No say in what's right

Authors Note: This is a piece about government control and men control about "The Lottery"Not graded.

Stuck in the same place, too worried to move, to scared to speak up. Then again, what do we know? This might be the best government out there.  The pile of stones in the corner sits for another year, for that special someone, to get the lottery.  In the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson the whole story is about power/ control. The villagers don’t know any better than to follow the governments rules. How long will this go on? How long will it be till they realize that the governments traditions, are in humane? What will it take for them to realize that the control their under is not safe? 

All through-out this story you can see the power and control that the government has on this village. They have the village so warped into this tradition that they don’t even realize how wrong it is. They still get together every year. They still stone someone to death every single year. Can you see how wrong this is? Why would the people in charge of everyone want to kill them one by one? What if it didn’t end up being Tessie Hutchinson that was killed? What if it was little Davy Hutchinson that got the lottery? Would you want to kill a young boy’s soul? Just the thought of their definition of the lottery makes me upset. Seriously, Tessie is a mother of three and has a family and house to look after, yet they kill her!  Not only the government, but that even the men have the power on the women.

During this point and time I can tell that the women are still not allowed to do anything yet. Meaning civil rights and such. The section in the story where Mr. Summers was making sure everyone had someone to draw for them was wrong. He wouldn’t let the women draw for a lottery. Their human beings they have just the same right that the men do, but they still are not allowed to even walk up to a box and take a slip. It says in the story that in the beginning when they were about to start they all had to take place next to their husbands and that no one listens to them. A mothers child ran right through her grasp and she wasn’t allowed to do anything about it! She has no control because the men are in control.

Born to Succeed

Authors Note: This is my District Assessment for second semester, Enjoy(: YOLO (You only live once)

There are only a few things that truly belong to you: Who you are, who you were, and who you want to be. Are you going to be able to find yourself by blending in and not showing your true personality? Too many teenagers are wasting their time looking for adulthood or worried about love and finding it. It’s our generation, don’t waste it. Instead of waiting for your future to come to you, you need to reach out and take it. Find yourself; stop caring about what others think. You only live once, Do it your way. When was the last time you woke up and realized that today could be the best day of your life? Participate in your dreams today. There are unlimited opportunities available with this new day. Take action on those wonderful dreams you've had in your mind for so long. Remember, success is something you experience when you act accordingly. Success is not something you have, it’s something you do.             It's funny how, in this journey of life, even though we may begin at different times and places, our paths cross with others so that we may share our love, compassion, observations, and hope. This is a design of God that I appreciate and cherish. There are times that I have experienced the loss of hope, the loss of anticipation or desire to become a better person, or to stand out.  Through this whole eighth grade year, I’ve gone through many, many things, but does that mean I’m going to give up? No, I’m not, because my future and potential is something worth fighting for. When I was new to the school I did not fit in right away. I tried so hard to dress like “they” do, look “they” do, but then I asked myself…Why? Why beg to get someone’s approval? “Why fit in, when you were born to stand out?”

Never mind searching for who you are. Search for the person you aspire to be. “One day at a time.   Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering.” You only live once, so make it worth it and live your dreams, never say never and be fearless. Life is too short to wake up in the mornings with regrets. So love the ones who treat you right, forget the ones who don’t. Remember that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance take it, if it changes your life, then let it. No one said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.  Now make today a new day. Welcome every sunrise with a smile. Look on the new days as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. “Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day.” Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail, you were born to succeed.

Chin up

Authors Note: This short essay is for text structure in problem/solution. The problem is the drama, the solution is what you should do about it.

Now and to the future, drama surrounds the earth. What is it really that makes the little bomb inside us tick? When you were young the worst thing some one ever did was steal your animal crackers. When you grew up two more years, someone broke your favorite crayon. In middle school, if you’re searching for drama might as well come here and jump right in. Drama will follow you for the rest of your life, but what you do about it, is what really matters.

                

Time and time again, gossip, rumors and lies swarm our lives. Not only can it affect the victims, but it also affects everyone around them.  There are periods in everyone’s life, when something doesn’t go right, that doesn’t mean you give up.  That doesn't mean you back down. Things go right, things go wrong, life goes on.

There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is to short to be anything but happy.

Made a Bystander

Authors Note: This is a story from the point of view from a cracked mirror.

It started like any other day, she got up, rubbed her eyes and kissed her husbands cheek before she went to get her coffee down stairs.   I felt warmth and delight as the sun started to rise and reflect off my smooth clear frame. The man in the bed sat up, stretched his arms and fingers, and rose to his feet. Something buzzed from the bed, that sounded like a single bee swarming past your ear. He glanced around the room and took his phone out from under his pillow. He cleared his sleepy throat and spoke into the phone, telling the other person that he'll meet  her in a few hours after  his wife leaves.  After he tucked the phone into his back pocket, his eyes swept passed me, touching his hair and rubbing the wrinkles out of his shirt. He seemed the same, he looked the same, but what he just said into that device had struck me ever so slightly with annoyance.   The truth is, I've never liked this man. The minute she picked me out, I noticed him standing behind her, always looking around, always thinking of something else, or someone else. She was the sweet one, the first time she saw me she called me beautiful, a priceless antique, she said.  I still remember what she wore as well. I sky blue dress, that reminded me of a baby dolls clothes that I saw a little girl drag through the store.  Her eyes were chocolate brown, and hair a light burgundy that flowed past her shoulders.  A few hours later, doors slammed.  The screaming started, I've never heard her more upset in my living in this house hold. "Why would you do that! TO ME?! "I SAW WITH HER! WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW I WAS IN HER BOOK GROUP?!  What DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS!!!" She exclaimed. "Let me explain… You don't understand…" He hesitated. "I DON’T UNDERSTAND?! YOU CHEATED? WHATS THERE NOT TO UNDERSTAND!" She screamed. She stomped into the room, mascara drooping down her face, as the tears stained her face. "Melissa, stop please, your making a mistake!" He started to say angrily. I knew that by the sound of his voice, violence was upon us. He grabbed her arms and shook her saying that she could not leave him. She shook her arms and her head trying to break free and trying to not make contact with his insane, pleading eyes. Her cries grew louder as she threw her clothes into a suitcase.  All I could think of was that she better not leave me here with him, no way was I staying. She grabbed the handle and ran out of the room, but before she could make it, her wrist was yanked backwards, suitcase dropped, and was dragged back into the room. He threw her into his arms and begged her not to leave. When she answered wrong, he smashed her into me. One by one, piece by piece, I shattered, leaving her in a bloody mess on the ground. He screamed goodbye and ran out of the door. She lay there as still as a statue. Crying, and broken, I heard three words escape her  sobbing lips… "I loved you."