8th Grade Semester 2

6/10
The Path

Author’s Note: I decided that I wanted my audience to think a little when they read my next piece. So I’ve written two of my own quotes to see how other people interpret them. Try to think of any connections you might have to your interpretation.

“Sometimes we make wrong turns. Sometimes we find ourselves at a dead end. Sometimes it seems impossible to turn around and get back on the main road. Yet, all it takes is a little time. Instead of slamming on the gas pedal, a light tap can get us farther than we expect. And in the end, the more we take our time, the easier our trip becomes.”一Allison Loth

“Life is a one-way road; make every mile worth traveling.”一Allison Loth

Don’t have a clue about what they mean? Need a few hints?

In my first quote, when I talk about the road, I’m referring to the path of life. When I say we make wrong turns, I mean that sometimes we make wrong decisions. Whenever this happens, we usually rush to get out of the situation or “we slam on the gas pedal”, and because of that, we are left in an even worse situation. So if we could take our time, our trip through life can become easier.

In my second quote, I’m also referring to life as if it is a road; a one-way road. What I mean by a one-way road, is the fact that we can’t turn around; we can’t go back. Once we experience something in life, we can’t go back in time to relive it. Because of this, we must make every mile worth traveling or, make every moment count.





5/28
Life's Journey

Author’s Note: In my room, I have a poem called “Climb Till Your Dreams Come True”, by Helen Steiner Rice. It’s about life and how even though it can sometimes get the best of us, we can’t back down from it. This, and another poem by Dr. Seuss inspired me to write a poem of my own. Hopefully, my poem will inspire you like Dr. Seuss’ and Helen’s did for me.

Inspiration:

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.

~Dr. Seuss

Often your tasks will be many,

And more than you think you can do.

Often the road will be rugged

And the hills insurmountable, too.

But always remember, the hills ahead

Are never as steep as they seem,

And with Faith in your heart start upward

And climb 'Til you reach your dream.

For nothing in life that is worthy

Is never too hard to achieve

If you have the courage to try it

And you have the Faith to believe.

For Faith is a force that is greater

Than knowledge or power or skill

And many defeats turn to triumph

If you trust in God's wisdom and will.

For Faith is a mover of mountains.

There's nothing that God cannot do,

So start out today with Faith in your heart

And "Climb 'Til Your Dream Comes True" !

~Helen Steiner Rice

Bibliography:

• "Climb 'Til Your Dream Comes True."Arizona State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2013. <http://www.public.asu.edu/~cyndee74/climb.htm>.
• "Quote by Dr. Seuss: You have brains in your head. You have feet in ...." Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2013. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/22842-you-have-brains-in-your-head-you-have-feet-in>.

My Poem:

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

There are lefts and rights

There are ups and downs

There will always be times when we breakdown.

The road will be tough

The road will be strong

But the road is where each of us belong.

And though we lose strength

And though we lose hope

And though it seems like an insurmountable slope,

There’s a light that shines for you

There’s a light that shines for me

There’s a light that shines so we may see

A future filled with fortune

A future filled with  goodness

A future that has its own individual purpose.

It all lies with you

You’ll decide what to do

You’ll decide what life you will pursue.

Because you’re all on your own,

And you know what to know.

And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.

4/24

Making An Impact

Author's Note: Many people today underestimate the importance and beneficial impact of gym class. This is the essay I was assigned to write for my current gym class. When reading, pay attention to all of the information I incorporated in it, and some of the personal connections that I made.

Beep! The referee motions for the other team to serve. My team needs this point if we are to win the match. Number twenty-seven serves the volleyball in, and very, very deep. Our back row players struggle to pass it, yet they still get it up in the air. Then our setter races to the scene, trying....and failing to get the ball to one of the hitters. It quickly spins towards our bench; if I’m going to save this ball, I need to move at lightning speed! Right when the ball is about to hit the floor, my arms slide underneath and send it spiraling on the other side of the net! Surprisingly, it lands in the open spot on the court, giving us the victory. I still wonder to this day what the outcome of the game would have been if I didn’t develop as much speed and better reaction time in gym class. Even though it seems as if the whole point of gym class is to make you sweat, it’s worth so much more. The benefits of Phy Ed class include: the opportunity to learn new sports and activities, stay healthy, and take a break from the normal classroom environment.

In my current gym class, I am able to experience a wide range of fun and engaging activities. Not only do we play all kinds of sports from hockey to badmitten, we also get involved in games like Capture the Flag and Bean Bag Blitz. These are really helpful because they allow students to stay active, but still have a lot of fun. Plus, there are usually no complex rules or skills you must have to play, all you have to do is learn a few rules and go! Then there is the occasion when we take a break from all of the action, and talk about eating a balanced diet and avoiding the use of drugs and alcohol. Both of these topics play a crucial part in staying healthy, so I definitely appreciate the fact that we must go over the content multiple times. Lastly, there are a few games that we as a class totally make up. One example is The Hunger Games. Basically the entire gym class goes out into the woods and hides while a few classmates are trying to find people and steal the flags that everyone carries. You have to be able to run very quickly if someone finds you and tries to take your flag. In addition, you must also be smart in the sense that you must find a place where no one would find you. Overall, it is one of my favorite games. As you can see, we do a ton of activities in phy ed class that make it very entertaining.

Even though all of the things that we do in gym class are enjoyable, they are also extremely beneficial to us in our everyday lives. During the school day, all students sit at a table for each class, and they usually don’t get up to move very often. So most students are only walking for 20 minutes out of a full 8 hours in between classes. That is nowhere near as much as we should be keeping active and continuing to work our muscles. Luckily, phy ed gives us an extra 70 minutes of continuous movement within our day. Another positive effect of the class is the fact that we are able to experience many new sports and activities. Many people don’t have the opportunity to learn new sports because they don’t have the proper equipment to do so. In most gym classes, there is equipment for nearly every sport out there, so if someone wants to try tennis for the first time, it is simple to obtain that goal. Furthermore, if the student found that he/she really enjoyed the sport, then they could improve their game by signing up for lessons and camps and teams. Yet, if they hadn’t experienced the sport for the first time in gym class, they wouldn’t have had a future playing that sport. Additionally, if you are already familiar with the sport that you enjoy, you can improve on it in class as well. For example, I really enjoy volleyball. When I go to phy ed class, I always want to pick up a volleyball because I know that I can still work on small drills that I know and improve on them. One last benefit of this active class is that it helps us stay healthy. Not only that, but it inspires us to keep healthy all year long, even when we are not in class. An example is the time that I learned about eating a healthy diet and studying the food pyramid. After doing so, I started to eat healthier and tried to eat lots of fruit, vegetables, protein, and dairy within every meal. Because of that, I feel healthier and stronger.

While gym class benefits me now, it will also benefit my overall health in the future. By doing certain exercises, our muscles and bones become stronger. This means that we would have less of a chance of damaging either one. When we get active, we are also keeping the blood in our body pumping and our heart becomes stronger as well. Basically, by doing all of these activities, our body is prepared for anything that could damage it. The diets that we eat also affect our future health. I once saw a video called, “Supersize Me”, about a man who decided to eat McDonald’s every day, every meal, for 30 days. By the end of the month, he had gained a ton of weight, and some doctors said that he would have a greater chance of getting cancer or heart failure. After watching this, I realized how risky it would be to eat unhealthy now and in the later years of my life. When I eat healthier and exercise regularly, I’m putting myself in a much better situation for my future.

Being able to take a break from the regular classroom environment, staying healthy, and receiving the opportunity to learn new sports are all reasons why gym class benefits students. Keeping healthy and staying active are both ways to ensure that we live long, cheerful lives; gym class is one excellent way we can put this goal into action.

4/10

Life Is A Race Through The Rain

Author’s Note: Have you ever wondered what a dog’s point of view is like? The main character, Enzo, in the book “The Art Of Racing In The Rain”, by Garth Stein, looks, smells, and acts like an ordinary dog. But inside, he is smarter than any human. This essay states what sorts of lessons that I have learned from Enzo and his story. By reading it, maybe you will start to wonder what thoughts go through your own dog’s head.

“Gestures are all that I have; sometimes they must be grand in nature. And while I occasionally cross the line into the world of the melodramatic, it is what I must do in order to communicate clearly and effectively. In order to make my point understood” (page 1). Enzo, this fun and lovable mutt is unlike other dogs. He has the mind of a human, which allows him to look at life in a whole new perspective. When Enzo combines this gift with his knowledge of racecar driving, he discovers the true value of life and how we should live our own. In the book, “The Art Of Racing In The Rain”, by Garth Stein, the main character, Enzo, discovers that life is a lot like racing in the rain: you can’t drive too fast.

Living your life in the form of a dog can be tough, especially if you have some important things to say. Enzo’s greatest friend, Denny, had a wife who was diagnosed with cancer. But by the time it had been discovered, it was too late. With his excellent sense of smell, Enzo was actually able to smell the disease before anyone else knew it was there. Yet, there was no way for him to let anyone know. “All I could do was watch and feel empty inside; Eve had assigned me to protect Zoe no matter what, but no one had assigned me to protect Eve. And there was nothing I could do to help her” (pg. 35). Later in the book, Denny’s beautiful wife, Eve, dies from her cancer. I can’t imagine how horrible it would feel to have the opportunity to save someone’s life, but then come up short. Instead of letting this tragedy ruin his life, Enzo relates the situation to that of being on a racetrack. “We don’t live in an ideal world. In our world, surprises sometimes happen, mistakes happen. Incidents with other drivers happen, and a driver must react. When a driver reacts, Denny says, it’s important to remember that a car is only as good as its tires. If the tires lose their grip, nothing else matters. Not engine power, speed, or braking. Nothing else counts when a skid starts. Until the tires regain their grip, the driver is unable to control the car. And that’s a bad situation” (pg.45). When I read this part of the book, I could see a connection: if something doesn’t go our way, we tend to freak out and “our tires start to lose their grip”. Once this happens, it can be hard to regain control. This is why we must stay calm and make good decisions; this is why Enzo had the strength to never give up.

Not only did Enzo demonstrate perseverance by being mentally tough, he also showed this trait by fighting for who he loved whenever he had the chance. Everyone has moments when they just want to give up, and I could tell that deep down inside Enzo wanted to do the same. Sometimes there is just so much stress in our lives that we can’t think straight, or we don’t have the energy to continue on. At one point, Enzo is hit by a car which caused him to suffer from a serious hip injury. By that point, I’m sure most of us would be asking for death, but instead, Enzo knew that he couldn’t end his life like that. “And I knew, as Denny sped me to the doctor, that if I had already accomplished what I set out to accomplish here on earth, I would have been killed instantly by that car. But I was not killed. Because I was not finished. I still had work to do” (pg. 221). It would have been easier for Enzo to just leave and let Denny take care of his problems. In fact, I’m sure he probably preferred it to be that way. But how could he betray the ones he loved for that sake of his own comfort? Enzo teaches us yet another important life lesson in this section of the book. He shows us that everyone has their own tasks to complete throughout their journey of life; that each of us can have a huge impact on the world, but only if we are willing to work for it.

Because Enzo and Denny were inclined to support one another, their bond was incredibly influential. It became emotional at times throughout the book when they expressed the gratitude that they had for each other. Some very prominent examples of the affection that Enzo and Denny had for one another include: “You’ve always been with me,” Denny says to me. “You’ve always been my Enzo.”(page. 271); “The first time I saw you,” he says, “I knew we belonged together.” Yes! Me too!” (pg. 272); “I love you, boy” (pg. 273).  Denny meant every word that he said; I could easily tell. This friendship reminded me of another touching relationship between man and dog in the book  “Cracker”, by Cynthia Kadohata. It takes place in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. A German shepherd named Cracker is paired with Rick, a man who is trying to prove to his family that he was cut out for war. Basically, the two were complete strangers who had to become more than friends; and they had to do it fast. Their relationship was a lot like Enzo and Denny’s because they all had to rely on each other to keep embarking on their journey. If Cracker had abandoned Rick, (or the other way around) neither one of them would have a good chance of surviving the brutal war. On the other hand, if Enzo had abandoned Denny, both of them would probably encounter great hardships as well. “With experience, a driver adjusts his understanding of how a car feels when it is near its limits. A driver becomes comfortable driving on the edge, so when his tires begin to slip, he can easily correct, pause, and recover” (pg. 154). At one point in the book, Denny was not driving on the edge. He did not stand up for himself, or protect his family. Instead, he wanted to curl up in a ball and hide away for the rest of his life. As a result of Enzo pushing him to regain his confidence, “Denny’s tires regained their grip”. Friendship is a life changing gift that we must cherish for the rest of our lives; Enzo teaches us its importance like nobody else.

Within the book, Enzo finds that you can’t drive too fast when racing in the rain, and that goes for life as well. Personally, I have learned so much from Enzo: that you can’t take life too fast, you can’t take it for granted, and you definitely can’t give up on it when times are tough.  In the end, Enzo breaks the boundary between us and a perfect world with this statement:“I know this much about racing in the rain. I know it is about balance. It is about anticipation and patience. I know all of the driving skills that are necessary for one to be successful in the rain. But racing in the rain is also about the mind! It is about believing that one’s car is merely an extension of one’s body. It is about believing that you are not you; you are everything. And everything is you” (pg. 270).

Friendship Is A Golden Sun
3/14


Author’s Note: In this piece, I wanted to include three components: symbolism, figurative language, and word choice. The golden sun described represents friendship and all of the reasons why it is so important. Throughout the process of creating this piece, I really struggled with including lots of figurative language while still making each line rhyme in each stanza.
*  the word rife means abundant or plentiful


I bask in the glory of the golden sun---
A light from which I will never run.
It’s a feeling that makes our world brighten
It’s a miracle that is just waiting to happen.

It’s a bond that supplies our souls with life
With rays that protect us from grief and strife.
The joy cuts through us like the blade of a knife
It takes us on a journey where love is so rife*.

We need the sun through good times and bad.
You could say it is like a notepad,
Filled with all sorts of memories that we’ve previously had,
Spectacular yet perplexing memories I might add.

The sun dances in the sky for all to see
In celebration of you and me
That we will choose to always be
The two who stand most proudly

Every star is surrounded by this beautiful light
That stands up to the darkness of the night
There is no doubt it will always shine bright
And make life a truly spectacular sight.




Angels
1/15

Author’s Note: Do you believe in angels? If you do, have you ever wondered what they look like or what they do up in heaven? Recently, I have been really interested in books by Jodi Picoult because of the topics that her stories are written on. In this short story, I wanted to choose a topic that I cared and thought about often---angels. I didn’t want to make this piece too long, so it may feel a little rushed. Pay attention to the vocabulary that I used and if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.



Sometimes I wonder if guardian angels are supposed to help you. I see so many people who are suffering from so much pain, and yet, their lives never get any better. I think this is why nobody believes in them. Honestly, if everything in everyone’s lives were perfect--or at least close to perfect--think of how many more people would respect and worship them. I also wonder about what they are doing up in heaven. Are they truly watching over the people on earth, or are they just basking in the glory of God, not paying any attention? Do they really have precious wings and cloaks made of the finest silk? Were they just born as angels or did they live a regular life like any other person? Some may even wonder, do they even exist? All of these questions constantly overwhelm my mind.....or at least, they did. After what I’ve been through, everything that I didn’t understand about these gorgeous creatures, became crystal clear.

...

I died on August 15th, 2012 at the age of 2. At birth, I was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer called bronchoalveolar carcinoma, also known as BAC. This type of cancer forms inside of a person’s lungs, unlike other cancer types that form on the lining. Turns out, I had two large tumors in my left lung, and three smaller tumors in my right lung. The surgeons wanted to perform surgery, but my body was so small and sensitive---it would be a difficult task. Yet, it was the only choice they’d had. During the weeks prior to my surgery, I suffered from a ton of chest pain, persistent coughing, and coughing up blood. I cried constantly, for the pain was unbearable! My parents were extremely worried, but they did their very best to keep me alive. That was my most valuable blessing from God, He had given me loving parents that would never leave my side. Whenever they were in the same room as me, I could almost feel as if all of my pain had escaped from my body. It was the best feeling in the world, to know that you were in the presence of someone you loved, and because of it, you were walking on sunshine.

I could tell when I was going to have my surgery because my mom and dad were bawling their eyes out the day before. Both of them kept looking at me with hopeful eyes whispering to each other, “Isn’t she just beautiful? Soon she’ll be a regular girl like everyone else!” and “I just love her so much! I can’t wait until she’ll be free of all pain.” Over and over again they’d talk about how much brighter my future would be....if only they were right. For my surgery, the doctors put me to sleep. As I dreamed of: fairy princesses, unicorns, and other things that 5 month-old children would dream of, the surgeon had tried to remove as many tumors as he could out of my lungs. Unfortunately, it was no use. The cancer had spread throughout my entire rib cage and I had also developed a bad case of pneumonia---things were going nowhere but downhill. Fifteen hours later, I had not 7 tumors, but 5. Because of this decrease, I was able to survive the next year and a half. My parents were completely devastated at the news that I would only live another year or so. They didn’t want to tell me, they tried their best to hide their emotions. But I knew. I knew I was going to die.....soon.

The day before I died, August 14th, it was sunny outside. It was just like any other day, my mom and I planned to stop by the beach where we could keep ourselves cool against the 100 degree heat. I was in the process of surrounding my sand castle with a moat when I coughed up the largest clump of blood I had ever coughed up in my entire life. It plopped right into my beautiful castle. I looked around and a couple of people had stopped in their tracks to stare and me and the mess that I’d made. My mother was not a part of that group of people. That moment I quickly  crawled up to my mom sitting on her beach towel. At the sound of my moan, she sat up and stared in the direction I was pointing. I could see her eyes get wide as she picked me up and started running towards the car. She didn’t even take the time to collect our things, just started sprinting to the Jeep.

We drove straight to the hospital without looking back. Nurses nicely greeted us as we burst through the door. On my way into the arms of a doctor, I coughed up even more blood, its bright, red stain covered his entire coat. He didn’t notice though, the only thing that he cared about was getting me into an emergency room. The next couple of hours were mostly a blur. Chaos was everywhere. My dad had been notified that I was in the hospital and he rushed to the building as fast as he possibly could. For a while, I just stayed in the hospital bed and rested. Yes, I continued to puke up blood, but it had slowed down for the most part. At ten o’clock that night, my parents wished me good night. With tears in their eyes, they each kissed me long and hard and whispered “I love you baby....so much.” I’m sure they would have said more if they knew that I was going to die seven hours later.

I did not make any sound as I died. In my mind I was still in my bed, the only difference was, my guardian angel was standing beside me. She told me that everything would be okay and that I shouldn’t worry. At the moment, I was nowhere near worried, instead, I was overwhelmed. My angel slowly reached for my tiny body to pick me up, her grasp felt comforting and loving just like my mother’s. Next, we began to rise, rise up and up and up with the world staying behind, slowly disappearing out of sight.

…

I was overwhelmed by a bright, blinding light. For a long time, I couldn’t tell where I was because of it. All I knew, was that I was in a place that I’d never been before. There was beautiful music being played faintly in the distance while soft, wispy clouds were swirling around my ankles. My heart began to flutter and my soul began to dance, I was so cheerful all of a sudden...and I didn’t know why. It was as if I was in the happiest place in the world! If only I knew exactly where this magnificent place was. During the next period of time, I began wandering around the scene, looking for anyone who could tell me where I was. Instead of finding a person though, I found a huge, golden gate. Engraved in the gate were all kinds of pictures such as: musical instruments, fruit, saints, and angels. It had to have been the most gorgeous gate I had ever seen in my entire life, and right before my eyes, it began to open.

Inside of the gate, I could see an array of people, most of whom I had never seen in my life. Each and every person was truly welcoming though. As I walked in, they all looked towards me and started chanting, “Welcome! Welcome to the kingdom of the Lord! Sweet daughter of God, welcome to His home. Welcome to Heaven!”
…

So I was in heaven. Yeah, that’s where I was. I’m not joking either, for I was actually there! I had seen the Lord God with my own eyes! He looked exactly as I thought He would; He had friendly eyes, a kind heart, and a smile that made you all jumpy inside. Teenagers might describe it as looking your crush straight in the eye and slowly coming closer until your lips meet. Of course, I will never know what that is like, but I assume it must feel like this. The Lord’s voice was gentle, yet strong, just like my father’s was---I could listen to his voice all day. Once God had seen me walk in, His eyes brightened and joyfully pronounced, “Welcome my child! Welcome! Please, please come closer. Do not be afraid!” I briskly walked over to Him, I was so excited to truly meet the Lord! When I was a short distance away from Him, He looked me over with his beautiful, breathtaking eyes. “I believe you are worthy! Please, go follow Gabriel little one.” He directed. What was I worthy for? To stay in heaven possibly? If so, what were all of those other people doing just inside the gate? Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? It’s probably something completely unexpected....

He was the real Gabriel, yes, the angel that appeared before Mary. Even I still can’t believe that I was walking right alongside him. Although, nothing seemed believable the past couple of....hours maybe? Gabriel led me into a small circular room with magnificent beams, stained glass windows, and art that looked as if Van Gogh had painted it himself! The affectionate angel asked me if I could stand on a small platform which lay in the center of the room. I did as I was told. Moments later, Gabriel knelt before me and began praying---I had absolutely no idea why. I’ll bet nobody would believe what happened just after that.

A soft, cool breeze began to circle my body as a luxurious gown made of the finest silk brushed up against my skin. The bottom fell just below my knees in a mess of tool and embellishments. Diamonds covered the entire dress from top to bottom as well as delicate flowers and lace. I was barefoot and there were no sleeves but a stunning cross necklace hung loosely around my neck. My hair was tied back with lovely barrett while flower petals sat atop my head. I felt like the most beautiful girl in the world! This was the first time I’d ever felt this way, and let me tell you, I wanted it to last forever. As I basked in the glory of my dress, I glanced down to see Gabriel not staring at me, but something behind me. I could just barely see the edge of a pair of elegant, feathery wings. Once I saw them, they started to flap as if they were super jubilant to see my face. Moments later, I rose higher and higher and began flying across the room with my wings, gleefully screaming and shouting for Gabriel to come join me. Yes, the delighted angel came to have fun as well, but not before he slowly placed a small ring above my head. A burst of golden light from the ring lighted the entire room, an exhilarating sight to see! Officially, I became an angel. Can you believe it? I was an angel! And I still am today. In the end, I always will be.

In the end, I’ll always be on top of the world.