Bikeing in the forest-Creative piece

Biking through the woods on your 21 speed bike you see the leaves rush by you and you feel the fresh breeze upon your face. You ride over a small bridge and continue riding. All around you, you hear the birds chirping and the whoosh of the wind in the trees. On both sides of you there large bright green walls of grass and leaves that look like the go up into the sky. In front of you, you see the trail you are riding on and the occasional minor trail branching off to the left or right. A stream appears to your left. The waves gently push forward to their destination moving around small rocks revealed by erosion. Eventually you come out into a field. When you look over to your right you see a deer. It looks at you and quickly darts back into the cover of the trees. When you turn back to the trail you notice there is a tree rapidly moving towards you. BLAM. You slam into the tree and fall off your bike.

            When you recover you feel a throbbing in your head. You decide to get back on your bike and ride home. You climb back onto your bike and start to ride away. When you turn back you see that there was no tree. It had disappeared; into thin air. When you get home you get some water to drink and think maybe you where just seeing things. But then again it could have disappeared. But how?

Responce to "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

Author's note: This is a response to the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. I am explaining my thoughts about the short story.

"The Lottery" is a short story about a town that has a tradition every year of conducting a "Lottery". First everyone would come up and choose a card out of the black box at the center of the crowd. Then the family with the black dot card would re draw and the person with the black dot next would be stoned to death by the rest of the crowd. I feel like this would be really messed up if it was real and if it was at this point today the government would shut it down or everyone would leave the town.

If I was in this town and I was going to the lottery I would say I have to go to the bathroom before I got there and then I would flee the town with my family hen no one was looking. If I had to go to the lottery I wouldn't throw a rock at them I would probably just leave the crowd at that point and go home. Then finally if I was picked I would try to escape before the crowd surrounded me and if all else fails I would pick up a rock and throw it back into the crowd.

In the end I feel like this story is still some what weird even though I isn't real because you still think  of the scene in your head when you read the book. I do think that the story is very interesting and has a good point. We do sort of do this in our mind when we participate in the lottery because we are taking a big chance and when we lose the lottery we are mad at the person who won instead of you and you think about them not existing because they won and you are frustrated you lost.

Mockingjay Predictions Piece

Author's note: I have been Reading the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins and I have a few predictions on the third book Mockingjay. (Also if you haven't read the first two books or up to page 150 do not read my predictions.)

Recently I have been reading Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. It is the Third book in the Hunger Games sires. Currently in the book Katniss has agreed to become the “Mocking Jay” for District 13, which she has just found out, existed. Peeta has been captured by the capitol and District 12 is in ruins.  So I think the book will be very interesting.

I think that Katniss will once again be injured in a fight because that is what happened in the games in catching fire and the rebels will rescue Peeta from the capitol because I heard a bit about what happens later in the story and if that doesn’t happen then Katniss will also be captured by the rebels. Then eventually after the capitol falls I think that Katniss will shoot President Snow with her special bow she got from Beetee because she made a deal to the rebels that if she is the rebels "Mockingjay" then she would be able to kill President Snow if she was alive.

Then I doubt that Katniss will become the leader of the rebels because of President Coin who is the leader of the rebels. But then again based on how this story is unfolding I would say that something bad could happen to her and Plutarch (who is basically the right hand man).

I think the book will be very emotional too because of how District 12 was destroyed. Katniss was injured and she was in the care of District 13 when the bombing started. They blew up the whole district and only a few escaped into the woods. But now there's an even bigger problem, all of the survivors are in district 13 and now the capitol is bombing it too.

In the end I believe the book will be very exciting and fast paced and by the time it’s over I’ll be wishing there was another book in the series. I hope that the rebels win or at least President Snow dies and a new president takes over and restores peace to everyone.

How could Microorganisms Run Cars

Today people often talk about the gas prices and how high they are. Most people wish the prices would go down. Instead of waiting for the gas prices to go down you could use an alternative fuel like bacteria. Even though you wouldn’t expect it, Bacteria have the power to run a car.

You may ask how could this be? Well there is a bacterium called Cyanothece that has the strange ability to produce Oxygen during day and Nitrogen during night. Scientists have learned to extract the materials of this bacterium as Ethanol. (how could bactiria run our cars, warm our homes) The Ethanol can be burned and therefore creating an alternative fuel source. But is Ethanol the best fuel source made from bacteria.

Actually no, Biobutanol is more powerful and made easier.  Scientists have discovered a way to use microorganisms to produce Biobutanol. Biobutanol is better than Ethanol in many ways. It has higher energy content, is easier to produce and is less corrosive. (Biobutanol) Another great advantage of Biobutanol is that it reduces Carbon emissions that go into the atmosphere. Besides Biobutanol there is normal butanol that is easy to collect and as crazy as it sounds it can be collected any bacterium. (Turning bacteria into butanol biofuel factories) Butanol is another alternative fuel that is almost the same as Biobutanol.

Have you ever gone to an ocean and seen that green stuff growing on rocks under water? That green stuff may be Algae. Algae could also be a reliable fuel source. Especially since its renewable because it can just re-grow and sometimes you can find it in large amounts. It could prove to be very useful. (Cars could run on algae 'within a few years' – Telegraph)

In conclusion these things could all one day run our cars and what do they all have in common? Bacteria produce them. So one day on the future our cars could technically run on bacteria.

            Bibliography

Biobutanol. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2012, from About.com: http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/thedifferenttypes/a/biobutanol.htm

how could bactiria run our cars, warm our homes. (n.d.). Retrieved april 17, 2012, from PHYS.org: http://phys.org/news79725028.html

"Cars could run on algae 'within a few years' - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/6405709/Cars-could-run-on-algae-within-a-few-years.html>.

"Turning bacteria into butanol biofuel factories." Phys.Org - Science News, Technology, Physics, Nanotechnology, Space Science, Earth Science, Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://phys.org/news/2011-03-bacteria-butanol-biofuel-factories.html>.

           

Sibling Rivalry (Word choice and Context)

Author's note: I am writing this piece for my next writing conference and I really enjoy writing word choice and context pieces.

You wake up to your older sibling shaking you to get you up or you will miss the bus. You quickly get up and throw on your clothes like an animal struggling to escape from a net. You run down the stairs stuff a piece of bread into your mouth and run out the door. The only thing that’s wrong with the current weather is that it’s dark and cold. As the cool air passes through your clothes and you shiver. It’s not morning.

            You run back into your house and look at the clock. It’s 3:00 AM. Your sibling tricked you. You stomp up the stairs causing quite a racket. Your father catches you going towards your older siblings room and says in a weak but firm voice. “What are you doing at 3 in the morning?” He escorts you back to your room where your plop down in bed and wish you could pull some prank like this off on your younger brother.

Wheat Field (Word choise and context)

Author's note: this piece was originally going to be my District assessment but then I was told my assessment had to be a five paragraph essay so now I guess this is just an extra piece I made.

You are in the middle of a wheat field and the wind is gently brushing the tops of the wheat as they wave in their joyous dance. As you look across the field you see the sun setting casting long shadows across the earth.

             When you gaze across the golden fields you see a bird swooping down and gliding back up like a wave in a vast ocean. Eventually is slows down and lands on a scarecrow. It chirps and sings and eventually 3 smaller birds come to join it. You watch them sitting and chirping. Then the sun drops below the horizon and darkness engulfs the field. The birds fly away back to their nest where you fell you should return, when you arrive back at your house you hop in bed and let the weight on your eyelids pull your eyes shut and you fall asleep with great hopes of tomorrow.

Conflict/Resolution piece on The Giver

Author's note: This piece is a conflict resolution piece where I will be talking about The Giver by Lois Lowery and one of the main conflicts in the story.

In The Giver by Lois Lowery the government almost controls people in a way because they took away all of the peoples emotion and feelings for things so if the sun was out and it was 83 degrease they couldn’t feel it and they don’t really care if they have a test to study for, they just study they don't give it any thought to it. In this way the government is messed up.

In the story the conflict is that no one can feel anything and also the government "releases people" if they do something wrong. What that means is that they kill you if you mess up so if you are learning to drive a car and you go through a stop sign you will be killed. The people of this town do not know what emotion is and Jonas and the Giver believe that the people have the right to know.

The resolution was that Jonas ran away from the town with all of the memories of the people so that the town leaders can turn to the Giver for advice and the town will fall into chaos. Then the government will have to give people emotions. After that the people will most likely protest and revolt against the government.

If the Giver and Jonas hadn't done what they did then who knows what could have happened. They could have died a normal life in the community but then they would feel like they forgot something.

Then they would never have saved the city from the "Sameness" as the author calls it.

Point of view piece on Darke

Author's note: In this post I am trying to focus on a point of view piece and I will be talking about how the person's point of veiw effects the tone and mood of the story.

In Darke by Angie Sage when the Darke Domain spread out around the castle the mood of the story could have been greatly effected by who's point of view was used.  Like if you used Septimus's point of view it would be a lot different than if you used Marica's point of view or Jenna's.

If Septimus's point of view was used he would see the Darke fog drifting over the cobblestone roads and he would be thinking about how horrible it is and he has to do something about it. Where as Marica would think about who screwed it up, and Jenna would just sit there in shock thinking about how horrible it is and all hope is lost and stuff.

So the author probably had to think about witch persons point of view to use to give the reader that special feeling to make it seem like they where actually in the book at this time, and not just that feeling like "Oh okay so there's a Giant Darke Domain spreading around the castle that could kill everyone, that’s interesting". When people make a book they probably have to think about the person's point of view so that they get the right tone and mood in the story.

Cause & effect on Darke

Author's note: I am making a Cause and effect piece on Darke by Angie Sage and I will be mentioning what has happened in the book and what problem arose from this.

In my book Darke by Angie sage when the dark Domain escaped the attic it put the whole castle at risk and everyone could have died. The problem was that the Darke was in the attic and it escaped and flooded into the palace like an evil title wave of darkness. If only they had known of the threat earlier so they could take care of it.

What happened was that in the attic of the palace there was a boy named Merrin who had crated a Darke Domain witch was an evil dark fog that could almost be considered living because of how thick it was and how it swirled and moved across the ground. So the Darke escaped out of the palace and into the castle and no one could stop it, even the Extra Ordinary Wizard! (The Extra Ordinary wizard is basically the head  wizard in a sense). Now everyone is being killed by the Darke and it seems like the Darke is winning.

This catastrophe could have been stopped if Jenna the princess would have told someone sooner. If they did the Darke would not be as powerful and they could have gotten rid of the domain before it broke free and attacked the castle. Now everyone has to deal with the Darke Magyk before it destroys the whole castle!

If only they had told someone.  Now I don't know what is going to happen but they better get this cleaned up. Even the wizard tower is preparing its defenses witch will hold back the Darke but not forever so eventually someone has to do something.

Predictions piece on Darke

Author's note: This is a Prediction piece and in this piece I will be covering what is currently happening and what I think will happen.

In my book Darke by Angie Sage, There is a boy named Merrin who has been hiding in the attic of the palace for 7 months. The reason no one has found him is because he is using Darke Magyk to make a Darke Domain. In the book the Darke Domain escapes the attic and starts to spread around the whole castle. Now the Heap family is stuck in their old house in the Ramblings ( which is basically a big apartment building) because the Darke is coming after them. I think they will escape the Darke but just barely.

In the book the room is about the size of an apartment and there is a window has a view of the forest beyond the castle. The window is in the castle wall and there is the moat below at the foot of the castle wall. I think that the Darke will get into the room and they will have to jump out of the window into the river. Then I think that the princess and her family will have to escape into the forest and wait there until they can do something about the situation.

If my prediction doesn't work and they get trapped, they would probably be taken away to some sort of dungeon and then escape and I think that one of the characters would die in the process to add more of an emotion and effect for the scene. I also think when they escape they will find something powerful to destroy the enemy.

Otherwise  I don’t know what would happen because there is no other way out of the room besides the door and the window. They would be captured or killed and then the they would be killing off a few of the main characters and no one really enjoys that.

I think that these are the two things that will happen because other than these I have no idea what could happen. In the end I still think it will be a good book. Also I do still think they will barely escape and they will probably jump out of a window and the Darke will be right behind them.

Field below responce

1. The field below poem is about someone wishing there was a field below. Below what? I don't know.

2.  I think they wrote this because they where getting bored of living in the city and they felt maybe packed into an apartment and they want open space. It may be like this except it may be an emotional struggle that has left them feeling like this.

3. I think it is an anaphora because they repeat the phrase I wish there was a field below many times throughout the poem.

4. I think the tone is sad and wishful and the mood is sympathetic .

Parody of This is Just to Say

The poem parody is about the giver because in the giver the government is shielding the people from the emotions and the only one who has the emotions is the receiver. The giver is saying he has released the emotions to the citizens and he is talking to the government. The tone of this parody is sort of sarcastic and the mood is frustrated or angry.

I have given out

the emotions

that where in

My mind

and which

you were probably

saving

for the next receiver

Forgive me

The citizens have the right

To be happy

and to be sad

Responce to: Mother to Son

In Mother to son by Langston Hughes there are types of figurative language. The only one is a metaphor.

The metaphor is "life for me ain't no crystal stair". In the story they mean that their life hasn't been perfect, there are times when it is very hard to go on, you just want to fall down and stop.  Even though you feel like this you have to keep going. Also in the book there are some things that adds to the feeling of the piece, the tone and mood. In the poem the tone was sort of frustrated. And when you read it you feel inspired because you feel as if you are the person the woman is talking to.

Retelling of Monster

Monster by Walter Dean Myers is about Steve Harmon who was accused of killing a man during the robbery of a gas station. He has to go through court and be proven innocent or else he would go to jail for life for something he didn't do. If that happens Mr. Evans and Mr. King (the robbers) would get away

Charachter discription- Steven (improved)

Author’s note: I am writing a character description piece and in the first paragraph I will describe the character and in the second I will describe his/her role in the story. Then I will talk about the effect they have on the plot.

Steven created his movies with passion and kindness as he strode on screen with his brownish skin tone and his short curly hair not moving an inch. He walked up to the camera and stopped then he walked away and came back at a different angle with his brown eyes fixed forward. Then he backed up and walked forward again. Each time he re-approached the camera he walked at a different angle. Eventually his mother came into the room and told him to come down for dinner. "Okay Mom I'll be down in a minute," He replied kindly.

In the book Steven is very important because he is the main character. He is accused of a crime he didn't commit and he needs to be chosen innocent or else he could spend the rest of his life in jail. And that is the last thing he would ever want to do. Also in the story there are 2-3 people who say he was helping in the crime but he wasn't even there that day. They want to blame it on him. Without Steve the book would be about the other criminals trying to get out of going to jail even though they committed a murder. And even though they would try their hardest they would still be guilty and go to jail for life.

If Steven was proven guilty he would go to jail and get beaten by the other prisoners and Mr. Evans and Mr. King would be free and who's to say they won't commit anymore murders. They might think: Oh we got out of going to jail so why don't we try to rob that other gas station down the road we could always get out of jail again. They would become a bar of soap, always slipping away.

Riding the Bus V.S. Driving

One day you wake up, you go down stairs, have breakfast , and go out to the bus stop. You stand there for a few minutes until you think to yourself that maybe you missed the bus. You start up your driveway when you turn around to see the bus drive by your stop. "No! Wait!" you shout but the driver can't hear you. You go into your house and tell a family member you missed the bus. In a few short moments your out the door, in the car, and on your way. When you arrive at school  you start to think about how different taking the bus and riding in a car are. Riding a bus and being driven to school are very different in some ways, but in others they are very much the same.

Riding in a car and taking the bus are two very different things indeed. Like how when you take the bus at times it might feel as if you are sitting next to a speaker. Other times the bus could be a quiet bedroom on a cold night with only the noise of a ticking clock. But either way the noise level is usually not how you want it. I used to have a very kind bus driver that didn't really care what we did as long as we didn't hurt each other or talk too loud. But a very crucial benefit is that you have your friends to talk to and you can have a great time.

I really like to have someone to talk to on certain days of the week. In a car you can listen to music on the radio and you can control the volume so the noise it just how you want it to be. The only problem would be if you had a younger or older sibling that wouldn't stop making noise. Then at that point I would probably try to get them to stop or if it doesn't work I would probably just turn up the music or the radio.

Some things that could be the same though would be if you car pooled with some friends then you could talk to them on the way to school or do something else with them besides stare out the window and occasionally talk to the person driving you. I guess I would still prefer  riding the bus because I like talking to my friends in the morning. So driving to school and riding the bus are different and the same, I guess it depends on how you look at it. But in the end I see that they are very different.

Character Analisis - Steven

Author’s note: I am writing a character description piece and in the first paragraph I will describe the character and in the second I will describe his/her role in the story.

In Monster by Walter Dean Myers Steven was convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. Steven is African American, has dark brown, short, and curly hair. He has brown eyes and is very kind. In the book he is mostly scared by what is happening and wishes he could be home.

In the book Steven is very important because he is the main character. He is accused of a crime he didn't commit and he needs to be chosen innocent or else he could spend the rest of his life in jail. Also in the story there are 2-3 people who say he was helping in the crime but he wasn't even there that day. They want to blame it on him. Without Steve the book would be about the other criminals trying to get out of going to jail even though they committed a murder. And even though they would try their hardest they would still be guilty and go to jail for life.

Creative Writing: Letter to Jonas

Author’s note: This creative writing piece is a letter from Asher to Jonas from the book The Giver by Lois Lowery. In this piece I am focusing on character development.

Dear Jonas,

Lately I've noticed you have been acting weird. Like a few weeks ago you told me to stop playing a game because it wasn’t right and that it references something scary. I don't have any idea why you said this but still, ever since you were chosen to be the Receiver you’ve been acting up. You even told me to look at a tree and then you put your hand on my back and said to look really hard but there was nothing there but the tree. I thought you were crazy.

Then a few weeks later, you vanished all together! What happened was you went home and then the next day you were gone and there was a note on your bed or at least that’s what your family unit said, but other than that no one knew where you went. I heard a few search planes fly nearby so I wonder if they were looking for you. They probably weren’t though because they would have found you by now. I remember when you were normal and you weren’t so weird around everyone. It is like a dream. It’s there but it doesn’t seem to be real anymore.

            I wish I had the real Jonas back. The one I grew up with… the one I participated in activities with… my friend. If you ever come back I’ll never forget it but until that happens I’ll still be here in the community, waiting.

Sincerely,

      Asher