Friday, November 19, 2010

Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanksgiving is a day of tradition. The tradition I have dicided to investigate is the turkey. It is a turkey because that is sopposedly the meal that the Pilgrems helped the Indians make. They had a turkey because this was the only bird they managed to hunt. All the others had gone south. They enoyed this meal with great relish, happy that they even found meat. We still eat the turkey to recagnize that we are still thankful to get anything we can even though thanksgiving could bring steak or lobster. We eat the simple turkey so we can feel a connection to our ansestors and that thanksgiving. Also so even poor people can have a traditional thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks and everybody should be able to do that.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Graditude

Most people spend their lives wondering about ifs and ands, but I know when I have something good in my life. I am thankful for many things. Topping my list is my wonderful family. I could have been given abusive parents, but instead I got parents that love me more than life itself. I am also thankful of the fact that I have been given many talents that I did not earn but am working very hard to deserve. Henceforth, I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to get a full education, thanks to the country I was born into- America. Furthermore, my morals are not vulgar and do not make me an adversary to anyone but people with moral that are skewed. Another thing I am thankful for is the privilege of not being required to work a horrible job during my youthful years. I am also thankful for the fact that I am able to love and have positive relationships as many people with disabilities can not. I am thankful for my luck that has given me these opportunities. These privileges I have just mentioned were earned but given, and that makes them so much better.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Turkey Sandwhich

         Yesterday I packed my lunch to take to my grandma's. Ugg. I went and I didn't have my lunch, so when I went home I saw my sandwhich with tire tracks in it. My mom had run over my sandwhich!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Halloween

Halloween is a time of getting the pants scared off you, overpriced costumes, and stomachaches.
The one I remember the most is when I was 3. I started off the day at daycare where they had us trick or treat with the teachers. I got more candy than most people because of my cuteness. Awesome, right?
After getting my first stomachache of the day, I went home. I snuck in walking up behind my mom and yelling, "Boo." My mom pretended to have been scared, and I was very proud of myself.
I was a powerpuff girl and so was my sister. My dad was dad was the professor. We set out on an expedition untill 9! We only kept going by the suger rushes. We went home and endulged our sweet teeth untill we were sick.
Halloween is a holiday that acculy encurages you to take free candy and ruin sombody's say if they don't give it to you- blackmail. Writing this I relized it's not free candy, it's stolen candy. So THAT'S why it tastes so good.

Friday, October 22, 2010

“Does Patriotism Still Matter?”

What kind of question is that? You’re asking me if the love of our great nation still matters. If it didn’t matter, we wouldn’t be fighting for over 200 years to keep it. The answer is yes, of course it matters.
To me, patriotism is a lot more than just a word. It’s a love of America that surpasses your desire for the comfort of home. It’s facing an army that will might kill you to fight for a cause that you don’t believe in. Patriotism is honor for your country, not just when it’s good, but when it’s bad, too. To me patriotism still matters, and it always will.
Millions of people have died fighting because they’re patriotic. Millions of people leave a loved to fight for country. The only thing that keeps those brave soldiers going is the fact that patriotism still matters, and the fact that it’s always going to matter. It’s the fact that they’re keeping their families, (the country) safe from being maimed or murdered.
At least a dozen flags fly in every school around our spectacular nation every day honoring patriotism. Some people may not know or care about patriotism, but it still matters. Who cares what a few ignorant people think or don’t think, if the rest of us loves it.
My uncle was in the Vietnam war. He doesn’t really like to talk about it, but he knew what he was getting into. He didn’t sign up just to pay for college. He didn’t do because he likes fighting. He did it because he was patriotic. He did it because he loves his country.
Wars take place all over the world. They are bloody, loud, and deadly. No one likes them, but countless people pray for those who take part in them. Countless people join war. Why do they do this? They do it because patriotism still matters to everybody, not just soldiers.
Killing is a horrible thing. No human wants to kill. It goes against our nature. It’s hard to kill. It’s going against our instincts, but soldiers work extremely hard to overcome it because of patriotism.
In a word the reason why people fight, go away from home, cry over a MIA, wave a flag, and pray for people you’ve never met is, patriotism.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Ralph Fletcher

In Ralph Fletcher's, Marshfield Dreams, he portrays many childhood memories that are close to him even in his adulthood. His writing is something that all people aspiring to become a writer should study. He includes many techniques, but without it being unatral. He doesn't just stick a bunch of things to make his story more advanced. He is an excellent writer.
In his short story "Bobby," he writes "He sat in his playpen, happy as pie." (P. 59) I think this is good because is he includes a simile. Also, the expression "happy as pie" is not a common one. Furthermore, everybody loves pie, so it helps them to keep reading even if they have a short attention span.
Another excerpt from this collection of stories that I think shows good writing technique is, "Though I was confused, one thing was clear-my father and I had drifted away in a small, but important way..." (P. 84) I thought this was good because it showed that his father now considered him to be an adult, even though he still wanted to be a child. It also shows emotion. The reader is supposed to think, "That's so sad, all he wants is a kiss from his dad!"
Ralph Fletcher is a fenominal writer. I hope I have shown him for his glory in this blog post.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

My Family, a Trampoline, and a Knee

“I’m getting off,” a much cuter version of myself whined.

“Noooooo!” my cousins really wanted me to stay. I mean I can see why, I’m AWESOME, but I really didn’t feel like being on the trampoline. They had continued jumping to prevent me from getting off. I tried to get off anyway. This appeared to be my fatal flaw. As I put my knee down to help get myself over the bar, it slipped and, “Owwww!” my knee was in the spring! It hurt SOOO badly. At my scream, my cousins looked around, and saw me heavily bleeding. My eldest cousin had picked me up and placed me on a stump, and went to get my parents and a band aid. I was sitting there crying until one of my cousins had given me my new stuffed dog that I had gotten earlier in the day. It had been bought because a goose had bit me.


“Here play with your dog,” my cousin, Amy, had ordered to seize my attention. This had stopped me from crying, but my knee continued to spill blood. My cousin came back with my parents.


She sympathized, “We don’t have any band aids, you’ll need to go to the store.”


My dad came over to me and asked, “Is it okay for Megan(my eldest cousin) to come along?


“U-huh,” I sniffed. I think I took it pretty well for a 3 and a half
year old.

I still have that scar. I like it because it reminds me that I am AWESOME!