Winter Wonderland

I pause at the street corner  and admire the frosty city around me.  The rosy cheeks and warm smiles of the people bustling around me melt through the looming layer of cold.  The stores and houses look different in the snow, like little gingerbread buildings, all lined up in their perfect rows.  Admiring the winter world around me, I cautiously walk up the icy steps to my front door. 

As I open the door, a gust of warmth washes over me.  I catch a glimpse of a collage of snow crystals on the windowpane.   Intrigued, I move closer.  I look out at the perfect frozen, white wonderland that reaches out for miles.  The unpenetrated sheet of snow looks as delicate as a soft peak of meringue.  Silhouetted trees reach out to the velvety, light gray blanket of sky.  Rooftops shimmer and sparkle in the fading light.  Anything seems possible in this stunning winter scene.  I turn away as the wind whisks winter wishes trough the wind.  Snowy dreams still drifting through my thoughts.  

Justice

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said: "every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals."  This quote means that even though to achieve justice you need to make sacrafices and struggle, it should still be your ultimate goal.  Despite the struggle, justice is a major theme in The Magic Half and other novels.  

After Miri looks through a mysterious eyeglass lens and gets transported back to 1934, she finds a girl named Molly and decides to bring her back to the present with her. The theme of justice is shown in The Magic Half when Molly's grandma explains to them why they traveled back in time. She says "Magic is just a way of setting things right". She explains to them that they were fixing things so that Molly's life would turn out better.  

Justice is also prevalent when Horst runs away. On the surface, Miri scares Horst away so that he doesn't change anything that would prevent Molly from returning to the present time with Miri. The underlying messae is that Horst got what he deserved.

Even though justice is a major theme in The Magic Half, it is also prominent in other novels, like A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Scrooge is visited the by three ghosts that show him how what he did in the past affects his future. He is suprisingly alarmed at what happens because of his choices int he past and present. This is because Scrooge believes only in money, not not material things like peace, hope, and justice. This becomes a problem for him when he realises that no matter how much money you have, the end result of you descisions will be what you deserve.

Even though there is the obvious theme of justice in A Christmas Carol, the song "Jar of Hearts", by Christina Perry, also has a less noticeable theme of justice. She says "And who do you think you are, running 'round leaving scars.  Collecting your jar of hearts;tearing love apart,"  She's basically saying that it's not fair that this person is going around and breaking people's hearts. This is reiterated in the line "You're gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul.  Don't come back for me.  Who do you think you are?" She is now saying that he isn't above everyone else; he can't just come back and expect her to forget about what happened in the past. She is basically saying that you don't deserve to get me back. For example this line, "Cause you broke all your promises.  And now you're back -- You don't get to get me back."  Throughout the song, Christina Perry is always saying that he doesn't get to get her back. Why shouldn't he get her back? He houldn't get her back because it's not fair. He can't go around breaking peoples hearts, then expecting them to immediately forgive him. He crushed other people's feelings, so she decided to return the favor.

Why is justice such an important theme in these books and songs? It is because people feel that it is important to do what is right and for you to get what you deserve. It is the "tireless exertions and passionate concern" of the characters in these stories that make the theme of justice so prevalent. The characters feel the need to do the right thing, even if it is tireless, because it is important to make you life as just and fair as possible. Everyone should realize this, not just ictional people. People should try to always do the right thing, because it achieves justice. Doing the just thing not only makes you a better person, but it also sets an example for the rest of the world to do the best thing possible and to ultimately achieve justice.

Why Can't You Fly?

Life's one giant circle
And I'm just along for the ride

Life's an ocean
And I'm stuck in the tide

The running and screaming,
the thousands of stampeding feet

I stare without blinking,
watching in awe, can't miss a beat

The wind tugs me along towards the bright blue sky
pushing me, lifting me, telling me I can fly.

How much changes in the Past, Present, and Future?

Author's Note:  This is my essay comparing and contrasting the themes in the differences of the past, present and future.  

Is the past really that different from the present?  It's a question most people would automatically answer yes to, but is it really?  What was so different?  Does the world evolving really change life that much?  I think that the present day, 2012, isn't that different from the past in a lot of ways.

The basic values in the past, present, and literature representing the future all are the same.  For example, family.  In the present, family is a huge part of our daily lives.  Family is what helps us develop our personalities and morals. Even with increasing divorce rates, parents try to bond with their children and "be there for them."  Even in novels set in the present time, like Little women and Me, family is important.  Emily realizes that family wasn't just important back in the 1860's, but in her modern-day family.  She also realizes that family is about not just taking, but also helping out and giving back.  In the past, family also was a huge part of people's lives.  For example, in the book Mr. Death's Blue-eyed girls, a book that was based on a real event, family has an amazing sense of importance in people's lives.  The girls families and friends try to help each other get over the deaths of Cheryl and Bobbi Jo.  The whole neighborhood community is close enough to be a family.  Everyone knew the girls and was affected by their deaths.  Family is also very important in novels taking place in the future.  One particular novel that has a strong theme of family is The Hunger Games.  Even though Katniss' mother is mentally confused and her father is dead, Katniss would do anything to protect her mother and Prim.  Gale is also almost family to Katniss.  They help each other and -at least in the first book- would sacrifice themselves for each other in a heartbeat.  These novels show that no matter what year it is, family is still very important.  

If the theme of family is like the main street of novels, then death is more like a dark alley that no one wants to acknowledge.  In many novels, death tip-toes in and reaches out its brave hand like a little kid trying to sneak a cookie off the plate on the counter.  In Mr. Death's Blue-eyed girls, death is obviously a storng theme.  Everyone's life is altered by the murder except the killer himself.  Nora is probably the most changed by the presence of death.  She starts over thinking how fragile life really is.  Nora is overwhelmed by the power of death in her life.  She lets the thought of death over power and lets it make her question everything in her life.  In the present time, death is also a known theme, but no one wants to think about it.  In Little Women and Me, Emily tries to change the fact that Beth dies.  While she does postpone it for about five years, it eventually has to happen.  You can't stop death, just like you can't stop life.  In The Hunger Games, death is an important theme.  The theme of death in The Hunger Games isn't the actual occurrence of the murdering of 23 fairly innocent adolescents; it's the idea of death the country of Panem is built on.  The country actually approves of kids killing each other for entertainment.  The winner gets a nice little prize that doesn't come close to making up for the lifetime of mental and emtional trauma they've suffered through.  The theme of death also is revealed when Prim is killed.  It is then understood by Katniss that even district 13 isn't above killing 13-year-old girls to make a political point.  In novels and in real life throughout the ages, life and death are like day and night.  After the happiness of day, night will always follow.  

Even though the ideals of family and the realisticness of death are similar no matter when the story occurs, the state of the government is always different.  Back in the 1950's time period of Mr. Death's Blue-eyed girls, the government was still forming and changing.  African-Americans were still entirely segregated without any laws against it.  During these changing times in America, new, uproarious things were happening.  For example, Hawaii was still in the process of becoming a state!  In modern times, it's harder to look at the effects of the government, because we are currently living it.  One positive thing that has happened since the 1950's is that there is way less segregation.  On the other hand, Democrats and Republicans have completely  opposite ideals, refuse to work together and it almost looks like they're trying to burn our country to the ground.  In the future however, these democracy issues are no longer a problem, because we have basically a modified kingship/dictatorship/presidency with digressing districts and social classes.  In The Hunger Games, the only hope for a better government is a compete revolution.  Overall, the differences in government are depressing because while some things improve, the overall situation never really gets better.  

So are the past, present, and future really all that different?  Even though the surrounding world is growing and changing, the basic morals and ideals stay the same.  Family has always been prevalent and life and death have been constant.  No matter what time period we live in, we've always been and always will be people.  People with families and friends and life.  You can always learn form the past and plan for the future, but don't try to live in anything but the present.  That's where you are now, so live it while you can.  The past and the future aren't so different from the present, so why not live the life that's waiting for you right now?

Because of Mr. Death

Author's Note:  This is a piece from the point of view of Mrs.Boyd; the mother of one of the murder victims in Mr. Death's Blue-eyed Girls.  

I watch with a sinking feeling in my stomach as the two girls go to find out what happened.  Their ponytails bob hypnotically as they run towards the park.  I don't know what's happening, but I have this sickening thought that it's about Bobbi Jo.  Julie grabs tighter on my neck; worried, but not terrified like I am.  I shouldn’t have let Bobbi Jo go to school with Cheryl today. She finished yesterday; why did she need to go see Cheryl's high school?  The thought keeps nagging at me that something has happened to her and it was my fault for letting her go.  I suddenly realize that Ellie and Nora had been gone for over fifteen minutes.  Something terrible has happened.  More than the usual fire or car accident.  They're too horrified to come back and tell me.  I nearly choke on my next breath as I start to grasp why they don't want to tell me what happened.  Bobbi Jo.  She still isn't back and it's after one o'clock in the afternoon.  I don't want to let myself believe it, but the idea is dark and heavy, like a storm cloud.  The wailing sirens drown out any other noise.  I hold my youngest son and daughter closer to me, but I feel completely alone.  The dense summer air nearly suffocates me.  I stand there helpless.

 A solemn police officer walks slowly up to my gate, not wanting to deliver the awful news.  I can't hear more than a word or two of what he's saying, but it still echoes in my head.  Bobbi Jo.  Dead.  Shot.  Path. Woods.  Dead.  Despite the ninety degree weather, a shiver runs up my spine like an icy spider.    I raise my hand to wipe away the tears that I had not realized sliding down my cheek.  I feel frozen in time, in that one moment, for what feels like hours.  I will never see Bobbi Jo again.  Never talk to her.  Never hear her laugh.  Her life is over.  Before it even really began.  Why do the worst things happed to the most undeserving people?  A fragile piece of my heart breaks as I turn away from the park.  I open the front door.  Still stunned.  Still not wanting to believe it.  Still not ready to go on with the rest of my life.  

Escaping 1861

I am reading the book Little Women, and Me.  The main character, Emily, doesn't get along with her siblings, Charlotte and Ann.  She resents them because the guy she likes pays more attention to either of them than her.  In the book, Emily starts reading Little Women for an English assignment.  When she starts thinking about what she wants to change in the book ( her L.A. assignment ) she gets transported in to the story.

My Predictions

Emily will get out of the book.

1. In similar stories like My Unfair Godmother, the main character always returns from the fictional universe.
2. No matter how the story ended, the ending would be inconclusive if she didn't escape the story.  The reader would be left wondering what had happened to cause Emily to enter the story.
3. This book is a romance.  The main character, Emily, is not in control.  She did not choose enter the book, which is a main plot point.  The setting is also a relative utopia.  Nothing majorly bad happens, and for the most part people live happily.  Sad things happen, like Beth dying, but nothing unusual happened to cause that.  

Emily will act differently after she leaves the story

1. Emily changes how she acts because she doesn't want Beth to be upset by what she says.  
2. In 1861 people talked and acted differently.  They had better manners and talked in a more polite tone.  Emily wants to fit in so she starts acting like this.  Since she was there for so long the new mannerisms will start rubbing off on her.  
3. In a sort of modern day adaption of sleeping beauty (I can't remember the exact name,) the girl that used to live during the 1600's starts to act like a modern day person, because that is what is expected in the time that she is in now.
4. This is similar to real life Presidents.  They have to be more careful about their social media pages and how much information they share about their personal life because people care more now that they are in a different social position.  

Emily flopped down on her bed.  The book sat limply on the floor somewhere near her feet.  Emily ran over to her laptop and checked the date.  It was November 26, the same day she had left.  In fact, barely an hour had passed since she had entered the story.  Relaxing, Emily started to realize things she had never noticed before.  Everything seemed louder than usual.  In 1861 there wasn't that underlying electric hum that you never payed attention to until it was gone.  Emily looked out the window.  She watched in horror as Jackson walked up to the door.  She heard the faint ringing of the doorbell from downstairs   She could feel the tension in the air as if the whole house was holding its breath.  She ran to the top of the stairs looking down at the confused faces of the three people.  Emily thought of the March sisters.  She knew she had to say something.  She tried to channel Jo's boldness.  Emily walked down the stairs and said in one huge breath,

"Hi, Jackson.  Sorry for the confusion   Charlotte may like you, but if you really care then you should ask her for yourself.  And as for Ann, she is too young for you.  She's an 8th grader, you're a sophomore;  the age difference is a little weird right now.  If you really like her that much, ask again in a few years.  Now, we clearly have a lot to talk about so why don't you leave now and we'll see you at school on Friday, okay? Great! Bye."

Emily practically shoved him out the door.  Her sisters stared at her in awe.  Then, they burst out laughing.  

"That was hilarious!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Ann could barely breathe.  When she could finally talk again she choked out "And the ironic-est thing is that he came here to talk to you," she laughed as Emily's face turned bright pink.  

Emily and her sisters giggled through the next fifteen minutes.  Whenever they started to calm down someone would quote Emily's monologue and they would all end up laughing so hard they were nearly crying.  Emily thought about how she was going to miss the March sisters.  It was going to be weird without them, but maybe her sisters in the present weren't so bad.  She knew one thing for sure, no matter what happened in life she would always remember what she had learned living in Little Women.  

Poor Unfortunate Souls

Author's Note:  I wrote most of this during the workshops, but I wrote the last two paragraphs after going to the WASC Fall Summit JAM Student Council Conference.  Sorry.  That is why the last two paragraphs kind of turn in to an inspirational speech. 

Have you ever noticed how certain books and stories parallel our world -- maybe even a little more than we'd like to admit?  Certain aspects from novels like Animal Farm have obvious similarities.   One story that I have noticed has many real life parallels is Disney's The Little Mermaid. 

Let's start at the main character.  Ariel.  She's a king's daughter.  A girl that has everything that she could possibly want in the world, but she's still unhappy.  She even says that much in one of her songs "...How many wonders can one cavern hold?  Looking around here you think, sure, she's got everything. I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty. I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty! But who cares? No big deal, I want more!"  She really just wants one thing.  Like almost everyone in America, her kingdom thinks that you can make up for all the empty holes with things.  The only thing Ariel wants is legs.  They aren't just legs, though.  This is similar to people in other countries versus Americans.  The people from other countries just want simple things, like freedom.  Americans have a sense of entitlement.  Above that, they put too much value in materialistic objects, not the things that really matter.  The only thing that Ariel wants is legs.  She would give up everything for them-- her family, her friends, even her voice.  They're her symbol of freedom.  This is the one thing that Ariel wants -- to be free of her kingdom that doesn't understand her.  They don't get what she wants.  They don't get why she would be happier somewhere else.  They don't get who she is.  She is having this emotional struggle that makes her a better person, while the American teenagers are begging for the latest iPhone.  Americans need to appreciate the big things before they put all their value in material objects. 

Even though you can easily compare Ariel to our society, how about her dad?  Triton is king of the ocean.  The whole sea is under his command.  This would be great if he didn't have that nagging little problem --  he is disapproving of what his daughter wants.   He is like most real life dads -- his goal is to have what's best for his daughter.  What he doesn't realize though is that he is just pushing her away.  All of his problems could have been resolved if he had just asked himself Where is this getting me; will it solve my problem?  His world would be perfect if he - like most real life dads - could come to the realization that his daughter will make the right choices and she can handle her own life. 

With all the suppressive elements around her, Ariel needs some support.   This comes from her two friends, Sebastian and Flounder.  They provide her the encouragement that she needs to rebel against her family and society.  I think that this is either really similar or depressingly far away from real life.  In my opinion, I really think that people need support in their lives.  It doesn't matter if this comes from fiends, family or other things; it's harder to accomplish things alone.   Without her friends, Ariel would have given up.  Her story would have been incomplete.  Even when everyone else doubted her, her friends believed in her to the end and made getting what she wanted possible. 

Stories like The Little Mermaid provide strong similarities to real life.  We saw the same wish for freedom in Ariel and the people from most other countries.  We saw the same desire for the best possible life for their daughters in Triton and real life dads.  We saw the same need of supporting friends   in the story and in real life.  We saw the similarities, but who cares?  Why does it matter?  This whole essay means nothing if you read it, then never think about any of it ever again.  You have to try to put more value in things like family; and less in the latest iPhone.  You have to try to let your kids, or siblings,  or friends grow and make decisions for themselves.  You have to not only have supporting friends, but you also have to be one!  As Ghandi said "You must be the change you wish to see."  Look at books and movies that have some sort of message and actually do something about it!  Don't just stand there and play the part of the poor unfortunate souls; make a difference!  Change the world!  Start small -- just one fish in the sea.  Then get bigger --  change the whole ocean.

Unfaithful Friend

Counselor: Hi, Charlie. 

Charlie: Hi.

Counselor:  So, you came here to talk through your...  traumatic experience with some people on The Cliffs, right?

Charlie: Yeah, I guess.

Counselor: So, how do you feel about your friend, Brooke?

Charlie:  Well, We're not really friends anymore; she's really changed. 

Counselor: Really?  Can you elaborate on that a little more?

Charlie:  Ummm, sure. 

Counselor: Great!

Charlie:  Well, before the whole reality show thing, she was really loyal.  She still liked to be the center of attention, but it wasn't all that mattered to her. 

Counselor: And now?

Charlie:  On the show, she really couldn't handle me being the main character.  She always got mad and said that I was stealing the spotlight and she was always mad that the producer of the show ran most of the ideas by me before a lot of decisions were made.

Counselor: do you have any ideas why she might have changed?

Charlie: I think that Marleyna definitely influenced her to change.  Even though Marleyna has always been really mean to Brooke, Brooke has looked up to her.  When Marleyna became Brooke's "new best friend"…

Counselor:  Let me interrupt you for a second.  Why did you put the air quotes around "new best friend"?

Charlie:  It's pretty coincidental that Marleyna suddenly likes Brooke after all these years, right when she appears on a reality show. 

Counselor:  I see.  You can continue now.

Charlie: I was just saying that it's a pretty convenient moment for Marleyna to be Brooke's new friend.  I really think that Marleyna drove a wedge between me, Keiran, and Hallie and Brooke.  There was already a lot of tension, but Marleyna was definitely fueling the fire. 

Counselor: Kind of like Meredith in that re-make of the Parent Trap?

Charlie: Exactly!  She plays innocent to Brooke, but she's horrible to the rest of us.  Then, she turns around and says that it's us being hard on her!

Counselor:  She is definitely someone that doesn't care who she steps on to get to the top, isn't she?

Charlie:  That's a perfect description of her! 

Counselor:  People like that can lead to change in the personalities of people like Brooke.  Do you think that Brooke has a dynamic personality?

Charlie:  What do you mean?  Is she interesting or exciting?

Counselor:  No, I was actually asking if she was really involved in the conflicts that you had on the show.  It could also mean that she is a person that changes a lot. 

Charlie:  Well, yeah.  Like I said before, she really loves being the most looked at person in the room.  Even if that means ditching a party you co-hosted to jump on a yacht with Marleyna.    

Counselor:  Do you think that she ever influenced or changed how anyone else felt or acted?

Charlie:  I think that she really upset people with what she said and made them say things defensively.

Counselor: Do you have any specific examples?

Charlie:  I remember one time, when we were at the fair.  I accidentally said something about how it was unfair that Keiran's parents made her babysit like she was the nanny.  It turned into this big argument and Keiran got really offended.  Somehow there was no sound on the recoded tape, so the show's producer had us film it again.  All of us were hesitant except for Brooke.  Keiran was so upset that she started being mean about all of our personal issues.  Instead of just letting it drop, Brooke was yelling back at her and was just making the whole thing worse. 

Counselor:  Interesting.  What kind of impact do you think Brooke had on the viewers of the show?

Charlie:  I don't really think that the viewers loved Brooke.  She's that girl that you don't particuarly like, but you can't help watching, because her life's so interesting. 

Counselor:  I agree.  Someone like that isn't particularly likeable, but can be really intriguing. 

Charlie:  Well, at least she has her new spin-off show.  She's the star and is absolutely loving it.  She couldn't care less about us or how we feel anymore.

Counselor:  Well, Brooke seems like a very deconstructive person.  I think that you should stay away from her as much as possible.  I know that she used to be your friend, but she's changed.  I think that she's happy now that she can be the center of attention.  There're certain people that need to be in the spotlight to validate that people care about them.

Charlie:  Well that sounds a lot like her.

Counselor:  Sorry, Charlie -- sorry, no pun intended.  That’s all the time we have now, but I'll see you next week, okay? 

Charlie: Yeah, that sounds good.  Bye.  

Founding America

Founding America

I walk through the cool, semi-dark library.  As I run my fingers over the dusty wooden shelves, I notice the names on the spines of the books.  Abraham Lincoln, Niel Armstrong, Martin Luther King, Jr.  What did all these men have in common?  They had courage.  They had determination.  They had hope.  With these three things, they became American heroes.  They made the dreams of our people come true.  These are the things that our founding fathers needed to make our dreams reality and build America. 

I would tell the founding fathers to have courage.  This would help them to not be afraid and to persevere for our country.  Courage would help them to be brave and do the right thing.  With courage, they would learn to stand by their choices.  They would learn to believe in themselves.  Our founding fathers needed courage. 

 

I would tell the founding fathers to have determination.  Determination helped them work through the road blocks and achieve great things.  If they were determined, they could find new solutions and build a better country.  Our founding fathers needed determination. 

I would tell the founding fathers to have hope.  They needed  hope to guide them, to work to establish our country.  A country where all men were considered equal and you had the chance to grow and be your own person.  They needed hope to be that ever-optimistic voice telling them that nothing is impossible.  Our founding fathers needed hope.  

With these few things, our founding fathers could establish a great country.  They would learn to be more than just the average person.  They would be able to achieve great things.  They would be the best that they can be.  Our founding fathers paved the way for other great inspirations and heroes, and believed in the dream of our great country.  With courage, determination and hope they have made this far off dream become a reality.  

Security Gaurd

Dance camp.  Four days and three nights of learning and performing dances.  We spent almost every spare moment practicing.  I went over motions in my head as I fell asleep.  I timed my life in eight counts.  I had a perpetual soundtrack of “Latin Mix” and “Come on Feel the Noise” stuck in my head.  This was ninety percent of our time at camp, but it was really the free moments that I remember most.  Especially the time that we almost got caught by a security guard.

The whole fiasco happened in under two hours, but it felt like days.  It was the second night of camp, at about 11:00 at night.  We were all sitting in Emma and Molly's room talking.  Even though we were all supposed to be in our own suites, Abby was in our room.  Everything was great until "Richard" showed up.  

I'm sure you're wondering what I'm talking about, so let me explain. Earlier that morning, Molly and Jenna had met a person on a bike.  Long story, short; they named him Richard and it became this big joke. 

That's why, when at approximately 11:00 at night, a man passed, most of the people in the room started shouting out at him.

“Hi, Richard,” Emma screamed.  

“DUCK FACE,” Abby yelled out the window.

We were all laughing and joking around.  

Then, the man shined a flashlight up in to our window.  It was a security guard. 

The next few minutes were all a blur.  Somehow, none of us panicked.  We all ducked down, so he didn't see us.  Someone turned off the lights.  Molly closed the curtains.  Then, the shock wore off.  I remember everyone's reactions.  Emma started hyperventilating and shaking.  Molly was so scared that we'd get caught, she was almost in tears.  Jenna was worried that he would come up to our dorm.  Abby was afraid that she would get in trouble for being in our room after curfew.  I was scared to death, but I tried to stay as calm as possible.  I knew that it would be worse if I started freaking out too.  

This is when it started to feel like time was dragging out as long as possible.  The seconds hesitated to pass.  The minutes ticked by as sluggishly as possible.  The clock seemed to slow to a stop.  We were waiting for something to happen.  I think we all knew it was coming, but when it did our hearts skipped a beat.  Someone was knocking on our door.  

Everyone panicked, except for me.  Abby hid in a closet, Emma and Molly pretended to be sleeping, Jenna crawled under the bed.  All the lights were still off.  On my way to the door, I tripped over a suitcase.  Only later I realized how much it had hurt, but then I was completely numb.  I tip toed to the peep hole.  Outside, stood the security guard.  All I did was watched and waited.  I kept thinking "Maybe if  I don't do anything, he’ll leave."  That's when he sighed and pulled out his keys.  I realized that I had to do something.  With no other option, I opened the door.

Luckily, someone had turned on the lights.  He stepped in to the hallway.  I tried to look and sound as tired as possible, like we had actually been trying to sleep.   I offered the lame excuse of me tripping over a suitcase explaining why it had took me so long to get to the door.  That was the end of any small talk.  He said "We had some reports about girls screaming out the windows, and this could have been one of the suites."  At this point I had to make a split second decision: get caught for breaking the dorm rules, or lie.  Neither were good options.  I'd love to say that I took the high road and told the truth, but I didn't.  I just put on a straight face and said the first thing that popped in to my mind.  "Oh, that wasn't us, we were just talking and eating chips."  By now he had walked to the doorway of Emma and Molly’s room.  

Thankfully, he didn't come in.  He was most likely discouraged by the empty pints of ice cream, gummy worms on the desks, and the rainbow of spandex and sports bras littering the floor.  He just looked in to their room and saw three of the other girls.  They were trying to look tired, but were all holding their breaths.  The security guard seemed to believe our story, but he still seemed a little suspicious.  "Was there anyone else in your room in the past ten minutes?" he asked.  "No," I replied as casually as possible.  This was all he needed to hear.  He said "Sorry to scare you ladies, you look fine to me.”  We all rushed to reply “Oh, it’s fine,” before he left. 

The second our door slammed closed, we finally let out our breaths.  Abby waited a few seconds, then went back to her own room before the guard interrogated them too. 

Emma was verging on a nervous breakdown and was almost in tears.  We were all still scared, but we realized that the hardest part was over.  Now our biggest concern was that someone would figure out that it was us screaming and we would get in trouble.  

When I look back on that incident, I realize that it all could have been avoided by following the rules.  If we had gone to bed on time, obeyed curfew, not screamed out the windows, and even not talked to that bicyclist, there would never have been a problem.  That would have been great, but then there would be no story.  Even though I don’t believe it was right to scream out the windows and lie to the security  guard, it definitely made that night a lot more interesting.   So the morale of this story is not “don’t lie to a security guard at dance camp.”  It’s not even that you should follow one of the billion and one other rules we broke.  The real morale of this story is don’t get caught lying to a security guard because you were screaming out the windows.  That would just ruin the end of the story. 

Cause/Effect-Ashleys- Death by Cupcakes

In The Ashleys, three  girls, coincidentally all named Ashley are the "queen bees" in their school.  Lauren Page is sick of how they treat people and wants to change that.  Her plan is to join the Ashleys and then destroy them, so their school will be better for everyone.  The turning point in this story is when Lauren saves the main Ashley's life after a near fatal allergic reaction.  This is the climax because nothing can go back after that.  Ashley almost has to not hate the girl that saved her life.  If you look back, you can see all the things that caused this event.  First, Lauren joins their group.  This throws things off balance, because everyone is fighting or their spot in the clique.  Also, Ashley never tells second-in-command-Ashley (Lili) that she has a life-threatening allergy.  Then, in spite of Ashley's orders to get cupcakes made from a special recipe, Lili buys regular cupcakes for the dance.  Then, at the dance Ashley eats a cupcake thinking that they are nut-free and has an allergic reaction.  Lauren saves her by injecting her epi pen.  After this, nothing can really be the same.  There are a lot of different things that this effects.  Lili is jealous becuase Ashley only told Ashley Alioto(A.A.) about her alergy.  This makes her feel threatened that she won't be Ashley's favorite.  It also makes Ashley like Lauren a lot more.  She feels indebted to her after Lauren saves her life.  This makes Lauren a lot closer with the Ashleys, and makes her chances of getting in to the clique better.  

The result of the story could have been a lot different.  For example, if Lauren hadn't read Teen Vouge, she wouldn't have been able to guess where Ashley kept her epi pen(there was an article on a girl with a nut allergy) and Ashley would've died.  This would have completely changed the events because Lauren would never have a chance to destroy the clique.  Lili would feel at fault for killing her best friend.  Ashley would be dead.  The Ashleys probably wouldn't even exist anymore.  If the climax event hadn't happened, the story would have no conclusion.  The allergic reaction is the turning point because it changes the story drastically and prepares it for the falling action.  This event both brings the characters closer together and farther apart.  If this event didn't happen, the story would have no ending, and there would be no difference from the beginning of the story. 

Speak- conflict/resolution- Facing your Fears

In Speak, the main character Melinda faces a problem.  In the summer before her freshman year she goes to a high school party. Because of the events that happened at the party, she becomes a social outcast and recedes in to a shell.  The main conflict in this book is Melinda not being able to face what has happened to her, and the results of it.  One example of this is when she builds her closet.  She hides out in an old janitor's closet away from anyone else. I think that she does this because she doesn't want to face her classmates because it surfaces her worst memories.  Another example is when she is dissecting a frog in science class.  If she had faced her problems, she wouldn't have let the frog become an analogy to her life.  She could have just thoughtlessly dissected the frog and moved on with her life like the rest of the class, but she let her fear control her.  Melinda has to battle many different types of problems throughout the book, but the main issue is person vs. self.  She is battling her self with her pent up fear and other emotions, because she can't get over what happened.  Even though she feels isolated and alone, she doesn't do anything about it.  She just sits there and let's it happen.  Melinda can't fix her problems until she learns to face her fears.  

Luckily Melinda finally stands up to herself by the end of the book.  Melinda gets over her fear to stand up for herself.  In the climax of the novel, when He tries to hurt her again, Melinda finally gets a back bone and speaks up.  Melinda defends herself and overcomes her biggest fear.  She faced her problems and therefore was able to resolve them and find help.  One way to see that this is the main conflict is to look at what would've happened if she hadn't done this.  Melinda would have just gotten even more afraid and isolated herself even more.  She would have become worse and worse, and would've come to a point where she couldn't get over what happened.  It would have eventually consumed her.  All of her thoughts and all of her time would've been spent on those terrifying moments.  If she hadn't finally faced what happened, she wouldn't have been able to grow and move past those moments and on to the rest of her life.  Because Melinda faced her problems, she created a chance to restore her life.  

Retelling

In I'd Tell You I Love you but Then I'd Have to Kill you,  the main character goes to an elite spy school, under the cover of a prestigious girls academy.  Eventually, she falls in love with a boy from town.  With the help of her friends, she breaks all the rules and goes against everything that she was taught, for a chance at a normal relationship.  In the end, she realizes that their lives may have too many differences to overcome.  

Let them hate, so long as they fear.

Think back to middle school.  About 7th or 8th grade.  Imagine all the kids in your grade.  There's always that one person that is always gossiped about, but everyone still wishes she'd like them.  She(or he) has confidence, even though they are talked about.  This quote is talking about them.

Let them hate, so long as they fear.  This quote means that the person is okay with people saying things about them, as long as they are afraid enough of them not to say things to their face and they still care whether or not that person likes them.  I disagree because I'd rather people actually like me, than them pretend to like me, then say things about me behind my back.  

This quote reminds me of Massie Block from The Clique.  She is okay with people "hating" her as long as she is the unquestioned and uncontested queen bee.  She has a lot of friends that want her to like them, but they still say things about her when she isn't there.  Massie also cares less about what the other students say about her because she knows that they'd all do anything for her to like them.  Even thought they hate her, they fear her and want to be like her.

This quote says that the author has self confidence, but still wants  to be in power.  This quote says that you should be proud of who you are, but you shouldn't let people walk all over you.  People can learn from this quote because it says that you have enough character, to not mind what people are saying about you.   

Regrets

*Author's note: This piece is entirely fictional.  I don't really think it's my best work but it could be worse sooo…

My life is a circle of regrets.  I always look back at what I should have done.  Things that got looked over in the moment.  People always tell me that everyone makes mistakes.  What I've done is not a mistake.  It's not a "misguided action."  It's not a misunderstanding.

My life has been changed by choices.  Choices where I did the wrong thing.  Choices that  I made.  Things that I wanted to do.  That I thought were my best option.  I did the wrong thing for the wrong reasons.  I can't change my decisions.  I can only regret my choices.

My life is a web of lies.  Lies to the rest of the world.  The same lies I tell myself.  I tell myself that I did nothing wrong.  That it was his fault.  That I had nothing to do with it.  But I did.  Maybe not directly.  Maybe more directly than I even realize.  But I have no choice.  My choices force me to lie. 

My life is shadowed in fear.  The fear that consumes me; eats me alive.  I am afraid. 

I am afraid that I will forget about my mask.  The perfect face that hides the scars underneath.  I am afraid that I will forget to be perfect.  Because if I forget, even for one second, the world will see who I really am.  They will see the scars that lie under the perfect outside.  I am afraid of the lies that control my life. 

I regret what I did.  But I chose to do it.  I lie to the world.  I am afraid that they will see.  Because I am not what they think.  I am the opposite.  I am a monster.  I am undeserving.  Of life.  Of love.  Of hope.  I live a life of lies and regrets.  My choices have made me afraid.  Now, I truly have nothing.  I deserve to die. 

16 year old boy

Wow.  She's so cute.  Seriously.  She's like... wow.  I can't help staring at her.  Then Jen grabs my arm.  I mean she's pretty hot,but I'm really starting to hate cheerleaders.  The whole peppy thing is SO annoying.  I'm done with her.  I only dated her in the first place 'cause my friend liked her sister.  I still feel kinda bad though.  But I can't get her out of my head.  She is just so... yeah.  I think Jen's starting to notice.  She keeps glaring at me.  I think I've gone to get a refill like three times in 20 minutes.  I can't help it.  My friends keep telling me that I'm an idiot for wanting to dump Jen, but I'm just not that in to her.  Shes all like OOHH! Prom!  Look! Shoes!  Like OMG!  Ashley told me like the most like AMAZINGLY funny story!  So, back to prom! How do you feel about like the color pink!  I always feel like screaming in her face, just so she would SHUT UP for like one ******** second!  But, Brooke... She's kinda perfect.  Not my usual type... not blonde or the cheerleader type, but in a good way.  I always stare at her across the counter.  I can never even order right.  In the theater, Jen claws in to my hand, but I get up anyway.  I'm not gonna settle for this... Jen's just not enough.  My thoughts drift back to Brooke.  The way her eyes kinda sparkle. How she lights up the room just by being there.  Jen only lights up a room when she walks into a party after a football game in her cheer leading uniform carrying a 24-pack of beer. Brooke's just more... real.  She doesn't have to wear a mini skirt to get noticed.  I don't know why, but I see more in her than what she looks like.  She's sweet, and nice.  She doesn't even care what other people think about her.  Not that she needs to.  She's still really pretty.  I go over to the concessions counter.  Her shift is over though.  Whatever.  I'll just come back some other day... I walk back to the theater.  I look for Jen.  I see her a few rows away from where we were sitting.  Making out with my friend, Blake.  At first, I'm kinda thinking what the heck!  But then I'm just like great, I'm leaving.  I grab my jacket and walk to my car.  Jen can get a ride home with Blake for all I care.  I'm done.  I'll talk to Brooke tomorrow.

The Wrong Relationship

Somebody that I Used to Know

*Authors note: a few words have been altered/ignored to make this song PG rated.

Imagine this.  You're upset about something that happened.  You're sitting on your bedroom floor, on your favorite purple bean bag chair.  You're listening to the radio.  You're flipping thorough stations like your life depends on it.  You pass lots of artists:  Adele, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Gotye, Katy Perry; then you stop.  You slowly flip back to the Gotye cover of "Somebody that I used to Know".  Why?  The music, the message, the lyrics; the song seems it has a meaning, a story. What is this story really saying?  What does this song mean?  What makes it so magnetic?  In my eyes it narrates a relationship pattern that seems to happen to a lot of people. 

The first verse starts with the line "Now and then I think of when we were together."  This seems like the narrator is happily looking back at a relationship, but then comes the next few lines.  "Like when you said you felt so happy you could die.  Told myself that you were right for me.  But felt so lonely in your company."  The line "Like when you said you felt so happy you could die" shows that the girl in the relationship was content, but there was a start of a shadow.  A doubt.  This doubt started eating away at the relationship.  Then it says "told myself that you were right for me.  But felt so lonely in your company."  The narrator is trying to convince himself that he is happy, even after there isn't anything left.  He doesn't feel like he is still part of the relationship.  This would seem to mean that the girl did something wrong.  She wasn't really there.  Neither of them were really happy, but they still held on.  They tried to hold a boat together even after the pieces were breaking off.  This is explained in the next line.  "But that was love and it's an ache I still remember."  This means that he thought that they were in love, but love doesn't leave you aching, or resentful towards love.  They were both pretending to have something that didn't exist, like how you can't swim in the air. No matter how hard you try, you still need water. 

The second verse is kind of a bridge.  The first verse is narrating what happened and the chorus talks about their feelings.  The second half of the verse is somewhere in between.  The first line says "You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness."  This means that he doesn't even think that the girl  wanted to be happy, but it also literally meant that she can mentally get addicted to being unhappy and always wanting more.  The next line further says "Like resignation to the end, always the end."  This illustrates that she was gone up until it was actually over.  This could be interpreted two different ways. She could have been purposely ignorant, or she could have been afraid of the relationship.  She may have been too afraid that she would end up hurt to actually try.  The verse ends with "So when we found that we could not make sense;  Well you said that we would still be friends;.  But I'll admit that I was glad it was over."  This just says that he was happy when it was finally over because he hated the pressure and the instability of the relationship.  This paragraph walks the fine line of emotions and narration wit lots of double meanings.  

The chorus is mostly talking about how the guy felt.  I don't mean this in a bad way, but he seems to have the regular guyish reaction.  He doesn't seem to care, but then he talks about how much it hurt him.  He really seems to have conflicting emotions in this paragraph.  First he says " But you didn't have to cut me off.  Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing"  This seems like he was mad that she was so distant and that she didn't care about the relationship .  Then in the next line "And I don't even need your love" he sounds like he doesn't care what happened and that it didn't really matter to him.  He contradicts that in the next line by saying "But you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough."  This shows that he actually cares and is upset by how she treated him.  Then, he goes back to mad by saying "And you didn't have to stoop so low, Have your friends collect your records and then change your number."  That means that she left glimpses of her past behind but was still unreachable.  She left others to pick up the left over pieces once she was gone, but she never came back to the people.  After this second string of anger the guy goes back to trying to look tough while convincing himself to get over it.  He conveys this message by saying "I guess that I don't need that though."  He said "I guess" like he wasn't totally sure, but he still is trying to protect himself "I don't need that though."  He finishes his chorus by saying "Now you're just somebody that I used to know."  Basically, you're gone now.  I used to know you, but it's over.  Throughout this verse the guy is a mess of emotions and conflicting thoughts. 

Right now, the girl seems at fault, right?  Let's see her point of view.  She starts off by saying "Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over"  He seems to be lying about something. Rest of analysis of this line is cut out to keep essay PG.  Next, she says "Part of me believing it was always something that I'd done."  This seems like the guy always blamed her for things, and made her feel inferior by making it her fault.  Then she explains why she left with the line "But I don't wanna live that way" I won't keep letting you do this.  "Reading into every word you say" She's saying that he never told her the whole truth and that she had to read through all the holes in his stories.  "You said that you could let it go" He said that he could forget his past and move on (which by his chorus, he doesn't seem too good at).  "And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know" He said he could move on, but he couldn't.  It was too hard for him to look past himself and what he wanted.  This is called Narcissism.  It means that they can't see others needs above their own.  He couldn't get past his needs, and it cost him the girl.  Now it seems like the girl got out of a bad situation while she still could.

So, now that you know the whole story, these are my final thoughts.  Both people did things wrong.  Nobody's perfect.  The girl was playing with his emotions.  Like in that one Brittany Spears song.  She just got lost in love and didn't realize what was happening.  On the other hand, the guy was lying and couldn't get past himself.  Both people did things wrong.  They tried to make things work, but with a girl with the awareness of Brittany Spears and a guy with the self worth of Narcissus, things just couldn't work.   This general scenario happens with lots of couples.  Both people did things wrong, but for whatever reason they only see the other's faults. 

Demons- Poe Prediction Piece.

In the first six paragraphs of Poe's Silence- A Fable,  The main character is visited by a demon.  This demon talks about a place worse than any human has ever visited.  He also states that the only way a human might have visited this place is in a dream. This leads me to believe that the main character is dreaming.  Since Poe is the father of horror stories, I do not believe that he will use the cop-out ending of the narrator waking up.  I predict that this story will be an irony.  So far, a demon has visited the main character, which is not possible in a world that is not dystopian.  The main character is not in control as the demon is obviously overpowering him with fear, especially when the main character is suddenly in the horrible place.  He is no longer in control when he is involuntarily transported to evil places.  I do not predict that this story will turn out well when a demon is in control and the setting is the evilest place on earth. 

There are also lots of clues in the symbolism of the story.  If I am correct in my theory of the narrator being asleep, this story probably takes place at night.  Since this is Poe, I am guessing about midnight.  In some of his other stories he uses midnight as a symbol.  In The Masque of the Red Death, the red death strikes at midnight.  In The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator enters the old man's room at midnight.  In my opinion, midnight shows the point of no return and that all decisions made by this point are final and irreversible.  This story also shows symbolism in the colors. Red is mentioned as the color of the sun and the rain that "falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood."  The color red is also showed in The Masque of the Red Death as the color of the windows to the black room.  Red seems to symbolize blood and evil presence.  Neither of which are good signs for the future of our main character. 

This particular story reminds me a lot of The Raven.  There is a narrator that seems nice at first.  Then you realize that he/she may have done something wrong to deserve punishment.  Next, you notice the evil figures; the raven and the demon.  There is also color symbolism in both stories.  in The Raven there is the symbol of mystery in the purple velvet curtains.  In Silence- A Fable there is the color symbolism of the saffron yellow river and the red rain and sun.  Since The Raven ended with the narrator losing hope along with his sanity, I expect something similar to happen in the end of Silence- A Fable. 

This is my ending to the story. 

I studied his face; I watched and waited.  I watched and waited for him to answer my plea.  I cried out "Monster- master of evil; take me from this wretched place.  This horrible place that is sick; sick with fear and pain and death."  Despite my desperate cries, he just stood there and watched.  He watched as the red blood pooling at me feet rose higher and higher until the crimson liquid stained my neck.  I begged him to save me; to end my misery.  The misery that bound me to Earth.  No mater what I said; no matter how much of my blood mixed with that of my enemy, he stood in silence to watch me drown.  The blood surged up past my gaping mouth and covered my nose.  I tried to cough, but there was no air left in my collapsing lungs.  Crumbling with horror and guilt, I drifted in and out of consciousness.  In and out of sanity.  The blood entered my eyes and my vision was shaded with red.  Oddly, my ears were unaffected.  i could still hear the horrible screams from the convulsing river.  I had no air, or sight, or smell, but  was still living.  I saw his plan now.  I was to sit here; choking, dying, for all eternity.

The Mad Murderer

*Author's Note

This is a POV response to The Tell-Tale Heart

In the tell-tale heart, the narrator is a mad murderer that is overcome with guilt.  He is unreliable and cannot see the world clearly.  His point of view shows the story in a crazy and delusional way.  

This is they story from the police's point of view. 

"We've got a report of someone hearing a neighbor screaming," the chief of police announced, "might be foul play.  Hubert, James, Grey- you go have a look at it.  Search the premises."  

We sighed and tromped out in to the crisp night air.  We walked in silence, looking out over the  barren streets.  After about 10 minutes we reached the old house. 

The house had an eerie feel as we crept up the cobblestone path.  Hubert pushed me forward to knock on the door.  The young man who answered it smiled.  He welcomed us and asked us to come inside.  

When we asked about the shriek he informed us that it was his own, from a nightmare.  He told us that the old man was off in the country, visiting friends.  He was very hospitable, we hardly even had to imply before he let us search his apartments.  He even showed us the old man's room with all of his belongings intact and undisturbed. 

He pulled up chairs and had us sit down.  We chatted about inconsequential things; the weather, the government, the strength of our military.  He seemed to be growing tired and his face was starting to pale.  We thought little of it.  He suddenly started talking faster and louder for no apparent reason.  He seemed particularly upset when the death watches in the wall became a bit louder.  

He talked louder and faster with each passing minute.  Finally he seemed to reach the breaking point.  Se stood raving and swearing.  He thrashed his chair against the floorboards.  He had a reputation of being mad so we thought little of his sudden outburst.  This seemed to aggravate him even more and he screamed in rage.

He admitted to killing the old man; covering up his terrible deed by hiding his limbs under the floor boards.  We brought him back to the police station.  His madness was recorded as his motivation for the murder.  He was brought in for questioning but testified strongly against insanity.  He was sent to the asylum; he obviously had mental issues and could not be trusted with reality.  

Mother to Son Response

In Mother to Son, there are many examples of figurative language.  The author only uses metaphor, but there are many examples within this poem.  First, there is the stair metaphor.  The speaker compares different sets of stairs to different lifestyles.  A crystal stair is used to show the rich, easy life.  The glassy polished stair that almost everyone wants.  A rough wooden stair shows the woman's life.  She talks about how the stair is rough and falling apart, but has pulled through and held up.  In my opinion, this particular metaphor shows that most people can't always have the easy life, but they end up being stronger and less breakable because of it.  Another metaphor is the splinters and tacks.  These symbolize the troubles and hardships throughout someone's life.  The author showed that even though there were snags and setbacks along the way, people move past it and keep moving forward.  There is also a line of the poem that talks about how there is no carpet, so it's painful to sit down.  This symbolizes that sometimes when it seems easier to give up, it just hurts even more.  Also, life is not protected with a plush carpet.  The hardships and tragedies of life are not sugar coated.  Everyone sees other people in the worst light possible, full of splinters and scars.  I think that the speaker can see that these are not scars, they are the things that build people's life and character.  The mood of the poem is inspiring.  The bad grammar and spelling shows how ordinary people break through barriers and  live their life.  The tone of the poem is firm, but still helpful and comforting.  You can really tell that the speaker is encouraging the son in this poem. 

The Final Notes

Lost forever in a sea of dreams

Full of hope never to surface

Like a sailor's burning ship in the ocean; never to be saved

A gentile candle's flame; turned in to a raging fire

The peace is shattered; a delicate weeping willow burned to the ground

Fire so strong that fierce winds and rain only add to the chaos

Earth cold and dark, light can not save anything

Nothing moves; the Earth is still and barren

Grassy plains and still forests are whipped by the wind and cloaked in a shadow

A shadow that will last forever

The air is sad and lifeless

Lingering with memories of the past

Memories of dancing winds, or a warm breeze that brushed against your face

Now the world is still, the last notes of a thousand century song play out

Finally, there is nothing

Realizations

*Authors Note:  This poem is actually kind of happy (no one dies, or is actually hurt).  it also follows a weird pattern: movement, self, woods, path, personification/metaphor,  personification/metaphor, Life/animals, life/earth, Something short, short, short, movement. 

Walking.  I am alone.  The woods surround me.  The dark dirt path disappears into the distance.  The mist clings to the trees, creating a surreal and magical scene.  Angel tears of light stream onto the leafy carpet.  Time stands still.  Animals are silent.  Life pauses and takes a deep breath of the cool fresh air.  The wind dances through.  The leaves rustle.  The noise drifts back.  I keep walking. 

I glide forward.  My feet barely even touch the ground.  The woods whisper.  The hard packed path pushes me toward the light.  The gray clouds crack, letting their teardrops fall to earth.  Fat beads fall from the broken clouds.  Everything slows down.  Plants shiver.  Single drops of rain create a slow, steady beat.  The trees huddle closer.  Everything is protected.  Life moves on.  I keep walking. 

I push forward.  I can barely see the light, even though I am closer.  The woods are dark.  The path is the only thing that I can see.  Shadows dance and run, choking out everything except darkness.  The air is thick, trying to pull me back with it's grasping fingers. There is no color.  Animals retreat into the bushes.  Nothing lives in the darkness.  A single ray of light breaks through the leaves.  The plants rise up.  The path lightens.  I keep walking.

I walk past the last few trees.  I am alive.  The woods are gone.  The dirt path fades out in to a lush green meadow.  The light dances through the air.  The sad green weeds transform into beautiful wildflowers.   A single moment lasts forever.  Everything is alive.  Life surges and rushes through the air.  A soft breeze lazily drifts through.  Birds sing.  The earth takes deep breaths of the cool spring air.  The world is perfect.  I stop walking. 

Heathers

 She's walking through the hall.  Nobody looks directly at her.  Everyone wonders who she is.  Alone.  Oblivious.  That girl.  The one that nobody, yet everybody, wants to talk about.  She is new.  She is different.  Therefore, she is bad.  She knows this.  She is horribly, gut wrenchingly aware of this.  She just wants to blend in to the linoleum floors and badly plastered walls.  She will do whatever it takes to blend in.  No matter who else she has to hurt along the way.  She is a Heather. 

Heather, from the novel Speak, has some pretty big personality issues.  First, she's really annoying.  She's way to peppy and excited for that to be all she's thinking.  She acts like she is just the sweet girl from Ohio, but she's not afraid to stab people in the back.  She only cares about what people higher on the food chain think of her, not the lowly little outcast.  She acted like Melinda's friend until it cam in between her indentured service to the Marthas.  Then suddenly, once the Marthas stopped caring entirely, Melinda was suddenly good enough again.  She always pretends to be someone else to fit in, but then no one actually likes her for her personality.  She's a lot like Ruby from Lock and Key; she tries so hard to fit in, that she almost ruins her entire life.  Melinda tried to be a real friend to her, but the second that she really needed Heather, she completely dropped her for a better clique.  Who would even want to be friends with someone like that?She always pretends to be someone else to fit in, but then no one actually likes her for her personality.  She has to be a better person, or people will stop seeing the pretty outer shell, and realize how horrible she actually is.

 Heather has a slightly creepy obsession with becoming a Martha.  She Starts wearing matching sweater sets and wool lined pants.  She has a sudden urge to become charitable.  She has an unfunded love for crafts.  She tries to infiltrate a clique that she doesn't even honestly want to be in.  She spends all of her time running errands for people that don't care about her at all.  I find it ironic that her "best friend's" idols are a woman that spent five months in jail. Wondering why Martha Stewart was in jail?  She was found guilty of insider trading.  That is the "illegal buying and selling of securities by persons acting on privileged information."  Yeah; Martha Stewart had someone telling her what people were doing with their businesses so she could pretty much scam the stock market.  Classy, right. These are the people that can be bought.  Heather's just trying to become part of the easiest clique.  There are no real requirements.  It is one of the only groups that you can be a poseur.  You don't have to be smart or good at sports.  The biggest thing for Heather is that this group is still middle ground.  She's not super popular, or too low on the social pyramid.  This clique is Heathers gateway to the one thing that she wants most;to fit in.

 
Heather isn't even a real person,she's  just a symbol, a shadow.  She represents the people in every story; the girls that will give up the things that they love, for what they they think will make them happier.  The new girl that tries so hard to be normal that she becomes the complete opposite.   Heather, really needs to get your priorities straight before absolutely nobody cares about you.

Heather,

Hi, I just wanted to tell you that you have some pretty big personality issues.  First, you're really annoying.  You are a bigger gossipy-vain-cliquey-cheerleader-type than any of the actual cheerleaders.  You always pretend to be someone else to fit in, but then no one actually likes the real you.  Melinda tried to be a real friend to you, but the second that she really needed you, you completely dropped her.  Who would even want to be friends with someone like that? You have to be a better person, or people will stop seeing the pretty outer shell, and realize how horrible you actually are.  Heather, you don't see this, but you aren't even a real person, you're just a symbol, a shadow.  you represent the people in every story; the girls that will give up the things that they love, for what they they think will make them happier.  You're a lot like Ruby from Lock and Key; she tries so hard to fit in, that she almost ruins her entire life.  Look at yourself; you're anorexic, you spend all of your time running errands for people that don't care about you at all, and you dropped your one true friend so you didn't get banned from the Martha Stewart wannabe club.  Look at what happened to her anyway.  It's kind of ironic that your "best friend's" idols are a woman that spent five months in jail.  Heather, you really need to get your priorities straight before absolutely nobody cares about you.

Heather Essay Notes

Heathers

Care too much about their reputation. 

Don't want to be friends with people that are low on the "social pyramid." 

 Drop friends for "higher" people

Try to get people to help them once they realize that they don't have anyone else.

 Talk behind people's back.

Turned to Stone

She stands stiffly with a statue's posture

Her marble skin is whiter than snow and colder than ice

Her platinum hair is frozen  in an image of the ocean's frothy waves

Her face is vague and magical, so unreadable that anyone that looks at her is mystified

Her eyes are the only glimmer of color that she shows; they dance with imprisoned joy that time has turned to hate

She is refined, elegant, graceful, beautiful; everything that she should be

Yet no one can bear to look at her, not even the sculptor that transformed her in to this beautiful monster

They say that he loved her, but how can you destroy such innocent beauty and turn it into the symbol of all evil?