Influencing Change

Many literary works have been known to influence change throughout society, some for the better, and some for the worst.  An example of a piece of literary that has influenced change in society is the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”.  This book was written by Harper Lee, published in 1960.  The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird is solely written around the issues rape and racial inequality.  I believe it helped influence change in society for many different reasons.  

One reason I believe this novel influenced change in society around the time it was published because a lot of people read it and were simply touched. How these two young characters, Jem and his little sister Scout, had such a heartwarming view on people of a different race.  Throughout the novel they treat their maid, Calpurnia with the utmost respect.  I think that by these two young children being able to look past what others can’t, proves a very powerful point.  This novel has been read all over in many public schools because of the beautiful change that it had on society.

Another reason this novel has influenced change in society over the years is because it shows what people of different race go through on a daily basis.  As a person who has read the book,  I was very bothered by what African American people go through and what they have gone through in history.  They were never given a fair chance in court.  They were always blamed for stuff they didn’t do and they were expected to take the fall for it.  This fact of history saddens me deeply because everyone deserves to be treated equal, as this novel helps people to understand.  

The last, and most important reason I believe this novel has helped shape society for the better is because it shows people finally standing up and fighting for people who are not treated fairly because of their race.  One of the characters Atticus Finch, who was a lawyer defending a man of different race who had been treated unfairly by the court of law.  Atticus knew he would never win this case mainly for the reason of his client's skin tone, but he proceeded with the trial anyway to prove a point.  To prove the point of the justice system being wrong in falsely accusing a man and just expecting him to live with it and go to jail for some other man’s wrongdoing.  

This novel has a terrible ending, but I believe it also helped influence change in society.  Atticus lost the case, and his client Tom Robinson was sentenced to prison.  Knowing he was never getting out of there, he attempted to break out, knowing what would happen.  As he began to climb the fence, without warning he was shot more than 16 times.  This is the first time that this measure has been taken so harshly, and the reason is very clear, because he is black and they thought he deserved it.  As harsh as that sounds, this story did help better society’s ways when it comes to racism and inequality by giving examples of what the world has come to.  

The Trade Off

Everyone has wanted to trade places with a cartoon character once in their life.  It would give you a chance to be someone that you’re not.  If I got the chance to be a cartoon character I would choose Kim Possible.  There are many reasons I would want to be Kim Possible.  One of them is because she is a strong independent woman who takes care of herself.  Another reason is because her life is very eventful and interesting.  Lastly, because she is well liked by everyone and would be very fun to trade places with and endure in many adventures.

One of my main reasons for wanting to switch places with Kim Possible is because of how she always saves herself and others from bad situations.  She is a strong independent  girl who goes on many spy adventures and saves people.  Kim does not need anyone else to save her.  I think it would be very interesting to trade places with someone as adventurous and dangerous as Kim Possible.  I feel like it would be fun to play the hero for a little while.  She and her friend Ron have a unique relationship that I would love to share with someone.  There are many amazing qualities to being Kim Possible and I have many other reasons for wanting to trade off with her.

Another reason I would want to trade off with Kim Possible is because  I think it would be very interesting to go on all the adventures her and Ron have.  If I were Kim Possible my life would never be a dull moment and I would make loads of new and unforgettable memories.  Kim Possible was my favorite character growing up and I’ve always had dreams of being her.  I would just like to be given the chance to be someone that I’ve always looked up to as a child.  I always thought it would be fun to play with all of her interesting gadgets and spy tools.  

Lastly, I would love to trade places with Kim Possible because people look up to her and she is well liked by everyone.  She has friends that would stand by her through anything and I think it would be very important to have people like that in a person’s life.  Kim Possible is a very trustworthy, and a dependable person.  She is a model of what I would look for in a best friend and person to be around.  Kim Possible is a funny, lovable, full of life teenager who would be very fun to switch places with.

I think it would be very beneficial for myself to switch places with Kim, just to see what it is like to be someone different.  Being yourself is very important and you should always want to be yourself, but I think everyone should get the chance to go outside of themselves.  They should pick their favorite person and get the chance to play, in my case, the hero.  

Dear Diary

Dear Diary

Today marks the day that my young cousin Patroclus was killed by a blade meant for me.  My reason for not going out to fight was because I knew King Agamemnon needed me.  I wanted to spite him the best I could because I hated him with every ounce of my being.  When I explained to Patroclus that we were sitting this battle out, he was furious.  He thought I was being selfish and needed to get this over with and be the hero.  I guess he brought it upon himself to be the hero, he dressed in my armour and set out to finish what I would not.  

When I woke that morning to my second in command, Eudoros calling for me, I knew something was gravely wrong.  I was standing there, wide eyed,  waiting for a reason as to why Eudoros continued with the battle without my command, when finally I got my answer.  As he said those heart wrenching words “He’s dead, my Lord, Prince Hector cut his throat” my legs began to weaken and my eyes started to water.  I knew from that moment on what I must do, I must revenge my young cousin whom I loved very much.  Prince Hector must die.

Time seemed to slow as I was preparing for my battle with Hector.  But I did not let the grief slow me.  I had allowed hatred  to take over and carry me through battle.  As I prepared  my chariot, ignoring all pleas and requests to stop, I was ready for a man to man war with Prince Hector.  Patroclus was too young to fight in a war meant for me, I tried to tell him he was not ready to fight.  He proved me right as he left his throat exposed when fighting, and Hector, like any soldier would, seen the opportunity and did not miss.  

I know I should be a reasonable man and realize that Prince Hector thought he was killing me, but that does not change the fact that Patroclus is dead, and I am forced to live without him.  As I approach the walls of Troy I know Prince Hector was waiting for me.  I stand at the wall roaring for Hector to come out at fight, knowing we will fight to the death.  As Hector and I fought, I managed to do the thing he did not, hit my planned target.  King Priam and the rest of Hector’s family watched as he fell.  I tied him to the back of my chariot and made my journey back to the beach.   

I went to sleep that night feeling as though I have proudly avenged my cousin.  I was awakened  by the figure of a man.  I watched him as he knelt down and kissed my hands, standing up and revealing his face, it was King Priam.   As he explained to me he kissed my hands to experience what it was like to kiss the hands that murdered his first son, I immediately regretted what I had done.  Knowing I could not take back what I had done, I decided to give King Priam his son's remains so they could be properly put to rest and prepared for the afterlife.  Along with Hector’s body, King Priam’s niece was also returned to him.  

5 Worst

People these days are always on the road, and are always eating out.  They eat out at fast food restaurants mainly because they need something that fits into their busy schedule.  Even though it is bad for you, it is very convenient, and that’s why they are very popular to the public.  The five worst restaurants to eat at are:

1. McDonald’s
2. Taco Bell
3. Burger King
4. Wendy’s
5. KFC    

1. Mcdonald's is a very popular fast food restaurant across the globe.  It feeds 64 million people everyday, and is the largest distributor of toys.  Mcdonald’s menu have a little bit of everything for everybody.  There are also a lot of reasons why Mcdonald’s is one of the worst fast food places to eat at.  It is said to have the most grease and the use of excessive preservatives is harmful for your health which McDonald's seems to overlook because they gain more and more profit from these dangerous products.  Mcdonald’s uses a gross amount of sodium, oil and grease.  It requires tremendous amount of physical activity to burn calories after eating just one meal from Mcdonald’s.  It is a huge problem as to why obesity exists.

2. Taco Bell seems like a very family famous restaurant.  Actually Taco Bell is yet another fast food place that is a big problem.  There has been many tests and investigations done on Taco Bell’s beef to see if it was actually 100%  real.  There has been many complaints about large amounts of grease used is their meals. Taco Bell is a very popular but many people struggle with their weight because of it.

3. Burger King is a famous restaurant that was functioning for 60 years.  It has been a big hit in it’s day and continues to be.  Like many other fast food places, it promises fresh food everyday, but it’s preparation shows otherwise.  100% beef patties are said to be used but many people put that up for debate.  There are many different meals on the menu of Burger King and I assume why it is so popular.  It seems that the most successful places to eat are often the worst for our bodies.  Burger King has been proven not to serve fresh everyday but people still enjoy to eat there because of it’s fast service, tasty food and good prices.

4. Wendy’s is a fast food place that is more popular for all kinds of people mainly because it sells more variety of things.  On the menu there are not just burgers and fries, but salads and chicken and ice cream that is a really big hit.  But this restaurant struggles with the same thing many others struggle with, and that is non fresh food.  There have been many complaints about this but yet, people still continue to eat there.  The ice cream is something that really puts wendy’s on top.
5. KFC is and has been for a long time, a very famous chicken place.  It is well liked by people of all ages and there's something for everyone there.  There has been the problem with the chicken being so greasy and there have been some reports of feathers on the chicken.  There also have been assumptions that the chickens they kill have been not fed correctly and have lived a sad and terrible life.     

Three Grammar Writing Exercises

Part One
The team won its game. Did you win yours, too?
They left their books there.
I hear you're about to graduate.
It's nice that they're friendly.
Although I get a lot of colds, I feel all right now.
Who's prettier than you?
Are you tired? I'm out of  breath, too.
Run back and forth from here to there.
 You're about to  lose your book.
Everyone will accept the prize except you.
Do you know whether or not he will give me the prize?
Many people choose to live in large cities.
Is the doctor through with my exam?
What affect does the school principal have on you?
What did he advise you to do? Did you take his advice?
There are a lot of your friends in the boat.
I will buy a book by Ray Bradbury.

Part Two

Part Three

The Time Capsule

Five items I would include in a time capsule are:
1.Photo album
2.Plant seeds
3.Diary or journal
4.Old signed yearbook
5.Kindle or e-book

If my community decided to make a time capsule that would be open in 2116, 100 years later I would put in a photo album. I would choose this as one of the five things I want to share with the future because it would share all of our memories and pictures of things that could be different or gone in 2116. Some things you could put in the photo album are pictures of the land, schools, sports, animals, fashion, cars, popular people and places such as restaurants and popular spots. This would help people of the future become more familiar with our past and history.

Another thing I would include in a time capsule would be a couple different packs of seeds. People could take these plant seeds and learn first hand what plants were like 100 years back. A lot could change in that many years, and they might not have the abundant amount of plants that we did, so this would be very important to share with them. They can watch the plant grow and observe any plants that are new to them. This will give them a taste of what life was like back in our time of 2016. Because odds are, they won’t have the wildlife that we have at the rate we are going.

Something else I would put in a time capsule would be a diary or journal of someone to explain how life was like and some of the challenges they faced. By putting this in the time capsule it will allow someone to be able to connect with a old life and to have a story be passed on through time. This will be just like reading a really interesting and knowledge filled novel such as the diary of Anne Frank. This should be shared with people of the future because I think they would enjoy to read what life was like from someone who had a very interesting story to tell.


A thing I think would be important to place in a time capsule would be an old signed yearbook. I think this would be good for a time capsule because you can see what schools were like back 100 years. You could read what people wrote in the yearbook about the school, teachers and students. The people 100 years from now can compare our school to their new one and learn some history of what our life was like very day. I think this would be a very good thing to put in the capsule mainly because I know things in the school systems have changed a lot over the years already, so I can’t imagine how much it will change in 100 years.


The last thing I would put in a time capsule that would open in 100 years would be a kindle or an e-book. This would be filled with all of our best selling books and you can even save some music on one. This will share some of authors and artists best creations. People from the future can take a step back in time and read some of our most treasured books and best hits. This will allow our past to never be forgotten and to live on. This will serve a great purpose to a lot of people who enjoy music and reading. I know from my perspective, I love to read and listen to music and I would really enjoy sharing my music and books with other people I think would enjoy it.




Dear people of the future,

My name is Darian Donovan, I was born in 1999. I live in the small community of Renous, which is just inside of Miramichi. I go to Blackville High school and I am currently in grade 10. I live in a household of six people in total. My mother Lillian, my father Kyle, my older sister DeAnna and my two younger brothers Denver and Drake.

I am writing this letter to you today to make sure you are aware of some important things about our generation. In this point in time grades kindergarten to grade twelve go to school seven hours a day. We have to get up for school at eight thirty every morning from Monday to Friday. We get the weekends off to do as we please. At Blackville High there are many after school activities offered to students such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, drama, choir, and much more. There is a lot of debate on the dress code issue with a lot of people. The majority of people don’t consider it fair. This has been an ongoing fight between many staff and parents. I simply argue the side of “if you can dress how you want in college, than school should be the same”. However, I understand it is just enforced to keep us in line and everything functioning correctly. Another problem our generation seems to be dealing with is our economy being damaged. There is so much pollution and harsh things being done to our earth now, I’d be scared to see what your earth looks 100 years from now. For your sake I hope the earth is in good shape and society gets all straightened out.

Pluto The Planet

After a long orbit around the sun, Pluto the Planet goes to visit his neighbor Neptune.

When Pluto arrived at Neptune’s house, he had a bunch of older friends over from school.

As soon as Pluto gets to the room and sits down on the bed all of Neptune’s friends roll their eyes.

“Hey guys!” Said Pluto.

“Aren’t you a little small to be playing these video games?” Snickered Saturn.

“Yeah, who invited him??” Asked Mars.

Neptune takes Pluto to the side to talk.

“Listen Pluto… I think you should go home” Muttered Neptune.

“I don’t understand, I come over to play these games all the time” Pled Pluto.

“Yeah but my friends don’t really like dwarf planets...sorry” Confessed Neptune.

“Oh… okay” Pluto said quietly as he headed home.

In the distance, he spotted something. He decided to go check it out.

When Pluto got closer, he realized it wasn’t a something, but a someone.

“Hi, I’m Pluto” he greeted.

“Hey, I’m Eris, a dwarf planet” He claimed.

“Woah! I am too” Declared Pluto.

“Want to come hang out with my friends and I?’’ Insisted Eris.

“Sure! I’d love to” Decided Pluto.

From that day on Pluto hung out with his new friends. They accepted him for who he was.
Pluto couldn’t be happier with his new friends.

Tips on Writing Children Stories

Information I found particularly helpful is the plot.  I wasn't aware of how important plot was to a children's story.  But, it announces the arrival of the main character and the conflict being faced.  Information that was similar to my previous post when I analyzed three children's stories was the plot introducing the main character to the audience.  The main character is very  important to the theme and plot of the story.  some information I found helpful in the article "Writing Good Dialogue" was to make your dialogue polite and respectful.  You should remember you are writing a children's story and they will be following what they read, so you want to teach them right from wrong.  An example is asking how someone is when they say "Hi".
 Something I think should be part of the grading rubric is if the dialogue creates a clear plot and theme for the story that children can understand.  Also, the message is easy and clear to understand.

Analyzing Children Stories

Buzzy Bee's Picnic
The main character of this children's story is a bee.  This character is non-human.  Buzzy Bee is extremely polite, and loves food very much.  There is not much dialogue in this children's story.  However, the dialogue that it does have helps explain the plot and theme of the story.  It's dialogue sets rules that all kids should follow.  The conflict in this story is the bee eats too much and gets really big.  This is a problem the children can relate to because it teaches them if they eat too much of one thing such as candy, they can get bloated and have a sick stomach.  The conflict if resolved by his friends helping him out of the pot.  The message of this story is be polite and helpful to your friends.  Also, not to eat too much junk food because you will get sick.  I think this is a good book for children because there are more pictures than words.

Fruit Salad
The main character in this story is an apple.  The character is non-human.  The apple is a deep red but starts to develop spotting and bruises because of his age.  There is a lot of dialogue in this children's story.  The dialogue in this story is mainly about all the fruit, and what they want to do with their lives.  This dialogue helps explain the theme by portraying the apple's feelings and issues.  The conflict in this story is the apple not knowing what he wants to do with his life and feeling like his life has no purpose.  Children can't really relate to the deeper meaning because they are all just kids and don't know what to do with their lives either.  The conflict is resolved by all the fruit going to a compost and being together.  The final message in this story is to always be there for your friends and help them through the hard times.

The Wiener Dog Magnet
The main character in this story is a monkey named Kiki Marie.  This character in non-human.  Kiki Marie is orange and has big popping eyes and a cute bow.  She is hard working and very smart.  There is a lot of dialogue in this story.  The dialogue explains Kiki's issue and how it is resolved by her fast thinking.  The conflict in the story is all the wiener dogs are sticking to Kiki's wiener dog magnet and two alligators were stuck on a rock in the middle of the rapids.  The conflict is resolved by Kiki using her wiener dogs as a bridge to get the alligators across safely.  There is really no way for kids to relate to this story.  The final message in the story is to help others no matter what.

These three stories are similar in many different ways.  They all have meanings that are easy for kids to understand.  Also, it teaches children many life lessons in many different and fun ways.  These stories are different because they all have many different lessons and things the kids should do.  I think these stories are appealing to children because they have lots of pictures and funny dialogue.  An example would be in Buzzy Bee's Picnic the bee gets so big because he overeats.

Jaw Dropping Makeup

Creating the perfect smokey eye is a stressful and difficult task. You can do a smokey eye with many different palettes, and can wear it with any outfit or to any occasion. The smokey eye can be used with many different shades of the same colors. Think you’ll look over done with a smokey eye? Many people will want you to teach them this easy and jaw dropping makeup.

Step 1

First, you need to pick any type of eye shadow palette that suits you. You could go with the natural smokey eye which is a bunch of different brown eye shadows. A good choice I would recommend would be the Naked 2 palette if you’re going for the subtle smokey eye.



https://www.google.ca/search?q=naked+2+palette&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJpdnxiv_LAhWHuoMKHceBD_cQ_AUIBigB#imgdii=QjLC9ZjCK9My1M%3A%3BQjLC9ZjCK9My1M%3A%3BQEaAfK_zdsEYCM%3A&imgrc=QjLC9ZjCK9My1M%3A

Step 2

Then, you start off by using the lightest color in the palette which is “Foxy” to highlight under your brow and the inside corner of your eye. This will add the highlight effect as it is your lightest shade.



https://www.google.ca/search?q=naked+2+palette&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJpdnxiv_LAhWHuoMKHceBD_cQ_AUIBigB#safe=strict&tbm=isch&q=naked+2+palette+smokey+eye+step+one&imgrc=2KkiOVNIYsbKHM%3A

Step 3

After that, you take your medium eye shadow which in this case would be “Verve” and apply it to your whole eyelid. Sweep the color evenly over all the space that “Foxy” did not cover.



https://www.google.ca/search?q=naked+2+palette&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJpdnxiv_LAhWHuoMKHceBD_cQ_AUIBigB#safe=strict&tbm=isch&q=naked+2+palette+smokey+eye+step+two&imgrc=3b-QB9nFHFiJJM%3A

Step 4

Next, begin adding one of your deep shades in the palette, “Pistol”. You continue by dabbing this shade at the middle of your eyelid to darken it up.



https://www.google.ca/search?q=naked+2+names&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjci66XjP_LAhVFk4MKHZ_BBToQ_AUIBigB#safe=strict&tbm=isch&q=naked+2+step+by+step+smokey+eye&imgrc=9LxFcU-hy5808M%3A

Step 5

Then, you begin using some dark brown colors such as “Busting” and “Blackout”. You need to start at the outer lid and brush in with the dark shades. This creates a ombré effect that doubles as a smokey eye.



https://www.google.ca/search?q=naked+2+names&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjci66XjP_LAhVFk4MKHZ_BBToQ_AUIBigB#safe=strict&tbm=isch&q=naked+2+step+by+step+smokey+eye&imgrc=RYwqDpea-twDxM%3A

Step 6

For your final step you grab your blending brush and start from the outer lid and blend all the brown shades together to create a finished look. Lastly, you take your lightest shade again (Foxy) and touch up your previous spots to create a highlighted look.



https://www.google.ca/search?q=naked+2+smokey+eye&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_6JukzobMAhVBnIMKHXyvBh4Q_AUIBigB#imgrc=tVBLuhwvtpxVWM%3A

How to Apply Contour Makeup

For an "How to Article" I picked "How to Apply Contour Makeup". The reason I picked this How to Article is because I enjoy doing makeup.  This article was very well done and was explained  very well.  To have a good how to article you need to follow certain steps.  First, you need good instructions.  Viewers need to be able to follow directions that are clear and to the point.  Another thing you need to have in order for your article to be successful is to have a good description.  The viewers should have very clear idea of what to do and how to do it.  Something else that would be helpful to your how to article would be a catchy title.  You need something that will catch peoples attention and make them pick your article over other peoples.  The how to article I picked had all of theses characteristics, but it could have used a more creative title.

• There are no more than three grammatical or spelling errors in the article. 5/5
• The article has a catchy headline that makes you want to read it. 4/5
• The article has a purpose, explaining benefits to the reader.4/5
• The steps in the article are clear and easy to understand.5/5

Something I think the rubric is missing is a catchy title to catch the viewers attention.  

A Shift in His Mind

"Finding Forrester"

Finding Forrester is a 2000 Columbia Pictures film written by Mike Rich and directed by Gus Van Sant. This film is an inspiring film that tells about the growing relationship between Jamal Wallace casted as Rob Brown and William Forrester casted as Sean Connery. This movie made 80.1 million in box office prices. Mike Rich named the film after his high school English teacher Mrs Forrester.

This film is based solely upon a unique relationship that grows between an old novelist and a young, poor, intelligent boy from the Bronx. When the young boy Jamal takes the plunge of sneaking into Mr. Forrester’s apartment, he assumes it will bring the worst possible consequences his way. Little does he know, it will open a new door to his great future ahead. Mr. Forrester takes Jamal on as his protege and helps him become an excellent writer by marking some of his work.

This film compares to the film “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The relationship between Jamal and William Forrester compares to the relationship between Scout and Boo Radley. Two people come together and create great things from their relationship. These two movies compare because two very different people change each other for the better. Scout and Boo changed their lives by each other's generosity. Mr. Forrester helped Jamal perfect his writing and encouraged him to make something out of his life.

There was a lot of things in this film that I enjoyed. However, my favorite part would have to be the acting. The cast of “Finding Forrester” seemed to really get into their characters and believe in the messages they were conveying. There are many good qualities in this film that deserve recognition. Another important quality in the film is the setting. It was very effective to the film and played an important role. I was able to connect to the characters in this film by their story and purpose in this movie.

The theme of this movie is based mainly upon the bond of friendship and how important it is. In this film two people come together and create a wonderful friendship that defeated all odds. William Forrester and Jamal Wallace brought out the best in each other in different ways. The film “Finding Forrester” creates an image of two unlikely people who did remarkable things when they put their minds to it. Mr. Forrester saw in Jamal what no one else did, talent. Besides his skills on the court, no one really thought of Jamal as talented. They perfected each other’s work and made it great. This story proved what the real meaning of friendship is.

Fan of Peter Pan?

The film reviews I have read were on the 1939 Disney film Peter Pan.  I decided on selecting this film review because it really caught my attention above all the others.  This film review was very well written by Amber Wilkinson in 2007.  The reason I've picked this film review to write about is because of my love for the movie since I was little.  One of the reasons I selected this film review was because of how Amber worded her opening.  She started the film review with "So the big question is, can the story still fly for a new generation?".  The beginning of the review really caught my attention and I loved how she incorporated a piece of Peter Pan in her review.  Another reason I chose this film review was because of how well Amber described the film, but didn't ruin the ending for the people who might not have watched it before.  She was very detailed and descriptive with the story line and made sure to site who the characters were voiced by.  My final reason for choosing this film review out of all my choices is because Amber Wilkinson gives her honest opinion and then backs up her reasons.  She claims what the upsides and the downsides to the film Peter Pan are, and uses her knowledge and information to back it up.
This film is an adventurous slice of family entertainment.  Amber states in her film review that even though it is a family favorite now a days it can be considered racist.  I never looked at it that way before, but now I see what she means.  There is a lot of parts with "Indians" and "The Red Man", when now in this generation it would be considered racist.  I, personally, wouldn't review the film badly just because of that because we have to remember, even though times change, the past can not.  I mainly picked Amber's film review because of how honest and descriptive she was.    
 http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/peter-pan-special-edition-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson

Cyclone

As I look around all I see is tragedy and loss. I stand in my destroyed house with my younger brother wondering what is going to happen next. The cyclone hit Antalaha, northeastern Madagascar hard that Thursday and took my family with it. We were a poor family and I tried to work as hard as I could to provide for my family, but times were tough. Some days we wouldn't eat, just work as hard as we could to make sure we had food for tomorrow. I see destroyed lives everywhere I look, people crying, screaming loved ones names, only to come to the realization that they were lost forever.

Once the cyclone hit, all I could smell was waste, dirt, and torn up wet shacks. It was so hot and dry out, no water in sight. None of us had any energy to go get it like usual, all we wanted to do was lay down and cry. I missed my parents so much already, and I can see the hurt on my brother, Raphael’s face. I knew he would have to start work as I did since it was just us now. I see dust, I taste dust, and I can even hear the wind pushing the dust up against broken homes, my broken home.

Seeing so many young people and helpless animals walking around without a home, without a family made me feel so lonely and miserable. So many lives lost to this natural disaster. All you can see is heartbreak and wreck everywhere you look. Starting this challenge to survive all over again without my parents made me fearful, I was now a guardian to my brother, Raphael would now look up to me more now than he ever did. As I tried to comfort my younger brother, assure him that everything would be alright, all I found myself hearing was the distant cries of the young, wondering if they were cries of hunger of cries of mourn. Looking at my home now made me upset, we had took so much time to build this to our environment. Now it was all ruined and we had nothing left.

Writing Inventory

 I do not write during my spare time. I enjoy writing for school related reasons but have never really used my skills in other parts of my life. In my spare time I enjoy reading, drawing, playing volleyball, and hanging out with friends. My favorite writer is Cassandra Claire, she writes mainly science fiction and fiction. The reason I enjoy her writing and fiction is because I find it interesting and easy to understand.   

 

 Descriptive writing comes the easiest to me. I find it the easiest to understand because I can picture it very well in my mind. A type of writing that challenges me is Poetry. I find it difficult to understand because you can not take poetry literally. When writing I get my ideas from my creativity and past experiences that I have learned from. There are not any current writing pieces I am working on at the moment. There are many pieces of writing that I am very proud of because I have worked extremely hard on them. One piece of writing I am especially proud of was about a family trip I went on last summer, it was important to me because it held all the best memories on one sheet of paper.

 

 Before each assignment I usually write two draft copies, one rough and one final, then my good copy. My English teacher says writing is one of my strongest areas in English class. I am good with words and getting my thoughts down on paper. My weakness in writing is not using strong enough words. My favorite things to write about are debates, I like to argue my topic. My second choice would be persuasive writing. My goal in this writing class is to further my knowledge about writing and write about things that interest me and the reader.