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.