Prefaces

Victor Hugo’s Preface:

            So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so long as the three great problems of the century—the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling children through lack of light—are unsolved; so long as social asphyxia is possible in any part of the world; --in other words, and with a still wider significance, so long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Miserables cannot fail to be of use.  

Reflection:
       If you read Les Miserables, it will help you understand about the human trafficking, starvation, and poverty and it tells you how to help the people in need. It makes you feel like you’re in the hard situation and get a better perspective on things. As long as all those problems are still in the world, Les Miserables will tell you how to solve them.

My Preface: 
       So Long as there shall exist, the troubled students continue to bully defenseless children, creating hell in the halls and in class, increasing the miserable mood of myself and others; so long as bullying stays within the schools—the degradation of religion, the degradation of homosexuality, the degradation of mentally handicapped—are ignored; so long as bullies take out their anger on others; so long as bullies who hate never accept love, students who understand and want to help like I, can never fail.

classical bookproject

1.      Provide a famous artwork (or draw one) that would fit in a certain part of the book.  Explain in one well-developed paragraph why this piece of art would fit in your selected place.  Use one or more literary terms in your explanation.

My classical book is Black boy by Richard Wright. I drew a picture of a four year old Richard Wright accidently lighting his house on fire. He and his little brother are supposed to stay quiet because their grandma is very sick and their mother doesn’t want them to disrupt her. Richard is getting bored so he starts to play with fire in the fireplace. He swats a piece of coal at the curtains and they burst into flames. Richard runs and hides under the house so he doesn’t get beaten by his mom. His father finds him curled up in a ball crying his eyes out. Everyone gets out safe, except for Richard. His mom beats him so badly he loses conscience and falls ill. I picked this scene of the book because it shows the life Richard lived and the childhood he grew up with. The mood to me would be unbelievable. I didn’t realize how bad parents were to their kids back then even if what the kid did was an accident. Burning the house down is pretty bad though I can understand why Richards mom beat him but till he unconscious.

Dense Question

Text:   Throughout ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ William can’t go to school, his aunt gets sick, his dog dies, and his windmill is injuring him. How does William keep hope with himself?

            Even with the little information he has, William knows that if he doesn’t finish the windmill he won’t have any electricity. He likes communicating with his friends and family through phones that require electricity to charge and work. He likes to have running water to drink. He doesn’t go to school and the library is the only thing he has for him to learn. Besides working out in the fields he works on the windmill so he looks forward to it every day until it’s perfect.

Other Lit: Did Equality find what he was looking for at the end of Anthem or did he find something he wasn’t expecting?

            Both. Equality ran away to find who he was. He found not only himself but he found another; Liberty. He wasn’t expecting to find love when he was looking for himself.  

Reader: Describe a time when you thought your life was bad, then it got worse and you thought it can only get better - and it did.

            Three years ago, my favorite aunt past away from breast cancer. I was devastated and for several weeks the whole family was in tears. After we got over my aunt, my mom found out her best friend got breast cancer. The cancer didn’t take her as quickly as my aunt did but when my mom’s friend past away it was the same week as my sister’s wedding. The wedding took my mom’s mind off of her friend so it wasn’t as bad as my aunts passing. This was when my life was bad, then it got worst, and it actually got better.      

Anthem Research Paper

5. How does our society treat independent thinkers, daring innovators and successful entrepreneurs (like Equality)? Are they applauded or criticized? Write an essay on this topic, offering specific case studies to support your argument.

In our today’s society we are judgers. We think anyone who is different than others are bad. People with the big ideas go tell others about what they thought of that could help our generation get smarter. Independent thinkers and daring innovators are made fun of with what they bring in to show the people their invention and sometimes don’t even get a chance to tell them what it is. Either because the invention looks dumb or the inventor isn’t the type of person people look for in coming up with the plans. Later down the road that invention or idea could be millions and millions of dollars and no one would ever know because they got rejected. First off, they either get ignored or not taken seriously. Once the invention happens and it has a positive effect on things then the inventor will get respect or paid. So overall they are first criticized then later on once their invention works or idea comes to affect then they get applauded.

Admin. "Qajunction.com » How Does Our Society Treat Independent Thinkers, Daring Innovators, and Successful Entrepreneurs?" Qajunctioncom RSS. N.p., 21 June 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://qajunction.com/?p=17190>.

Creative Writing Anthem

1.      Anthem illustrates the importance of thinking and judging independently and of acting according to our rational principles—even when “our brothers” oppose us. In light of the fact that smoking, drugs, shoplifting and gang violence often involve peer pressure, write a letter to a teen magazine explaining Anthem’s benefits for teenage readers. (Send your letter to a national teen magazine or your local paper—it might get published!)

Anthem’s benefit for teenagers is to be your own person. Peer pressure is a huge part in a teenager’s life from middle school throughout high school. People pressure you into doing drugs or start smoking because they say something like “Oh it’s what all the cool kids do nowadays” or “If you don’t do it you’re not cool enough to be my friend.” Kids need say no and be their own individual; not be like anyone else. It’s boring to do the same things as others and be like everyone else.  As to giving into peer pressure like smoking or shoplifting just to be cool is like being everyone else. Anthem teaches the readers to be a ‘WE’ but to be an ‘I’. Equality 7-2521 doesn’t want to be like everybody else and he does something about it. He starts to rebel against the society because he knows there is more to him than a street sweeper, so he does things that excite him. smoking, Drugs, shoplifting, and gang violence limits a person to their present life and future.

Anthem Question

#33. Where do the infants stay? Where do the children stay? What are their lives like? What was Ayn Rand saying through this?

            The “Home of the Infants” is where all boys, including Equality 7-2521, lived "with a hundred beds and nothing else in it". It was a sort of early childhood brainwashing station. Equality 7-2521's only transgression here is that he was a curious child. One should not stand out from the other kids.

            His real transgression didn’t really begin until age five. When you reach the age of five years old, they are sent to the Home Of Students, where there are ten wards, for the ten years of learning. Men must learn till they reach their fifteenth year. Then they go to work. For Equality 7-2521 he fought with other boys and was considered too tall and too smart.  

            Their lives are very organized and planned out. Everybody has to be like everybody and if they’re different then they are looked down upon. For Equality 7-2521 you would think he has it all because he is young, beautiful, tall, strong, fearless and brilliant; but he is considered different for all of those things therefore no one likes him or wants anything to do with him. Ayn Rand is saying it is okay to be different and nobody can be perfect. It’s hard to make everyone the same so just stay yourself.

AP Writing Prompt

1. Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.

Title: Plainsong

Author: Kent Haruf

In my book, Plainsong, every morning Victoria Roubideaux wakes up puking sick. Her mother only thinks she has been drinking the night before, until it clicks in her brain and realizes Victoria has been puking every morning. Victoria’s mother kicks her out when she concluded on her being pregnant and Victoria has to go stay with a friend. A high school girl is knocked up and kicked out.

“Victoria, what’s the matter with you?”(8) “Nothing, Mama go back to bed” (8). At first Victoria’s mother thinks she has only been drinking. “Don’t lie to me. You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?”(9) Obviously that isn’t the case. “You know what I think, little miss… I think you got a baby in you and it’s making you puking sick” (9). “Mama, don’t” (10). Victoria didn’t know what to do; her eyes began to fill up with tears. “You can just leave this house” (10). Victoria got ready for school after that argument and came back that night around seven after her shift at the café.

All Quiet on the Western Front

                Paul says at the end “I am so alone and so without hope…” (295). Show the major events that caused Paul view himself in this way. Why did he feel this way? How did he battle this throughout the book? Did he win? Did he lose? Explain.

            But Paul soon discovers war isn’t exciting or peaceful at all. He finds it to be harsh, traumatizing, and he forgets what home is like. He has to deal with the most gruesome things at the age of twenty. He no longer has the hope inside him like he did when he first enlisted. Paul Baumer has been at war for several years now. He had to leave his mother, father and sister behind but left with friends of his from school. Paul doesn’t mind war at first. He meets new friends to have by his side along for the experience. He finds it exciting to be out in the open with nature, having to only worry about himself and having friends to share the excitement with. When they’re done fighting for the day they go back to camp where it’s quiet and peaceful.

            Franz, kemmerich, Paul’s friend from school, is on his death bed. “…We grew up together and that always makes it a bit different” (28-29). When Paul sees someone he knows dying right before his eyes, he starts to lose hope in himself. He begins to feel helpless. Paul is still just a boy and he doesn’t know why this is happening to him or Franz. He says: “The whole world ought to pass by this bed and say: “That is Franz Kemmerich, nineteen and a half years old, he doesn’t want to die. Let him not die!” (29).

 Paul is let on leave. He walks into his home to the smell of potato-cakes and whortleberries. He looks up above him and sees his butterfly collection on the wall. His sister tells him their mother is in bed and probably has cancer again. “We might almost have known you were coming” (159). Paul goes up to see his mother and she asks, “sit here beside me” (159). “… Heinrich Bredemeyer… said it was terrible with the gas and all the rest of it” (161). Paul’s mother kept asking him if what Heinrich said was true. Paul didn’t want to frighten her or worry her so he said, “No mother, that’s only talk” (161). Night passes and Paul thinks, “I ought to have never come on leave” (185).

            Somehow Paul falls in a shell-hole while out on the front line. So he doesn’t get shot at, he buries himself in the mud and plays dead. While waiting for it to be clear, a Russian walks up behind him and kicks his foot. “The man gurgles” (216). Paul is lying side by side with this man as if he was his own friend. He realizes that no matter what country you’re from or team you’re on, you still have a life with a family and kids. Paul gets his address and writes to his wife. “No doubt his wife still thinks of him; she does not know what happened” (222). This put a new perspective on things for Paul It traumatized him in a way of a lesson. 

            Paul feels he is without hope for the reason being: he lost a friend right in the beginning, when he went on leave he found out his mother had cancer, and he never would have thought he would help a Russian. Paul puts everyone in front of himself even at times when he should have put himself first Unfortunately Paul lost the battle of hope. It came to the end of Paul Baumer. “He fell on October 1918… turning him over one saw he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come” (296).

Quote Post

·         Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mine. –Dr. Seuss.

This quote to me means if you know people that not exactly bully you but insult you and keep telling you negative things about yourself, then they shouldn’t matter to you. Whatever they say or do doesn’t need to mean anything and you need to think about not having them in your life. The people that should stay in your life are the ones saying positive stuff and what they say counts. They’re the people who do not care what you do or look like. 

            Whenever someone tells me something bad about myself, it sometimes gets to me. So I try to always remember this quote and it usually works. I also go to some of my good friends and tell them what happened and they’ll be like “oh no, no, you’re not that at all. Who told you something like that”? One time in second grade I had this bruise between my eye and nose and someone told me I get abused because no one liked me. Well I told my friend Caysey this and she told me to not worry about it, that everybody loves me and the bruise wasn’t at all noticeable. I have always remembered that day and from that day I have realized what this quote has meant.  

·         Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. – Dr. Seuss

This is a good quote for children. When kid’s starts looking forward to something like birthdays or vacations they are thrilled for the days before it. Then when it comes to time when it’s about to end they start moping and get sad. Once the vacation is over or birthday then they cry and want it all to happen again. What they don’t realize is its only special once, not everything will happen the exact same or else it’s not special. Only cry if it didn’t happen, smile because you got to do it. Be grateful. 

            In third grade, my parents, sisters, and I went to Bush gardens and Water Country USA for five days in Virginia for a vacation. We were so stoked! I was counting down the days until time to leave. The date finally came and I just knew it will go by faster than when it came. It had been a while all five us were on a trip together. The road trip was always the best part, then the water park, and then bush gardens, the hotel rooms were pretty fun as well. As soon as I realized it would be our last night in in Virginia I got bummed out. All I could think about was how much I would miss and all laughs we had here, I didn’t want to leave. When we started packing the car up I started to cry. Kelli asked what was wrong and I told her I didn’t want this vacation to end I wanted to be here forever. When she told me this quote and I didn’t understand it at first, but on the car ride home I finally got it. So I stopped crying and began to sing and talk just to annoy Kelli and Mary Vance. 

·         If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn’t be, and what it would be, it would. You see? - Alice In Wonderland

 

Video Post

Video Post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2ciOr6l1ss

            This video is amazing. Obviously, it’s not a fake video and it’s a so graphic. This video actually got my adrenaline going and a smile on my face; and I’m only in my living room! You get to see the land all around you and you actually feel like you are there skydiving with the people.

            Skydiving has been on my bucket list ever since I was about eight. When I was in the eighth grade, my teacher over the summer went skydiving and he had someone go with him to take pictures and a video. The pictures were amazing and the video was awesome. Hopefully I’m going skydiving for my sixteenth birthday but who knows. It would feel like I’m one with the earth and actually get my adrenaline going, instead of watching it in my living room. The only thing I’m scared about is the landing.

I Believe In Essay...

What do I believe in? I believe in my two older sisters, Kelli and Mary Vance. Of course everyone with siblings would say “oh yeah I believe in my older brother or sister” without thinking twice about it, but I have a reason why I say my older siblings. Some older siblings think their younger brother or sister are annoying and want them to leave them alone, but Kelli and Mary Vance love me and always want me around. Kelli and Mary Vance are twelve and nine years older than me and moved out when I was young so the age difference might have something to do with it. The amount of love they give me is both equal yet different.



Kelli!



            Kelli is the oldest and moved out when I was seven. She is the smartest and wisest person I know and a great friend to have around. Her being the oldest makes her have the experiences that make her wise. Whenever I have trouble with school and homework or have a question with what I should do that’s best for me, she’s there to straighten things out and her answer is usually not wrong. Kelli and I share a special side. Some may say psychotic, we say fun. We love: watching ghost stories and documentaries (even though they freak me out), taking pictures, and eating holiday food. She understands me in a way none of my friends can or anyone else in my family. Kelli is married and her husband is just like her so we get along pretty well. I have a good relationship with my sister because I don’t hear any of my friends talk about their siblings like that. I don’t know what I would do without her; she’s honestly my one third, and that’s why I believe in her.



Mary Vance!



            Mary Vance on the other hand moved out a few years ago so we did get on each other’s nerves and yelled a lot, but she is the funniest and cutest thing ever! She can say something really obvious and crack me up (she has a lot of blonde moments). She is only 5’3” and really bubbly, I just want to stuff her in my pocket. She is more of the motherly controlling sister and I get mad at her for it but she is just looking after me and my future. Mary Vance only lives a few blocks away so whenever she isn’t busy with her job she can always help me understand my school work better. Whenever we hangout we like to shop, go to the beach or pool, and watch Disney princess movies. Mary Vance is not married yet but she has a boyfriend and I think we’re getting close to wedding bells soon. I can’t really describe my relationship with Mary Vance. It’s a regular sister bond but with splotches of our own craziness. It would be weird without her because I would only have two thirds of myself. For that, I believe in her.

            They love spending time with me, both individually and all three of us together. It’s so much fun when it’s just me, Mary Vance, and Kelli. It’s like the Bartolo girls go crazy when we’re with each other. They know how to make me laugh, they know how to make things easier, and they know how to connect with me. They relieve my stress and I have such an amazing time with them. We go to the movies, the mall, and each other’s houses. What I like about that is every time we hang out, we learn a little bit more about each other. Yes, it is possible.

 Kelli and Mary Vance are the best human beings on this earth. When we’re all together I feel like nothing bad is happening in the world. No conflict with friends, no troubles in school, no worries at all. That’s what a sister relationship is. When I can be at my lowest, ready to break and Kelli and Mary Vance still brighten my day. I thank them for that. I may not show it, I may not say it, but I do thank them for it and I hope they know it. I’m a whole when I am with them and it makes me complete. That is why I believe in them. It’s because I trust them with everything.   



Mary Vance (left), me, Kelli (right)



http://thisibelieve.org/essay/2714/

I Believe In...

I Believe In…

… I believe in Kelli and Mary Vane, for helping me through school and all the support they give me.

… I believe in Mom and Dad, for fifteen years they have given me food, shelter and clothes on my back, even when I don’t deserve it.

… I believe in Grandma and Poppa, for they have given me everything I have asked for even when I don’t need it.

… I believe in Kayla, for letting me talk to her about the same stuff over and over again without her getting tired of me.

… I believe in Caysey ever since eighth grade we have had a class together and she makes them my favorite class of the year.

… I believe that Hogwarts should be a real school and I should be a wizard so I can be in Gryffindor.

… I believe in marriage, that it can be between two people who are in love. Man and man, woman and woman, and man and woman.

… I believe in all of my friends in general, for giving me all the good and bad memories, all the laughs and tears, and all the drama other people has put us through.

… I believe in my overall family, for loving me my whole life, the support and understanding they give me for school and putting up with me when I’m annoying and crazy.

… I believe in myself, I can get through this psycho, unrealistic dimension I live in. I can get through whatever my unfair teachers give me for school, I can get through the pain and sorrow my parents give me when I go off to college. Whatever happens, I can get through it because every day I get stronger. I believe in myself the most….  

Compare/contrast essay- Pet Dog vs. Pet Cat

Pet Dog vs. Pet Cat

There are things in the life of a house cat and family dog that are similar; they both are cared for and loved as part of the family. But there are also some differences between the two. Dogs teach responsibility and cats are more independent.  This essay will compare the similarities and differences between two pet’s lives from waking up in the morning to how they are cleaned.

As you may know that saying, “A dog is man’s best friend”. We depend on them for their protection. From the dogs’ obnoxious nonstop barking, burglars wouldn’t think about trying to enter that home. Sometimes I’ll be home alone while my parents are on a dinner date, and my dogs will be watching the doors and windows for things that look suspicious outside.  Dogs also depend on humans as well. I feed them, wash them, and train them. Dogs are a good pet to have for a kids benefit. It teaches the child responsibility, and so the kid will always have someone to play with when they get lonely. A dog can also tell their owners feelings. When the person is happy the dog will be playful, when the person is sad the dog will sit by your side and sit with you. Whenever I’m sad my dog will come lay with me all night. 

 Cats, however, are more independent. When cats go off by themselves they rather not be around anyone else and then they get into mischief. That’s where the saying “Curiosity killed the cat” came from. Cats bathe themselves, use a litter box, and are self-teachers. They are a good relaxing pet for the elder and an excellent cuddle buddy for the ladies. Whenever it’s raining at night, my cat and I will cuddle and watch movies. With the chill attitude cats have, they don’t startle or worry the owners when they’re gone long. Whenever I go out and I’m gone for about 4-5 hours I know everything will be okay because my cat can take care of herself.     

Cats and dogs are not all different. As pets they have some similarities, such as, both receive veterinary care, are loved as family members, and appreciated for their own unique qualities. Every cat and dog has a personality that fits their family. To me, a dog’s personality is a silly doofus that just wants to have fun and eat food. A cat’s personality is a snooty, prissy, king or queen of the household that wants to be pampered.  They both show unconditional love towards the owner. Some simple similarities are both domesticated mammals that can be found throughout the world, both have fur, both have four-legs, and both can be house trained.  

Obviously, dogs and cats are very different. Dogs are a man’s best friend, great for young kids and protecting the household. Cats are more of the elders’ type, independent, and great for cuddling. But cats and dogs also have those similarities. They both show the unconditional love, and both can be house trained. All together they are both great pets. I have both a cat and three dogs so from personal experience I would know.   

Who Am I?

On September 27, 1997 my mom was rushed in the wee morning during a storm to Cape Fear Memorial Hospital. There, I was born! Gracyn Wendall Bartolo. I have lived in Wilmington, North Carolina my entire life on I love it here! I love going to the beach and looking at the marine life, I love living here with my parents, sisters, grandparents, and friends, and I'm loved by all of them, I think because of my sense of humor. My sense of humor is probably my favorite trait of mine. I love making myself laugh (even if it is lame), and I love making others laugh too. Movies are a way for me to escape the world. The people that upset me or all the stress that is piled up, movies can help me forget all of that stuff and put my mind on something else. 

Why do I love the beach so much? Because ever since I was little I have wanted to be a marine biologist. Marine life interests me so much it’s insane! I have been known for being very curious and dedicated to learn about my interests (as you can tell about marine life), but not so inclined to pay attention to things that I am not interested in. The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney princess movie of all time. And Ariel is exactly that! If you remember in the movie, the opening scene, Ariel forgetfully skips the concert to go plunder through a sunken ship with her friend flounder. Obviously the sunken ship excites Ariel more than the concert. (It would excite me more too).  

"You! Knight to H-3!..check...." I have no idea how to play chess so I don't know what that means. Harry Potter is my favorite sequel. Ron Weasley, played by Rupert Grint, is a character that I would compare myself to in the movies. He has a strong connection to his siblings like I do with mine, he is very laid back and doesn't cause any drama along with all the rest of the drama (I can’t stand drama), and he is very loyal to his friends throughout the end through thick and thin. In the chess scene, it isn't normal chess they're playing. Its wizard chess! Wizard chess is very dangerous and Ron sacrifices himself for his friends to move on. Now that's loyalty.

I haven't exactly been the girly girl. You could say I'm a tomboy. My mom has my two older sisters for girly girls. My parents and sisters are always laughing either at me or with me, I don't care which! Laughter is everything to me. Just trying to find a way to make myself laugh doesn't take much to do. Even if I say a joke and nobody laughs, I will start laughing because I think I am that funny. I’m trying not to be conceited here. Darlene from Roseanne is a complete replica of me! She has the same snide, dry humor; very witty and clever. She finds the humor in all situations, good and bad.

That’s me in a nut shell. Gracyn (Gracie) Wendall Bartolo is what you just read. You now know I want to be a marine biologist and how I'm just like Ariel in that position. My favorite movie sequel is Harry Potter and how I connect with Ron because I'm laid back and go with the flow. And how I'm like a replica of Darlene from Roseanne because we share the same sense of humor.