Trees

Trees. Lifeless; but loud. Unresponsive; yet knowledgeable. The way all of them, except things with open arms. No one had ever told them what to do. Let alone how to do it. And yet they survive. So tell me, why do trees sit here content with the world, when everyone else has a problem. People are always changing the world; making things “better”. Thinking that it will give them some sort of fulfillment or achievement. Trees die, every year, and yet they sit there, at ease. Knowing things will be better in the spring. People need to realize happiness is not a thing or a destination. It’s not somewhere you can go, and it’s not something you can change. Happiness is a feeling, and if you would just stop a moment, and let life take you where you need to go, and trust everything will be better in the end. You would experience that feeling a lot more often. If you could just be a tree, happiness will come to you. Be a tree, and believe me, everything will be okay.

A Monster Lives Inside Me

Author's Note: I am currently sick with a little cold, and it's getting a little annoying. But I decided to make the best of it and write a poem about it.. or him I guess. Hope you enjoy! 

A monster lives inside me

Cold, dark, and mean

A monster lives inside me,

And it’s killing me you see

It’s powers make me weak

And it’s laugh makes me frail

All throughout the day I hear,

“Honey, you look pale”

A monster lives inside me,

And it makes me cough and moan

A monster lives inside me,

And I’m pretty sure it’s grown!

Mommy tells me to take a nap

And that I need more vitamin c

I blow my nose for the millionth time

I’ll try sleeping, and we’ll see!

A monster lives inside me

All day long I try to kill it

A monster lives inside me

When I cough it throws a fit

Mommy gives me medicine

And I curl up with a blanket

Mommy comes to tuck me in

And gives my head a pet

A monster lived inside me

But when I woke up he was gone

A monster lived inside me

He didn't stay that long

Today I had to go to school,

But none of my friends were there

The monster stayed with them today

That is so unfair. 

Dave

Authors note: This is  prediction piece on the book, What Happened to Goodbye? There’s a part in this essay where it mentions a “4 a.m. so just so you’re not confused, the definition of 4 a.m.is someone you can call and count on t be there for you even if it is 4 in the morning. I think that covers everything so, enjoy!

Mclean of the book What Happened To Goodbye?  By Sarah Dessen has been anything but herself. She has been the drama queen, the head cheerleader, and the student council president. Every new school comes with a new personality, a fresh start. But, now that her mom is remarried and it is only 8 months until graduation, Mclean finds herself with friends, and a personality that is actually hers. The question is, will she stay? Has being torn away from so many different homes left her incapable or trusting people? And are these new friends capable of being her 4a.m.? I think she will start to put down roots in this town, and I think Dave is going to be the reason why.

Dave offers a comforting aroma. One that Mclean can be herself in. From the very first night Mclean had arrived he was different. Not a bad different, a good different. A different that Mclean could relate to. Dave has family problems too, and he himself had switched schools a couple years back in hopes to ditch his kid genius status of his. I think the fact that Dave and Mclean have this in common will bring them closer together and make Mclean start to understand other people, and that sometimes, it’s easier to have a best friend, than not have to deal with friends at all.

Not only is Dave different, he stays positive as well. He finds ways to encourage Mclean to open up, and stay for as long as she wants. There is a scene in the book where Dave stops by with a pot of chicken noodle soup to help Mclean feel better after getting clocked in the face by her locker earlier that morning. And after taking a  few bites he decides he needs more Thyme. He opens every cupboard and cabinet to find that every single one is empty, except for one, and that one contains a mere 4 bowls, 6 drinking glasses, 2 mugs, silverware, and a couple cooking pans. After teasing her for the lack of kitchen supplies her and her dad own, Mclean confesses that since they move around a lot, being a minimalist is really the easiest option. After all, how often do you use thyme anyways? Later that night, after David had left, Mclean hears knocking at her back door. She opens it up to find a bottle of Thyme and a note sitting on her back porch. The note read: Just in case you decide to stick around. I think that this made Mclean feel welcome. And it made her feel important, as if someone actually cared if she stayed or not. And I think she will fall in love with this feeling, and decide to put down some roots.

The last reason I think that Dave will be the reason Mclean stays, is that in other Sarah Dessen novels that I have previously read, boys have helped girls come to terms with life problems. In the book Along For The Ride a young boy named Eli helps Auden cope with her parents’ divorce, and in the book The Truth About Forever Jason helps Macy realize that life isn’t always about test scores, and that sometimes it’s nice to take a break, and have fun. This is why I think in the book What Happened To Goodbye? Dave will be the one to help Mclean realize, that it’s nice to have friends. And that being yourself, really isn’t as bad as it seems.

So all in all, as cheesy as it seems, I think the boy will save the princess from her friendless tower, and bring her into the real world of being herself. And even if they don’t live happily ever after, I think Dave will change Mclean, for the better.

My Ending

I walk in on my dad and the news lady sucking face. My first reaction was to be disgusted, but after I let it sink in, all I felt was disappointment. My dad never get’s attached, unless he knows he has to leave. This way, it can never turn into something serious, and he can’t get hurt because either way, he is the one to go. I make a noise and they both look up.

“Having fun?” I asked crossing my arms. 

“Mclean!” My dad clumsily stands upward and stables himself on the edge of the couch. “I didn’t think you would be home just yet..”

“It’s fine. Don’t let me be a bother. I’ll be upstairs.” I walk away and take the stairs by two. There are so many things I want to say, but there is no one to listen. Dave pops into my head, and I force myself to forget him. What was the point of getting attached? Although it was only 5, I put my pajamas on, and crawl into bed. There, under the covers, I start to cry. I thought this was the life I wanted. I thought that if I lived like this, I would never have to get hurt. But, what I hadn’t noticed before was, being torn away, is even worse than having to stay. I cry. The sobs never seem to end. And by the time I was done, I was close to eight, and I was exhausted. I fell into a deep sleep, not wanting tomorrow to come.

I wake up at 3:34. I stare at the clock. 3:35. 3:36. Time keeps passing and I need to stay up. I have too. 3:37. 3:38. Finally I can’t take it anymore. I dial his number. It rings five times and finally he picks up.

“Hey... McLean?..?”

“I know it’s not 4 yet but” My voice cracks “ I was hoping you could make an exception..” He laughs a little on the other end.

“ Mclean, what’s wrong?”

“I think I’m moving again” By this time I was crying, hard.

“Your what? Already?”

“I don’t think its official yet... but, I know it’s soon.” We talked longer, and finally he had convinced me to go to sleep, and that everything would be okay.

In the morning I wake up to bacon frying. It was the most unusual thing. I look at the clock, 9:32. Dad should be at work already. I slowly walk down stairs.

“Dad?” I ask. He stops whistling

“Good morning Sunshine!” He says smiling “Eggs over easy or scrambled?” I stared in awe. This was not my dad. My dad is not a morning person, and he defiantly doesn’t cook.

“uhh, scrambled,” I say sitting down. “Why are you in such a good mood?”

“Well,” He beginnings “My boss gave me a new assignment in Hawaii he says! We leave next week! It will be so much fun!” My face goes blank, and he notices.

“You don’t have to come,” he says busing himself, “You can stay with your mom..”

“I don’t want to stay with mom. I want to stay here.”

“Mclean Hawaii will be so much fun! It will be  a great experience! You never mind moving”

“Dad I’m so sick of moving. I want to stay here. I like it here. “
“Mclean, it will be the last time we move before you graduate, it will not be that bad. “

“Dad I’m not moving.”

“Yes you are!”

By this point we were screaming .

“Stop! I don’t want to move!” He slammed a pan down, picked up his coat and left.

I stayed in the kitchen, not sure what to do. Then I walked up stairs, packed a suitcase, and went next door. I knocked softly. This wasn’t a good idea, but I’m doing it anyways.  The door opened and David appeared.

“I was just about to come over,” he says “I could barely understand you last night” He stopped talking and I stare.

“Come with me please.”

“Where?” He asked

“I don’t know, I just I need too” He cut me off.

“Mclean I would go with you anywhere.” He smiled and grabbed my hand. He pulled me to the garage, and opened the door for me. And from there we drove. I don’t know where we are going, or what we are going to do. All I know is I was going to stay. I was going to stay here, with the people that made me happy. With Riley, and Opal, and Heather and Kim. I was going to stay with Dave. 

Kate's Brother... I Mean Jesse

Authors note: I wrote this piece to show my understanding of character analysis. I did not include how Jesse is similar to another character. Jesse is similar to Haymich from the hunger games because they are both covered up by these titles. “The Winner” and “The brother of the girl with cancer” No one takes the time to find the real them and they become sick of it. They both resort to drugs, and scandalous behavior.  Another thing I didn’t include was how Jesse influenced other characters. I think Jesse’s negative attitude influenced Anna to realize how her family really worked, and opened her eyes to reality.

Jesse Fitzgerald is 17. He’s a spitting image of his mom, he loves music, and he’s a lot smarter then he looks. He’s good at art, he used to watch Sunday cartoons every Sunday, and one time, he tried to dig a hole all the way to China. There so many things about Jesse that the world doesn’t know, because the fact that Jesse’s sister is sick, is all that seems to matter. Even his parents seem to forget about him. And I think, this is why Kate being sick, has changed Jesse for the worst.

Being the sibling of a cancer patient can be harsh. And living in a family, where sickness is all you talk about, isn’t really a healthy environment for a 4 year old to grow up in. When Jessie was four he was an average boy. Sweet and caring. When his mom wakes up late he informs her that he has already “eated” breakfast and had made some for her as well. But, through the years that Jesse was lost. And a new Jessie slowly began to form. I think the day this new Jesse arrived when was when he was 10 or so. His mom had promised him that they would go to his orthodontist appointment and after, she would take him to go buy a pair of new baseball cleats.  But, when he told her it was time to go. She told him his sister was sick. Jessie responded with “Yeah Kate’s sick, but why don’t you grow up and realize the whole world doesn’t revolve around her?” And he was right. His mom did need to realize that. And when she didn’t ,  She left Jesse devastated.

Eventually this new Jessie got larger. He continued to grow and grow. But, it really hit its growth spurt the Christmas eve of when he was twelve. That night Kate had gotten sick, so is parents had shipped Jesse off to the neighbor’s house. He not only had to spend Christmas without his family, but he had to spend it watching strangers have the family he always wanted. He eventually got sick of the sympathetic looks, and snuck back over to his house. There, he cut down a tree, put it up, and decorated it all by himself. Content with what he had done, he fell asleep. In the morning he found presents under the tree, and gladly ripped one of his open, only to find a toy truck from the gift shop of the hospital. He open present after presents. Each one held a little bit of disappointment, and a trinket his parents had found on the way home from the hospital that last night. He felt forgotten and abandoned. Not to mention, no one said a word about the tree.

Now that Jesse is 17, the new him is full grown. He has reached breaking point. He find himself thinking about things that most kids his age, don’t. One day, Jesse took an adventure in his car. He rode to the highway, and cranked up the speed to 95 miles per hour. He thinks to himself “On my license it says I’m an organ donor, but truth is, I would consider myself to be an organ martyr”. But, I think Jesse expresses himself best when he thinks “I’m much better dead then I am alive” The little boy that played and laughed, is now thinking that he, doesn’t deserve the chance to live.

Throughout the novel a whole new Jesse is created. A little monster created by need and attention.  A little monster, caused by Kate’s cancer. They need to bring the old Jesse back. A Jesse, who is good at art. A Jesse who loves Christmas. A Jesse who once had enough ambition to attempt to dig a hole, all the way to China. 

Fahrenheit 451 Conflict/Resolution

Author's Note: This is a conflict resolution piece of the book Fahrenheit 451, I was kinda lost on this so if you have any feedback, feel free to comment!

Guy Montag of Fahrenheit 451 is different. He thinks different, he acts different. He sees different.  He has been different since the beginning, but only when he encounters a young girl named Clarisse does he realize it. Clarisse asks him questions no one has before, and really makes him think. She makes observations about things that no one else seems to notice. She invites intelligence into the insipid world he is living in.  And Guy thinks, People should be more like her.  Guy soon starts to get frustrated with how his society acts. They don't act like Clarisse, and he thinks this is because they don't read books.Guy thinks that books will benefit his society and everyone in it. They have intellectual  thoughts, and ideas. Things that no one he knows would  even take the time to think about. Guy starts to steal books.Turns from a humble server in his society, to a belligerent criminal on the lose. The conflict in this book is person vs. society. Guy is fighting society for the right to read books. 

Mr. Montag has some struggles. His house gets burned down, his wife betrayed him, and he was almost killed multiple times. But, in the end the conflict is resolved. Guy enters a new society. One where books are allowed, encouraged even. Each member of the community commits a book to memory and passes it down from generation to generation. This way, when the real society is ready for books again, Guy and his companions will be ready and waiting. If he had not run away he would have lived a  miserable life with his wife, who doesn't even care about him.. Even though guy is different, there is a place where he fits in. And that place, is with books. 

I Love You Tan-Man

We have known the Juenger family since forever. Most pictures we have involve at least one of the Juenger boys. Tyler, being 17, is a year older then my brother Evan, and year younger then my brother Austin. Conner and Colin-the twins- are 11. Only two years older than my brother Carson. And Tanner,  was closest to my age. Being only a year older than me, we were best friends, and spent majority of our childhood together. As we got older we started to drift apart. Which was understandable. Boys got cooties and while I was interested in dolls and hair, he was interested in football and cars. But I wish we hadn’t drifted apart. You see, Tanner was born with half a heart. More specifically hypo plastic left heart syndrome. I remember there was a girl in my class that had the same disease. But, she functioned better then Tanner did. And while she stayed healthy, Tanner didn’t.

                                                                ___ ___ ___ ___

I stood in front of the old box television, watching a new image pop up every few seconds. I remember being irritated. Thinking, the few seconds they showed each picture was not enough. The screen faded to black. And suddenly came to life again. Tanner and I appeared on the screen. Yet another picture that I didn't remember. It was a hot day...I assumed. I was dressed in a pink swimsuit, and Tanner sat beside me. Our hair was both beach blonde, and the sun had highlighted it to the point where it was almost white. I was laughing as I reached into a plastic cup to grab a piece of ice. Tanner licked his fingers beside me, with a calm expression on his face. He was always eating. "Remember that?" My mom touched my shoulder gently "You two were best friends". My throat closed. I didn't know what to say. Should I lie; tell her I did? Or should I admit that these pictures meant nothing? Tears formed in the corners of my eyes, and started slowing dripping down my checks. Guilt came over me at an overwhelming pace. I racked my mind for things I could remember; things I could cling to. His pasta salad was the best, I thought. We used to do his mom's hair. More tears formed. He loved the bears. I shut my eyes tightly. Why couldn’t I remember? My mom took my silence as a time to leave. She gave me a tight squeeze and slipped away into the crowd. I was grateful for the time I had to myself. I opened my eyes in time to see Tanner and I disappear. Only to see us again, in a different setting. This time we were both in a stroller. It was summer again... the 4^th of July to be more specific. I had pigtails that had obnoxious bows, just like everything else I wore as a child.  I was smiling at Tanner, and although it was hard to tell under his nooky, he was smiling back. It looked like we were having fun... when did that stop? Why did we stop playing together? At what point did I decide I was too cool to hang-out with him? I glanced to the other side of the room. Something I hadn’t had the courage to do since I got here. But, soon enough my glance turned into a stare. Tanner. He lay motionless. His eyes closed, and as pale as the winter snow. As much as I never wanted to see him this way, I had too. And, as much as I didn’t want to say goodbye, it had to happen. I stood in line, feeling like a small child in a world of confusion. I let my head droop.

Dear God,

I’ll never understand why you chose Tanner. Why you took him away, when all he was, was good to you. I know, he won’t be sick up there. And he can do all the things he couldn’t do before. But, everyone here wishes they had had more time with him. Including me. I took him for granted. I don’t remember most of the things that happened when we were friends. And it makes me sad to think that there will never be a chance for me to become friends again... Take care of him please.

                                                     

                                                                                  Amen.

A smile spread across my face.

One last thing... make sure you stock up on the food. You’re going to need it.;)

One last tear rolled down my face as I walked up to Tanner. I said my goodbyes, and slowly walked to the phew. Leaving Tanner behind left a bitter sweet taste. Yes, it was hard. But, deep down I knew that somewhere in the future there would see him again. And I couldn’t wait for that day to come.

I love you Tan-Man

Re-Telling Uglies

When Tally Young-blood turns sixteen, her licence is the smallest of changes. What she's more interested in is the surgery that turns her ugly self into one of them, a pretty. If she knew that behind every pretty face lies a secret. A secret that only an ugly can begin to comprehend.