Fireside poet analysis Reflection blog

The Fireside poets were major influences during the Romanticism period and shaped the way that the writing style of that time period was influenced. The Romantic period was very nature oriented and descriptive like in the poems Autumn and Flower-de-Luce. These poems are attractive to there readers by there descriptive language that transports their readers into the world of the poem and its characters. The poem Autumn is about the harvest and the fall. "Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended/ So long beneath the heaven's o'erhanging eaves;/  Thy steps are by the farmer's prayers attended;" (Longfellow 9). The in depth description of the moon and the importance of it to the farmer and his livelihood. The farmer depends on nature for his income and food to feed his family and enough to sell in the market. The nature described in the story is depended on the farmer. The rain, oxen, leaves and the moon all help the farmer with his work. The Romanticism period was influenced by nature and during this time nature play a big part of some people's lives like the farmer who need a good harvest.

               The poem Flower-de-Luce was another poem written by a Fireside Poets and just like the other writers in the Romanticism period were influence by nature and described the beauty of the nature they saw around them. "His tales initially seem to draw our focus to a narrator who introduces characters and events. But Hawthorne's stories begin much earlier, in fact, commencing with landscape descriptions that set our goose bumps in motion"(Johanyak).  This statement is true for most writers of the Romanticism period because they treat the landscape just like the character and take the extra time to develop it into a living breathing thing just like the characters that live on the that land.

 "How beautiful it was, that one bright day/ In the long week of rain!/ Though all its splendor could not chase away/ The omnipresent pain"( Hawthorne 1).

This is an example of how Hawthorne uses the landscape as a character. He describes the day in depth much like an author would discuss the life of character and how they act. Again later on he describes the meadow and the river as if they were just as much as part of the story as the characters that they are about.  The poem also adds in some mythology that has been previously seen in other stories we have read the tale of Aladdin and his tower is presented in the final stanza and the mention of how the widow was never finished and that is how it will remain. This is saying that the hole in Aladdin's tower is like the man's hole in his heart from the lose of his friend it will never be filled. Both of these poems are great examples of the Romantic style of writing.

 Johanyak, Debra. "Romanticism's Fallen Edens: The Malignant Contribution of Hawthorne's Literary Landscapes." CLA Journal 42, no. 3 (March 1999). Quoted as "Romanticism's Fallen Edens: The Malignant Contribution of Hawthorne's Literary Landscapes" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Young Goodman Brown, Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc.


"Sonnets. Autumn. The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 1893. Complete Poetical Works." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 12 Dec. 2011.


"Hawthorne. Flower-de-Luce. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 1893. Complete Poetical Works." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 12 Dec. 2011.  

Journal 20

The poem Autumn is a way descriptive poem that is a great example of the Romantic period writing. The poem is about the farmers and the people getting ready for autumn and the harvest. The poem also focuses on the beauty of nature during autumn and the adjectives that they use to describe the beauty of nature is beautiful and that is what the Romanticism writes about. "Upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand"( Longfellow 6). This bridge of gold could be the grain that that would save the people because it feeds them. The royal hand is the farmer and how he is the king of his farm and he is rich because he can feed his family.

"Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended
So long beneath the heaven’s o’erhanging eaves;" (Longfellow 9).
This Longfellow quote is an example of the descriptiveness of the Romanticism period they could have just called it a moon but instead it is the red harvest moon suspended beneath the heavens. This detailed description about nature involves both the elements in the Romanticism period that are important.

" Thy steps are by the farmer’s prayers attended;
Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves;"( Longfellow 11).

This statement expresses the the farmer's desire for a good harvest and a good money for the crops he had grown. The leaves turn color and glow like fire and this way of describing the leaves is very interesting. The shine of the leaves in the light of the harvest moon is very descriptive and this beauty could mean a great harvest and good crop.

I think this is an awesome poem and very descriptive and related to the Romanticism period. The farm related sense is related to the the area that we will live and could be used to describe what goes on around the harvest time near us or any farm land area. Erob took charge of the classroom and it is semi controlled so glad it s Friday. I really want to go home.

Longfellow. "Sonnets. Autumn. The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 1893. Complete Poetical Works." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 08 Dec. 2011..

The Chambered Nautilus Reflection

"A nautilus is a shelled mollusk whose growth is only stopped by death" ( Love). The Chambered Nautilus is the description of the shell of the nautilus and the tale of everywhere they think that shell might have been. The Chambered Nautilus is extremely descriptive and uses older Greek mythology creatures in the story to give the nautilus shell a long with a past that is unknown. The first stanza describes a boat sailing in the sea with the sails carrying it along the gulf and the coral reefs where the sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair. The nautilus shell could have seen and swam along these same seas and lived with the mermaids and the sirens. The shell of the nautilus is empty but the finder can discover how old it is by the number of rings along its back and the person does not have the actual animal and this leads his imagination to create a story for this shell. "In gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings,/ And coral reefs lie bare,/ Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair " (Holmes 5). This is one of the adventures that the finders believe that the shell could have gone on. The mythology that the author uses is very neat in joining to different and adds a neat twist to this Romanticism piece of writing. Another piece of mythology that was interesting was the tale that they had King Triton using the nautilus shell as a horn ( Huff).

The descriptive language that the author uses a big reason why it belongs in the Romanticism period. "This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,/ Sails the unshadowed main,-/ The venturous bark that flings/ On the sweet summer wind it purpled wings"( Holmes 1). The descriptive adjectives used in the opening of the poem really show the great use of words to make the story more interesting and exciting to reader. The childlikeness of the stories about where the shell and the nautilus himself has traveled. This is another element of the Romanticism period that is seen in most of the writings of the Romanticism period. "Year after year beheld the silent toil/ That spread his lustrous coil;/ Still, as the spiral grew,/ He left the past year's dwelling for the new," (Holmes 15). This quote is like a life cycle and year after year we gain more life and just like the shell of the nautilus we hold on to the memories of years past and eventually we feel the weight of our shell in our old age. The nautilus's shell tells his age like the tombstone tells ours but we leave memories with others and we have to make up the stories of the nautilus. "Let each new temple, nobler than the last,/ Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,/ Till thou at length art free,/ Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!" (Holmes 33). This ending quote about new temples and making them better than before is saying that do your best and have fun in your life trying to make it more rewarding and exciting than the last. These men wanted to live their lives out and sea and become like the nautilus shell left to travel the ocean floor exploring new things everyday.

"801. The Chambered Nautilus. Oliver Wendell Holmes. 1909-14. English Poetry III: From Tennyson to Whitman. The Harvard Classics." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 07 Dec.

Huff, Randall. "'The Chambered Nautilus'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Love, C. "'The Chambered Nautilus'." In Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Tom Walker and Van Winkle Reflection

The story of Tom Walker and Rip Van Winkle are both the tales of men who still cling childhood and seem to have wives that nag a lot but they only do so because they are stuck in this childhood state that is common in the Romanticism writing. "However Tom might have felt disposed to sell himself to the devil, he was determined not to do so to oblige his wife, so he flatly refused, out of the mere spirit of contradiction"( Irving 246). This quote gives an example of the childish ways of Tom just like a teenager he does the exact opposite of what he is told. In the tale of Rip Van Winkle Washington Irving also presents a man who does not have great work ethic and again believes that he is still a child. This element of childhood is one the characteristics that separates the Romanticism period from the others. " The children of the village, too, would shout with joy whenever he approached. He assisted at their sports, made their playthings, taught them to fly kites and shoot marbles, and told them long stories of ghost, witches, and Indians" (Irving). The fact that Rip Van Winkle does not do more important busy and instead spends his time playing with the children shows that he has not grown up yet and wants to be one of the kids."Rip is driven from his home and later away from his friends thanks to the intercession of his wife, who is constantly berating him to make more of himself. His final refuge is to take to the woods, hunting with his dog Wolf and enjoying the peace and quiet as he stalks squirrels and other small game (D'Ammassa). His wife needs him to do more and work a little harder she hears about all the things he does during the day for others but when it comes to his home and family he does not help and that causes the nagging he gets from his wife. Both Rip Van Winkle and Tom lived in a child like state for Tom this costed him his wife and himself because he never wanted to become the person that worked in that counting house ruining peoples lives.

Washington Irving uses great detail in both the tale of Rip Van Winkle and Tom Walker and the Devil the descriptions that go into the characters and the scenes is a new element that was started in the Romanticism period. "At the foot of these fairy mountains the voyager may have descried the light smoke curling up from a village whose shingles roofs gleam among the trees, just where the blue tints of the upland melt away into the fresh green of the nearer landscape"(Irving). This dramatic and beautiful description of the scenery helps the reader get a clearer picture in the writing and makes the writing of the Romanticism so much more interesting to reader than some of the older writing because you want a clear picture of where everything is happening and what everyone looks like. " A few miles from Boston, in Massachusetts, there is a deep inlet, winding several miles into the interior of the country from Charles Bay, and terminating in a thickly wooded swamp or morass. On one side of this inlet is a beautiful dark grove, on the opposite side the land rise abruptly from the water's edge into a high ridge, on which grow a few scattered oaks of great age and immense size" (Irving 242). This description from The Devil and Tom Walker is another example on how the stories are both very similar to each other and the Romanticism era.

D'Ammassa, Don. "'Rip Van Winkle'." Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Matthews, Washington Irving. "4. Rip Van Winkle By Washington Irving. Matthews, Brander. 1907. The Short-Story." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 06 Dec. 2011.

Irving, Washington. "The Devil and Tom Walker." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 242-250. Print.

William Cullen Bryant Thanatopsis Reflection

The poem Thanatopsis translates into "View of Death" and this poem is all about mortality and coming to terms with death (Huff). The poem begins with light and airy just like a child's life and their worries about death. They have no worries about death it is just a thing that happens to others."To Him who in the love of Nature holds/ Communion with her visible forms, she speaks/ A various language; for his gayer hours/She has a voice of gladness, and a smile" (Bryant 1). The beauty of life is precious and it will eventually end just like nature goes though life so do the trees and other wildlife. The speaker of the poem does not believe that death will come to him at the beginning but towards the end he sees his death and almost welcomes it because he has come to terms with the ending of time. This romantic period presents the beauty of life even in the face of death. "Nor in the embrace of ocean, shall exist/ Thy image. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim/ Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again,/ And, lost each human trace, surrendering up" (Bryant 21). This description of the beautiful Earth and the fact that this is were you will die and be buried in the ground or in the sea does not seem so dark and scary the way the Romantic writers present it.

The darkness of the narrow house that the will soon be everyone's final resting place could have been written simple as a coffin (Huff). This lighter version of a person's final resting place being a house is more friendly than the darkness of a a small box made of wood.

"Yet not to thine eternal resting place/ Shalt thou retire alone, nor couldst thou wish/ Couch more magnificent. Thou shalt lie down/ With patriarchs of the infant world,- with kings, / The powerful of the earth, - the wise, the good,/ Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past,/ All in one mighty sepulchre"(Bryant 31).

The poem also express the equality of death and that everyone will eventually rest here and that even the mightiest, and wealthiest can not escape death. The equality of the death among everyone makes the Earth the collective crypt and this brings the idea of the dead being buried everywhere (Huff). Death is part of the circle of life and each person will come to face it but it many different ways. We die just as the trees and animals do it is part of the circle that never ends. Once you die you become a part of the ground and that ground grows plants and animals eat plants. These plant eating animals will be eaten by bigger animals or will die and eventually the one's eating the smaller animals will die and the circle of life starts again. Thanatopsis is a life poem with the descriptive elements and beauty that is the Romantic period even when discussing the darkest of topics.

"16. Thanatopsis. William Cullen Bryant. Yale Book of American Verse." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.

Huff, Randall. "'Thanatopsis'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Journal 19

The natural and spirituality in the life cycle is extremely important in giving people hope and reason to live. The spirituality of a person I believe determines how they act and the choices they make. The choices that people make determine that person's character and one of the biggest decision that they make which determine the way they choice is their spirituality. Spirituality gives people hope and the feeling of security. People want to know what will happen to them and they need the feeling that someone is looking out for them. The knowledge that someone is their looking out for them like God in the Christian faith influences people. They know that if they make the right decisions they will be rewarded with the gates of heaven opening and them getting eternal life. But if an individual chooses badly they will seen the gates close and they are rejected but they still know they will meet an end and even though it is not a good one it is an end and the unanswered question about life after death is answered. The human spirit is a life changing thing and can give people the strength to believe and do almost anything. The natural life cycle starts with birth and ends with your death and the middle area is where your spiritual life takes control and the natural cycle of aging are present. The saying of live life like you were dying are something that could influence people do to anything and to believe. The belief that tomorrow or today could be your last gives people the hope to do what they thought they could never do before. The hope that family and friends can bring are able to change life or death. Someone could be dying and their hope and belief that they will make it could actually save their live. It also lets the people that are watching them have faith that their loved one will be okay whether they die and go to heaven or if they make it out alive. Life is to precious to waste and as it could all end in a minute. The best thing to do is to live your natural and spiritual life to the fullest and believe that everything is going to be alright.

Journal 18

The perfect autumn day is when the the leaves are perfectly turned yellow, red, and orange and a softly falling to the ground. The other day I was walking on the beach and it was cool and the you could smell the forest and feel the light cold wind hit me and the mush of the sand in between my toes. The smell of the fires that roast toasty marshmallows and carmel apples. The crispy crunch as you bite into the apple and the juice sprays on your face. The best autumn day would have to include a great big bonfire with a weenie roast and s'mores afterwards. The weather in fall is the best because you wear a pair of jeans with a sweater shirt and it feels fine. The cold has not completely taken over and you do not have to worry to much about wearing a big winter coat. The noise of the leaves crunching under your feet and the blowing of the wind and the whistling of the wind. Fall is the most awesomest season ever. The fall has the best events like Halloween and Thanksgiving, which rock. Halloween is awesome because you get to dress up like whatever you want and get free candy. Thanksgiving is amazing because you get to eat as much as you can all day but it is also the day where you are stuck watching football all day and it stinks. Fall is beautiful and it is great and I love the fall. The best part is whenever you go outside in the fall all of your senses are activated. Fall is great and you usually get to eat a lot of pie because Thanksgiving is a big party full of food and there is always leftover pie and stuff for someone to eat. I am so excited for apple and pumpkin pie. We are having fried turkey and it is going to be great and I am going to be so excited and tomorrow is pie making night family tradition.

Journal 17

Nature is really yucky sometimes and I have never been camping in my life so I really do not get the bond the wilderness. I love the ocean and the beach which are the best places in the world the sun warming your skin and the fresh cool water that makes you feel awesome. I would love to go camping once in my life with the whole hiking in a National Park and setting up a tent. My family's idea of camping and bonding with nature is the view from the hotel window and the pool. The ocean is the best and I love visiting. You get a nice tan in one day and can lay out in the sand which is nice and warm. The salty water makes your skin feel nice the only downside to the beach is the crazy amount of sand that is stuck to your body all over and it takes forever to get rid of it all. That is the worse part of the beach the insane amount of sand that is everywhere. I love the water and another awesome bonding experience with nature would be the time we went white water rafting down the Leigh High river it was a twelve hour adventure in the water between these beautiful mountains and they were awesome. The air was warm and so was the water and it was a great day because I spent it with my family and we had a big adventure together. This makes hanging outside awesome. I can not wait for our next trip down the river in a few months we are planning to go down the river in the summer for my little sister's sixteenth birthday. Nature is cool but the rain and the cold really make the days stink and I do not like the cold cloudy days. I can not wait for the summer months because the winter stinks and I hate the cold. I can not wait for the first snow though because that is so pretty to look at.

Journal 16

This project is a type of experiment to see how well we can work without see or even knowing the people in our group. This makes us extremely dependent on the Internet and computer access and hoping that people will respond in a timely manner. We can use email and cell phones to communicate what needs to be done and distributed. This experience is a really good way to teach students how to interact among people that we do not know and work together to complete a project. When we get to college we are going to have to work with people who we do not know well and have to work around different schedules and find out how to make it all work out. I can not wait to go to college and I cannot wait till I am done with high school. This new way of social media is dehumanizing in a way because we are not meeting the people and that is isolating people and destroying or human to human relationships. Eventually people are not going to be able to speak because the people are so dependent on technology to communicate their views and thoughts. I like to make posters and do presentations that do not involve technology. We may have to make a todays meet to also keep everyone connected to the project. I do not have a facebook and I do not want one because I do not like the fact that people could know my whole life. What is it with the technology obsession that is making Americans socially dumb in real life. This is why we have dating sites and other social media ways of communication. I kind of wish I lived in the sixties with the sock hops, poodle skirts, and drive in movies. That was a great time in history every one knew each other in the town by talking with them and have a actual conversation and being involved in their community. You should feel more connected to people by seeing them face to face instead of just interacting with them over the Internet they are a person but people are not always the same online as they are in person.

Journal 15

Long distance communication is hard to keep in touch with others and limits some of the things that can be done. Most of my family lives in New York so we use facetime and skype to communicate with each other. The difficult part is not knowing if the person is going to do their share of the project and if they do not you have to find be able to either stress the importance of them doing there part or you have to do it yourself. I dislike group work a lot because people do not always do their share and getting the work done is sometimes hard and the group is usually forced to work outside of class. Getting together is going to be impossible for this project so we have to rely on other means of communication like email and that sometimes is not always perfect. People forget about things and are not always going to remember and you can not be there to remind them you have to rely on them checking their email or whatever means of communication the group uses. Group projects with people not in the same area are even harder because they rely on the Internet and computers and if an individual does not have one of these necessary tools they are going to have a hard time trying to work on the project. Another factor is the fact that you do not know who these people are and how reliable and hard working there are until after they forget something or do not do their homework. I do not have a facebook page because I hate the Internet a lot and this might be a problem but it can be fix pretty easily. The communication has to be constant for everyone to know exactly what needs to be done and to check up on the others in the groups. This project should be really cool and different than others that we have done and I am excited to see how this works.

Ben Franklin Virtues

Deism is the belief that God created the world and everything it it but after creating it he let nature take its course(What Is Deism). Ben Franklin was a deist in the way he thought about his virtues because he was the one taking control of his life and making his own decisions not having God controlling his every move. Ben Franklin believes in God and is a Christian, but is not a full deist just in his belief of virtues. The thirteen virtues that Ben Franklin created were designed for men but they were unrealistic in many ways just like deism. The virtues were designed to create perfect people who did not make any mistakes, which being human is impossible. No one is perfect except for God which is part of the thirteenth virtue, which states: "Humility- Imitate Jesus and Socrates" (Franklin 150). This imitation could possible set expectations to high and no one could follow all the virtues all the time. Deism allows the the people to determine morality from nature but everyone has a different sense of wrong and right and would have different standards for their virtues(What Is Deism).

Deism's faults lie in the people because that is deism there is a God but he stepped aside and decided to the let the people chose their own path that they believed would be right for them( What Is Deism). Ben Franklin chose to create his thirteen virtues and decided that that was how he was going to live. He still remained close to God using the words of the Lord to help him fulfill his task to be a man of virtue.

"O powerful Goodness! bountiful Father! merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolution to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to Thy other children, as the only return in my power for Thy continual favours to me"(Franklin 155).

The quote that lies in his little book is one from God but the Deist do not believe that God has control in a persons live and that we live by our own choses and we determine what is right and wrong(What Is Deism). The virtues are from a deist point of view because they make a plan on how you should act without the influence of God. The virtues represent an outline of how Ben Franklin believed people should act and this similar to deism where it is up to the individual to decide how to live(What Is Deism). The way Ben Franklin used his virtues was a Christian way and this makes it seem like the virtues were more Christian but it is not God telling them or making them live this way. You could say that the virtues were based on the Ten Commandments and in a way they might have been but the Ten Commandments were created by God and they were how God wanted people to live and again this not how the deist see things(What Is Deism).

"What Is Deism? | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry." CARM - Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1895. Print.

Journal 14

Today I awoke to the rising sun and climbed the ladder the candles were lit and a small fire burned in the chimney. The kitchen smelled of baked bread that mother had cooked earlier that morning. I sat at the small wood kitchen table with my bread and drank a small glass of milk getting ready to head out to the print shop and help my master Ben Franklin. I finished eating and washed my face in the stream outside the back door. There was a small breezy as I walked slowly past the town Inn and skipped along past the small farm seeing the cows. It was early when I arrived at the shop and I quietly let myself in the back door with the key that we hid under the bottom step. I walked in and turned on the printing press, started the fire, and got the paper ready for the news that my master will write and I would copy. Each morning I completed the these simple tasks and got everything set up so that when Master Franklin walked in all he had to do was write. Master Franklin was a brilliant man and I was happy to work under him as an apprentice and knew that he would teach me all the need knowledge to become as successful as him. Each morning Master Franklin walked in with a smile on his face carrying his little black notebook that he carried making dots when he felt himself losing control of his virtues. He quoted his virtues all the time while he thought, wrote his stories, and invented his amazing inventions. He spoke of his virtues so often that I could recite them myself and I found myself joining in reciting them with him as he mutter them throughout the day. We finished each day with a farewell as he left I stayed and cleaned up the stamps, put out the fire, and as I left I locked up the doors and dumped the ashes out and continued home and I repeated this routine about every day.

Journal 13

The American Dream today is very different than what it was about half a century ago with the two story house and the white picket fence. The American Dream back in the day was the dream of having an opportunity of freedom and work and being able to do whatever you dream of. Having a nice little house in the suburb with two point five kids and a dog was considered the best thing during the time. The American Dream today is slightly different everyone’s is now different because everyone wants something else because they have so many more options and possibilities in life. Some people dream of having money and power others simply dream of going to college and getting a good job. My dream is to get a great job and have my own house and later on start a family. The American Dream could be anything these days. People original came to America for freedom of religion and this was their dream. The American people then dreamed for independence and this common dream lead to the revolution and this revolution gave the American people more rights and freedoms. America was built on dreams and the want of the people and these dreams fuel the American spirit and the drive for the future. People dream of success and happiness just like the original motto of America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The dreams of all the American people are now equally achievable were before the men were the ones American Dreams could be completely fulfilled but now the women can achieve their dreams just like men instead of being trapped as a housewife. The dream of the people could be anything like sky diving, or climbing the tallest mountain now a days the sky’s the limit. The American Dream is no longer focused on having a perfect little family in the suburb with a boy and a girl playing in the front yard now it is about the success you want for yourself.

Journal 12

The rules of right and wrong would be very simple and clearly stated because the rules of right and wrong vary between different situations. If people could have rules that apply to all situations then there would not be as many awkward moments that you have to figure out a way out of the situation. It is like little kids who play games like school but they change the rules. Rule one would be if you know you are not going to say something nice do not say anything at all. That is a simple rule that would prevent people from fighting and having their feelings hurt. Rule two would be that you have to be honest and lying would result in jail time. Last night Emily my little sister lied and I was getting so frustrated because she keep on lying trying to convince me that she did not but the computer's history does not lie. She knows that she is not supposed to touch my computer and straight out lied and continued lying to me over and over again saying that she did not do anything. Emily did not understand that the history does not lie and I'm pretty sure that while I am at swimming practice that I was reading The Real Housewives of New Jersey's blogs or checking out her good reads account. She is so dumb that trying to cover up her lie she said that her and mom were on it a few days ago but the history is dated and the dummy thinks I can not read. I hate lying it drives me crazy. Rule three would be that government workers do not get any money until they fix the economic issues that threaten the American people who are hurting everyday because they can not pay their bills. Rules would be made on the basics of honesty, trust , and how much people get done. People have to be productive in order to get stuff done and if you are lazy and wait for people to do things for you, you will not get far in life. Rules are meant to be fair and everyone has to pull their own weight.

Franklin Reflection

Benjamin Franklin writing style reflects that of the rationalism period, which involves logical and analytical thinking compared to the writing style of Puritans who wrote more religious and believed God controlled everything. "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" explains the life of one of the biggest creators of the time. Ben Franklin created many important historical documents including helping to write the Constitution and also he invented glasses, a stove, daylight saving time, and a lightening rod (Divine). These ideas would have confused the Puritans because the believed that God had a part in everything and that he would provide everything they needed. Franklin's new inventions were made to get an answer to the question why. The question why was a big difference between the rationalism period and the Puritan era.

The Puritans did not ask the questions and believed that God was the reason for everything but the rationalism period was the start of exploring with experiments and God was not the entire focus of the people.

"He had some letters, and was ingenious, but he was an infidel, and wickedly undertook, some years after, to turn the Bible into doggerel verse, as Cotton had formerly done with Virgil. By this means he set many facts in ridiculous light, and might have done mischief with weak minds if his work had been published; but it was never" (Franklin 106).

This statement showed that the people living in the area were using there brains some maybe not for the right reason like Dr. Brown. Dr. Brown was a smart man in his practice most likely but he was involved with some poking fun at the Bible which would be unheard of during the Puritan time.

The two pieces are alike in the way they are presented because in the Puritan writing such as Mary Rowlandson's "A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson" where the story is presented in a diary format. Both these pieces are written in that format but the contents of them are completely different. Mary Rowlandson believes that God knows what He is doing and will provide what she needs to survive. "I repaired under these thoughts to my Bible (my great comforter in that time) and that scripture came to my hand, Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee" (Rowlandson 85). She refers to God as the provide and would never think that their was a power greater than His. The people during Franklin's time have God as a backdrop in their life and you can tell because the focus of the document is not completely on religion but instead the facts and reasoning is what really interested the people. "Then one of the company knew the place to be Cooper's Creek, a little above Philadelphia, which we saw as soon as we got out of the creek, and arrived there about eight or nine o'clock on the Sunday morning and landed at Market Street wharf"( Franklin 108). "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" has a lot of details which is not common in the simple sentences and structure of the Puritan writing style. The Puritans did not use a lot of detail they were straight forward this is how it is where the rationalism period left grey areas that required more description.

Rowlandson, Mary. "from A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson." Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 82-85. Print.

Franklin, Benjamin. "From The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 106-108. Print.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, H. W. Brands, and Ariela J. Gross. America Past and Present AP Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Journal 11

James Madison's proverb "One man's trash is another mans treasure" is a common theme in our house. My mom comes home with random stuff that they are going to get rid of at her hotel and brings it home because she gets a big idea about a way to reuse it. This weekend she brought home to giant bathroom mirrors that were going to get thrown away but instead of letting them go in the trash she brought them home. Emily and I asked her why she does it and she responded with do you know how much these mirrors cost. She spray painted them black and sliver so that they would look new. Theses stupid mirrors weight a ton and you can not just hang them on a wall they have to braced and its a big project. Before the mirrors she has brought home curtains and rods in an attempt to create a big movie curtain to go across the projector screen downstairs, but instead those curtains are hiding our furnace, air conditioning unit, Christmas, and other holiday decorations. The first big thing that she brought home was a potted tree. She brought home one one day and was hoping that she could save the tree because it was almost dead and she did. Once she saved that one she came home with four more of them and now they are all healthy trees and they are all over the house. These are heavy and big trees that have to be moved into the house for the winter and they shed all over. One man's trash is definitely another's treasure. The person who sees that as a treasure is my mom she has a way of turning trash into something useful. Some people just throw away broken or old stuff that they do not use anymore but instead they should think of a creative way to turn it into something different. Some people take old broken bathtubs and turn them into flower beds personally I think it looks tacky but to some its really cool. Reuse old junk is recycling which is awesome for the environment.

Thomas Paine Reflection

Thomas Paine was a patriot writer who rallied a lot of support for his side both before and during the Revolutionary War with his writings one of the most famous being Common Sense. This pamphlet rallied the patriots to boycott English products and just like Common Sense the author was inspiring war and why the colonists needed to separate from their mother country (Divine). Paine was a big rationalist writer and throughout all of his writings he is accused of being an atheist because his views were based on logic and reasoning instead of religion."The prosecution contended that Paine's book, by subverting the truths of Christianity, undermined the government and the constitution, both of which rested on Christianity" (Bald). The accusation that Paine was anti-religious was decision that did not have full truth. His writing style was logically and analytical which was what the new writing style was and the independence of the people had to be based on facts.

"Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to tax) but "to bind us in all cases whatsoever" (Paine 134).

Thomas Paine is talking to his already loyal patriots but is also hoping to gain support from the people who are not sure what side to choose (Divine). Thomas Paine wants the others to join his cause for the fight against freedom and the pamphlet was his way of gaining new supporters and also helped the patriots pass on information such as to boycott the English made products. Thomas Paine and the other patriots in the colonies were tired of the English taxes and wanted to escape their power. The colonists had lived well before the English lost in the Seven Years War which caused them to go broke and thats when they started paying attention to the Americans. Thomas Paine wanted to reach out to the people that were being taxed and taken advantage of by the British. He wanted them to fight for their freedom and in The Crisis he is wanting them to reject the British and come fight for their independence so they can make their own rules (Divine). "I call not upon a few, but on every State: up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake" (Paine 136).

This call for everyone to revolt against the British was a big moment in history the colonies were going from their small independent communities and united as one giant super power to fight their common enemy (Divine). Thomas Paine was a revolutionary writer who helped the colonist gain the need support and man power to defeat the British soldiers and gain independence (Divine). His writing rationalism writing gave people reason on why they should fight and information about why these things were happening. There was logic in The Crisis which could have influenced many to join the patriots or even maybe side with the loyalist.

Paine, Thomas. "The Crisis, No. 1." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009.134-136 . Print.

Bald, Margaret. "Censorship History of The Age of Reason."Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Religious Grounds, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, H. W. Brands, and Ariela J. Gross. America Past and Present AP Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Journal 10

The vocabulary assignment that is set for today should be due for Wednesday because then the students will have more time to work on other assignment such as the English blogs to re edit and make their corrections. The blogs are worth more points and have a bigger impact on our grades and therefore we should have more time to work on them to make them better. The vocabulary words are simple and writing is extremely important and having correct grammar and citations throughout our blogs will help us do better in more classes because we will have the experience we need to write and good paper with correct citations and avoid plagiarism. If we spend time working on vocabulary we will not have as much time to really work on and understand MLA format and if we do not work on the MLA format we are more likely to be excused of plagiarism. Plagiarism is a consequence that is more common than ever before because of the easy access to technology and other peoples work and if we do not know how to properly cite our sources. Knowing how to cite sources is a life skill that students need to learn to continue on in their education. If the student falls subject to plagiarism, they will receive lower grades and therefore fall behind in their plans for the future. This assignment is simple and will not take long to complete so by postponing it we give more time for the assignments that will impact our future and possible our careers and ability to get a job. The vocabulary assignment should be postponed to better allow the students to get caught up and have a better grades and have less stress put on the shoulders to complete everything and stay caught up. Students these days are under a lot pressure and they have many different events that take up most of their time and with one extra assignment could be the difference between staying up til eleven or getting to bed at a decent hour. With school, sports, after school activities, and family students have no time to breath and just be a kid.

Henry Speech Blog

The Rationalism writing style began around the time of the Enlightenment and also the Great Awakening which began to bring Christians back to their faith but separated God from government(Divine). The Rationalism era was started before the American Revolution and is what kind of prompted the American colonist to separate from England. The colonists were tired of England becoming involved in their affairs and taxing them. The colonists used logic and a united front to gain their Independence from England (Divine). "Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings" (Henry 117). The men of the Rationalism period are at war both within themselves and with England. The men have decided without the power of God that they relied on so much before that they need to separate from England(Divine).

The Puritans were strictly all about God doing everything for them and they never asked the question of why things happened. These men during Henry's time believed God was their Almighty King but unlike the Puritans they studied the world around them and why things happen. The Puritans believed that God controlled all things and that people were predestined to their faith and the members of this Rationalism period were fighting for what they wanted with the Revolutionary War (Divine).

"If the seventeenth century saw an explosion of true science (Kepler's formulation of planetary orbits, Newton's optics and laws of motion, Boyle's chemistry, Leibnitz's calculus), the eighteenth century saw science expanded and applied. Pure science (Buffon in zoology, Linnaeus in taxonomy, Priestley and Lavoisier in chemistry) vied with practical applications, as Watt patented the steam engine, Arkwright the spinning jenny, and Cartwright the power loom. Adam Smith demonstrated the logic of markets; astronomers strove to determine a practical method for determining longitude at sea. Diderot published the monumental Encyclopédie (focused less on philosophy and great ideas, one should recall, than on mechanical and technological processes), and Benjamin Franklin, that paragon of canny pragmatism, invented the lightning rod, bifocals, and a new stove while demonstrating the rational principles of economic success. Meanwhile faith in human perfectibility grew as philosophy sought, in human affairs, some equivalent to the laws of physics" (Cowart 2).

These men of the time period were the start of the Rationalism period which influenced many decisions that unified the Nation against the English. These men are the great men that began the research that has put a man on the moon and will one day maybe cure cancer. "They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging" ( Henry 117). Henry has decided that the English are the enemy and that if they do not stop the English's involvement in they will put the American colonists in chains like they have done to the African American slaves they have brought over by the thousands. The Rationalism period created a time that inspired revolt and discover in America.

Cowart, David. "The Luddite Vision: Mason & Dixon." American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography 71, no. 2 (1999): 341–43, 362–63. Quoted as "The Conflict Between Rationality and Spirituality" in Harold Bloom, ed. Thomas Pynchon, Bloom's Major Novelists. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. (Updated 2007.) Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Henry, Patrick. "Speech to the Second Virginia Convention." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 116-118. Print.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, H. W. Brands, and Ariela J. Gross. America Past and Present AP Edition. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

Journal 9

Once upon a time there was a little girl who had a big problem and she was so upset and did not know what to do. The little girl was getting ready for the biggest tea party in all the land. The little girl was looking in her closet for a pretty dress to wear to the tea party and she could not find the one she was looking for. The little princess was freaking out because she had a only an hour to get to the tea party and she was about to cry when she could not find her pretty party dress. The little was getting so upset that she would be late and would not be able to go because she could not find her dress. Her mother had hear her crying in her room and walked up the stairs to go see what was the matter. She walked quickly down the hall and knocked on the door with a slight tap. The little girl tried to muffle her tears and stop sobbing before the door creaked open. Her mom walked up next to her and sat down next to her little princess and ask what was the matter. The little girl fought back the urge to cry as she told her mother that she was missing her princess tea party dress that she wanted to wear to the party and that the party was starting really soon. The little girls mom asked her where was the last place that she saw her dress. The little princess sniffled back a big tear and told her mom that the last place she remembered her dress was in the laundry. The mom took her little girl down to the laundry room and they looked in the laundry on the floor and it was not there. The next place they checked was the laundry room closet and there in the back of the closet hanging up was the pretty tea party dress that the little girl wanted to wear. The little girl was so excited that she grabbed her dress and ran up the stairs and quickly put on her dress and ran down the stairs and jumped into the car and was so excited to go to the party. The little girl had a great time at the tea party and was so glad that she had found her dress. When she got home she hugged her mom and they had tea party together.

Journal 8

The best season ever is autumn because it is breezy and the leaves are changing colors and the weather is pleasant. I go to swimming practice and I drive home through Petersburg and the old Salem area and it looks awesome when all the leaves a different colors and starting to fall I love the look of autumn and also Halloween. Every year the Plains swim girls go to Terror on the Square and it is a great night that we spend at the Subway and then we go through the haunted house. The fall rocks because it is perfect bonfire night and Halloween is a night to get free candy and caramel apples. The only problem with the autumn weather and having swimming is that I do not have any heat in my car which makes it cold and I am wet. We are having chili for dinner which is the best dinner for a fall night that is chilly. The corn is coming down so now it is a lot easier to see around the area. Going to the pumpkin patch and picking out pumpkins to carve for jack- o- lanterns. Having fright nights in the basements and getting completely scare out of my mind with Olivia on the basement couch. We watched the old scary movies like the original Nightmare on Elm Street with Freddy coming for you. They have like eight Freddy movies and they are all pretty scary. I really want to watch the new version of A Nightmare on Elm Street for this years fright night and we also have this super scary movie called Trick or Treat and even Hannah Jackson said she was scared and that never happens. I can not wait to start fall fright night and also the fall season of television is starting like last night "The Vampire Diaries" started and it was freaking amazing can not wait for next week. Fall is the best time of year and fall also has the holiday that you get to stuff your face with food. An for Thanksgiving we go to see my mom's family in New York and I love that family because they are the best. Hopefully we will also be able to take a college visit on the way out. I can't wait to see McKenna and her cute little face, she is my first cousin on my mom's side and she is fifteen years later. Homecoming is also in the fall and that is always a good time. Fall is a time when there is always something fun to do and so many great things happen, but eventually it starts to snow and then you can not get out as much.

Journal 7

Bullying is an natural occurrence that affects both the victims and the bully and influences how they act throughout their lives. The bully until he is confronted will continue to bully people and pick on them because they do not know what they are doing is wrong. The bully will continue their ways because they think its okay and they are also insecure with themselves. This insecurity causes them to hurt other people to make them better about themselves and this way of self esteem is sad. Everyone has their own perception of themselves and they should like themselves and instead of bringing others down who are probably just like the bullying feeling insecure they should give a compliment. Saying something nice to someone goes a lot farther than bringing them down like if you give someone a compliment about them in the morning it makes you feel better for giving someone else a bit of confidence and the person who receives the compliment feels better about themselves and they enjoy that recognition which will make them feel great all day. If changed the way people think about themselves that bullying would be decreased by a lot in the real world we are influenced by the magazines and media on what is pretty. I read a article in a magazine a while back that talk about how mean we are to ourselves about what we look like and they found that women tell themselves about a dozen awful things about their bodies everyday and this leads to low self esteem and it is not healthy. The world has their own version of beautiful and it is a way too skinny super tall model that is beautiful but everyone is and the new Dove campaign that is fighting this version of perfect is doing amazing work and will change lives. Everyone deserves to feel pretty inside and out and by telling yourself these awful things that do not matter. In a perfect world bullying would not be a problem but it is and it really should not matter what is on the outside.

Journal 6

Blaming someone else for your own mistakes shows that you are a coward and are afraid to take responsibility for your own actions. IF you let someone else take the blame you also begin to get that guilty feeling that will literally eat you alive. I have a huge guilty conscious and I will not be able to eat or sleep if I feel guilty for something that I will eventually fix what I did wrong. The person who takes the fault for your mistakes is going to suffer your punishment and then when they get done they are going to come after you for revenge. A hopefully by then your guilty conscious is telling you to confess and most likely your punishment will be worse than the person's who took the blame. Your own punishment will be worse because you lied and threw someone else under the bus and then you get the second punishment which is going to come from the scapegoat. The person you blame will make you suffer most likely but if they forgive then you will be feeling even more guilty for want you made that person suffer. They would probably do anything to make it up to the person they blamed and that could last a long time. To avoid a guilty conscious you should always be honest and admit to your mistakes and take the punishment that will come with it. Honest is always the best policy and there is nothing better than having a guilty free feeling. I blame my little sisters for stupid little things that do not matter but then I admit that I did it and nothing really happens so I do not get bother by those little things that happen. They it is the little things that matter the most but you do not get in trouble for the little things when they happen. You get in trouble for the build up of little things that drive people crazy and you really do not want to take the blame for the massive build up that leads to a giant explosion that makes you want to run away and hide in a hole. The big explosion happens and all those stupid little things that drive people crazy create a big problem that you never wish to see happen.

Journal 5

Teenage punishments now involve the computer, cell phones, social networking sites, and the television compared to punishments that were giving to our parents which included house phone privileges and not being allowed to hang out with friends. The world of technology is changing quickly around us and the punishments are now all centered around technology. I believe that taking away kids technology is a fair punishment for them and that these punishments also take away their ability to talk with their friends. In my house punishment really does not affect me, but my sister on the hand gets in trouble a lot more. Unlike me it is really easy to take things away from her because she is more attached to her phone and ipod than I am. She also usually gets her stuff taken away because she refuses to use the cases that protect the items that she has. I am not attached at the hip with my phone or technological devices the only thing that would work for punishment for me is if my dvd player or cable box got taken away because the only way I can get to sleep is with either a movie on or criminal minds. I would die if that got taken away and I would lose a ton of sleep and be really angry. The punishments have had to change because the everyday the world is changing and technology is changing and the people in it are different. The world is not the same place that it used to be. There are new laws written everyday and new technology coming out that influence how a person acts and behaves. We are influenced by the environment around us and this causes some of our behaviors which lead to the typical punishments of technology being taken away. Punishments are varied among households and also how the parents of the teenagers were disciplined usually affects how they will discipline their own children and the cycle continues.

Journal 4

Every year I go out to visit my mom's family in New York. I spend about two months out there and it is an awesome time. I love seeing all my family and hanging out with them. I stay with my Aunt Kerry and Uncle John. My other aunts and uncles all come over all the time to hang out in the pool and every other year we have a big family reunion to get everyone together. The worse part about my vacation out East is the sixteen hour drive that it takes to get there. I hate sitting in a car for that long; my knees get really stiff and they hurt. My mom usually drives by the end I want to rip out my hair because my head hurts, I am tired, and the two younger siblings are driving me crazy. Spending my summers out there has really impacted by life in many ways. Getting to know my family is the best and by going to visit I get to have a relationship with them that I would not have if I did not see them. When we are all together it is always a great time whether we are sitting all together on the couch or playing Marco Polo in the pool. Some of my greatness memories come from the times I spent with my family out their. We went white water rafting once and that was flipping amazing. That is one of the coolest experiences of my life. These relationships that I have with my family even though I do not get to see them all the time makes them some of the most important people in my life. Family is number one you could live with nothing as long as you have your family behind you supporting your decisions. I love going out to New York to see my family for Thanksgiving and hopefully they may come out to visit earlier.

Journal 3

Being held hostage would probably be the worst thing ever and I would probably kill myself before I was release. It would also depend a lot on who was holding me hostage. Like if I was being held captive by the friendly Indian it might not have been so bad, but if I was captured by the Japanese during World War II; I would totally kill myself. The same goes for if I was living in a concentration camp. Out of the three I think the Indians might be the best bet for survival because they at least feed Mary and her life was not too bad. She was a slave but she was treated okay and it would not be so awful. I think I would be okay as an Indian captive but I would definitely be looking for a way to escaped from freedom. The feeling of being someone's property would completely devastate be the thought of not being able to do what I want when I want. People held in captivity turn out really crazy after they are released and have a ton of mental issues. I think that the people who survive their captivity have more issues after their captivity than before. The fairy tale world has created a cute story about being a hostage and that's the story of Rapunzel. She was trapped in a tower all her life but then that cute little story is nothing like the real accounts of some hostages. People try to act like hostage situations are not common but I sure there is some crazy guy holding a woman hostage in order to rob a bank or get away from the police. Being in a hostage situation would be a crazy dramatic experience that would change my life and I do not think I could ever feel safe again. Mary was in an awful situation but some of her kidnappers showed her kindness and care. She was still a slave and her sense of freedom was gone. In most cases being a hostage equaled death.

Journal 2

The school bell rang and all the little animals from the meadow started heading out to play after their long day of learning. The bunnies hopped along as fast as they could from the school house all the way to the playground were they saw the frogs had started jumping from one lily pad to the next. The two little bunnies were best friends and their was a new little bunny who had just moved in the hole down the road. Roger and his friend Jasper invite the new bunny over to play at Rogers house and stay for an afternoon snack. After they finished playing together at the school playground Roger went over to the new bunny Bobby and asked if he wanted to come over for an afternoon snack and to play at Roger's house. The three little bunnies followed Main Street and then turned right at the creek onto Creek Path Road were Roger and Bobby lived. When they reached Roger's house both Roger and Jasper took off their dirty shoes before entering the house. Bobby did not understand why the others had taken off their shoes because he thought they were going out to play after their snack. Roger and Jasper hopped into the kitchen where they found Bobby going through the cupboards looking for food. Roger asked him why he was going through the cupboards and also about him wearing shoes. Bobby did not answer the question but stopped looking through the cupboards. Roger pulled out three apples from the refrigerator and sliced them up then he grabbed some peanut butter and scooped some onto their plates. Jasper alutomatically said thank you but Bobby did not. This bothered both boys because they did not understand why Bobby did not use his manners. While the boys were swinging in Roger's backyard they asked the new boy why he did not take of his shoes or go through the cabinets, and not say please. The little bunny answered sadly that he did not his manners so the other two bunnies got an idea to teach Bobby everything they knew about using good manners and hospitality. They quickly started practices taking their shoes off at the door saying please and thank you. The three boys set up a practice dinner and the three boys practiced their manners, when Momma Bunny walked in from working in the yard she laughed and asked the boys what they were doing. The three friends answered politely that they were practicing good manners. Momma Bunny was so proud that she went into the freezer and scoop the boys some ice cream and together they replied thank you to Momma Bunny.

Journal 1

Long ago when the animals had just began to come to the deep jungle there was one animal that plagued all the other animals. The elephant was known to be a wise creature full of wisdom and had a honest heart but one little elephant began to tell lies to the others and as his lies grew bigger and bigger so did is trunk. The proud elephants did not original have such long trunks but as the wisdom and pride of knowledge grew the elephants began to lie to the other animals who looked up to the great elephants. The lies began with a little elephant named Oliver and as little Oliver walked to school he met up with his friends Leo the lion and Zoey the zebra. All the little animals traveled to school in the morning and sat down under the shade of the great tree. The elder turtle began to tell the class the story of how if someone in the great animal kingdom told a lie that their noses would begin to grow and the more that they lied the bigger and longer their nose would become. When the class was let out later that day the three friends headed to the water hole to splash around in the water after their long day. Oliver then told his friends that he did not believe what the elder turtle had said about lying and decided that it would be fun to try lying . Both Zoey and Leo told him not too but the little elephant did anyway. Nothing happened after is lie and he continued lying all the way home. When he came home that night he told his parents about elder turtle's story and how he had lied and nothing happened. The little elephant went to sleep that night with a strange feeling in his mind. The next morning the little elephant woke up with a tinkling in his face and when he got up to wash up for school Oliver stepped on a long gray colored thing that looked like a tree base and when he stepped on it Oliver felt a pain shoot through is already tingling face. Oliver quickly hurried down to the water hoping that his gray trunk that he was tripping on was not his nose. When Oliver came to the watering hole he found a empty spot by some tall grass to finally open his eyes and see what his new face looked like. Oliver saw that where his small nose used to was now a long and very large gray trunk that swung in all directions. He was so ashamed of his new nose that Oliver ran straight home and hide from everyone. Oliver's parents went looking for him and finally they found there son crying and all alone when Oliver looked at his parents he saw shock in their eyes. His parents were upset with Oliver that he had told so many lies but they did not punish the little elephant for he was so sad about his new trunk. His parents put their heads together to figure out a way to for the little elephant to feel better about his nose. They decided to lie and give themselves big trunks like his. The next day Oliver had to go to school and when he got up both his parents had big long trunks to and showed Oliver that he was not so bad. The little elephant learned that with this new nose he could reach high branches, spray water on himself, and move big logs in his way. The little elephant turned his lies into a useful tool but Oliver was teased by the others animals. He was not mad at the others because they did not know how useful his trunk was. The little elephant's trunk made him unique and his friends accepted him for who he was an when his friends asked if he would lie again the little elephant told them never again. This is how the elephant got his trunk.

Why Honors?

I am taking Honors English next year because I like to read and want to improve my terrible writing skills. I have been taking Honors English since freshman year and hope to continue through senior year. I also am taking the class so I can take get a extra credit and get my GPA higher so I can go to a good college. This class will probably also help me with my terrible computer skills because it took me like a half hour to figure out how to make a new post.