Winter

The emotionless realm trailed with frost

Threads snowflakes and

Flurries of sorrow through the

Skies of ashen streaks.

Crisscrossed patterns engrave the ice

A wretched window to tomorrow--

A wretched window to tomorrow.

On the Cusp of Sanity

Author's Note: Melody and I decided to have a "Poetry Contest" and as I started to write my piece, Melody said, "Why don't we have the same title and see where we go from there?" So, let's see how this turns out! 

a poInt at which the directioN of a curve is reversed,
my cusp,
reverSed. 

i

 wAtch the shadows of night.

stars of day.

stagger to me

time balaNces,

on thE cusp,

cusp of sanity.

INSANE

Perceptions

Author's Note: This piece was supposed to use one of the lines or story starters off of the board in the Writing Lab, and I chose the line "Why should I care? It's not like he ever did anything for me!" But I never got to that line because I like this piece ending the way it does. Please comment with suggestions!

They walked down the hallway, hand in hand, love entwined together. The girl turns around, rolling her eyes with a bored sigh, for all of her friends trailing the couple to see. They stop in front of the girl’s next class, and he pulls her into passion’s embrace whispering in her soft, strawberry scented hair “See you at lunch, ok? Love you…” and to bid farewell, gives the girl a delicate kiss on the cheek. All the while, the girl mocks the boy behind his back, and the oblivious crowd “oohs” and “aahs” at the sight of adoration. As he left, his eyes glossed with love, searched the girl’s eyes for a response, and in return, received a glare telling him to go. The glare was perceived as a puppy dog’s eyes telling him that she loved him in return.

He too was brainwashed by the power of the girl.

2 and 2 makes 5

Author's Note: This is my theme essay using the theme of government control to compare the books 1984, The Giver, and Animal Farm. In this piece, I focused on trying to find unique subsections of "government control" and explaining them in creative and thoughtful ways. Enjoy!          

             Imagine living in your fantasy land, a place where all of your dreams would come true. It could be across the ocean, it could be across the globe, it could be across the universe. It could be a fictional place, or maybe a country just a few borders away. Where ever you may land, close your eyes and envision the society. Create everything—the people, the technology, the objects surrounding your everyday life. Now create a government for your community, and this won’t be any ordinary government, of course. No, this a kind of government that watches you intently, just waiting for you to screw up, waiting for you to be the hopeless, innocent creature you might call prey. They feed off of your guilelessness and brainwash you into their society. Wait, you may say, I thought this was my world… but the government will overpower you, and the only option for you to survive is corruption. In 1984 by George Orwell, and in many other novels alike, government control and misuse of power in government leaders is the overall theme.

            Children are the most innocent beings of them all-- their lives should be filled with laughter and smiles bright enough to shine through all darkness. As Whitney Houston quoted in her song, “Greatest Love Of All”: “I believe that children are our future/Teach them well and let them lead the way.” Although not just people of today’s world recognize children’s purity, so do the government leaders of 1984 and The Giver by Lois Lowry, resulting in brainwashed children who will do anything to  follow the path of their leaders.  The book 1984 represents this thought completely-- "Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages..." (24).  The next couple pages in the book even discuss children who will turn in their parents to the society in order to be called “A Child Hero!” The idea of controlling children is also perfectly executed in The Giver , as well: "It was a game he had often played with the other children, a game of good guys and bad guys, a harmless pasttime that used up their contained energy and ended only when they all lay posed in freakish postures on the ground. He had never recognized it before as a game of war " (133). This quote in comparison to the one in 1984 shows that children are the easiest targets to brainwash and create a whole new way, good or bad.

            Not only does the government in the book The Giver use kids to indoctrinate an entire society, but they misuse technology, as does the government in 1984. Both communities consist of high tech tools that can see, hear, and comprehend everything and anything you do.  As a page in 1984 states: "To keep your face expressionless was not difficult, and even your breathing could be controlled, with an effort; but you could not control the beating of your heart, and the telescreen was quite delicate enough to pick it up" (79). This is the kind of advanced technology that doesn’t give society members an option to do anything illegal, much less give them the opportunity to corrupt. Another comparison between the two books is that the technology usually always has some kind of monotone voice associated with it as both books tell us—“... in the self-important voice that all Speakers seemed to develop, saying things like, ATTENTION. THIS IS A REMINDER TO FEMALES UNDER NINE THAT HAIR RIBBONS ARE TO BE NEATLY TIED AT ALL TIMES. He turned toward Lily and noticed to his satisfaction that her ribbons were, as usual, undone and dangling" (The Giver 23). "The voice from the telescreen paused. A trumpet call, clear and beautiful, floated into the stagnant air. The voice continued raspingly: 'Attention! Your attention, please! A newsflash has this moment arrived from the Malabar front. Our forces in South India have one a glorious victory. I am authorized to say that the action we are now reporting may well bring the war within measurable distance of its end. Here is the newsflash--' " (1984 25-26). As I learned from Mr. Mamerow, technology is any tool used to make our lives easier, but when there is a misuse of it, societies are stripped of their knowledge and freedom.

            The books 1984 and Animal Farm were two brilliant books both written by George Orwell, and it’s easy to tell. Although each book may have different stories and backgrounds weaved into them, George Orwell’s writing style in both pieces are almost exactly the same, and they give you the same perceptions of government control. To start, both books have one main line that is in bold and often quoted throughout the rest of the book. "WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH,” (26) says the government in 1984, compared to the writings of the pigs in Animal Farm: "ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS,” (133). The government in both books gradually changes rules as well—the chocolate rations in 1984 are slowly reduced, and in Animal Farm, all of the rules are slightly altered little by little to fit the needs of the pigs, not the farm as a whole. Slow and steady wins the race, we learned from The Tortoise and the Hare, and in this case, very true. By gradually changing rules, bit by bit, society will do what you say. As Winston in 1984 says "And what was terrifying was not that they would kill you for thinking otherwise, but that they might be right. For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four?" (80).

            Now, imagine living in a world where you are forced to follow the rules set by insanity itself, have your innocence stolen from you, and you are constantly watched, listened to, analyzed. Envision your only spark of hope being corruption… not anticipating presents on Christmas, or waiting for that day when your big baseball game finally comes—no, you are excited about overthrowing the government.

            Imagine living in a world where you doubt that two and two make four…

Targets

Author's Note: Instead of doing a Character Development piece on a character, I chose someone from real life. This is my character development piece on the motives and behaviors of Dylan Klebold, main shooter in the Columbine High School Shootings.

Dylan Klebold was born into a life representing a target. A smooth, flawless target. Anticipating. The. Bullets.  Each bullet that Dylan's life was hit with resembles change and decisions. Each bullet transformed  Dylan into an unrecognizable monster. Each bullet gradually got closer and closer to a bulls-eye. Dylan shot the bulls-eye, and instead of receiving a trophy, the decisions he made in his life sprang off of the target and collided with his soul.

The first major bullet that Dylan was hit with was when Dylan completely remodeled himself and created an ireful, violent person  too out of control to tame.  Dylan's childhood was filled with baseball, soccer, Cub Scouts, friends, and the fact that he knew his family loved him (Shepard, Dylan Bennet Klebold). He moved onto high school, still with a very positive personality… Dylan was active in the school play and spent time making videos for a news network with his friends.  Next door neighbors even claim that the Klebold household was a picture perfect family. Dylan attended the prom with a friend, talked about what his life might be like at the University of Arizona, and had a seemingly good time. He gradually fell into depression and unhappiness, and neither of Dylan's parents cared enough to notice his sadness.  Who doesn’t notice their son writing “Anyway... I was Mr. Cutter tonight - I have 11 depressioners on my right hand now…” (Shepard, Dylan's Journals)? Dylan's attitude changed completely after that night, from swearing at teachers, being suspended from school  for hacking into the school's computer system, blowing up pipe bombs behind his work, and shouting "Heil Hitler!" when he rolled a good ball in bowling (Shepard, Dylan Bennet Klebold). Dylan is one of the most dynamic people that this world will ever know, and in this event, the effects weren't worth changing for.

”I am GOD compared to some of these un-existable, brainless zombies” (Shepard, Dylan's Journals).

The next bullet that Dylan's target was splintered with was his disrespect towards people he didn’t like, the human race, and life in general.  Looking at the quote above, some might notice the fact that Dylan refers to himself as a “GOD”, but the first thing I notice, is that Dylan uses the term “un-existable,  brainless zombies” to speak of humans.  Take a moment if you need… embrace…comprehend...accept. Hm-hm… Dylan Klebold refers to humans as brainless zombies! Dylan’s mother, Susan, grew up in a prominent Jewish community, and although neither Dylan nor I have necessarily practiced the Jew religion, I’m pretty sure almost every, if not all, religions in the world supports life.  How Dylan, living in a positive community with positive influences, came to have thoughts such as these… I am at a loss of ideas.

One of the last bullets that hit Dylan’s target, was his admiration for Hitler. Sad enough, I can see how Dylan revered Adolf Hitler—honestly, their lives, childhood in particular, were almost exactly the same. Both started with very positive elementary school experiences, and their academic futures were seemingly bright (Spartacus Educational).  They both were liked and fairly popular amongst their peers. Something life changing happened in each event… Dylan’s is still unknown to the world, but Adolf Hitler was pressured by competition in his school, and pressured by the attitude of his father who was planning on Hitler following his example of joining the Austrian civil service when he left school. Then, Hitler lost his popularity with other students as they weren’t willing to accept Hitler as a fellow leader, and resulting in this action, Hitler found interest in bossing around younger kids to try and gain respect. Similar to Dylan, Hitler then found a time of enjoyment of violence, as Hitler’s favorite game soon became re-enacting battles from the Boer War. Both men didn’t like their teachers in school, and Hitler also had the stress and burden of his father’s death when he was thirteen.

Strike one. Dylan, you created this angered soul too powerful to turn away from. You had control of the situation. You.

Strike two. Dylan, you didn’t find the love, the happiness, the rewards in life to become careless about not only yourself, but the other lives, the other souls who deserved a chance in life. You could have given them that chance. You.

Strike three. Dylan, you found admiration and understanding in a man who had done such harm to the world, was so psychopathic, had invented a choleric alien. You could have turned away. You.

You’re out.

Bibliography

Shepard, C. Dylan Bennet Klebold. 21 April 1999. 12 November 2012. <http://acolumbinesite.com/dylan.html>.

—. Dylan's Journals. 21 April 1999. 20 November 2012. <http://acolumbinesite.com/dylan/writing/journal/journal4.html>.

Spartacus Educational. n.d. 27 November 2012.

3:15 Prediction (End of Story)

Author's Note: Since I had seen the 3:15 Mr. Mason's Jar story before, Mrs. Hanson asked me to write a prediction piece on what I think would happen at the end of the story, if it were to be continued. Enjoy! 

I think that at the end of the story, Molly won't be surprised, try to find Mr. Mason, or try to get Troy the way he once was… rather, Molly will just kind of give up on everything, and just accept the fact that Troy's soul had been sucked out. I predict that this will happen because Molly had warned Troy not to go to Mr. Mason's room after school, and yet, Troy didn't listen, so I think that Molly will be upset, and just leave him. Molly will try to forget everything that happened, but she won't ever. The moral of the story-- the part the I predicted-- is very similar to the Uncle in Milkweed. He is very negative with life, and he doesn't believe that there is a way to get out of the concentration camps that he and his family were put in-- he thinks that he should enjoy his "luxurious" life before they are all killed.

Remade

Author's Note: This is my prediction piece for a Language Arts assignment. I have taken an old poem that I had wrote (the beginning section-- italics) and added to it as a prediction, and then concluded with a little response about the piece. Enjoy, and feel free to comment!

The moment you stopped to care,

I had already turned my head and locked my heart.

Lives just stopped and stared,

I was gone.

That memory of you saying my name,

So vague, distant, replayed in my mind like a movie.

Yet everyday treated like a game.

I'll show it love.

The times you tore me down,

Creating another twist, turn, in the maze.

There's only one way out.

I am lost,

All because you have the key to my heart.

The directions to the game.

You know the way out of this maze.

I'll turn left,

Right.

I'll walk from you,

To you.

I'll play nice,

Mean.

I'll move 3 spaces,

Or 4.

The moment you stopped to care,

I live, half-alive, in a world of my own, now.

I had already turned my head and locked my heart.

I will leave you, the way you left me--

Lives just stopped and stared,

Pounding on my steel door.

I was gone.

Fighting.

That memory of you saying my name,

For a chance to live.

So vague, distant, replayed in my mind like a movie.

But you have thrown away your chances.

Yet everyday treated like a game.

All that's left now...

I'll show it love.

Is...

The times you tore me down,

Hatred.

Creating another twist, turn, in the maze.

Revenge.

There's only one way out.

Remorse.

I am lost...

And you will be too.

All because you have the key to my heart...

That is now in my hand.

The directions to the game...

That you have forgotten.

You know the way out of this maze...

But not for long.

Have you ever been in a relationship or in a situation where someone you love, or want to love, has done something wrong… and you forgive them? Then, they either promise to never do it again, they promise to fix what is wrong, you let them be in control? I personally have been in this situation multiple times, which sparked the inspiration for this poem. The first italicized portion of this piece is the original poem, then anything in regular text is a response to that, or a back-and-forth format with the original or with itself. This piece basically states that you can't rely on others to fulfill their promises, and you really have to be in control of you-- a very good life lesson. (Then, again, this piece talks about revenge and that isn't really the way to go in life… that section just adds some spark and drama!)

The Show

Author's Note: Yet another happy piece... hmm... what's wrong! Whatever, I hope you like it!

You fly across the stage,

Your breath carries you.

Your spotlight caresses your face,

Highlighting the show.

You lock eyes with the audience,

Your story pours into their hearts.

Your song takes them with you,

From start to finish,

You point those toes until there is no end,

You beam until your jaw breaks,

Because there is only one moment  like that one.

Slow down,

 Let go,

And,

Enjoy.

AND

Author's Note: In this piece, I really played with the formatting... please comment on how you liked it!

Every.

Time. 

Pushed     d

                                    o

                                                    w       

                                                                    n

l

o

w

e

r

AND

l

o

w

e

r

until I am barely visible anymore.

The cycle repeats itself.

A setting on a washer,

slowly,

moving

                a

d                             r

                                               

n                             o

                u

AND

                a

n                             r

d                             o

                u

until everything inside comes churning

                                                                p

                                                u

AND

                p                                                                            

u

Everything that I am is determined by the ruby apple.

That you    evil  witch try to use against me.

the

s          m
                   o            o            
                                         t           h            
                                                             n           e            
                                                                                s           s

lays undecided,

unworthy,

in my hand.

Pop of Color

Author's Note: As I attended WASC Leadership Camp (level 2) this year, I was voted ambassador for our council (group.) Basically, that means that you are the representative for your group and have to write a speech in 24 hours. All of the ambassadors got together and picked a theme for our essays--music. The tricky part of this project though was that the theme for leadership camp was "Colors of Leadership," so our essay not only had to relate to music, but also had to tie into color. All-in-all, if this essay seems like some pieces don't fit.... well, they probably don't! In this piece, I also tried playing with the basic formatting of an essay. I hope you enjoy!

Imagine your favorite pop song. Play it through your mind… run it through your head; take note of what you see, hear, smell, connect to.

Now think about how many different parts there are to that song. Verses, choruses, bridges—all very similar to leaders.

Every leader has a song in them.

Every leader has a “pop” of color.

Verses in a person can symbolize many things. Seeing as verses change throughout the song, verses represent improvement as a leader. A leader’s verses are constantly changing, and their leadership skills, growing.

Verses can also show a path through leadership as the chorus is followed by the verse.

In my opinion, the chorus is the part of the song resembling the most leadership. Leadership you can rely on, and just like a chorus, it will always come back.

Also, songs tend to be known for their choruses and leaders are known for their organization, or responsibility, or enthusiasm, but above all, their leadership.

Another common part of the average pop song is a bridge. How this is connected to leaders is pretty self-explanatory, but all-in-all, leaders are (hopefully…) able to build a bridge between people, whether it is to repair a negative relationship, or enhance a positive one.

True leaders can see beyond sterotypes, true leaders can be themselves freely, true leaders can break boundaries and build confidence. True leaders can be all of you—just waiting to happen.

White…

A color of purity, innocence, hope, and beauty.

Symbolically, every leader is made of white. White is a part of every color—it makes them who they are. White is also used in art to create softer shades of colors. A fiery red combined with white can create a gentle rouge, or a cheeky pink. Depending on how much white each leader uses on their canvas, a beautiful painting can be made.

Just like all of these part of pop songs combined, the qualities of leaders can create one awesome song. I encourage all of you today to find your song. I encourage all of you today to help others find their song. I encourage you today to enhance your “pop” of color. I encourage all of you today to help others find their color.

And don’t be afraid to make that song truly beautiful with a bridge.

Don’t be afraid to be a leader.