Authors Note: This piece of writing is a comparative essay comparing and contrasting characters from the two novels that I am currently reading War Comes to Willy Freeman and Shug.
Imagine being a teenage girl, alone, on your own if you ever need help .Either your parents are fighting and won’t pay attention to you, or one of them is dead and the other got taken as a slave. There are many similarities between the two books War Comes to Willy Freeman and Shug. In the book Shug, Annemarie’s dad is barely ever home because of work, and when he is, he and Annemarie’s mom are fighting constantly, they are too busy fighting that they don’t pay attention to her. In the book War Comes to Willy Freeman a young girl named Willy saw her dad get stabbed by the British during the Revolutionary War; her mother also got taken as a slave, now Willy has no one, so she goes to find her mom… alone.
One of the main similarities between the two books is that both girls are going through life alone without their parents to help them. Although most teenage girls don’t like having their parents getting in their business, it would still be nice to have them pay attention to you for once. Annemarie is not an only child; she has her older sister named Celia, but she is never home. Celia is always either hanging out with her new boyfriend or hanging out with her best friend Margaret. Annemarie’s best friend Elaine just got a new boyfriend and is forgetting who her real best friend is.
Second of all, another thing the two novels have in common is both of the main characters from both books are searching for something. Throughout War Comes to Willy Freeman , Willy is looking for her mother that had been captured and taken to New York as a prisoner, she would do anything to find her even if it involves dressing as a boy. Within Shug, Annemarie is looking for “love”, she had been crushing on her old best friend Mark and is dreaming for him to kiss her. Mark does not like Annemarie but little does she know the boy that is always mean to her does named Jack. In both of these books, they both find what they are looking for. Annemarie starts liking Jack back, and soon she receives her first kiss from him, and Willy finds her mother. Unfortunately her mother was sick and dies but luckily she got to see her before that.
Of course there are many differences throughout these books. First off, the time period is a huge one. War Comes to Willy Freeman was while during the Revolutionary war had been going on. In Shug the time period is definitely modern day, everything is perfectly normal, beautiful summer days. Another difference is Annemarie gets to find love, kid love, the kind of love Willy will never get to experience because it wasn’t right back then to have crushes on someone when you’re that young, especially if you are black.
Overall, there are lots of similarities, and many differences between these two novels. As said before, both girls have found what they have been looking for all along. For Willy it is her mother, and for Annemarie it is love. One of my favorite quotes relates to this one little similarity, “Never give up on anybody” by Hubert H. Humphrey. This quote is telling us that we shouldn’t give up on someone, such as finding love, or finding your mother.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Finding Mom
Authors Note: This piece is about what the main conflict and resolution is throughout the novel War Comes to Willy Freeman.
War Comes to Willy Freeman, by James Lincoln and Christopher Collier is about a young girl named Willy going on a long search to find her mother. Willy’s mom vanished from their house but Willy discovers that she had been taken by the Redcoats to be a slave in New York. Willy’s dad had gotten stabbed by the British during the Revolutionary War and is now dead. Even though Willy is alone, her mission is to dress like a boy and travel to New York to find her mother. Finding Willy’s mother is one of the main conflicts throughout the story.
In the novel the resolution would be that she finds her mother, her mother was kept at the Ivers in New York. But eventually her mother becomes sick and weak and after a while she soon dies. Luckily Willy got to see her mom and talk to her before she passed or that would have been a waste of time. Willy and I are alike because we would do anything to find our mom which includes traveling throughout the state to be with her.
War Comes to Willy Freeman, by James Lincoln and Christopher Collier is about a young girl named Willy going on a long search to find her mother. Willy’s mom vanished from their house but Willy discovers that she had been taken by the Redcoats to be a slave in New York. Willy’s dad had gotten stabbed by the British during the Revolutionary War and is now dead. Even though Willy is alone, her mission is to dress like a boy and travel to New York to find her mother. Finding Willy’s mother is one of the main conflicts throughout the story.
In the novel the resolution would be that she finds her mother, her mother was kept at the Ivers in New York. But eventually her mother becomes sick and weak and after a while she soon dies. Luckily Willy got to see her mom and talk to her before she passed or that would have been a waste of time. Willy and I are alike because we would do anything to find our mom which includes traveling throughout the state to be with her.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Point of View within the Eyes of a Brave Girl
Author's Note:This piece of writing is the point of view of Willy from "War Comes to Willy Freeman"
In “War Comes to Willy Freeman”, a teenage girl, Willy experiences a life changing situation, her father’s death and the absence of her mother. The Redcoats stabbed her father to death and on Willy’s way home she notices her mother has been taken by the British as a prisoner in New York. Willy disguises as a boy and goes on an adventure to find her mother.
One way Willy’s point of view influences the reader's interpretation is how this perspective shows that the Redcoats are very cruel people. It was very terrifying to see the British barge into the fort and watch the Redcoats take everyone out, including Willy’s father. Willy showed bravery while facing this scene in the book; Willy sat there in the corner experiencing the death of everyone. What if she was next? Wouldn’t you be scared? She sat there not knowing what would happen next, but luckily she made it.
I would see a whole different perspective if I was looking through the eyes of Willy’s mother throughout the novel. For instance, the readers would still think badly about the British because they took her mother as a prisoner, but we would be able to imagine what the other prisoners were like, and if they were black to. Was it a racial thing? Or did they just take whoever they could find? Also, we would be able to see the things they said to her mother before/while they were taking her, or if they said why they were taking her.
Obviously, in “War Comes to Willy Freeman” Willy’s perspective makes the reader see one side of a story, it also makes us believe that the Redcoats are the “bad guys”. This novel personally showed the readers that Willy is very strong; he survived without parents and made an effort to find his mother because she loves her. I think that if the point of view was from the eyes of the mother the book would give us a better understanding of how the British treated prisoners. Overall it was showed a great adventure and it also had an emotional side.
In “War Comes to Willy Freeman”, a teenage girl, Willy experiences a life changing situation, her father’s death and the absence of her mother. The Redcoats stabbed her father to death and on Willy’s way home she notices her mother has been taken by the British as a prisoner in New York. Willy disguises as a boy and goes on an adventure to find her mother.
One way Willy’s point of view influences the reader's interpretation is how this perspective shows that the Redcoats are very cruel people. It was very terrifying to see the British barge into the fort and watch the Redcoats take everyone out, including Willy’s father. Willy showed bravery while facing this scene in the book; Willy sat there in the corner experiencing the death of everyone. What if she was next? Wouldn’t you be scared? She sat there not knowing what would happen next, but luckily she made it.
I would see a whole different perspective if I was looking through the eyes of Willy’s mother throughout the novel. For instance, the readers would still think badly about the British because they took her mother as a prisoner, but we would be able to imagine what the other prisoners were like, and if they were black to. Was it a racial thing? Or did they just take whoever they could find? Also, we would be able to see the things they said to her mother before/while they were taking her, or if they said why they were taking her.
Obviously, in “War Comes to Willy Freeman” Willy’s perspective makes the reader see one side of a story, it also makes us believe that the Redcoats are the “bad guys”. This novel personally showed the readers that Willy is very strong; he survived without parents and made an effort to find his mother because she loves her. I think that if the point of view was from the eyes of the mother the book would give us a better understanding of how the British treated prisoners. Overall it was showed a great adventure and it also had an emotional side.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Family Is All You Need
Authors Note: This piece of writing is about me showing my understanding for one of the major themes throughout the book “The Outsiders”.
Some people have two families, their blood related family, and their family that is always there for them. In the book “The Outsiders” by S.E Hinton one of the major themes is family, the book shows us that you don’t need to be blood related to be considered a family. In the novel, most of the greasers don’t live with their real family, they have each other and that’s all they really need.
The author S.E Hinton developed this theme throughout the book by telling us about Johnny’s life. His mom wouldn’t talk to him and his dad abused him, so Johnny left that family and found a new one, known as the greasers.
Additionally, the author also expresses what a true family is by showing us how they are always there for you no matter what. When Ponyboy was getting beat up by Bob, Johnny was there for him, he killed Bob because he was trying to save Ponyboy’s life. When Sodapop says “We’re all we've got left. We ought to be able to stick together against everything. If we don't have each other, we don't have anything." to Darry in Chapter 12, he is trying to say that they need each other to get through anything. Like when he says “We ought to stick together against anything” Sodapop means that they have to be there for each other and stick together because they are family and that’s all they need, each other.
In conclusion, family is one of the biggest themes throughout the book. The greasers are a family, they need each other to get through anything, that’s what family does; they are always there for you no matter what happens. In order to be considered a family you can be either a group of people being there for each other and loving each other, you don’t have to be blood related. Family is all you need.
Some people have two families, their blood related family, and their family that is always there for them. In the book “The Outsiders” by S.E Hinton one of the major themes is family, the book shows us that you don’t need to be blood related to be considered a family. In the novel, most of the greasers don’t live with their real family, they have each other and that’s all they really need.
The author S.E Hinton developed this theme throughout the book by telling us about Johnny’s life. His mom wouldn’t talk to him and his dad abused him, so Johnny left that family and found a new one, known as the greasers.
Additionally, the author also expresses what a true family is by showing us how they are always there for you no matter what. When Ponyboy was getting beat up by Bob, Johnny was there for him, he killed Bob because he was trying to save Ponyboy’s life. When Sodapop says “We’re all we've got left. We ought to be able to stick together against everything. If we don't have each other, we don't have anything." to Darry in Chapter 12, he is trying to say that they need each other to get through anything. Like when he says “We ought to stick together against anything” Sodapop means that they have to be there for each other and stick together because they are family and that’s all they need, each other.
In conclusion, family is one of the biggest themes throughout the book. The greasers are a family, they need each other to get through anything, that’s what family does; they are always there for you no matter what happens. In order to be considered a family you can be either a group of people being there for each other and loving each other, you don’t have to be blood related. Family is all you need.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
People Aren’t As They Seem To Be
Authors Note: This piece is about proving others that you aren’t who they think you are, just like how Ponyboy and Johnny did.
There are lots of different stereotypes that people get judged by, like blondes are dumb, or gingers are hot heads. In the book “The Outsiders” the stereotypical greaser is known as a thug that steals and gets in fights. If I were a greaser I would you try to prove that I’m not like the others, that I’m different, unique. Just like what Ponyboy and Johnny did, they showed that they care about others and they aren’t like the others, they are outsiders.
One of the major themes in the book is about showing that they aren’t what people think they are and they prove to them that they are different and not based upon the stereotypes. This book inspired me to show others that it’s ok to not be like the others. It also encouraged me to prove to others that I’m not who they think I am. Johnny and Ponyboy showed that they were different in the book by going in and saving the kids from the church that was on fire. Everyone in the town was surprised that they did this because they thought the greasers weren’t caring and loving, but Johnny and Ponyboy proved them wrong.
The book “The Outsiders” by S.E Hinton shows that people aren’t always who you think they are. They can show the socs. that they aren’t the mean thugs that steal and get into fights. Some have a higher perspective on the greasers but they still aren’t at the top, they will always be seen as a typical greaser but at least they tried to show who they truly are.
There are lots of different stereotypes that people get judged by, like blondes are dumb, or gingers are hot heads. In the book “The Outsiders” the stereotypical greaser is known as a thug that steals and gets in fights. If I were a greaser I would you try to prove that I’m not like the others, that I’m different, unique. Just like what Ponyboy and Johnny did, they showed that they care about others and they aren’t like the others, they are outsiders.
One of the major themes in the book is about showing that they aren’t what people think they are and they prove to them that they are different and not based upon the stereotypes. This book inspired me to show others that it’s ok to not be like the others. It also encouraged me to prove to others that I’m not who they think I am. Johnny and Ponyboy showed that they were different in the book by going in and saving the kids from the church that was on fire. Everyone in the town was surprised that they did this because they thought the greasers weren’t caring and loving, but Johnny and Ponyboy proved them wrong.
The book “The Outsiders” by S.E Hinton shows that people aren’t always who you think they are. They can show the socs. that they aren’t the mean thugs that steal and get into fights. Some have a higher perspective on the greasers but they still aren’t at the top, they will always be seen as a typical greaser but at least they tried to show who they truly are.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Nothing Stays the Same
The poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost explains to us that nothing ever stays the same and that things get old easily. That’s why I am predicting that the greasers and the socs. will become friends at the end of the book because they are sick of being against each other. The poem says nothing stays the same, things change. Does that mean their friendship will change, and that the feelings toward each other will change? I’m guessing that Cherry will try to get the socs. to like the greasers,and the socs. will eventually forgive the greasers for killing Bob and the two groups will submerge and they will become a whole.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
I Am Proud
I have been asked if I am proud of my country, and my answer is yes. My first reason why I am proud is because the United States has freedom unlike many of other countries, we have rights and one of the most important of them all is we get to have any religion we want. In some countries they are forced to believe in one religion and one only. If you haven’t noticed, we are very lucky to be living in a free country and have rights. We also have a democracy; we get to have a voice, say what we want and have an opinion for everything or anything we want.
Second of all, we have won the previous war against the Middle East. We worked together and successfully killed Osama Bin Laden. We are very fortunate that people aren’t forced to serve in the war anymore. People want to protect the country, so they volunteer to serve in the military; that is one thing that everyone should be thankful for.
Lastly, we are a very generous country, sometimes too generous but thankfully we are helping to save the lives of others. The United States helps support those who are in need, but there are lots of people in need in the U.S, lots of people are complaining about being in debt, why aren’t we helping them first? Overall I am a very proud American that is thankful for a generous country that allows freedom.
Second of all, we have won the previous war against the Middle East. We worked together and successfully killed Osama Bin Laden. We are very fortunate that people aren’t forced to serve in the war anymore. People want to protect the country, so they volunteer to serve in the military; that is one thing that everyone should be thankful for.
Lastly, we are a very generous country, sometimes too generous but thankfully we are helping to save the lives of others. The United States helps support those who are in need, but there are lots of people in need in the U.S, lots of people are complaining about being in debt, why aren’t we helping them first? Overall I am a very proud American that is thankful for a generous country that allows freedom.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Mockingbird Reflection
The book Mockingbird written by Kathryn Erskine gives you a very well understanding of how ten-year old girl, Caitlin, with Asperger’s syndrome is living her everyday life. Caitlin is going through a lot, her older brother Devon just got shot and her mom died a while ago, but Caitlin doesn’t quite know how to react. Caitlin and her dad are working through it together and trying to have closure towards Devon’s death. Although Caitlin is having a hard time at home, school is also difficult for her. Most of the time kids are making fun of her because she is to “different”; so she refuses to make new friends. The quote “I know it’s difficult but you can’t keep it all inside” tells me, that you sometimes you have to express your feelings; you can’t always keep them bottled up inside of you. Caitlin has to learn how to show her emotions and not keep them inside her. In the book Caitlin’s guidance counselor said that quote when they needed to talk about her brother’s death, but Caitlin didn’t want to share because she felt dejected.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Bullied
Authors Note: This essay is trying to convince the reader that bullying is bad and that we should try to stop it.
How would you feel if you got bullied every single day of your life? How would you feel if you sat alone at lunch? How would you feel if the kids at school won’t even talk to you, and when they did, they would just end up making you cry. Bullying is a huge issue for almost any age in the United States. However, if we try to do something about it, it can be prevented.
Most likely when teens are getting bullied, about half of them end up committing suicide. About 50,000 teenagers try to kill themselves a year and about 5,000 succeed. Suicide is most common throughout the ages of 15 through 24. If we get the bullying to stop, there will possibly be fewer deaths throughout the nation.
Even though a lot of teens are killing themselves because of the terrible bullying, a lot of them are also getting depressed. Depression is causing kids to not talk to anyone and sometimes they won’t even go anywhere outside of their house. Being depressed can make teens want to hurt themselves because they aren’t happy how they look or how others are treating them. Hurting yourself can sometimes lead up to suicide threats, fortunately depression can be fixed.
In my opinion bullying can cause people to get a lower self esteem. It causes a low self esteem because if they are getting bullied verbally, they are getting made fun of because of how they appear, most of the time people get insecure because of how they are made. Sometimes people are getting bullied so often that they are scared to go to school because they don’t want to continue to get bullied, Isn’t school supposed to be a safe environment?
Above all, way too many kids and teens are getting bullied and risking their lives. If our school was bully free it would be a better environment and more people would feel safe to come here. Our school would be totally different if it was bully free, we would treat each other the way we want to be treated and almost everyone would be friends. But if we try, we can prevent bullying and save the lives of others.
How would you feel if you got bullied every single day of your life? How would you feel if you sat alone at lunch? How would you feel if the kids at school won’t even talk to you, and when they did, they would just end up making you cry. Bullying is a huge issue for almost any age in the United States. However, if we try to do something about it, it can be prevented.
Most likely when teens are getting bullied, about half of them end up committing suicide. About 50,000 teenagers try to kill themselves a year and about 5,000 succeed. Suicide is most common throughout the ages of 15 through 24. If we get the bullying to stop, there will possibly be fewer deaths throughout the nation.
Even though a lot of teens are killing themselves because of the terrible bullying, a lot of them are also getting depressed. Depression is causing kids to not talk to anyone and sometimes they won’t even go anywhere outside of their house. Being depressed can make teens want to hurt themselves because they aren’t happy how they look or how others are treating them. Hurting yourself can sometimes lead up to suicide threats, fortunately depression can be fixed.
In my opinion bullying can cause people to get a lower self esteem. It causes a low self esteem because if they are getting bullied verbally, they are getting made fun of because of how they appear, most of the time people get insecure because of how they are made. Sometimes people are getting bullied so often that they are scared to go to school because they don’t want to continue to get bullied, Isn’t school supposed to be a safe environment?
Above all, way too many kids and teens are getting bullied and risking their lives. If our school was bully free it would be a better environment and more people would feel safe to come here. Our school would be totally different if it was bully free, we would treat each other the way we want to be treated and almost everyone would be friends. But if we try, we can prevent bullying and save the lives of others.
Monday, October 3, 2011
I Hope You've Changed
Authors Note: This is a letter to Casey from the narrative poem, "Casey at the Bat"
by Earnest Thayer, from one of his ex-biggest fans.
It’s your biggest fan...wait no; your ex-biggest fan. You were my inspiration, I thought you were beyond amazing; you inspired me to follow my dreams just like you did. My name is Bethany and I am writing to you to tell you that you have to big of a head. Last week was pathetic; the way you thought you could beat the other team, that you were too good to try. Remember when the pitcher pitched to you and you backed away like a cat backing away from water, you said ”That ain’t my style” and you struck out, I wonder if you’ve changed since that?
First of all, during that game the score was four to two and you and your team had one more inning to play. Unfortunately you got way to ahead of yourself and when the pitcher pitched to you, you simply said “that ain’t my style” and let it pass you like you needed something better. With no doubt, you let the second pitch pass once again and you only had one more chance till you strike out. You only had one more chance and if you messed it up you would officially lose. But it was too late, Casey…you struck out.
After all, it turned out that trying to “impress” anyone won’t help make you better or to win victory. You disappointed all your fans, including me. We were so close, we should have won but no, you had your head in the clouds. It’s amazing to think that someone like you would go out and act like you own the world. Maybe if you had swung at the other ball or actually hit one your fans won’t be so angry, we would actually be proud of you that you tried your hardest.
I hope you’ve changed, I hope you learned your lesson. Since you acted like a king you got what you needed, your team is done for the season. You earned that consequence, it wouldn’t be fair if you would have won so say goodbye to the World Series. I wonder what your team thinks, are they mad at you? I know I am. Thank you for disappointing me, I hope you’ve changed.
by Earnest Thayer, from one of his ex-biggest fans.
It’s your biggest fan...wait no; your ex-biggest fan. You were my inspiration, I thought you were beyond amazing; you inspired me to follow my dreams just like you did. My name is Bethany and I am writing to you to tell you that you have to big of a head. Last week was pathetic; the way you thought you could beat the other team, that you were too good to try. Remember when the pitcher pitched to you and you backed away like a cat backing away from water, you said ”That ain’t my style” and you struck out, I wonder if you’ve changed since that?
First of all, during that game the score was four to two and you and your team had one more inning to play. Unfortunately you got way to ahead of yourself and when the pitcher pitched to you, you simply said “that ain’t my style” and let it pass you like you needed something better. With no doubt, you let the second pitch pass once again and you only had one more chance till you strike out. You only had one more chance and if you messed it up you would officially lose. But it was too late, Casey…you struck out.
After all, it turned out that trying to “impress” anyone won’t help make you better or to win victory. You disappointed all your fans, including me. We were so close, we should have won but no, you had your head in the clouds. It’s amazing to think that someone like you would go out and act like you own the world. Maybe if you had swung at the other ball or actually hit one your fans won’t be so angry, we would actually be proud of you that you tried your hardest.
I hope you’ve changed, I hope you learned your lesson. Since you acted like a king you got what you needed, your team is done for the season. You earned that consequence, it wouldn’t be fair if you would have won so say goodbye to the World Series. I wonder what your team thinks, are they mad at you? I know I am. Thank you for disappointing me, I hope you’ve changed.
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