It's almost as if I lost myself, been surrounded by a world filled with hate. And I’m slipping out of reach as you come back and remind me why I'm still here.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Random Writing.. result of boredom
Moments come and go
in the blink of an eye.
Like speeding down the street,
lights flash in every direction,
memories race across your mind,
but not one of them stays for long.
We keep going.
We keep breathing,
and we keep learning.
Creating new memories
which will later become tucked away,
hidden in the back of our mind
until we remember that one moment again.
Why
From day one
you’re guaranteed to die.
We’re all put on this earth
to endure a brief life
and leave.
But somehow
we’re still in a rush to escape.
So why?
Twelfth Grade - Twitterature
Benjamin Braddock
@BenBraddock
Los Angeles, California
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
plane just landed… now what?
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
this graduation party blows. I just wanna be alone.
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
WTF?! Is Mrs Robinson trying to seduce me?!
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
got it in with my parents friend. is that weird?
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
this is getting awkward. is there more to life than just sex?
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
who’s this girl Elaine? And why does everyone want me to take her out on a date?
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
I guess not everybody wanted me to go out with her, but after tonight I think I kinda like her.
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
Is Mrs Robinson beginning to get jealous of her own daughter?
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
I’m getting kinda bored of staring at this fish tank. I think I want to get Elaine back…
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
Going to Berkley to find the girl I love… BBL
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
Apparently I’m a rapist now. What crazy things a mother will say to people simply to hide their affairs.
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
Road trip to Santa Barbara to crash a wedding!
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
Success! I officially have the girl I love! (:
BenBraddock Benjamin Braddock
… now what?
Twelfth Grade - Contemporary Literature Final
"Be who you want to be. And pick that person wisely." The smallest decisions that you will be making within the next four years will shape you into completely different people than who I stand in front of today. And the little choices are everything. Every choice you make brings you down a new path, teaches you a lesson, and than leads you to another decision waiting to be made.
From day one people are going to want to see what you’re about. They’ll question you to find out what you believe in and basically just learn about the person that you are. And if they don’t agree with you, they most likely will not like you. But don’t let that bring you down. It’s going to make you think you’re not good enough, and that you have to change just to fit in, but don’t do it. Stay true to yourself. Just because the popular girls don’t eat with you at lunch doesn't mean you’re a nobody. Eventually you will find people who will be your friends for a life time. They won’t leave your side and you will create the best memories with them. We all have to grow up so much throughout high school so be prepared for change, and do not be scared.
Growing up, everyone hears the words "peer pressure" and we’re told to avoid anyone who does it, and never to do it to anyone. And that can be easily done. The only problem is no one is going to tell you how to decipher the good from the bad. It can be confusing, stuck in a situation and being forced to chose yes or no right on the spot. And if the wrong choice is made, it easily becomes chaotic. There are wonderful things that you are going to experience in high school, no doubt about it, but there are just as many harmful and scary moments waiting to happen. People are going to face you with drugs, or a cigarette, and tell you to “just try it” because what can one time do, right? Wrong. All it takes is one time to become addicted and want more.
Being in high school allows you meet friends that are never going to leave your side. But as the years go on, some of the people you thought would be there forever change. They make poor choices and start hanging around that group of kids that none of the teachers like, and that’s when you have to decide to stick around, or meet new people. Finding true friends within the next few years may be difficult, because no one knows who they are. Everyone is trying to find themselves and discover the things that they like to do. The true friends will be the people who don’t judge you for who you become, and stick by your side until the very end. They may as well be a part of your family.
At home your parents are going to start giving you more freedom. Whatever you do, don’t abuse it. Your parents trust you enough to make good decisions, so they’re going to start giving you more space. They’ll let you stay out later, and once you start driving you’ll have a curfew to get the car home. But once you mess it up you’re going to lose that trust, and once that happens you lose your freedom. There are going to be days that you “hate” your parents for not letting you go here, or do this, but don’t let your anger get the best of you. Family is all you’re going to have one day, and if you mess up enough to get kicked out of your house and never talk to your parents again, you’ll have no one. I’ve seen it happen to multiple people, family and friends, throughout my high school career. If you’re parents aren’t letting you do something, they most likely have good reasoning behind it. The only way they’re going to say no is for your own safety.
Although you’re faced with thousands of difficult decisions in high school, you will create some of the best memories within the short four years you’re there. You’ll meet people that you love, and people that you hate, but either way you create memories that will never be forgotten. Treasure every moment and take thousands of pictures because the years fly by. It feels like just yesterday when I first stepped foot into school as a freshman, and now it’s over and time to walk graduation to receive the diploma everyone worked so hard to get.
Twelfth Grade - Rooftops
Rooftops
The song that I chose that I feel represents the youth culture today is Rooftops by Lostprophets. Majority of adolescents today spend their time trying to make the best of the moment that they are currently in. They live in the present and don’t worry about the past or the future. Most young teenagers just worry about having fun in the moment. Throughout the song it asks questions like “When our time is up, when our lives are done, will we say we've had our fun?”
Although living in the present could be a poor decision to make, most people do it. When teenagers go out to drink and have fun with their friends they aren’t necessarily worrying about the future and where they’ll be in twenty years. In the moments prior to partying, or experimenting with drugs, most teenagers won’t be asking themselves what could go wrong. They’ll simply just do it, because all of their friends are and it seems okay.
I think that is one of the major problems there are today. Parents and the adult figures in a child’s life aren’t stressing the importance of how dangerous consuming alcohol or simply “trying” a drug could be. They only start pushing the message across in high school, but by that time it’s too late. We’ve formed our own opinions on things like alcohol and we’re not mature enough to change it. We still think nothing could go wrong and that we could never possibly regret any of the decisions we’re in the process of making. Teenagers typically won’t realize that decisions made today could change their life forever.
The chorus of the song says, “Standing on the rooftops, everybody scream your heart out.” That line is repeated multiple times. I think it shows how teenagers live for the freedom of growing up. In today’s society, most young adults take advantage of every moment they can just to live and be free. They’ll do things that make them feel daring and like they are living on the edge. Every chance we get to grow up and move further away from our parents, we take it. We live for the feeling of being happy and learning to be our own person.
Twelfth Grade - Research Paper on Racial Discrimination
Racial Discrimination
Why is it our first instinct to judge a person from the moment we meet them? Racism and stereotyping have been reoccurring issues throughout the world for thousands of years. This theory can be seen in multiple works that we have studied this year such as Crash and The Color of Water by James McBride. Each one shows, in it’s own way, how racism can affect any single persons life and they can both be compared to things that happen every day in America.
The Color of Water is a novel written by a black man, James McBride, for his white mother. James was raised with eleven siblings in a house constantly filled with chaos. And his mother being a white, Jewish woman married to a black man made it much more difficult. All throughout the novel there are multiple issues that come about because of their race and ethnicity. McBride’s mother, Ruth, was constantly being criticized for marrying two black men and having twelve black children. They had very little money at the time and Ruth’s goal for her children was simply to be successful. She sent them all to school and made sure they kept their grades up. Each one of her twelve children even continued to go on to college. At one point, when James was in grade school, he remembered all the other parents at the bus stop being “different” than his mother, and that’s when he started to realize the looks his mother would get. Every time they went out together he would see more and more people stare at her. He became embarrassed and never wanted to go to the stores with her. It upset him to see that his mother was not accepted in society, and because of this he started to rebel. He ran off and started doing drugs and not coming home. His mothers protection always kept him safe from the harm of the racist people in society, but she could not stop it forever. He eventually had to learn on his own that a black person did not have it as simple as a white person (McBride).
Unlike The Color of Water, Crash is a movie about multiple peoples lives and how racism effects each one of them in a different way. One of the main characters, John Ryan, seems to have a difficult time with people of different ethnicities, but by the end of the movie that changes. At the start of the film, Ryan pulls over Mr. Thayer, a black man, and his wife and has such hatred towards them. He does not treat them like human beings and he’s constantly talking down to them throughout the few minutes he’s with them. Just before he lets them off with a warning, he molests Mrs. Thayer as her husband stands there watching. He does not give them a ticket, but later in the film he’s confronted with a problem. A woman was in an accident and John Ryan was there to save her from the car wreck. That woman was Mrs. Thayer. She screams and yells at him to leave her there and not to touch him. This incident opened Ryan’s eyes to racism and how it is wrong. Mrs. Thayer was a person, just as anybody else, and she did not deserve what he did to her (Crash). Unfortunately, this kind of situation happens often and not only in movies.
Today, multiple issues come about involving race. Police officers are sometimes accused of being a racist and are told that the individual they pulled over did not deserve the ticket they were given. One Los Angeles Police Department officer was accused of being racist his first traffic stop as a rookie. In 1998, he had pulled over an individual for reckless driving and speeding, but as he started to walk up to the truck the man accused him of pulling him over simply because he was black. More recently, the LAPD was accused of “not adequately guarding against racial profiling by it’s officers.” The Department of Justice had said that one of the officers was saying to his supervisor that he "couldn't do [his] job without racially profiling" ("Not Race Alone"). Racial profiling, which means an individual is targeted based on their race or ethnicity, is illegal and has been an issue within police departments in many states. The LAPD has made many changes to make sure racism is not an aspect when it comes to arresting or ticketing a criminal. Hopefully one day racism won’t be an issue with police officers anymore.
There will always be issues with racism in some way because there will always be immigrants. Having constant immigrants flowing into the United States will leave the citizens disappointed that new groups of people have arrived. The Obama administration has considered suing Arizona due to their “harsh new immigration enforcement measure” ("An Immigration Standoff"). Until now, illegal immigration had been considered a federal matter but with this new law it would be a crime in Arizona. No two people will ever completely agree about immigrants and what should be done with them. A poll stated that 60% of Americans agreed with this new law in Arizona simply because they don’t think the immigrants should be here. This law would give, and sometimes require, officers to check the immigration status of the people the pull over for different reasons. Why would anybody want to be asked if they had proof that they were a citizen? Immigration is either a good or a bad thing, and there is no middle. Therefore, it is almost impossible to compromise.
Racism is an ongoing issue and majority of Americans discriminate against someone at some point. However, people can always change their ways. One’s eyes can always be opened to see that being racist is no longer accepted in America. Years have passed and our country has grown to realize certain things should result in punishment. Although officer John Ryan in Crash was not chastised for his wrongdoing, he learned on his own that he should change. Race and ethnicity should not matter when it comes to judging a person at first glance.
Twelfth Grade - Research Paper on Animal Rights
Animal Rights
The Committee to Protect Dogs says state records show that since 2002, 728 greyhounds have been injured racing at the state's two tracks ("Animal Rights Fight"). Every day millions of animals are harmed and killed with no purpose for it. Whether it is to watch dogs fight, or simply make clothing, it happens. The owners of these animals are using them strictly to make money and they could care less if they were to die. Although the animals death may not have been intentional, the owner should still be charged with a crime. An animal of any kind is a living creature, as are we. If a human is murdered, the criminal is charged and sent to prison. So why shouldn’t the same thing happen if an animal is killed?
Recently, Suffolk County passed a bill regarding animal abuse, making them one of very few to do so. Legislator Jon Cooper of D-Lloyd Harbor was one sponsor of the bill. "There are sick individuals out there who are preying on innocent animals," he said. One aide added he would definitely be signing to pass it ("Animal Protection Bill"). People out there will do anything just to make fast money, and the worst part about it some of them find enjoyment while doing it. The United States has gone dozens of years without stopping people from harming an animal or ending it’s life. Most states still let animal cruelty happen without any punishment. But now Suffolk County has made a change. The bill states that any Suffolk County resident who is charged with animal abuse needs to file their name, address and a photo with the registry to stay on the list for five years. Also, if any person convicted of this crime is to be charged for further abuse, an additional five years on the list is added to their sentence ("Animal Protection Bill"). Although it took a while for any state or county to pass such a law, it is finally happening. It had to start somewhere and hopefully this start leads to more and more areas adapting a similar law. However, there is always going to be those few people that do not want the law passed because they actually have reasoning for animals to be used as a money making profit.
One person who would be against passing a bill for animal rights would be John Pappas. One holiday season, Pappas decided to hand out real fur coats to the poor and homeless. He had planned to hand out two hundred fur coats to people in a parking lot one Tuesday afternoon. "We are keeping people warm with fur coats. It's not a disgrace or against the law to wear fur coats or drive nice cars,” Pappas had stated ("Furs for the Homeless"). He had hoped that animal-rights activists would realize it is not such a horrible thing to use animals to make clothing for human beings. There are people out there on a daily basis who do not have homes to live or a place to be warm. They suffer in the harsh weather conditions and certain people are trying to stop them from getting warm, fur coats. Some would think he would have tried handing out these coats discretely to avoid any problems, but Pappas said he wanted to hand them out in his parking lot "to get a little publicity." He even sent a press release to Newsday. Dawn Hernandez of Port Washington, an anti-fur advocate, said, “Naturally it is admirable for anybody to help the homeless, but when you have a press release attached to it, the gesture reeks of exploitation and opportunism." In her opinion, Hernandez seems to believe Pappas went about his well-being in the wrong way. If she were to do it, she wouldn’t have been sending out a press release to Newsday as he did. Helping the homeless is a good cause and it should not be a necessity to have everyone know. Even animal-rights groups had donated fur to the poor! But the media relations manager for the group, Jenny Woods, said those furs had been defaced for the event ("Furs for the Homeless"). Animal rights laws could be a difficult controversy, considering each person has a different opinion, but no animal should be killed to benefit us.
Large dog breeding facilities, also known as puppy mills, are often protested against to try and stop the selling of animals for large amounts of money. The people in these puppy mills breed many dogs a day, and have one dog give birth to multiple litters of puppies. They then proceed to sell the dogs for a very high cost. Recently, investigators discovered a puppy mill with terrible conditions. Some dogs had been covered with ticks and open wounds all over its body. Some were living in pools of feces. It is thought that any human being would be completely against any animal living this way, but that is not true. Investigators who are supposed to be stopping this often do not. Some say the Agriculture Department who is supposed to enforce the Animal Welfare Act sometimes ignores repeat violations, waives penalties, and does not sufficiently document the poor treatment of these dogs ("USDA Fails to Crack"). In one case, an inspector stated that twenty seven dogs had died at a breeding facility after inspectors had visited it and cited multiple violations. This means that people are not doing enough. If dogs are being mistreated and the inspectors know about it, it should be stopped. These animals are suffering, some even dying, and all the breeders care about is making the money. They know they can get thousands of dollars off of one puppy, so they continue to breed. The living conditions of these many dogs could lead to illness and sometimes death. Some people could buy this puppy and it could end up with a life threatening disease all because of the breeder. These people do not car about how the dogs are living and if they are happy or not. They just want the money.
On the other hand, having many animals could be helpful when it comes to animal research. Most people have heard of rats being used as test subjects in a science laboratory. And recently fifteen billion billboards around the world have been posted with the quotation, "Ever had leprosy? Thanks to animal research, you won't." Many researchers used these billboards to promote the use of animals to test drugs and other devices. This promotion even expands beyond billboards to TV commercials, Facebook postings, and Twitter ("Science Takes Case"). Instead of having humans be the guinea pigs of scientific testing, why not let animals? From 2000 to 2008 the percentage of Americans who supported animal testing dropped 16%, leaving on 54% of Americans to support it. Majority of people assume that using any living animal to test them for drugs or medical research would harm them, but in reality that is not true. Until anyone views what actually happens, no one will understand. And Dick Bianco understands this. He had heard people calling these testing sites where animals were tested “dungeon chambers.” Obviously he know that was not true, so he was determined to prove otherwise. "So I bring high school students to my lab,” Bianco said. He lets students see that they are not dungeon chambers. He brings them through to see the laboratory and the animals to try to change the publics opinion on animal testing. Since it’s difficult to get adults to come through, he figured he’d start with the children and hopefully they will spread the news to their parents. One way the animals are used for testing is with the heart. Doctors can not open up a human to insert a plastic valve because eventually, that human would have to die, so instead they used a sheep. The operation is nearly painless, but the sheep would be terminated a few months later and a necropsy, the animal version of an autopsy, will be performed to see if the valve is compatible ("Science Takes Case"). If people would notice that this could help humans in the future, there would be less unnecessary protests against it.
A recently famous incident includes the Eagles quarterback, Michael Vick. A few years ago he was known to have beaten and abused multiple dogs. He was a strong supporter of dog fighting and because of this, he was punished, just like any person should be. Vick was placed in prison for nearly two years and once he was released he “vowed to make the most of his opportunity as a football player and to become an advocate for animal rights causes” ("Vick eager for second"). He was involved in many illegal dogfighting acts where the dogs were either hanged or drowned., but once released from prison he had said that he realized it was “wrong and unnecessary.” "I figure if I could help more animals than I could hurt, then I'm doing my part," he said ("Vick eager for second"). People can change, and sometimes a punishment as harsh as jail can put a person in their place. Nobody knows for sure, but Vick seems to be a changed man. Jeffrey Lurie, the Eagles owner, claims to be “an extreme dog lover.” Some may question why he took Vick back after the crimes he committed. One thing that Lurie stated was that Vick had to actively be a part of programs that promoted animal rights. Lurie will most definitely make sure that Michael Vick will never again take part in dogfighting.
If an individual is punished for their wrongdoing, they may actually learn a lesson. However, if people are getting away with beating dogs, or letting them live in horrible conditions, the crimes will never stop. Dog owners will continue to breed and sell the puppies for thousands of dollars, and dogfighters will still be watching their dogs die. Until the United States government passes a law stating that anybody caught abusing an animal in any way will be sent to jail, nothing is going to change. Millions of animals will continue to die or become ill on a daily basis for no reason at all.
Twelfth Grade - Interview Grandma
Jenn Smith
Period 7
I interviewed my Grandma, Lee, who is 69 years old.
1) Who, in our family, came to the United States?
My great grandmother came here with her mother and brother.
2) When did they arrive here?
They arrived in 1938.
3) Where did they come from? And what city?
They came from Valleta, Malta.
4) What did they do when they were in their home country?
My great, great grandmother was a chamber maid in Malta for the english people.
5) How did they get here?
They came here on a boat.
6) Once they landed here, what did they do?
My great, great grandmother worked in a defense place. The U.S. was in war (World War II) at the time so she worked to make things for the army.
7) Where did they live when they first got here?
They lived in Manhattan.
8) How did they end up in New York?
New York was the first place they came.
9) Did they leave anybody behind at their home country?
They left their aunts and uncles at home in Malta.
10) Why did they want to leave to come to the United States?
For a better life and to get money.
11) What was their first job when they got here?
My great grandmother never worked. She got married and became a mother.
12) Was it difficult to find a job?
Yes and no. Because they would take any job just to stay in the United States.
13) How long did it take to become a citizen?
My great grandma took the test to become a citizen when she was 38 years old. Her brother never had to take the test because he was drafted into the war.
14) How old were they when they got married?
My great grandma got married in 1940 when she was 20. My grandparents got married in 1962 when my grandma was 20 years old. And my parents got married in 1990 when my mom was 24.
15) How old were they when they first had a child?
My great great grandma was 16 years old. My great grandma was 24 years old. My grandma was 22 years old. And my mom was 26 years old.
16) Did they ever get their license?
Neither my great grandma or her mother ever got their license. The first one in my family to get their license was my grandma. She got hers when she was eighteen.
Twelfth Grade - College Essay
A Life Changing Moment
As a young child, my parents raised me as the girl they hoped I would later become. They persuaded me to think the way I did, not allowing me to have much of a mind of my own. As a matter of fact, until last year, I didn’t even bother to change into who I wanted to be. But when I did, it happened very abruptly. I was living my life as if I had forever to reach my goals, never once stopping to think, “If I were to die tomorrow, would I be happy with what I’ve done?”
I remember the exact day I came to this realization. I even remember the moment it happened. It was a Tuesday morning in January. I was in school going about my daily routine when my phone began to vibrate. It seemed odd at that time because no one ever calls me that early in the morning.
“Hello?” I answered in confusion.
“Hey, Jenn. Do you know who Mike is?” The voice on the other end continued, “He was in a car accident last night and he died.”
It was so abrupt, just thrown in my face that someone had died. I hoped and prayed I didn’t know him. “No, I don’t,” I responded as I heard a click on the other end.
I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure of who he was, but in the rush of everything I could not put the name to a face. But then I realized it. He was a sophomore, just a year younger then I was, and he was on my bus. The fact that I saw him less than twenty-four hours earlier, running and jumping around with his friends, startled me. It all seemed so fake, so dreamlike, and I didn’t know what to say.
But realizing who it was wasn’t even the worst part. The hardest part of it all was learning to accept it. Just grasping the fact that any human being could be gone in an instant left me speechless. But I had to understand, I had to realize it and accept it because I knew this wasn’t the last time it would happen.
Experiencing the death of a person I’d known was an eye-opening moment that I could never forget. I believe I’ve become a better person from that day forward. I learned not to take life for granted. Everything and anyone can be taken away in the blink of an eye. And as many times as I hear about a death that doesn’t affect me, some day it will. Someday I’ll know the person who was hit by the car, or overdosed on drugs, and when that day does come, I’ll want my support system. So until then I’ll comfort those around me who are struggling, so when I need that comfort, they’ll be there for me.
Twelfth Grade - Empathy Paper
Countless amounts of teenagers complain on a daily basis that their life isn’t what they want it to be. Chances are, most of them think they’re the only one suffering, but millions of others are, too. The song “Welcome To My Life” by Simple Plan talks about being the only one to struggle through life's obstacles. It is the perfect example of the way a teenager sees a simple problem and I feel it creates that sense of empathy in it’s audience.
The song starts with two questions “Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place?”. If you went up to any teenager and asked either of these, I’d bet they’d answer with “Yes.”
Whenever I was struggling through a situation, whether it was as stupid as a fight with a friend, or as serious as my grandpa getting open heart surgery, I always felt like I was the only one not happy. Especially with the technology today. You always know what everyone else is doing. On Facebook, for example, everyone else seems so content and carefree. Sometimes, when you’re struggling, it’s comforting to know that someone else has been in your shoes, and gotten through it. But there will always be those times where you feel like they haven’t and won’t ever be. No matter what life throws at you, it will always be hurtful to feel like you’re all alone. I always have to keep reminding myself that everyone is hurting in some way.
This song creates the feeling of empathy in it’s audience for many reasons. In my mind, it mostly relates to teenagers, and that’s who it was written towards, but everyone experiences tough situations, even adults. No one likes to feel alone and in todays society no one talks enough about anything. People always have to be reminded that they aren’t alone, and someone else’s life is just as difficult as theirs.
Eleventh Grade - Repulsion Poem
Walking past you on the street,
between your fingers the stick burns,
inhaling and exhaling,
the cloud of smoke floats up
higher and higher towards the sky.
The ashes fall as you flick them away,
getting smaller now, but you fail to cease.
The paper burns as the tar enters your throat
shredding through your lungs,
leaving them black and tainted.
Burning your lips, and stinging your throat,
finishing it right to the filter.
But yet you enjoy it.
You enjoy it. You crave it,
and you claim to need it.
What a way to live your life,
in a cloud of smoke, one big daze.
Wake up already.
You repulse me.
Eleventh Grade - Opening Lines Poem
God help me.
I need some guidance
towards the love & laughter that life
is supposed to bring.
God help me.
I need a helping hand
to pull me through the rough times
so I can see the sunshine on the other side.
God help me.
I just need to know someone’s there
so when I think the world walks out,
I know I can turn to you.
Eleventh Grade - Endless Sentence Poem
Before the rain decides to fall,
The cloud, filled to maximum capacity,
Seems black in sight,
Almost as if the sun has burnt out,
Leaving us all here to die;
We’re only people,
Stuck in the darkness of the rain storm,
Hiding,
Locking ourselves indoors,
Covering from the wetness of the water
With umbrellas and hoods
In hopes of saving our hair
Or our clothes,
Keeping all of life’s unnecessary materials dry,
Because we really are ridiculous;
Who needs all of this
When we can have more important things
Like food & water,
A home,
& people to love.
Eleventh Grade - Anger Poem
The radiant waves of heat
Coming down upon me
As I lay in the summer sun.
Birds Chirping,
Music playing,
There’s nothing better than these days.
It’s sad though,
It’s just a dream.
Soon these days will come
But as of now it’s time to shovel.
Eleventh Grade - False Memory Poem
The lights change all day long:
Green to yellow to red
And back again.
Thousands of cars obey the law,
Stopping and slowing when told,
But all it takes is one.
One person to do it wrong.
One person to make a mistake,
That’s all it takes
To ruin an innocent life.
The cars brights flash in warning,
Hoping to steer us out of the way
But it did not pay
For we failed to see.
Twisting and turning
The car spun out
And there was, without a doubt,
No way to save the lives that were lost.
Eleventh Grade - Picture Poem
Every winter the snow falls Covering the trees and cars
With snow piled miles high.
Trapping people indoors for days,
Sometimes weeks.
The late winter sun,
Beaming brightly through the trees,
Reflects it’s yellow-orange color
Off the snow-covered ground.
The aesthetic sight it creates is
Impossible for an individual to forget
And how one person could live
An entire lifetime without seeing it
Is beyond my imagination.
Eleventh Grade - Love Poem
I wasn't enough for you.
It took me a while to figure out
but I realized it when you chose her.
And there are times I wish I could change all of this.
Bring you back into my life again,
loving me like I loved you,
but then I take a step back and ask myself,
"Is it really my fault?"
And I realize it isn't.
It's not my fault I didn’t wear the clothes you wanted me to,
and my hair didn't fall the way you imagined.
I’m sorry I didn't call you every second of every day
or attempt to keep you around forever.
I always wanted you to love me,
and you never did.
But why am I feeling so sorry?
You did this to me,
and I know I did not deserve it.
Eleventh Grade - Nature Poem
Life
The vicious cycle takes way,
the predator hunts the prey.
The blossom of a flower
lasts only but an hour.
The vicious cycle takes way,
occurring every single day.
The farmer harvests Earth,
while the cow is giving birth.
The vicious cycle takes way,
there is nothing left to say.
When all is said and done,
the prey will surely run.
Eleventh Grade - Gatsby Project
The Great Gatsby Project
Jenn Smith
- Actors/Actresses
i. I thought that Channing Tatum would fit the part of Gatsby because of his dedication to Savannah (Amanda Seyfried). In Dear John, John (Tatum) lost his true love when he went away to fight in the war. After months of writing letters she left him and married somebody else. Even though he was single he waited for her for years. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby and Daisy don’t last and she gets married to Tom. Although everything happened for different reasons, the two situations are similar. In both, the man, Gatsby and Tatum, waited years for the one they loved without even knowing if they would have a second chance.
b) Nick - Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill)
i. Chad Michael Murray was the narrator for the television show One Tree Hill and I think he would fit the part of Nick. He is more of a laid back character that doesn’t get into the drama with the other characters, but he’s usually pulled into all of it anyway. From his narrations the viewers can get the feeling of his curiosity towards others. Murray is always trying to help other people with their problems instead of solving his own which usually brings about more difficulties. Similar to Nick, Murray tends to meet new people without judging them right away. He’s very friendly and sits back to observe what his friends and family do before acting upon his ideas. Overall, he and Nick have very similar personality traits when it comes to who they’re friends with and who they talk to.
c) Daisy - Sandra Bullock (The Proposal)
i. Sandra Bullock reminded me of Daisy for multiple reasons but the main reason was her personality. In the movie The Proposal, Margaret (Bullock) had everything set for her. She was wealthy and she knew she was pretty and could get whatever she wanted. Her attitude towards everything was very controlling and confident. Daisy is a character who isn’t shy and I pictured her as rich as Bullock in this movie. Although Daisy’s money came from her husband, she still had it and Bullock’s attitude fit who Daisy was as a person. Daisy was always sarcastic towards her husband, Tom, giving off the impression that she thought she was everything. And in class, when we listened to the tape of The Great Gatsby, the person who spoke Daisy’s voice showed a very laid back person who didn’t care much about other people, which I think Bullock could easily portray.
d) Tom - Tom Cruise
i. I thought that Tom Cruise fit the part of Tom mainly because it’s exactly how I pictured him but when I started looking for personality traits, it fit even better. I pictured Tom to look exactly like this when I was reading the story. In most of the movies Cruise is in, he doesn’t care about the other people, he only cares about himself. And in the beginning of The Great Gatsby, Tom could care less about the other characters. He thought about himself most of the time, and he also punched Myrtle in the face, which showed he didn’t care much.
e) Myrtle - Fran Drescher (The Nanny)
i. In my eyes, Fran Drescher is the perfect part for Myrtle. When Myrtle was described in the book, I pictured her really unattractive and although Drescher isn’t fat like Myrtle is supposed to be, her voice gives off the obnoxious feel that Myrtle should have. She’s supposed to be of lower class than everyone else, and in The Nanny, Drescher plays the part of a poor women who lives in a rich mans house. When she talks, she sounds like a person that everybody could get sick of being around very simply. Myrtle, a person who seems almost hated by everyone, never really fit in. I pictured her to always stand out because she was so different. She was around rich people, meanwhile she had no money, which is exactly as Fran did in The Nanny.
f) Jordan - Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill)
i. Sophia Bush fits the part of Jordan because of her role in the television show One Tree Hill. In the first few seasons of the show, she had the attitude that I imagined Jordan to have but she played the role of a teenager so she’d have to be older. Bush was very stuck up and confident in the show. She was a cheerleader and one of the more popular girls in High School. I pictured Jordan to be confident and conceited just like Bush was in this role. Jordan was described as a beautiful women and when Nick first sees her in Toms house, I pictured her like Bush. I saw her laying on the couch acting as if she was the center of attention in the room and not paying attention to anyone but herself. I thought that Sophia Bush would be able to portray this characteristic very well.
2. Soundtrack
a) Time After Time by Quiet Drive -
“Lying in my bed
I hear the clocks
and can think of you
Caught up in circles
Caught up in circles
confusion is nothing new.”
...
“After my picture fades
and darkness has turn too gray.
Watching through windows.”
Watching through windows.”
These lyrics reminded me of the times that Gatsby wanted to be with Daisy. In the novel, he looks out over the water and can see a light shining from Daisy’s house. It’s understood that that is a part of the main reason that Gatsby bought the house in the first place. I pictured Gatsby laying in bed as the music started to play and he gets up to wander towards the window and then the viewers see the light that he stares at. Later in the scene, I pictured the camera showing the light was coming from Daisys house.
b) Before the Worst by The Script -
“Before it all went wrong.
Before the worst,
before we mend
Before our hearts decide
It's time to love again
Before too late,
before too long
Lets try to take it back
Before it all went wrong.”
This song reminded me of when Tom and Daisy both finally admit to each other that they made mistakes. I pictured both of them sitting at the table at Nicks house talking with the music playing loud. Tom could’ve been saying sorry and that he wanted things to work out before it completely fell apart because he really did love Daisy. They both knew that they made mistakes and Tom always wanted things to go back to how they were “before it all went wrong.”
c) Tonight I Love You by The Latency -
“Tell me the chance hasn’t passed us by
Cause baby, the stars have never shined so bright
Nothing can stop us out here
Lets just take tonight, tonight slow
I want to see where this, where this goes
I need you.”
This reminded me of when Gatsby and Daisy meet again after all the years they went without talking. Gatsby always wanted another chance with Daisy so I saw him and Daisy talking in Nicks house and reuniting. Gatsby dreamt of the day he got to see Daisy again for years. He wanted everything to go perfectly and be just like he imagined. I thought this song would be good for the moment they first reunite because of the lyrics, especially since it says “tell me the chance hasn’t passed us by.” All Gatsby wanted was to prove to Daisy that he could be the best man for her.
d) Beside You by Marianas Trench -
“I will stay.
Nobody will break you.
Trust in me, trust in me; don't pull away.
Just trust in me, trust in me
Cause I'm just trying to keep this together
Cause I could do worse and you could do better
Tears are spent on your last pretense
And your tired eyes refuse to close and sleep in your defense.”
These lyrics reminded me of the scene leading up to Myrtles death. In my mind, the song just fit the whole scene perfectly. I pictured Myrtle and her husband fighting at first and as the song progresses it reaches a climax and then gets slower. That’s when I imagined her getting hit by the car because the line directly after it says “Tears are spent on your last pretense.” After the scene, I imagined her husband crying over her instead of talking to the police just because it would fit more appropriately that way.
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