, until I can not take it anymore. I pull the knife, covered with blood, out of my jacket and throw it. The clock no longer ticks, and I hear a knock at the door. It’s the police,  delivering the news I do not want to hear:”Ms. Hollen, you are out of time.”. I have no choice but to follow them, after all I was out of time.

                     

The Hateful Cycle

Author's Note: This piece is a writing circle topic. I haven't really participated in writing circles for a while, so I found it difficult to agree on a topic. But we we all agreed on the topic hate, I brainstormed and brainstormed and then I had an idea. I hope you enjoy this piece :)

Hate. Whenever this word is mentioned, many thoughts come to my mind, although one sticks out above them all: why we hate. “It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things. All things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get”, a quote by Confucius. Hate is bad therefore it's easy to get; love is good therefore it is difficult to achieve: simple logic. An average person will come across the feeling of hate, sometime in their life. And there are many theories of how and why, this event occurs. Is it caused by a feeling of emptiness? Or possibly due to envy? A huge cycle that never ends?

You’re empty inside but not because you starved yourself. You’re empty due to an overwhelming jealousy, that causes you to forget who you are. This jealousy soon will begin to brew into a deep hate, and will grow deeper overtime. But before this emptiness turns into hate, it becomes envy.

Envy. A feeling of discontentment or resentful longing (often for other’s possessions or qualities), in other words a deeper jealousy. If you have three new pairs of shoes, and your friends has six. Your family is struggling financially, meanwhile your aunt takes a big family vacation. Envy lurks: quietly yet it can be extremely harmful when it becomes hate.

Now we are back to the idea of hate. This pattern of brewing hate seems to be continuous, a cycle that never ends. Jealousy turns into envy, and then envy into hate. There is no escape, until we learn to do the difficult: love. Love is stronger than hate, no matter how hard it is at achieve. It will break the cycle. And you will be hate-free.

Playing In Burn

Author's Note: This is another piece I was not comfortable writing. But after some revision and advice from peers, I believe it deserves a spot on my blog. Once again, I was asked to work on "Literacy Devices". In this piece it's mostly metaphors, similes, and personification. Can you find them?

The sun is beating down on me. My already reddened skin, is beginning to scream. Its burn is getting to much to bear. The only thing that can save me, is the whistle shouting the game's end. Until then, I play through the burn, awaiting the whistle and hopefully a win.

Suddenly, I am interrupted from my thoughts, as the ball flies through the air; speeding towards me. I jump up in to the air, to greet the ball, with all my strength. I barley manage to stop the ball in mid-air. The ball drops to the ground. Within the few dribbles I take, I kick the ball down to the other team's goal side: to an open player. My hopes begin to rise, as time passes in a blur of excitement; a goal is scored.

Everyone quickly lines up again. We are ahead 2-1. Coach Cod commands us to play cautiously, to maintain our lead.With two minutes left, the anticipation is beginning to get to me. My burn is on fire and I am trying to remain cool. But due to my distractions a goal is scored; on us. The score is now tied, like our hands because there are only 30 seconds left on the clock.

And to everyone's dismay, the final whistle blows as loud as a cannon shot.We have tied and I am burnt. After skaking hands with the other team, my teammates and I gather. Even though the game is over, I wish it could continue. This burn is becoming to much to handle. I need relief yet all is done.

The Earth Was Good

Author's Note: I usually prefer to away from poetic styles of writing, yet I was inspired to write a meaningful piece dealing with the temptations we all face. I focused on including "Literacy Devices". Let me know if any are noticeable, and if you think I should write more poems. 

The Earth was good,
At least in God's eyes.
Yet the serpent came,
To tempt us,
And make us die.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
At least that's what they say.
But every now and then,
The serpent comes to play.
Convincing and deceiving,
Every age and look
Until
There's self-hate brews among them
And begins to overflow

A husband and a wife,
A bond to strong to break.
They're a promise to each other,
Until
The cheating and the lying become open to all,
And their demons become visible to the big and small

It started out as a simple dislike,
After all she was rich and well off,
Until
The hate overtakes her to such a degree,
She breaks a commandment,
Murder has occured

We love the land, and the seas,
But that's not how it's supposed to be.
As a temporary home,
The world seems better
Although in reality we,
Until
Begin to forget this.
Once again,
Falling in to the serpents trap.

The Earth was good,
In the beginning before we learned to play,
The devils games.
Now we hate,
Cheat, and lie.
Wondering why such a beautiful place,
Can perceive its self as a pleasant hell.