Friends and School

At the beginning of the year, I was nervous. I didn’t say a thing; I stayed quiet for mostly the whole time, looking around the whole school, trying to make my place in my new school. When I got to English class, this random kid came up to me, to ask me a question that would start our friendship.

“Hi. Do you like games?”

I said yes, and we began talking about our most favorites and least favorites. He told me his name, Vigan Osmani, and the most unknown country for me at that time, Albania. We began talking for the whole school time, and we sat alone in lunch, too embarrassed to see anyone else. People began to come to our lonely table, talking to us, making us happy and confortable. A day passed, and I started to like this school, since people where being much nicer than I expected.

One tall Danish kid came up to our table and asked us to come. They were watching some videos about Halo 3, and before we knew it, we were the newest members of the table. We got some tables and joined the fun. We spent the whole time in that table, laughing, making jokes to each other, and it was the beginning of new community in our new school. Later on, I began to know about all the teachers, and to begin socializing with other people around the school, talking to other people of the school, in order to get to know more people.

Over the year, I began to realize even more about my comrades. I realized that Vigan was obsessed with games, always every month he would talk about a new game coming out and then copying parts of the game and pretending he was one of the characters, like one recent one in which he would hit people with the “ultimate spider” move from a fighting game which was coming out. Mikkel would then always make weird faces, including his strange big smile, which I would always laugh at, and would also make weird funny noises on lunch. Max, another kid from the table, was known as the funniest, also known to normally saying things like

“JK, lol”

And

“Jaye’s jealous of Natalie Portman”

He also is normally very lazy in P.E. so we always hang out with Josh Tywater, another friend I recently made, and try to play chess for the whole class. Brandon was also another one from the table, but in which I almost never talk to since I don’t have any classes with him. We mostly just talk at lunch, making jokes about Vigan and throwing things at each other. In this year I learned a lot about this school, knowing of how to deal with some people, what to do in order to make some teachers happy, and how to be organized.

Most importantly, I finally learned to like math, thanks to Mr. Borras, who actually explained to me things easier, and instead of having a C in math, in which I had in my old school, I now have the highest grade in my class, with 105% in my progress report. I have grown to like the school and I’ve started to believe I am actually better here, than in my prior one, and I am now ready to go to high school.

Jem's Journal

Maycomb County is turning into a disgrace. I used to think it was the best place in the world, but now, I don’t know what to say about it. Everyone’s been talking about Tom Robinson and the trial. I couldn’t believe it. I thought my dad was so close into winning, he was doing so good, his and Tom Robinson's story clearly made more sense than with Bob Ewell, and in the end, he got away with it! Poor Tom Robinson then had to go to jail for something he didn’t even do. That just got me blue in the face, and felt like skinning that Ewell alive.

Also, even after my dad’s speech, which really moved me, made me think that it would put some sense into the jury and actually make Tom innocent, even if he’s black, but it failed. After it had ended, my dad walked off the court and I started to cry, a grown man, crying like a runner instead of taking up with the man behind this mess.

I felt the urge to stay holed up in my room, and began to question myself why would someone do something to a man like that, just because of his color. Miss Stephaney then later told me of what that darn Ewell did to my father, going up to him, and spiting right on my dear dad’s face. I hope that Bob is fit to die, because I swear, at that moment I felt like killing him. Bob was trash to pretty much everyone, he was never clean, he hates almost everybody, and always treats my father badly.

When my dad came home, I asked him some questions about the verdict, and if Tom was able to have another trial. He tried to answer them the best he could, like he does with all my questions. My sister, Scout, then began asking if Walter could come to our house, but my father didint let her. When they were done, I asked her to come to my room. In my room, I began to explain her about how our family works, and also the reason why Aunt Alexandra was treating her this way, trying to make her into lady. Scout seemed to get the wrong idea at first, but I think, after  ten forever’s, she’ll finally get it.

Maycomb times

Maycomb times

Colored section

The after trial

By: John Marble  

a few weeks ago, the people of Maycomb met Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mr. Ewell’s daughter Mayella. Atticus, a well-known lawyer, was responsible for protecting this man, and even accused Mr. Ewell of hitting her daughter. In the end of the trial, Tom Robinson was guilty of rape and was sent to jail, like any other black man who would dare to even look at a lady. Tom Robinson, on Monday September 26^th, a few days after the trial, was killed when trying to escape Maycomb county prison. Trying to climb the wall, and almost getting to the other side, he was then penetrated with 17 bullet holes in him body, and died instantly.

“The man was strong; I even started to worry in my head that he would escape”

Says one cop who took part in the chase.

Tom Robinson dead on the ground of the prison

“If he had a good arm, he could have been able to pass us.”

Atticus, the lawyer and friend of Tom Robinson, who had been trying to get him out of jail when Tom was put in, was shocked with this idea and said.

“We had such a good chance, I told him what I thought, but I couldn’t in truth say that we had more than a good chance. I guess Tom was tired of white men’s chances and preferred to take his own.”

It was reported that Atticus went on to Helen Robinson’s house to tell her the news afterwards.

Unfair judges

On Tuesday, September 1^st , 1945, the Maycomb court was presented by Atticus Finch to Tom Robinson. I was also present in that court and I was a bit surprised by the results. Everyone in Maycomb county knows that the Ewell’s can’t be trusted, but even after Atticus great speech about how people should be treated equal, which really moved me, people still made Tom Robinson guilty and he later on causing him to die in jail.

I think that case was unfair, and even if Tom is black, that guilt shouldn’t have been his, and that nasty Ewell got away with it. Tom was convicted by rape of the daughter of Mr. Ewell, Mayella, but the way Atticus had told us about Ewell hitting his daughter, and with Tom Robinson’s side story, had more connections to each other than with Bob Ewell and Mayella’s story. Also how she took a long time to answer Atticus questions made me suspect of her.

This made me blue in the face and made me feel like taking up with John Taylor and making him re-do this case. I think that case was not properly judged, that the judge’s shouldn’t only judge someone by their color. I think that people should go by the law when they are at a case with black people, just like with whites.

           

Normal newspaper                                                  

Mysterious shadow

By: Steven Bing

It has been told that Mr. Taylor, the judge of the court of Maycomb, had spotted a shadow passing inside his house while he was working. Mr. Taylor told us that he was peacefully reading one of the writings of Bob Taylor at his house while his wife was at the church on the Sunday- night of October. He said he was as still as a mouse and was so concentrated on the book, that when he heard a small scathing noise in his room, he’d had lost where he was.

He told his dog, Ann Taylor, to be quite but the noise was still going on, until he found out that the dog was nowhere to be seen and that the mysterious noise was coming through the rear end of his house.  It was said that after he saw his dog was stuck behind the back porch and putting him down the country, he saw a mysterious shadow passing by through the corner of his house. His wife had said when she came back home, he was still reading his book, but with a shotgun across his lap. We asked a few people of who the shadow might be and this is what Mr. Atticus Finch had to say.

“I don’t know, maybe Bob Ewell cut that screen. I can guess it was him, since I only proved him a liar when he was in court with me, but John made him look like a fool.”

Bob Ewell has also been seen trying to chase Helen Robinson in her way to her new work, and had also been accusing Atticus of getting his job. The people of Maycomb still think he had also been part on this incident with John Taylor.

Bob Ewell’s orbit:

By: Luther Joe

Bob Ewell was known to be hipped on alchahol, who would pay a mint on of his remaining money on beer and to be holed up on the gabling table to feed his family. For Maycomb, the Ewell’s are known not to be trusted and are also very dirty people. He had 8 kids in his little tiny house (in which used to be a negro cabin) with his dirty greasy windshields, located next to the dump. He has to take care of all his sons, sending about one to school every week, and having the rest to work on the house. He had also joined in Mayella (one of his daughters) case with Tom Robinson, in the time when she needed him the most.

Mr. Ewell had died by getting stabbed with a honed down kitchen knife close to the Halloween pageant. Rumor has it, he was chasing two kids, Scout and Jem.  A few days before his death, he was known to lose his job because of his laziness and of blaming the lawyer, Atticus finch, for it. This is what Mayella, his oldest daughter, has to say of him.

“I didn’t mind father. The stuff Mr. Atticus was talking about him would tear me to pieces and make me blue in the face.  He also let me take up gardening and didn’t say a word, and let me plant those flowers next to our house.”

Bob Ewell’s visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 16^th, 1934 from 10p.m. to 10: 30p.m. at the Maycomb church, including a small speech from his son Burris for his dad.

 

Letter to editor:

Dear editor.

About a week ago, I was present in the Halloween pageant and I loved it! It was all great fun and I and my family had a great time, and people kept coming in droves. All the booths and prizes caused the time to be playing tricks at me, and the house of horrors walked over my little son’s grave, but it put me out like a light since it almost didn’t scare me at all.

Yet the best part of the pagent was yet to come. That little show about Maycomb that Mrs. Merriwether put on was really nice, but the part in which Jean Louise fell asleep in her costume and Mrs. Merriwether kept calling pork made me slap my knees with laughter.  Mrs. Merriwether was really mad at Jean Louise, but I couldn’t care less, since the pagent was a huge success, and all I wanted for this letter is for everyone to know about it.

Sincerely

Beatrice Lucifer

Maycomb newspaper

Maycomb newspaper

To Kill a Mockingbird Cover

My book cover consists of a mocking bird sitting on top of Boo Radly's house.

This picture demonstrates the drama and the story, and to make people who see this cover, ask questions about the book, like whose house that might be, why is it there and why would there be a mocking bird on top of it. This also represents Boo Radlys innocence in the story, and how he was first known to be a killer and feared, and later turned out to be a loving man who only tried to protect Scout and Jem. The house also represents a part of the mystery of the book in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Hollywood vs Lord of the Files

There are three main differences between Harry Hook’s 1990 movie Lord of the Flies, and the book written by William Golding. The differences are seen when they came to the island in the beginning of the book, how they saved the captain from drowning and then trying to heal him, and also that they all knew each other.

The first change was in the movie, when the kids arrived at the island on a raft, which caused the boys to be all together at the same time. This caused the story to have no chance for Piggy and Ralph to start knowing each other and developing a friendship. In the book, they got to the island when the plane crashed, which had them all separated and then coming together by the conch. This made them try to know each other and learn how to live together. Another change in the movie was of the conch—in which was known to have lots of symbolism, including power and leadership, which was present in the book—to lose some importance, and instead of it being the one thing that brought them all together, it was only something they used to call a meeting and to know who would speak next.

The second difference is how in the book, the boys are stranded on the island and, after the meeting, decided to have fun on the island since there was no adults and then later on, turning their focus to survival. In the movie—after they crashed into the sea—they brought the pilot off the plane onto their raft and took him with them, then, after the meeting, they began focusing more on surviving, and had to take care of the pilot in case he gets better so he could help them in survival, and getting them out of the island. This change took away the chance of them to learn that being stuck on an island is not only fun and games, and that they needed to start focusing on getting rescued, which was something Ralph did after the forest fire.

Furthermore, the last difference is how they all knew each other and all of them came from the same school. In the movie, when they are going to choose the leader, they already knew that Ralph was the colonel from their military school, and choose him anyway since they knew he was a good leader. In the book, Ralph was only chosen since he had the conch, which called everyone to come to make a meeting, and they had to trust Ralph to be a good leader. Also another thing that changed was the mystery inside the movie. In the book they had to figure out everyone’s characteristics and how to deal with them and to know how many there were in order to survive, while in the movie, they already knew almost everyone’s way of life, and how many were on the island—including some facts about them—removing the mystery from the movie. This absence of mystery in the story is important because it gives more detail into it.

In all, the movie was almost nothing like the book. The movie did include parts of the books chapters, but the story really changed adding the captain into the island and also making them know all of each other. The movie also didn’t show much symbolism and meaning like in the book, since Harry had actually only tried making his own version of the book, instead of copying the book to a movie. The movie got a 6.2 in IMDB, and by reading the reviews, this movie really disappointed some fans of the Goldens version, and that’s why book was better than the movie.

Lord of the Files movie review

             There are three differences between Harry Hook’s 1990 movie Lord of the Flies, and the book written by William Golding. The differences are seen when they came to the island in the beginning of the book, how they saved the captain from drowning and then trying to heal him, and also that they all knew each other.

The first change was in the movie when the kids arrived at the island on a raft, which caused the boys to be all together at the same time. This change made sure that there was no chance for Piggy and Ralph to start knowing each other and developing a friendship. In the book, they got to the island when the plane crashed, which had them all separated and then coming together by the conch. This made them try to know each other and how to live with them. Another change from the movie was that the conch lost some importance in the movie, and instead of it being the one thing that brought them all together, it was only something they used to call a meeting and to know who would speak next.

The second difference is how in the book, only the boys are stranded on the island and they first decided to start having fun on the island since there was no adults. In the movie, after the crashed into the sea, they bring the pilot of the plane onto their raft and brought him with them. This made this story change so that the kids could just begin having fun since they had an adult with them, and they had to take care of him In case he gets better and helps them in survival and to get them out of the island which had them made to count on to survive, while in the book, they didn’t.

Furthermore, the last difference is how they all knew each other and all of them came from the same school. In the movie, when they are going to choose the leader, they already knew that Ralph was the cornel from their military school, and choose him anyway since they knew he was a good leader. In the book, Ralph was only chosen since he had the conch which called everyone to come to make a meeting, and they had to trust Ralph to be a good leader. Also another thing that changed was the mystery inside the movie. In the book they had to figure out everyone’s characteristics and how to deal with them and to know how many there were in order to survive, while in the movie they already knew almost everyone’s way of life, and how many were on the island-- including some facts about them-- causing the mystery of who they are to leave from the story.

In all, the movie was almost nothing like the book. The movie did include parts of the books chapters, but the story really changed adding the captain into the island and also making them know all of each other. The movie also didn’t show much symbolism and meaning like in the book, since Harry had actually only tried making his own version of the book, which really might have disappointed some fans of the book, but also, might have gotten some non-readers to read it for themselves.

The New God of the Rock

R

alph began to sweat and his face was burned by the hot sun. Trees and branches came before him as he tried to jump over rocks and obstacles that might cause him to fall. He couldn’t take it much longer; Jack and the other hunters were gaining on him like a hoard of bulls. Ralph was done for. He could no longer run and he rested beside a tree to wait for his doom, hearing the savages getting closer every second. With not much time left, Ralph spotted something behind the trees that could save his life--a dark hidden cave. Ralph started to catch his breath and forced himself to the nearby cave and safely ran inside. Lucky for Ralph, his long hair, the smudge of dirt and leaves on his skin camouflaged him, and therefore, he could not be seen by the screaming hunters.

He was finally away from savagery; he was safe inside the dark, cold moist barriers of the cave, although he could still hear the rumbling noises and the small cracks of sticks being crushed by the hunter’s feet. Ralph could still hear the same chant over and over outside the cave “Kill the beast. Cut his throat. Spill his blood.”

It had been at least an hour since Ralph ran into the cave and night began to fall. It was quiet now, and only the waves hitting on the rocks could be heard from far away, which would remind him of Piggy’s death. Ralph decided it was no use staying there forever and was determined to go out and try to live as long as he can without being spotted.

As he traveled through the forest, everything around him reminded him of Piggy--the rocks, the clouds, and even some of the pigs that were avoiding Ralph when he came close. He had lost his only friend, and the only one who would listen and encourage him at times like this and who was also the one brave enough to stand strong to his ideas and to believe in the conch and of survival.

He had no hope now. With no smoke there was no chance of getting rescued. He was all alone. As he walked deeper into the forest, Ralph unexpectedly stepped on a sharp piece of wood which cut its way inside his feet, ripping his skin open and causing dirt to find its way inside. Ralph let out a roar and immediately forced the stick out of his skin and held the blood in with a piece of tall grass which was next to him.

He was suffering, unable to run, he laid down on a tree waiting for one of the hunters to come and stab him to his death. Ralph was incapable of thinking, without his friends Piggy and Simon. He had nobody to rely on or to get out of the island. He knew they were all stuck there forever. While he rested, a bird passed through the top of the trees making an impression of its shadow on the island’s ground. Ralph tried to reach for it, hoping it would bring him back to his father.

The grass began to shiver, and out of it came a dark figure holding a sharpened spear. It was Jack.

“Hello Ralph. I told you I didn’t want it to end this way. I have been friends with you since the beginning. I would hunt for you every single day and you would never say anything in return. The only one you respected was that Fatty of yours.”

Ralph tried to forget Jack’s words, he only went to Piggy because he was the only one that relied on survival. Ralph never cared about food. He spotted a shadow running through the forest, but then quickly closed his eyes so he wouldn’t see the blood of the gruesome death that would happen to him. Jack continued his speech.

“Well, now I got what I wanted. People now listen to me, no rules, no conch, just me and this bloody spear which will teach you who rules this island.”

Jack raised his spear to the air, Ralph closed his eyes as tight as he could and tried not to think of what was going to happen, and to remember the good things in life. He heard the sound of the spear coming for him, but a few seconds later, he could feel no pain. He opened his eyes to find a pointed spear in between Jack’s body. Jack’s skin was smudged with crimson and his face was pale and frozen in shock as if he’d seen a ghost. His spear came easily off his hand and he fell flat on the ground with the sound of a crack coming from his broken ribs, leaving a puddle of blood now covered in dirt. Behind him was a boy, the one Sam and Eric warned him about. It was Roger.

The blood in Roger’s eyes was moving. He slowly came closer to Ralph, knowing he wasn’t able to move, he felt pity for Ralph and wanted to give some time before his death. Ralph knew he wanted him dead, he will be classified as a true hunter, tell everyone that Ralph killed Jack and he had killed him for what he had done. There would be cheers and dancing, he would become the new boss of the island. He was overwhelmed with power. He had to kill.

Ralph tried to move away now; he had to do something fast before his death. He forced himself for Jack’s spear and used it to get himself up. Knowing that his prey began to move, Roger began to walk faster and got out the stick which was sharpened in both ends, the same one Sam and Eric had told him about. Ralph looked back, just to see Roger only a few feet away from him. Roger got faster in every step, ignoring the branches and leaves that fell and broke when hitting his body. He had one thing on his mind-- killing.

“I’m sorry Ralph”

He said.

“I’ve hated Jack for becoming chief. Ever since the choir I wanted to be the leader, but they told me my voice wasn’t enough. I never believed that.”

Ralph couldn’t take it much longer, his feet were burning with pain in every step, and the piece of grass was starting to come off.

“Now when we got to this island, I had a chance to be in power of something, so I planned in killing Jack so I can finish his job myself and be the next big hunter this island has ever had.”

After he was finished, he disappeared from Ralph’s sight, and into the forest. Without losing hope, Ralph continued on until he got to the tip of the island’s rocky cliff. Below him were the waves hitting and washing away one of the crabs crawling on one of the rocks. Ralph had nowhere to go, he was there to die, all he could do was stand and anticipate for his death.

The bushes began to dance and Roger leapt out as a Tiger. Ralph used all his might, and pushed the spear in front of him for protection. It missed Roger, but it sliced a piece of skin off his left shoulder, and Roger fell to the floor. Small veins branched out of his pupil; his face got bright red and looked back at Ralph. Ralph knew this was the end and ran as far as he could, but the piece of grass fell and a small rock found its way inside the wound, bringing an immense amount of agony. He couldn’t take much more the excruciating pain and fell hard on the floor.

Ralph was pulling his hand forward, hoping he could pull himself to safety, but it was no use, he was dead already. Ralph took his last breath, and with no time to react, Roger shoved his spear inside Ralph’s skull, with the point coming out of his left eye. Blood came rushing out of Ralph’s mouth, making a pool of blood under his head; a sticky noise came from his skull as Roger pulled it out, and you could still see the pink inside his skull. Survival no longer mattered.

Roger went walking to Castle Rock with Ralph’s head at the point of the spear. He had done it. He appeared out of the forest and onto the castle; he raised the spear for victory. The hunters screamed in happiness, even Sam and Eric started dancing. They changed. They put Ralph’s body through the stick and roasted his corpse until it was bright red and crispy at the bottom. They had a great feast, body parts and blood ran across Castle Rock. The hunters worried about Jack, and Roger told them that Ralph had stabbed him through the heart, and that he had killed him for the death of their leader. Shocked by his great bravery, they claimed Roger the new king of their empire.

                                                                              _________________

A

 Few years later, a small motor boat came towards the island. It was a geologist trying to find new islands and had spotted this one from a distance. He stopped on its sandy shore, got his notebook, and left his boat to investigate. He went deep into the forest, drawing and writing everything that came in his way until he came to a strange castle shaped rock. He went inside to find clothes and a small fire and immediately started writing down this amazing discovery. Behind him dark shadows with sharp sticks arised from the forest, and all ready to attack.

With no time to run, the figures jumped on the man and began stabbing him until his death. Blood and guts flew everywhere. Behind the figures was a man, a man with only violence in his mind and a desire to kill. A man who would put the intruder’s head on a stick next to the other visitors. That man was the king of the island. That man, was Roger.

Rationale

      In my version, the story picks up just when the hunters are starting to chase Ralph. In my story Ralph is tired and tries to find a place to hide, while time is running out, he finds a hidden cave in the bushes and instead of running towards the beach like in Golden’s version, he instead hides inside the cave for the rest of the day until the hunters give up.

In my story, Ralph thinks that without his friends Piggy and Simon, he has no hope for survival, but decides to try to live as long as he can until the hunters find him. As he travels along the island, he accidently steps on a sharp piece of stick in the floor causing a large wound making it hard to run or walk. Ralph, now feeling as if he wanted to die, covers the wound with a piece of large grass and rests beside a tree.

After a few minutes, Jack hears his scream and finds him on the floor. He begins to explain how much he hated him and how he had to kill him to gain more respect over his tribe, but before he could kill Ralph, someone stabs him in the back and Jack falls right in front of Ralph and he sees that the actual killer is Roger.

Roger is now crazy for power and wants to be the leader of Castle Rock and chases Ralph in order to kill him. Ralph then accidently trips and Roger stabs him through his head and takes it as a prize. He then brings his head to the hunters and they have a great feast just like last time, and make Roger the leader due to his bravery in killing ralph (in whom he proclaims is jacks murder). This also represents how worse they had gone since the begging. First a pig as a feast and now an actual human being.

                                                                        _______________________

This story mostly represents that they had gone back in time when people would try to kill or do whatever they could only to get into power. Also in the end of my story, Sam and Eric starts dancing, in which represents that them too had gone wild and are starting to forget the people they used to trust and like.

In the very end of my story, the motor boat and the geologist represents of how the war had ended and that the world had moved on and new things are beginning to be invented and that the world had gone back to normal. Also in the end Roger is now a grown man but is still hunting and is more savage than ever, and also that there had been other visitors who had come to the island in which Roger killed and ate, just as the Indian cannibals with their enemy’s, in order to show us that he doesn’t want to be rescued and they are fine living on the island.

Dark Images

The sound of his blood

Roared again inside Ralphs ears

While piggy kept still

Dark images in their minds

The beast is coming for you

You can't have it all

But you can have the grandmother who is too frightened to leave the only home she has,

While her daughter has left to a new life.

You  can have the fear and anxiety of leaving your own home

Like an immigrant coming to a new country.

You can have a delicious sandwich that your mother makes everyday

Filled with delicious peanut butter which makes you smile in every bite.

You can have the one show that almost everyone will go to see

Except yourself.

You can have the ultimate vacation In which you have to avoid everything you touch

Since you are too afraid of getting sick.

You can have the kid who would always teases you and you are forced to avoid him when he comes near.

You can have the biggest show in the country

But in which you have to wait almost 2 hours to start since the star is too lazy to come.

You can have the non-moving street and midnight

With danger in almost every corner.

You can have the small cramped seat in the small cramped bus.

You can have the cold and freezing weather from New York city  witch makes you irritated when you

 come out of the hotel.

You can have the noise, shouts and beeping noises on traffic of every Friday.

You can have the street performer dancing in the cold weather and still tells his audience

He’s a happy man.

You can have the pouring rain and the cold hard blowing weather

Ruining part of your vacation.

You can have the horrible mornings when you wake up

With only complaints lying ahead.

You can have the millions of options of what to do in one of the greatest cities

And with your parents, who always pick the wrong one.

You can have the never ending line

That takes almost half of your whole day.

You can have the need to do everything you want

But in which you are too lazy to do so.

You can have the most wonderful, fancy restaurant

But with the not so fancy food.

You can have the most irritating friend who always annoys you

But is who you always seem to be talking to.

You can have the father who was born poor

But is now a happy wealthy man.

You can have the 2 hour drive which will only feel like

15 minutes when you are having fun

You can have the darkness of the streets corner,

Hoping for it to be nothing there.

You can have all those things that you already have today

But at one point you have to work to get all the stuff you can have

To live a better life.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Selected  by: Daniel Bouzas

SYNOPIS: Poems describing the wonders of the winter days and nights, and how it can give peace and happiness. Poets include William Shakespeare, Robert frost, A.R. Ammons, Wallace Stevens and many more.

Description: this notebook contains poems that have to do with winter and how it can always make me happy.  These poems make me remember  all the fun I had in winter or even help remember things from the past . The notebook includes stories of how I enjoy winter weather and some of these poems help me describe it. Some poems have stories witch can relate to my memories of winter, what I saw during it and also some thing that had happened. The notebook even includes a line from William Shakespeare, who I always enjoyed, from his play As you like it and also great description on my winter love from leah dsouza.

Poems:

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

 Blow, blow, thou winter wind by William Shakespeare

Winter Chills by  Ellen Ni Bheachain

Winter-time by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Snow Man by Wallace Stevens

A Winter Message by Mark R Slaughter

Winter Scene by A. R. Ammons

Spellbound by Emily Brontë

The First Day of Snow by Iris Rain

Winters Love by leah dsouza

White ice- Benjamin Moore OC-58

He walked slowly                                                                                          

Heavy foot, crushing the soft snow

Nothing left but a dark print.

The wind

Blowing hard on his dark brown hair

Leaving small snowflakes in between each strand

He looked around

Nothing but white surrounded him

As if it were a piece of paper waiting

 to be written on.

He was alone

His family

Happily singing inside the dark car

Now gone

Unexpectedly crashing on the icy road

Wife and kids, now slept

In peace

He was alone

All that was left.

A small tear fell down his frozen cheeks

Holding all that was left of his hopes and dreams

 It fell fast

And splashed in the snow

Sinking down

His hands

Shaking

And don’t stop

His body

Freezing

as if he was stuck inside an ice cube

his veins slowed,

 turning into blocks of ice

causing his heart to beat sluggishly

as if freezing

he was over

he gave up

 his knees bent to the ground as if to lay there forever

but they didn’t

something shone in the distance

 hope, life, happiness

he got up and ran like he never had

his heart

slowly beating faster                    

the light was his only hope

hope for survivel

his only chance for life

the light got closer

he made out a house

closer, closer

the closer he came the faster he went

CRASH!

Small wood shreds flew across the cabin

And the door knob fell down on the broken down floor

He had done it

He had survived

In front of him were two pale figures

Both of them

Dressed in white colored clothes

His wife and kids

He looked down at himself

His both hands

Pale and cold

His clothes

All dyed with white ice.

He had gone

He was never alive

He had been all this time

One of them.

Diary of Anne Frank review

Tittle: Diary of Anne frank

Publisher:  Bantam Books

Genere:  Memoir

Where did you get it? :  I got it from a friend of mines in English class, I’ve heard of this book and I thought it was interesting to know how she felt during this time and all the suffering she had gone through.

One sentence summary: the story is about a thirteen year old Jewish girl called Anne Frank (who later turns 14) who is forced to flee out of their home in Amsterdam since all the Jews were being captured by the Nazis. She went into hiding with her family in a “Secret Annexe” of an old office building and is forced to live there with another family called the Vaan Dans including other people like Mr. Dussle and is forced to stay their till the war is over. Anne Frank explains her relationships with these new people around her and her experiences in the house while she faces hunger, boredom and the fear of being discovered.

First sentence:  Sunday, 14 June, 1942. On Friday, June 12^th, I woke up at six o’clock and no wonder; it was my birthday.

First Chapter review: the first entrée of the book she explains how she woke up in the day of her birthday and it also shows how she is obedient about the rules of her house since see explains that she wasn’t allowed to get up at that time. She then explains that she got her diary for her birthday and writes it as if she’s talking to another person, for example, when she says “the first to greet me was you”. The rest of the chapter she tells us that she was spoiled with  gifts from her parents and friends and the mini party she had going on at school, but what she clearly tells us in this entree is that from all the presents, her diary was the best of all, and also says to it “were going to be best pals!”

Verdict: I liked this book, but it did go a bit slow like at the middle of the book where she only explains her feelings towards the people in the building, but then it starts getting better  towards the end, overall, it was good and enjoyable book to read.

Cover comments:  the cover shows Anne frank possibly sitting on the table of the secret annex or at her old house, maybe just after she had written an entree for her diary or maybe taken from the date of her birthday from the first chapter of the book.

assembly in the dark

The tide was coming in

He lost himself in a maze of thoughts

Ralph

He tried again

Aware all at once of urgency

Walked faster

Groups of boys

Waiting

In which he stood was a dark triangle

Irregular and sketchy

Like everything they did.

Assembly after assembly

Broken up in laughter

This metting

Not for fun

Not for laughter

But business

Laughter rose again

To wave the conch once more

Survival: fire, shelter, water

Too many things

Hands reaching for the conch

He stood up

And waited till the platform was still

Hair creeping into his eyes

Bogies, ghosts

Littluns laughing in horrified sympathy

The vivid horror held them silent

The beast.

Beast out of the sea

The beast from water

Piggy takes the conch

Jack, uncontrobly angry, stand up.

Struggle and the glimmering conch jiggled up and down.

The rules of the conch

But who cares? Humans, not savages

Like caveman man hunting for meat

Jack

We are strong—we hunt!, hunt the beast down

Beat beat beat

Scrambling screams and laughter, the assembly shredded away to a random scatter

From palms to the water

Three blind mice

Ralph, Simon and Piggy

What are grownups going to say?

Here till we die, all drifting and things going rotten

Three boys stood in the darkness

With the sound of hysterical laughter coming from the beach

Grownups know things

If only they could only get a message to us.

 

Where I’m from

I am from the building blocks of great unfinished building, from the pieces of Lego scattered in the room and the colorful play doe splatterd around the room, sticking like glue on the fuzzy carpet.

I am from the bad and lazy unorganized room in the dark corner of the house

I am from the orange and yellow fall leaves and the stalagmites from the drack mysterious caves.

I am from the chocolate of pink and yellow Easter egg, on the small brown basket, and the boom boom boom of the Brazilian carnival.

From the Pineiros and Soderi and all the Bouzas from Galicia Spain, which I have not yet seen.

I am from the many organized places of our many rooms, except from one who wishes to be different, and from the bright light of the TV on peaceful Friday nights.

I am from “put these things away” and “clean up your room” and always forced to have respect.

I am from the arms of Christ of the mountains of Rio de Janeiro, and from the cross of a priest’s neck, but who is almost losing his faith.

I am from the big huge smoking factories and cramped buildings. From the biggest rain forest who is shortly shrinking and from beans, with sizzling round pork cuts on the hot juicy sauce, and the perfectly cut meat.

From the difficult voyage of my grandpa and his difficult times while moving from Spain to Brazil and the courage of my mother at the many times she was surrounded by crooks.

I am from paint and colors, the branches of our tree which make it significant and strong, and helps hold up our family culture.

Earthquake

It was a peaceful Friday morning on the day of March 11 for the Japanese. People where out working and walking around their neighborhood, living their normal daily life, but it wasn’t till 2:30 in japan where the peoples lives may change forever.

I was happily sleeping during this event, and at about 8:30 in the morning, my mother began calling me to come watch the news—even though I never watch it. The reporter was really audible from where I was sleeping, and I began getting so annoyed by the sound, that I decided I should go check on what was going on so I could just go back to sleep afterwords, and I was startled to hear that about a recent earthquake in japan—told to be its worst—had just happened about a few hours ago during my sleep.

The reporter showed lots of videos of broken houses, big huge cracks on the floor and buildings crumpling down to the ground, and even normal people, filming themselves during the earthquake disaster, trying hard to grapple themselves to the fitful force of the earth, which helped  prevente them from falling down. The news also showed copious amount of people—surprisingly very quiet—inside a capacious room witch was very crucial for this type of event, and witch provided safety for the people.

It showed helicopters and Japanese troops being deployed, which were there to help look for more survivors after the earthquake ended. It was also told of a 50cm tsunami that hit japan about 15 minutes after the earthquake started, which got me really fastidious towards this event. 1886 people have died and 2.329 of Japans population are now missing because of this disaster, and to make things less facilitated, a nuclear power plant had burnt up; witch cased the azure in the sky to fade with a cloud of dangerous chemicals and caused a pang to the citizens near the plant.

This event has been so tragic that caused the whole world to help out the victims and made all of the news talk about it all day , including myself. I’m sure that no one will forget that day.

Marley And Me Review

The book is titled Marley and me, and witch is a line that he repeats a lot in his book when he is having feelings towards the dog Marley. The tittle means the relationship of him and his dog and about how Marley was always there for him when he needed the most and how the dog taught the author of how to live your life to the fullest and about how Marley was always there while in Grogens had started is family and was present in his great moments of his life.

This book is about the story of the Grogen family in the making and about their mistakes, their good times and the laughter that they shared together as a family. The story is also about the relationship with Grogen and Marley and how he really helped the family turn out the way it is now and how he was in his life since his kids were born and about John amazement in Marley’s way of life. But most importantantly, is how a simple dog came to be considered an important family member at the end.

The book was organized by a series of important memoirs in John’s life which he included his relationship with Marley, his relationship with his wife and kids, his work, and what important moments that  changed him witch that made him what he is today.

The memoirist John Grogen had learned how to enjoy life biggest moments, he also learned that becoming older and not being able to do the things you used to do come fast, and that every life must come to an end and that you can’t do nothing about it. He also learned that it is possible for him to start a good family and that he is able to give his wife and kids that best that he could and how he knows that he loves them all.  Another important thing what the he learned that doing something you love is great and you should never stop what you’re doing, and if you do, you might start missing it.

I thought that the book was really good, it had lots of story into it and it had a mixture of comedy and drama into it as well, for example, when the dog almost died because of his stomach being twisted and also it was funny because of Marley’s troublemaking like when John took Marley to dogs beach and how he vomited and pooped on the sand witch made John really embarrassed. I also thought it was really nice that he sometimes changes the subject of his chapters, like for one part being only about his relationship with Marley, another part about his work and his decisions, and another one about his family and the days his kids were born. I thought the writer put a lot of creativity in organizing his memoir and how he started his story to the beginning of his family and to where it is now. I agree in showing this book to another friend.

Lines I loved: I was emotionally anyway as I held this young girl, wondering if she was dying in my arms , the sight of Marley, so uncharacteristically guarding us like that, so majestically fierce, brought tears in my eyes. (119). they pranced, the danced, they wrestled, they doved, I don’t think I had ever before witnessed such undeterred joy. (209). Marley earned a place in our family. Like a quirky but beloved uncle, he was what he was. (226). we knew now we accepted him for the dog he was.