Assignment #1, The Things They Carried (1-26)

1.      The Vietnam war struck people with a harsh reality. Other than being at the risk of dying and being far from home and loved ones, men in battle had to travel daily holding everything on their back. The things they carried were a compilation of things required, and things they chose to keep them sane. They had to only choose necessities, or whatever they could handle. Most men carried things like pictures, cigarettes, C rations, water, pocket knifes, etc. If I was in their  position, I would bring a journal that inside already had notes from my family written in it, and the rest blank paper.
          The reason why I would bring this half-filled journal, would be because I would go insane without getting my feelings out somewhere. I would write every day that I could about how I felt, what I saw, the friends I made during the war, or just anything that was on my mind. Not only would this help me cope while I'm at war, I could look back on it at a later date if I got home safely to remind myself of the good things I experienced. It's something that makes sense to have around to me. Also, it hardly weighs anything.
          The importance of this item isn't literally the item, it's what would be inside. I'm an extremely family oriented person, so being able to read what they wrote, see their handwriting, and hear their voice through the words they had written would mean the world to me. I think the hardest part about fighting in a war for me would be being away from everybody that I love, so holding something they have written would help me feel a little less homesick, and safer in a way.

2.        The soldiers of the Vietnam War had to worry about the wieght that they carried. The more they had on their backs, the harder it was to travel. Although there was a limit on what tangible items they could carry, there was no limit on how many intangible items they could carry. These intangible items were just as good, if not better, than the tangible ones. The intangable item I would carry would be a memory. Christmas day of 2010. Every holiday is always good and cheerful, but this Christmas day was the most special of them all.
          Not seeing your family is always hard, but Christmas brings everybody together. I woke up with my brothers all home, and spent the whole day just lazing around with the people that matter most to me. Nothing beats the smell of the huge breakfast my dad cooked, or the feel of the warm fire on my back as I sat on the rough, stone fireplace. I can imagine sitting in the mud, cold, wet, and hungry, making myself feel better by thinking back on that day. I could laugh about all the funny home-videos we watched and all the jokes we made towards eachother. Everybody was in a good mood, and nobody fought. The day was too perfect for pointless arguments about who didn't refill the toliet paper roll, and thinking of that day makes me smile instantly. No matter how I feel, it warms me up. It makes me feel as though my family is right next to me, even though i'm miles and miles away.

Summer Reading Essay

An Escape From Reality

(The Kite Runner & The Bean Trees)



              Taylor Greer observantly walked along a rocky sidewalk of Tuscan, Arizona. As the sun beat down on her, she thought about how late she was going to be to work at the coffee shop. Of course the one-day her car broke down the heat was more powerful that she had felt it ever was before. “Look at the bright side.” She muttered to herself. “At least it’s not raining. I’ve been through worse.” As she finished her sentence, she heard a car pull up behind her. A familiar looking Afghani man was inside, she remembered him from the coffee shop. He had been there the day before, but she had just then realized she never asked him for his name. Feeling rude, she immediately introduced herself.

            “I’m Taylor Greer, I work at the coffee shop down the road, but you already know that. I’m so sorry I never caught your name...”

            “You’re a busy girl, no hard feelings. I’m Amir, and I was actually on my way to the coffee shop now. Assuming your uniform, I’m guessing you’re headed there too. Would you like a ride?” Amir asked sincerely. Taylor hesitated, not knowing who this person really was, but she got in anyways.

            “It sure is hot out there. Regardless, you didn’t have to bring me. I really appreciate it though…” Taylor paused as she looked around the car and saw a picture of a very young boy, and Amir. “Is that your son?” She continued, “He’s adorable.”

            “Yes, my wife and I adopted him a little while back. He was actually my friend’s son. I wanted to give him a life he could look back on with joy. You see, he saw his mother and father die in Afghanistan. He was also abused, and never really spoke much.” Amir was waiting for Taylor to show all the compassion that everybody else had, nobody ever knew what to say when he finished his story.

            “That’s really strange actually. I mean, not the story. You’re story is very inspiring, and it must have been such a difficult experience. I adopted a little girl, Turtle. She was abused as well, and didn’t talk much either.” Taylor told Amir.

            “Wow, you’re so young. What would ever inspire you to adopt a little girl?” Amir asked.

            “Well actually she was just kind of handed to me, and I felt obligated to give her a good life, just as you felt like you wanted to give your child a good life. I felt it was the right thing to do.”

            “We have similar stories, but I wish I could have been more like you at a younger age. You see, I was it took me until my son to actually grow up. I used to act as if I was a child.” Amir shamefully explained.

            “Well you grew up eventually, and that’s all that really matters. I grew up because I felt like I had to. It’s just the way I am. But that doesn’t mean everybody is that way. It’s amazing what you did though, like I said before, inspiring at the least.”

            “Yes, this is very true. I wish you and Turtle well…looks like you’re back to reality.” Amir finished his thought as he pulled into the coffee shop parking lot.

            “Thank you so much for the ride, and for talking to me. If you’d like to come in for a coffee, its on me.” Taylor said.

            “I would love that, I could use a cup before the long drive back to my home in California. It sure is beautiful out here though.” Amir looked at Taylor as if to say thank you with his eyes, and they both made their way into the shop.

Megan's Interview

            Megan Pinciak is one extraordinary girl with a natural love for sleep. This future ultra sound technician not only has smarts, she has style too. She loves to rock jean shorts and a classy black v-neck, showing dominance and her leadership qualities, which comes in handy at Field Hockey, Swimming, and the Peace Club. She wouldn’t be caught dead in anything that even resembles something like pee-yellow crocs. In ten years, she hopes to be making money and living a life that she loves, which she knows will require hard work in her years of education.
            Like most people in today’s society, Megan doesn’t feel like her vocabulary is as good as it could be, so she would love to learn more this year in her English class along with strengthening her conclusions. With a more substantial vocabulary, she feels it could also help her reading level. At the moment her reading level is about average, because Megan reads what she has to and not much more. As a reader, she would like to strengthen her thought process and analysis. Along with many high school students her age, after she reads something she sometimes struggles understanding what she read. Although she feels this way about her reading, she still was able to find a book she enjoyed. Her favorite book is Eleven Seconds, which struck her as an enjoyable read because of how touching and inspiring it was. Her favorite author is Sarah Desson because she has never read a bad book by her, but she still wants to stray away and try something new, like a mystery instead of her favorite, non-fiction. She has much strength as a writer and reader that most people agree there is not much improving left to be done. She is very creative and can write a story with ease, this girl’s mind runs wild. She does well with fiction writing, and enjoys that immensely. There’s is a lot of work that has to be put in, but Megan is hoping that it is not much longer than the 30-60 minutes she was accustomed to in Accel English 11. This was mostly spent reading short stories and answering questions about the reading. Her homework is done after sports practice at her kitchen table.
            Even though Megan knows she has things to work on, she loves whom she has grown into. If you were to ask her whom she would switch places with for the day if she could, she wouldn’t even want to do that. She loves her life and doesn’t want it to change. On a typical day, you could find her watching the Miami Dolphins with her family, or Dumb & Dumber with some good friends while eating her favorite macaroni and Parmesan cheese. She loves Dave Mathews Band because all of their songs are great, and would love to meet them along with Craig Owens and Lil Wayne.
Megan would love to go to Greece, Italy, and Australia before she dies, because all of those places are beautiful and interesting. She has always wanted a Chinchilla for a pet, even though her mother would never let her. Despite that, she loves her mother very much and looks up to her for her good judgment of character. She loves things in the summertime, like ladybugs, sunflowers, and the color green, just like the green grass. She loves most things in life, as you can tell. Anything that entertains her makes her a smiley girl. Some exceptions to this are opera and polka music, which just sound terrible to her. The one superpower she wishes she could have would the power to be invisible, so she could pull pranks on people without them knowing. This happy-go-lucky 17 year old is a very interesting person who can make friends with anybody.