Turkeys Hate Thanksgiving

Authors Note: This is a Point of View essay on the poem Point Of View by Shel Silverstein. I am trying to work on analyzing the POV of a story and rewriting it in another POV.

Chicken, turkey, and duck, what do all these items have in common? Yes I know there foods but, they also come from animals. These three items and all the others that America has to offer, come from animals that we eat. I’m sure it’s not fun for the animals but what do you think the animals would say or do through their point of view. Even when they are on our plates ready to be eaten, what do you think they would say back to you? Shel Silverstein wrote a poem called Point Of View in order for us to think about what a Turkey or duck would say in their point of view.

From the point of view from Shel in this poem shows us how bad he feels about eating the meal in front of him. Thinking about how the turkey or chicken in front of him thinking about what they are thinking what is going to happen to them. Shel thought that the food would be scared and mad all at the same time, in which he was right. At one point in time he didn't think about what his food thought of him. Once the image popped into his head about his foods’ point of view, he would never look at his food the same way again.

The turkey on your dinner plate has a different perspective to you compared to you looking at it. If your food could speak English it would probably same something like “Why do you think you’re allowed to eat me? You took my mother for last year’s Thanksgiving, my Uncle Joe for Christmas two years ago. And now you’re taking me too, why don’t I eat one of your family members for a change.” Yeah, he’d be pretty mad. Reading the poem from the turkey’s point of view would be scary because he would explain how he is getting eaten limb by limb. Also, he would try running away from your plate but his legs were cut off and giving to your sister Lucy. The turkey might also explain his theory in which you even care about him or not. He might be wondering if you think about the turkey or his family in which has already been eaten. Either way, this turkey would not be happy in any perspective you put it in.

Looking t this poems two perspectives really changes this story around. It goes from a man feeling bad about his dinner. To a turkey furious about how you treat him and his friends. Point of view can change a story drastically just by looking at it in different ways. Next time you eat chicken, or turkey for dinner, try looking at the foods point of view and maybe then you might see why turkeys hate Thanksgiving.

Tigers Are Friends, Not Food

Authors Note: This is a theme essay about the book Life Of Pi. The theme to this book is "Determination." I am trying to work on my sentence fluency. 

What would you do if you were stuck in the middle of the ocean with only a tiger as a companion? I know, scary thought isn’t it. It takes real guts not only to face a tiger, but not to give up when you are starving at the same time. Pi got through this situation though. No I’m not talking about cherry pie, I am talking about Pi Patel. A 16 year old boy her was one of many who survived a sinking boat. Pi and Richard Parker (The tiger) have to stay alive and not give up hope. It takes real determination to make it through a hard-hitting situation like this.

Pi needed to stay hopeful and determined in order to get to land; otherwise he wouldn’t live to tell his story. Pi built a raft in order to stay away from his tiger friend but soon after the raft had gotten lost in the ocean and they have to share the small boat. All they had for food was water cans and crackers until it got lost and both Pi and Richard Parker had to help each other for food. After their food ran out they needed to catch fish in order to live. Until Richard Parker fell off the boat and Pi had to make a decision. Would he leave Richard Parker in the ocean, or help him and they both stay alive together?

When Pi got to an island he found out what the island meant. The island had great food, fresh water, and beautiful wildlife. He ate the food, drank their water, and slept in a tree. But when he was awaken by a pack of Meer Kats, he realizes that he needs to leave. The island is beautiful and nice in the morning but dreadful by night.  Later that night he found a tooth from a dead person showing what would happen if he stayed there. The fresh water was turned into acid and Pi realizes he needs to leave because he is determined to stay alive.

Determination couldn’t be a more important lesson in life. For Pi, it was the only reason he didn’t die. Losing your family and friends in a ship wreck and all you have is a life boat and a tiger, making yourself through can be a little difficult. Pi did it though, all it took was the determination and hope of him making it through and he did it. Like the saying goes when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Or in Pi’s case, when life gives you a tiger, you make a voyage of determination out of it. 

Rafe vs. Alex

Authors Note: This is a diagram  comparing and contrasting me to Rafe from Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.

Rafe Khatchadorian	Similarities	Alex Guindon
·         Breaks rules during school on purpose. ·         Teachers are insane at his school. ·         School Bullies pick on him. ·         Parents are divorced	·         Hates school. ·         Hates Homework. ·         Both in Middle School. ·         Both have sisters who can be snitches when we do anything bad.	·         Usually nice and doesn’t break the rules. ·         Teachers are typically nice and friendly. ·         No real bullies at my school that pick on me. ·         My Parents are still together.

Beautiful Snow

Snow glistening on the ground,
like a blanket of white without a sound.
Flurries on every tree,
what a sight to see.
This poem seems really pleasant,
Almost as nice as a pheasant.
If only I could explain the actual sight I see,
Because it looks more like pee.

The Game Changer

Authors Note: This piece is an alternate ending to the book The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian. I am trying to work on word choice.

As I walked onto the court I saw Rowdy out of the corner of my eye like a tiger. He looked like some kind of mad warrior ready to kick our butts. As the number one team they looked like they meant business. As intimidating as he was, I had to guard him. As a Indian leaving his Indian reservation, and Indian school, and Indian friends to go to a white school,  I thought I was nothing compared to Rowdy. He was bigger, stronger, taller, better looking, and most importantly, a better basketball player. I was a piece of gum on the bottom of his shoe, and he was wearing me down. As the referee called our team captains over I swallowed my fear and joined the rest of the team on the sidelines. When the pep talk was over I walked on the court and saw my friends and family cheering me on as the game was about to begin.

I got into my position to the opposite side of Rowdy as the ball was about to be tipped off. The referee blew the whistle and threw the ball into the air. For a split second my heart dropped as the other team’s player reached a inch farther up and tipped it away from us. The ball then came to Rowdy and he was charging down the court. As his guarder, I quickly sped up to him and was running with him as he was getting closer to the basket. I knew he was quicker and stronger than me so I had to do something to stop him. I knew he would try to dunk the ball on our team just to show everybody who’s boss. As we got close to the basket he tried to pass me but I stayed with him the entire time. He then got seven feet away from the rim and jumped up to make the dunk. I then jumped too and see if I could stop him. He was at least five inches taller than me making him jump higher than me. I looked up and saw the ball in his hands inches from the rim of the hoop. I hoped I had blocked him but I heard the swish of the net as the ball went through the hoop. He was hootin, and hollerin with his teammates trying to send the message to us. I then never played the same the rest of the game. We lost the game 38-66 and Rowdy scored 28 of their points. I didn’t score anything during the game and didn’t start the third quarter. I left that court with a lost game and a lost friend.

For the past couple months I never really saw Rowdy. I saw him stroll by in the reservation and I would try to say “Hi,” but he never said anything back. It was hard going to Reardon since that game. I constantly tried sending emails to Rowdy but there was never a reply. Penelope would talk to me a lot but it was never the same. I wished I could take a time machine back to the start and never go to Reardon and still be friends with Rowdy. I hope he is still doing good. Maybe he already has a new best friend. Even if he does, I still think of him as my friend.

Luke

Authors Note: This piece is a character development piece about Luke from Percy Jackson. I am trying to work on my introduction and conclusion. 

Sometimes people run away from home because they think they have know where to stand in this world. Others get mad at their parents and decided that home isn't the right place for them. My parents occasionally get mad at me and then I’ll get mad at them. I sometimes think to myself what would happen if I did run away. Sometimes you feel like your nothing in this world and you should just leave. Believe me, its happened to everybody, but not quite like what happened to Luke in Percy Jackson. Luke had got so mad at his Dad that not only he left home, but he also turned evil. After wandering around, Luke found himself at Camp Half-blood. He then turned to none other than Kronos, the god of destruction. But how does such an act of Luke’s Dad change Luke so much? If you think about it not many people have a big reason for leaving home, but Luke did.

Luke was a content child before he left home. He lived the life of any normal demigod and acted like a typical kid. Until he figured out what his Dad had restricted telling Luke. While Luke was still a toddler, his mother would often shake him because she could see his future. His father on the other hand had not stopped his Mom therefore making Luke furious. Luke’s Mom later died but Luke still held a grudge against his Dad.

After Luke had heard what his Dad had done, Luke started planning payback on his Dad. But before he could destroy everybody, he needed to act like one of the good guys first. He hitched a ride with a few friends named Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover, and they were all friends who didn't know Luke’s secret. Luke was also the cabin counselor of the Hermes cabin. While managing everything that was going on, he started thinking up ways to be an antagonist against everybody at the camp and destroy the gods. Luke then teamed up with Kronos to defeat all the gods and destroy the world.

During the time Luke was at Camp Half-blood, he did some appalling things to start his vengeance off on his Dad. He started off by stealing Zeus’s Master Bolt, and poisoning Thalia’s tree. Escaping from Camp Half-Blood, he starts up his own army to destroy anybody who gets in his way. Luke then bathes in the Styx to obtain the curse of Achilles in order to help Kronos. When this happens, Luke is truly evil and won’t stop until he dies.

When looking back at the times I've thought about walking out that door and never seeing my family again, it seems good I haven’t done so yet. Luke on the other hand didn't think he was in the right place then. He thought turning dark would show his Dad just how powerful he was. People everywhere have thought about leaving home, and some even do. Home is the place for everyone when you have no place to go, that is unless your Luke. Leaving forever can be one of the most dangerous things a person does in their lives. Luke thought it was the right path because of what his father had done. It’s never good to leave home because that is where you are meant to be. 

Patriots Pen

Authors Note: This piece is a essay on what I would say to the Founding Fathers while the were writing the Constitution. I am trying to work on sentence fluency in this piece.

If I had the chance to go back through time and see our Founding Fathers writing the Constitution, I would inform them on what is needed. First off, we need to enforce a law about slavery. Slavery is one of the worst acts America has gone through and it never should have happened in the first place. Also, segregation is another crises America went through a while back but it never should have happened in the first place. While the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, they could have provided a law about “No Slavery” and “No Segregation” in there somewhere.

Slavery was a terrible time during the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. Africans were imported to America because of their race and what they looked like. The Africans were used as slaves to work in corn fields, farming, and chores around the house. People believed that Africans were dirty because of the dark, black skin. Americans especially, used them as if they were animals that did their work for them. Almost all the slaves didn't get paid, and they were fortunate if they got a meal each night. Some tried to escape but then got shot down if caught. In the Constitution, the Founding Fathers should have added something about slavery and how wrong it was.  Because it wasn't until the mid-eighteen hundreds that slavery had stopped.

Segregation is also a very cruel topic about Africans not getting the rights they deserve. After the Civil War, segregation started up and ended in the nineteen sixties. Segregation is when Africans had to use separate bathrooms, buses, job areas, and lived in different neighborhoods. People thought Africans were ruthless people because of their black skin. Many blacks didn't have the same rights as white people. This affected a lot of people at the time and was a colossal impact on America’s history.

When the Founding Fathers signed that piece of paper, it meant a lot to America. Multiple rules and laws were on that paper, but some rules were unexploited. Slavery and segregation are two giant parts of America’s history. The Founding Fathers could have added laws about the two issues but had left them out. And because of that, America may never be the same.