The Rising Sun

Author’s Note: This is my theme essay for the book Long Shadows. I tried to work on Introduction to bump up the grade on that.  

Sunshine glows throughout the forest and bounces slightly off the leaves, almost producing a sparkle. Day is clear; not even a fluffy cloud lays far away. Suddenly everything started becoming darker. You look up. The sun is disappearing! Frantically, you bound up a hill and into the bushes, trying to take cover, for you have never seen anything like this happen before. It’s an eclipse. Darkness seemed to take away everything as if a black hole had escaped from outer space. Would it ever come back? Of course it did, but that’s not what the cats in Long Shadows by Erin Hunter had thought. The author demonstrates that curiosity is essential for humans in order for us to understand the world around us.

Curiosity is like coffee- it’s the thing that keeps us running. If there nobody was curious, no one would wonder about anything and life would just be... weird. I mean, could you even picture life without curiosity? Not really. Everything just wouldn’t be right without anyone being curious. It’s essential because otherwise no one would ever know anything. That certainly wouldn't be good. How does Erin Hunter show this? She shows this by shaping the cats into adventurous, curious animals. If she didn't, the book wouldn't seem so read and it would be much harder to understand the book and picture it in your mind.

Other than just curiosity being an important factor, it is used all the time. Jayfeather wants to know about the past. The ancient cat leader sent him to the now abandoned camp of the old cats. He sees that these cats are actually the ancestors of the cats who now live in the mountains. People who are curious a lot find out more things and end up being more exciting to be around. Don’t you want people to want to be around you? That’s exactly why we need curiosity. Also, it makes you more of a well-rounded person because you want to figure things out. If you don’t want to figure things out, that just makes you like a blob of fluff collecting in a corner because no one wants to be around a boring person. Curiosity brings out your personality.

In addition to curiosity making you a well rounded person, the books Long Shadows and The Hunger Games have the same theme. All three of the main characters Jayfeather, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze are wanting to figure out who their real parents are after Squirrelflight admitted not being their real mother in a pit that blazed with fire, consuming the forest like a worm consumes an apple. This is a similar theme in The Hunger Games by the fact that Katniss was a little curious on what exactly was going to go on during the games and if she was going to survive or not. These books are connected because each have main characters are wondering about things. That in particular is curiosity.

In order to understand the world around us, we need curiosity. Erin Hunter portrays this in Long Shadows. Humans having curiosity is a horrible thought. No one would ever wonder about things, but above all nobody could just be themselves! Even if you don’t agree, curiosity is a necessity. I know that so far today, you have wondered about something. No matter what it is, it’s still a form of curiosity. Curiosity is used daily, therefore is essential. What have you wondered about today?

Winter

Author's Note: In the Writing Lab today, the sub asked us to write some kind of creative writing piece using the words we wrote to describe winter. I put all of my words into my short story.

My finger slips across the icy, frosted glass to draw a little happy face of the bus window. I smear the whole window until my hand is soaking wet to look out it. Crystallized water dripping down from buildings- icicles- look like they will fall at once to pierce the little rabbits who carelessly play underneath them. Unexpected was the snow storm that was like a magnet to the little children to make snowmen. Large, round, fluffy flakes drifted down from above. I opened up the window so I might touch these flakes. Chills crawled up my spine, eating at my insides. Nippy dust bit my face. I glazed my eyes to think of what I'd come to when I get home. Mom would be knitting scarves and hats while boiling water to make hot chocolate- not forgetting the marshmallows- with candy canes on the side. Picturing myself wrapped up in a soft blanket next to the blazing fire, I got hurled to the front of the bus to walk down the steps. Colorful lights amused my eyes and I thought about Christmas Eve. There would be murmurs of reindeer, Santa, and a sleigh. Although I didn't know what to think of all this. Winter is magnificent- that I know for sure. 

                                                                   

My Dreams Have Been Washed Away

Author's Note: I'm guessing most of you actually reading this know that I want a fish. VERY BADLY! Yesterday I asked my mom again and she said, "Where will it go?" I said, " On my desk..." "Where will Marshmallow go?" See I have no idea what Marshmallow has anything to do with this -_- "I guess we could move my big purple chair and he could be in my room, too. But where will the chair go?" "I'm not talking to you about this right now." "Why not?!?!?!" "We're not moving anything yet." >:| See this is what I deal with! :P Anyways, I wrote this poem that has a lot of symbolization in it. Please comment!

A wave of despair

Has washed up on my shore   

Consuming everything

In sight

It loves to toy with things

And then burn them in a fire

My feelings are just mixed in

A large bowl

Happiness has seemed to jump out

I've tried to make it come back

Making fish backgrounds on computers

Shoving at chairs

Moving them around

Making room for happiness

Except something seems to interfere

It's a dragon that breathes fire

Who stole my happiness

When I try to ask it for my happiness back

It just barely misses me with

The balls of burning fury

Happiness come back!

My happiness is a fish

Lionblaze vs. Jayfeather

Author's Note: This is a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast Lionblaze to Jayfeather to show proficiency in the category of Comparisons. 

Swimmy

Author’s Note: This is an essay that I wrote to bump up my writing skills. I’m working on Word Choice. But the purpose of this essay is to persuade my mom to get me a fish which I don’t really know the reason why I can’t (I mean, I even offered to pay for it and clean it once a week...). My main goal is to just tackle my mom’s reasons why to not get a fish so then maybe once they’re all gone, I could. Oh, and the fish on the bottom isn't the kind of fish I want, I would like a tiny rainbow neon one- like the ones from Wal-Mart. I just couldn't find a picture of one of those...





Rainbow-colored fair lights flash before your eyes and the aroma of corn dogs, caramel apples, and cotton candy fill your nose. You glance at the wide variety of games spread throughout the fair isles. What game should I play? you ask yourself. After a few minutes of pondering, you decide on a game where you throw a ball to win a fish. Sounds easy enough. As you reach for your dollar, your hand starts to shake. Don’t mess this up, don’t mess this up, you tell yourself. Once about six dollars have washed down the drain, you see a fish. Well of course you see a fish, but this one is... calling your name almost. It’s also the color rainbow, so you just have got to win this fish. At that moment you know that fish is for you. Only a couple more dollars have vanished before the man working at the smelly booth finally hands you it. The fish is perfect. His name is Swimmy. I think I should get a fish.

Everyone wants something- anything from a cell phone to a car to a piece of string. Such examples are from the book Hunger Games, Katniss wants freedom. Except I want something different that I wouldn’t normally ask for. I would like a fish. One of your problems is cleaning it, right? Well my friend, Anusha, told me that I could buy a bottle of algae preventer so I don’t have to clean it as often and it doesn’t smell so bad. Now this may seem like a plus for me, but it means for you that I won’t be making such a racket downstairs all the time, so you can just get back to your studies of scrapbooking. This also means that the fishtank won’t smell like “vomit” as you put it as often. Plus, I’d clean it whenever you ask me to so if the smell seems to waft over to you, it won’t be long until the smell of peppermint wallflower from my room fills the house again.

Not only would I just clean it, but I’d also take care of him, give him love, and do whatever he needs such as buying food/cool tank decorations that glitter like sparkles. This way, you can spend precious money on food for the family instead of my obsessive needs. Back to the first situation, though. I would love a fish so much- just as much as Marshmallow! In fact, here’s a complete list of what I’d do: I’d look at all the fish, study them thoroughly, ask for my favorite, ask the worker if it’s a boy or a girl, look at him (or her) all the way home, name it Swimmy, set him/her in a pre-setup place, and just let him/her be awesome. Also, I think that I’m going to write a journal about the fish which will improve my writing skills for Language Arts which will improve my likelihood of becoming an author.

Rather than just stating I want a fish, I’m going to describe what extra I’d do. I know right now usually when you ask me to do the dishes I just walk away, but if I got a fish, I would definitely help you dry when you ask me to. Most likely I would also sweep the floor sometimes. Plus I’d help you make dinner, (which actually isn’t bad and I think is kind of fun,) when you ask. Don’t you think a fish is a reasonable- and even possibly overpay on my part- price to pay for this luxury for you?

Everyone has had a dream. We all want something. Mr. Luther King Junior’s dream was for all people be equal, Molly’s dream was to have a squishy calculator, and now I have a dream. Although it’s small, that just makes it easier to come true. I’m positive the you’ve had some dream- probably more than one- and they’ve more likely than not came true. Right now at this point of my life, my dream is to have a fish. In fact, it’s one a the few things that I’m asking for Christmas. If you’re trying to say no, ask yourself this: What would I have wanted my mom to do if I wanted something that badly? Don’t crush dreams. Be a good person. Let me get a fish. Is it really all that hard?

Bouncing Off the Walls

Author's Note: I am sooooooo excited for tonight that I felt it was only but necessary to write a poem about it. I was inspired by Andie to hide letters in the poem, which I thought would be a really cool idea to try. It's just a different kind of poem that I haven't written before. (Although it may be better to add my own touch, I think it was still cool to try.) Anyways, I hope that tonight comes quickly, but NEVER end O3O

I'm so excited

For tonight

I feel like

I could do anything

Anything and everything

Travel to the moon

Touch nuclear fusion

Walk around the Earth

Run 1,000,000 miles

Talk forever and a day

Shop until I drop

Dance until I faint

Fly just like a bird

Swim just like a boat

Feel like I could touch the sky

Or something else

Just like I am

Right now…

Christmas

Author's Note: It's coming around Christmas time again! :D So I decided to write a little piece about Christmas. It's an acrostic poem, but it has more than one word for each letter.

Come gather around the Christmas Tree

Have a good time

Review the reason why you're there

Is that the real reason?

So make sure you know the real meaning of Christmas

Take some presents and pass them to each other

Make sure everyone is happy

Always do this again every year

Spend it with each other