by Isaac M.
Everyone in the world has a favorite color. Whether it's being blue, black, green, white, yellow, or orange etc. everyone has a color that appeals to them most. I personally like brown. New polls say that the world average favorite color is “Blue.” I don’t really like blue though.
Colors can change things about you in many ways. Like you need yellow in your life but if you were locked in a room where you saw nothing but yellow you would go crazy in a matter of days. When red, blue, and yellow were on a spinning wheel and spun it would create the illusion that the spinning wheel is white.
What are colors? Colors are the reflection of light that a pigment dose not absorbed. Meaning when light hits a yellow piece of paper that is yellow the yellow pigment would absorb all of the light on the electromagnetic spectrum except yellow. The yellow light waves bounce off and into our eye’s letting you see the color yellow.
Now that you know a little more about color you should go out and look around, see what colors you find.
Showing posts with label Article: Essay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Article: Essay. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Essay: The First Day I Came to York
by Luis R.
The first day I arrived in York, I thought it was a nice place. I never lived in a city before, so I didn’t know what it was like in a city. When I got here the first person I met was my best friends grandma, she didn’t know we just moved in, so she screamed at me and my brother because we were in the backyard. The she apologized and introduced me to a person that is now my best friend. That’s how I met Quincey.
When we got to York we didn’t have a car so we had to use the busses to get to places.
Me, my mom, my little sister, and my little brother, it was our first time ever getting on a bus, we really didn’t know what to do but my step dad did so we didn’t get lost. My little sister enjoyed the ride on the bus, I didn’t, and it was too crowded. Then we finally got to where we wanted to a restaurant called Daddyos Pizza. We ate but they had something I never seen or tried before,”Chocolate Pizza”. I went and took two slices and had my first bite it was so good I had another.
We went back home. I saw Quincey at the back yard playing soccer, so I asked him if I could play he said yes. We stated playing soccer and I was good but not that good. My mom told me there was a McDonalds close to our house but I didn’t know where it was, so I asked Quincey if he knew where it was he said yes. I asked him to take me so I could get food for my mom and some for us will we were there. We went back home with a bag of food. Quincey invited me to go to his house, but to be careful with the dog because they bite. I went to Quincey’s house for the first time. The dogs didn’t bite, they just barked but after a will they liked me. We went back to my house and Quincey asked for some rice, and I gave him some, and he liked it. Quincey went home because it was late. That’s how me and Quincey became fiends.
The first day I arrived in York, I thought it was a nice place. I never lived in a city before, so I didn’t know what it was like in a city. When I got here the first person I met was my best friends grandma, she didn’t know we just moved in, so she screamed at me and my brother because we were in the backyard. The she apologized and introduced me to a person that is now my best friend. That’s how I met Quincey.
When we got to York we didn’t have a car so we had to use the busses to get to places.
Me, my mom, my little sister, and my little brother, it was our first time ever getting on a bus, we really didn’t know what to do but my step dad did so we didn’t get lost. My little sister enjoyed the ride on the bus, I didn’t, and it was too crowded. Then we finally got to where we wanted to a restaurant called Daddyos Pizza. We ate but they had something I never seen or tried before,”Chocolate Pizza”. I went and took two slices and had my first bite it was so good I had another.
We went back home. I saw Quincey at the back yard playing soccer, so I asked him if I could play he said yes. We stated playing soccer and I was good but not that good. My mom told me there was a McDonalds close to our house but I didn’t know where it was, so I asked Quincey if he knew where it was he said yes. I asked him to take me so I could get food for my mom and some for us will we were there. We went back home with a bag of food. Quincey invited me to go to his house, but to be careful with the dog because they bite. I went to Quincey’s house for the first time. The dogs didn’t bite, they just barked but after a will they liked me. We went back to my house and Quincey asked for some rice, and I gave him some, and he liked it. Quincey went home because it was late. That’s how me and Quincey became fiends.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Essay: All About Jokes
by Issac M.
“Classic”, “Funny”, and “L.O.L” are types of things people say when they are laughing. Laugh is what happens when you hear a really funny joke or when an everyday situation turns out to be funny. Things like joke’s, and cuts make people laugh. There are different types of jokes people use to make other people laugh.
Some jokes are called cuts, this is when a person is using someone else’s personal situations, insecurities, or image to make other people laugh. Sometimes this will result in hurting people’s feelings but normally the joker could care less, like way less, and most of the time the person being talked about isn’t around.
Sometimes cuts can really hurt peoples feeling making you lose friends or acquaintances. Or you can use it to faze your enemies and make them feel bad.
So now you know about how jokes can make your day but destroy someone else’s. This is Isaac M. with the monthly Bobel. Inspired by moe-dron-dron.
“Classic”, “Funny”, and “L.O.L” are types of things people say when they are laughing. Laugh is what happens when you hear a really funny joke or when an everyday situation turns out to be funny. Things like joke’s, and cuts make people laugh. There are different types of jokes people use to make other people laugh.
Some jokes are called cuts, this is when a person is using someone else’s personal situations, insecurities, or image to make other people laugh. Sometimes this will result in hurting people’s feelings but normally the joker could care less, like way less, and most of the time the person being talked about isn’t around.
Sometimes cuts can really hurt peoples feeling making you lose friends or acquaintances. Or you can use it to faze your enemies and make them feel bad.
So now you know about how jokes can make your day but destroy someone else’s. This is Isaac M. with the monthly Bobel. Inspired by moe-dron-dron.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Essay: The American Dream: Riches Greater than Money
by Jesse B.
From the time of our country's inception, there has been talk of an "American Dream"; there has been, however, extremely limited discussion regarding what this dream actually is. It is perhaps useful to reflect on classic American literature for the answer. That being said, numerous literary sources from American history support a single ideal, which one might surmise to be the all-encompassing basis for the American Dream: Happiness is to be found not in cold, hard cash but in the simple pleasures of life and the very opportunity for success and advancement. The attainment of such happiness is the very essence of the American Dream.
The Declaration of Independence –- one of America's most important symbols of its ideals. Even prior to its 1776 publication, the ideals of the American Dream were rooted in the minds of the British colonists. As Thomas Jefferson writes in The Declaration, ". . . all men are created equal." He states that men are entitled to certain "inalienable rights" and that among these are the rights to ". . . life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." These rights speak nothing of property or money; instead, they speak of freedom and equality, the cornerstone of happiness, the pursuit of which is the American Dream.
Walt Whitman was, and still is, a powerful supporter of the common man. His works focus on the simplicities of life. One example of this is his famous poem "I Hear America Singing". In this work, Whitman analyzes the working habits of the lower and middle classes by comparing their labor to song. Each worker "sings" a tune all his own, but together their form a veritable American symphony. Langston Hughes, in his poem "I Too", expands on the thoughts expressed in Whitman's poem. He does so by directly addressing the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance and the push for equality among the races. The black man, too, he argued, was no less American and no less entitled to pursuit of the American Dream. Both Whitman's and Hughes' poems support the idea of the American Dream as both simplicity and opportunity.
Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, is a staunch supporter of both cultural advancement and simplicity of lifestyle. His novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn epitomizes these ideals. The protagonist, Huck, lives a troubled life until he joins an escaped slave name Jim on a journey downriver. Huck and Jim become involved in many adventures along the way; however, Huck finds peace and true happiness only when he and Jim are alone on a raft, letting the current carry them. At first Huck feels he is committing a dreadful sin by helping Jim, but by the novel's conclusion, he realizes that Jim is as much a human being as he is. Huck questions the moral values of Southern society and heads west, hoping to find solace. Both the abolitionist ideals and love of nature presented by Clemens are characteristic of the American Dream.
The goal of finding happiness through both life's simplicities and the opportunity for success and advancement finds its way into the works of Jefferson, Whitman, Hughes and Clemens. To be sure, these are but a sampling of American authors with such a mindset. If one learns nothing else from reading their works, let it be this: Happiness doesn't come from dollar bills; it comes from the attainment of immaterial wealth, something far more valuable indeed.
From the time of our country's inception, there has been talk of an "American Dream"; there has been, however, extremely limited discussion regarding what this dream actually is. It is perhaps useful to reflect on classic American literature for the answer. That being said, numerous literary sources from American history support a single ideal, which one might surmise to be the all-encompassing basis for the American Dream: Happiness is to be found not in cold, hard cash but in the simple pleasures of life and the very opportunity for success and advancement. The attainment of such happiness is the very essence of the American Dream.
The Declaration of Independence –- one of America's most important symbols of its ideals. Even prior to its 1776 publication, the ideals of the American Dream were rooted in the minds of the British colonists. As Thomas Jefferson writes in The Declaration, ". . . all men are created equal." He states that men are entitled to certain "inalienable rights" and that among these are the rights to ". . . life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." These rights speak nothing of property or money; instead, they speak of freedom and equality, the cornerstone of happiness, the pursuit of which is the American Dream.
Walt Whitman was, and still is, a powerful supporter of the common man. His works focus on the simplicities of life. One example of this is his famous poem "I Hear America Singing". In this work, Whitman analyzes the working habits of the lower and middle classes by comparing their labor to song. Each worker "sings" a tune all his own, but together their form a veritable American symphony. Langston Hughes, in his poem "I Too", expands on the thoughts expressed in Whitman's poem. He does so by directly addressing the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance and the push for equality among the races. The black man, too, he argued, was no less American and no less entitled to pursuit of the American Dream. Both Whitman's and Hughes' poems support the idea of the American Dream as both simplicity and opportunity.
Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, is a staunch supporter of both cultural advancement and simplicity of lifestyle. His novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn epitomizes these ideals. The protagonist, Huck, lives a troubled life until he joins an escaped slave name Jim on a journey downriver. Huck and Jim become involved in many adventures along the way; however, Huck finds peace and true happiness only when he and Jim are alone on a raft, letting the current carry them. At first Huck feels he is committing a dreadful sin by helping Jim, but by the novel's conclusion, he realizes that Jim is as much a human being as he is. Huck questions the moral values of Southern society and heads west, hoping to find solace. Both the abolitionist ideals and love of nature presented by Clemens are characteristic of the American Dream.
The goal of finding happiness through both life's simplicities and the opportunity for success and advancement finds its way into the works of Jefferson, Whitman, Hughes and Clemens. To be sure, these are but a sampling of American authors with such a mindset. If one learns nothing else from reading their works, let it be this: Happiness doesn't come from dollar bills; it comes from the attainment of immaterial wealth, something far more valuable indeed.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Comparison of The Books "Thief" and "All Quiet on the Western Front"
by Yatzi G.
Ok, so I decided on writing about two of my two favorite books. To start off, my favorite genre of books are war novels. They show you reality, and show you that you should appreciate what you have, which is a good life. The first book is called, The Book Thief By Markus Zusak, and the second book is called, All Quiet on the Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque. These two books have a lot in common and yet a lot in difference. For example, one writer is American while the other is by a German. This will show that we can all speak different languages, or have a different culture, but we all have feeling believe it or not.
The Book Thief vs. All Quiet on the Western Front
“One morning two butterflies play in front of our trench. They are brimstone-butterflies, with red spots on their yellow wings. What can they be looking for here? There is not a plant nor a flower for miles. They settle on the teeth of a skull. The birds too are just as carefree, they have long since accustomed themselves to the war” (Remarque 127).
This quotation from All Quiet on the Western Front reminds us that war has always been around, whether it was the Civil war, the Vietnam War, or in this case World War I and World War II.
In All Quiet on the Western Front a perspective coming from a young man of the age of nineteen is provided. He has volunteered to fight for his country, thinking war was going to be different, he finds out that war is a lie and meaningless. In The Book Thief a young girl from the age of nine through almost fourteen, named Liesel is forced to stay with some foster parents, because her sick mother can’t afford to keep her, and her little brother has died. During this time Hitler was in control of Germany. Liesel, thinking that she has enough agony in her life, learns that a Jew must be hidden in her house, and this was a big offense to German Nazi. In each of these books, they show that war has always two or more sides to the story. In this case the stories come from a young male adult in the war, and a common female child during war times. Comparing these books, shows that many people do not live to tell about their side and beliefs and truths about war; this is why there is still a lot to uncover. There are many different perspectives, such as in All Quiet on the Western Front, and Book Thief to look at war through. The ones that usually provide the best descriptions are those from the person themselves that were in the war, or through the eyes of an innocent young child who has not lived long enough to know all the evil of the world.
In All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Baumer is a young man with a dream, a dream of becoming a hero. When his teacher Kantorek tricks his students into thinking that War is the perfect opportunity of becoming a hero they take it, proud, excited, and a bit frightened (but it doesn’t matter because their dream will come true), they go off and sign up. Finally in the War, there are nine friends, all nine of them are playing in the game of war, trying to be surviors, and regretting that they ever listened to Kantorek.
Most importantly the characters know how it feels to be alone and have nobody there.
Remarque says, "What has Kantorek written to you? muller asks him...
Iron Youth! Youth! We are none of us more than twenty years old. But young? Youth? That is long ago. We are old folk" (Remarque 18).
This quotation illustrates that the soldiers have just recieved letters from their relatives, friends, teachers, etc. When they get a letter from their teacher Kantorek, they just laugh, for they are not the Iron Youth! They may be young, but they have seen too much and their mentality is not the same. They think more wisely, they know how much life is worth, and they know there is a big chance that they will not be going home as heros.
Eventually, each friend dies one by one. One does become a deserter and the only one surviving is Paul, who eventually dies a couple months before the war is actually over.
As Remarque writes, "While they continue to write and talk, we saw the wounded and dying. While they taught that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death-throes are stronger. But for all that we were no mutineers, and no deserters, no cowards..."(Remarque 13). In this passage Paul talks about how people talk and say, but have really no idea what it is like to see your own friend die in your arms, to know that you can not sleep as you wish with the fright that someone may kill you, or maybe the nightmares of the things back home that they miss, such as their families. To illustrate this Remarque shows the feelings of Paul, "They were very free with all these expressions. We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously into every action; but also we distinguished the false from true, we had sudenly learned to see. And we saw that there was nothing of their world left. We were all at once terribly alone; and alone we must see it through" (Remarque 13).
This passage talks about how the soldiers including Paul Baummer show love to their country and want to help, but they also give to know that "why them?" Why do people talk and say how much they love their country and yet aren not out there in the war helping out. "He had fallen forward and lay on the earth as though sleeping. Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come" (Remarque 296). This suffering shows that war is an experience, a difficult thing and that one cannot talk about, unless they themselves have experienced it. Paul Baummer lost many people, all of his friends, and his mother is sick with cancer and maybe dying soon. His life was good to begin with, but war destroyed it all. He may not be a real person, but we all know that this is the realism of war, and there is nothing we can do. We may think that this pain we speak of is a lot, but there is much more that has not been uncovered with the reason that it’s just too painful.
In The Book Thief, Liesel Meminger is young girl who loses her mother, her brother, and her self confidence. She soon finds out that the reason she never got to know her father is because he was a communist and nobody had heard from him ever since. Liesel, already in the begining of the book has had many tradgedies, and she is only nine. She is sent to a foster parents whose names are Hans Humbermann and Rosa Humbermann. Both of them loved her very much, and she loves them both very much also. Liesel sooner or later gives up on finding her mama, who apparently everyone had lost track of, but she never forgets her just as she will never forget her brother.
Soon, she becomes accustomed to her new home finds a new friend who’s name is Rudy Steiner, who with a little help from their friend Tommy Muller, they go on adventures stealing, and doing other mischievous things. In school she is not the best reader, but thanks to papa she learns and improves, and that’s how her love of books developed. Things were going well for Lisel; her mama and her tough love, but she knew that she loved her; her papa was the most amazing person in the world she had ever known; and her new friends were always loyal and there for her. But little did she know that more was awaiting her, and that her toubles were not over.
Soon the war beings, and it is World War II. Things are getting harder for people, her mama loses her clients (she worked ironing and washing people clothing), her papa (who to begin with didn’t have much of a job), soon loses his painting job. She soon knows that her friend Rudy Steiner has been invited to a school, where they prepare young German boys to be part of the military. Also, she finds out that there is a Jewish person to be hidden in her house whose name is Max and he too has gone through a lot of hard things just like she has in the past, and she know she must keep it a secret. But through all of this, Liesel finds comfort in reading books, and getting lost in the magical world of words.
Things get worse and worse, soon there are raids occuring in Molching (which is were Liesel home is), the Jewish man, Max, whom she had devolped a strong friendship with, leaves unexpectedly without an explaination. The only thing he had left was a note written that he appreciated their help, but did want to put the Humbermann family in more danger. "Jew parades", which is when Jewish people were taken out on walks in a nearby city, were occuring in Molching, and at this point it is hard for Liesel to watch, for she has made friendship with Max, and misses him a lot, so during this parade she looks and watches out to see if Max is in there. One side of her wants to see him, but there are only three possibilites that may happen. Max is free and is happy-- or Max has been captured and is suffering, or the third option that Liesel does not want to think about... death. It is also hard for Hans Humbermann to watch, for he feels guilty that Max has left his safe house, and is out in the cruel world of German Nazi where he is hated.
Zusak explains in detail how the Jew parades were hard for the Humbermann family. For Hans Humbermann does an amazing thing that not anyone would ever ever do, at least if you were a German. The tension and sadness of a Jewish person who is close to death is describe by Zusak . "The Jew stood before him, expecting another handful of derision, but he watched with everyone else as Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread, like magic." (Zusak 304) In this scene Hans has helped out a Jew who was starving and had fallen on the ground, and the poor man has been calling out for someone to help him, but no one does, not even the rest of the Jews, they just stomp and trample over him. But then Hans could not handle or resist and goes out to help the Jew.
At this point Liesel is crying and then notices a soilder coming to the scene; now she feels Rudy holding her hand and giving a sympathy look. While Rudy is dong this Leisel is just waiting to see Hans suffer likes Zusak decribes. "The Jew was whipped six times. On his back, his head, and his legs. 'You filth! You swine!' Blood dripped now from his ear. Then it was Papa’s turn... The sound sickened her and she expected cracks to appear on her papa’s body. He was struck four times before he,too hit the ground." (Zusak 304) This scene shows that the Geman Nazi was serious about helping Jewish people, and it shows that none of it would be taken. That’s when Liesel, realized the dangerous it was for them in the past to keep Max.
Soon everything keeps falling down, her papa has been drafted to war, as well as Rudy’s father. She still hasn’t found Max, Rudy is not the same anymore, he dosen’t talk or smile much. Her mama is not he same tough loving mama, she’s quiet and every night grabs her husband’s accordian and cries. Everything is going awful and not according to the life plan Liesel intended to have in the begining.
Soon Rudy and Liesel start to hate the Fuhrer, which at this point is Hitler, and they turn and rebel against their German society:
"Where are you going?"
"Isn’t obvious?"
She stuggled to keep up. "Well, to tell you the truth -- not really."
"I’m going to find him."
"Your papa?"
"Yes." He thought about it. "Actually no. I think I’m going to find the Fuhrer instead."
Faster footsteps. "Why?"
Rudy stopped. "Because I want to kill him" (Zusak 425).
In this quotation, Rudy is upset because his father has been drafted and wants to kill the Fuhuer. He believes that it’s unfair that his father has to pay the price for not letting Rudy go to a school to be trained to be in the army. This shows the stong feeling a child has had in the war, and how they soon realized that life is not always just fun or rainbows.
Soon, Max is found, Liesel was watching a Jew parade, and as always she was looking for Max, in this scene Max and her break out in tears not knowing what to do, and Liesel does get punish the same way her father did and so does Max. And that is the last she saw of him for a long while.
Things apparently do get better for Liesel. Hans has broken his leg and is allowed to go back home. Rosa and Liesel are happy, but the Steiner family try as hard as they can, but they can’t help thinking why Hans, why not Alex (husband and father of the Steiner family). Soon, after all this happens, Liesel is upset about the whole Max incident and can not stand the guilt and suffering any longer, and decides to tell Rudy about it.
Soon, months have passed and things get from good to bad to worse, there are more raids occuring, and life is just sad. One good thing does happen, the mayor’s wife, one that Liesel considers a friend gives her a book, an empty one. She had told her that since Liesel had so much passion for reading, then maybe she should try writing herself. Liesel cherishes the book, and begins to write. She actually decides to write in the basement, where Max use to write himself. She was dedicated to it, and would sometimes fall asleep in the basement itself. Then, one day, it was late in the night, and Liesel decided to write. She was almost finished with the book, she called it the Book Thief, and she was extremely proud of herself. ``*Book Thief—last line* I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.’’ So, she difted off to sleep.
The sirens were loud, but it was too late by then, the raid had begun, bombs falling on Himmel street, people not screaming, because they were asleep. It was too late by then, carefully death picked them up and took them to another place, this inclueded the Steiner family, which was Rudy, also Tommy Muller, and sadly Rosa and Hans Hubermann. The only hope was Liesel, for when the bombs drop, she was in the basement writing, and had saved herself.
The men tried picking her up and taking her to saftey after they found her in the ruins of Himmel St. All of a sudden she stumbles and tries to get out of their arms, they let her go. She starts screaming and yelling for her papa, then she notices, a boy with hair the color of Lemons. She runs to him and realizes that it’s Rudy, her best friend, her crush she had for many years. He is dead, and she is distraught, she tries kissing him knowing that he is not feeling it. Next, she discovers the bodies of her Papa and Mama.
First she goes up to her Mama and holds her hand, ``Remember when I came here, Mama? I clung to the gate and cried. Do you remember what you said to everyone in the street that day?... Did you know I saw you with Papa’s accordian? She tighten her grip on the hardening hand. ``I came and watched and you were beautiful, you were so beautiful Mama.’’ Next her Papa, she would not, she just could not look at Papa, not at that moment.
Papa was everything to Liesel he was the one that sat in the washroom with her, the one who taught her how to roll a cigarette. He was the one who gave bread to that poor dying Jewish man. He was the one who encouraged Liesel to keep reading and to follow her dream, and to read in the bomb shelter. If it weren’t for him, she might not have not been writing in the basement, and would have died herself. Papa was the person who Liesel loved the most, he was her home. "that as she knelt next to Hans Hubermann, she watched him stand and play the accordion. He stood and strapped it on in the alps of broken houses and played the accordion with kindness silver eyes and even a cigarette slouched on his lips. He even made a mistake and laughed in lovely hindsight. The bellows breathed and the tall man played for Liesel Meminger one last time as the sky was slowly taken from the stove. Keep playing, Papa. Papa stopped. He dropped the accordion and his silver eyes continued to rust. There was only a body now, on the ground’’ (Zusak 538).
In this quote Zusak describes that Liesel is having flashbacks of the past. Flashbacks, that remind her of good times she had with her family. This is a sad moment, for she is imagining her Papa playing for her, and all of a sudden he stops, for he is dead.
War is a hard thing, and it is not a person’s choice to have it. The leaders of our world sometimes don’t think about others, such as the individual soldiers and individual families. For example, in this case the family of a small girl named Liesel who not only suffered her own problems, but others. Paul Baummer was just as brave as Liesel still both of them young people trying to survive the war.
Liesel was a girl whose self confidence was terrible, and later on it grew thanks to her amazing faster family and even though they had left her; she knew what they would have wanted her to do, and it was to keep going for her dreams and keep her self confidence. In the case of Paul Baummer, he was the opposite, his confidence was high, a little too high, and he trusted himself with many things, including the war. He had everything he could ever want, but he wanted more, he wanted to be famous and become a hero. And when this happens the war affects him. His confidence decreases until he can’t handle it any longer.
Another similarity is that Paul Baummer had everything he wanted; he went to school, had a great education, and had a family. And he longed for more and more. Liesel on the other hand, did not. She did not go to school and in fact she was an awful reader, her birth family had left her, and she longed for more, but she longed for love. That’s when Liesel starts to steal books and learns how to read. And above all of that her foster family is amazing. Liesel does become greedy. And wants more and more. Until, they both realize that they will both lose one of their most valuable possessions, their family.
Mentally, I think that Liesel and Paul were quite equal, they were not young, and physically they were. They both had seen someone die in front of them. They both knew what it felt like to lose more than just one beloved one. They knew what as reality and what was make believe. They cannot be tricked, not even by death. Sooner or later death does meet them, Paul dies in the war, while Liesel survives and dies of old age. Their souls were ready, and sitting up for death to come. And they both finally found relief and calmness.
Remarque, Erich Maria . All Quiet on the Western Front . Berlin: A. G. Ullstein in Germany; Little, Brown in the United States, 1928.
Ok, so I decided on writing about two of my two favorite books. To start off, my favorite genre of books are war novels. They show you reality, and show you that you should appreciate what you have, which is a good life. The first book is called, The Book Thief By Markus Zusak, and the second book is called, All Quiet on the Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque. These two books have a lot in common and yet a lot in difference. For example, one writer is American while the other is by a German. This will show that we can all speak different languages, or have a different culture, but we all have feeling believe it or not.
The Book Thief vs. All Quiet on the Western Front
“One morning two butterflies play in front of our trench. They are brimstone-butterflies, with red spots on their yellow wings. What can they be looking for here? There is not a plant nor a flower for miles. They settle on the teeth of a skull. The birds too are just as carefree, they have long since accustomed themselves to the war” (Remarque 127).
This quotation from All Quiet on the Western Front reminds us that war has always been around, whether it was the Civil war, the Vietnam War, or in this case World War I and World War II.
In All Quiet on the Western Front a perspective coming from a young man of the age of nineteen is provided. He has volunteered to fight for his country, thinking war was going to be different, he finds out that war is a lie and meaningless. In The Book Thief a young girl from the age of nine through almost fourteen, named Liesel is forced to stay with some foster parents, because her sick mother can’t afford to keep her, and her little brother has died. During this time Hitler was in control of Germany. Liesel, thinking that she has enough agony in her life, learns that a Jew must be hidden in her house, and this was a big offense to German Nazi. In each of these books, they show that war has always two or more sides to the story. In this case the stories come from a young male adult in the war, and a common female child during war times. Comparing these books, shows that many people do not live to tell about their side and beliefs and truths about war; this is why there is still a lot to uncover. There are many different perspectives, such as in All Quiet on the Western Front, and Book Thief to look at war through. The ones that usually provide the best descriptions are those from the person themselves that were in the war, or through the eyes of an innocent young child who has not lived long enough to know all the evil of the world.
In All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Baumer is a young man with a dream, a dream of becoming a hero. When his teacher Kantorek tricks his students into thinking that War is the perfect opportunity of becoming a hero they take it, proud, excited, and a bit frightened (but it doesn’t matter because their dream will come true), they go off and sign up. Finally in the War, there are nine friends, all nine of them are playing in the game of war, trying to be surviors, and regretting that they ever listened to Kantorek.
Most importantly the characters know how it feels to be alone and have nobody there.
Remarque says, "What has Kantorek written to you? muller asks him...
Iron Youth! Youth! We are none of us more than twenty years old. But young? Youth? That is long ago. We are old folk" (Remarque 18).
This quotation illustrates that the soldiers have just recieved letters from their relatives, friends, teachers, etc. When they get a letter from their teacher Kantorek, they just laugh, for they are not the Iron Youth! They may be young, but they have seen too much and their mentality is not the same. They think more wisely, they know how much life is worth, and they know there is a big chance that they will not be going home as heros.
Eventually, each friend dies one by one. One does become a deserter and the only one surviving is Paul, who eventually dies a couple months before the war is actually over.
As Remarque writes, "While they continue to write and talk, we saw the wounded and dying. While they taught that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death-throes are stronger. But for all that we were no mutineers, and no deserters, no cowards..."(Remarque 13). In this passage Paul talks about how people talk and say, but have really no idea what it is like to see your own friend die in your arms, to know that you can not sleep as you wish with the fright that someone may kill you, or maybe the nightmares of the things back home that they miss, such as their families. To illustrate this Remarque shows the feelings of Paul, "They were very free with all these expressions. We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously into every action; but also we distinguished the false from true, we had sudenly learned to see. And we saw that there was nothing of their world left. We were all at once terribly alone; and alone we must see it through" (Remarque 13).
This passage talks about how the soldiers including Paul Baummer show love to their country and want to help, but they also give to know that "why them?" Why do people talk and say how much they love their country and yet aren not out there in the war helping out. "He had fallen forward and lay on the earth as though sleeping. Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come" (Remarque 296). This suffering shows that war is an experience, a difficult thing and that one cannot talk about, unless they themselves have experienced it. Paul Baummer lost many people, all of his friends, and his mother is sick with cancer and maybe dying soon. His life was good to begin with, but war destroyed it all. He may not be a real person, but we all know that this is the realism of war, and there is nothing we can do. We may think that this pain we speak of is a lot, but there is much more that has not been uncovered with the reason that it’s just too painful.
In The Book Thief, Liesel Meminger is young girl who loses her mother, her brother, and her self confidence. She soon finds out that the reason she never got to know her father is because he was a communist and nobody had heard from him ever since. Liesel, already in the begining of the book has had many tradgedies, and she is only nine. She is sent to a foster parents whose names are Hans Humbermann and Rosa Humbermann. Both of them loved her very much, and she loves them both very much also. Liesel sooner or later gives up on finding her mama, who apparently everyone had lost track of, but she never forgets her just as she will never forget her brother.
Soon, she becomes accustomed to her new home finds a new friend who’s name is Rudy Steiner, who with a little help from their friend Tommy Muller, they go on adventures stealing, and doing other mischievous things. In school she is not the best reader, but thanks to papa she learns and improves, and that’s how her love of books developed. Things were going well for Lisel; her mama and her tough love, but she knew that she loved her; her papa was the most amazing person in the world she had ever known; and her new friends were always loyal and there for her. But little did she know that more was awaiting her, and that her toubles were not over.
Soon the war beings, and it is World War II. Things are getting harder for people, her mama loses her clients (she worked ironing and washing people clothing), her papa (who to begin with didn’t have much of a job), soon loses his painting job. She soon knows that her friend Rudy Steiner has been invited to a school, where they prepare young German boys to be part of the military. Also, she finds out that there is a Jewish person to be hidden in her house whose name is Max and he too has gone through a lot of hard things just like she has in the past, and she know she must keep it a secret. But through all of this, Liesel finds comfort in reading books, and getting lost in the magical world of words.
Things get worse and worse, soon there are raids occuring in Molching (which is were Liesel home is), the Jewish man, Max, whom she had devolped a strong friendship with, leaves unexpectedly without an explaination. The only thing he had left was a note written that he appreciated their help, but did want to put the Humbermann family in more danger. "Jew parades", which is when Jewish people were taken out on walks in a nearby city, were occuring in Molching, and at this point it is hard for Liesel to watch, for she has made friendship with Max, and misses him a lot, so during this parade she looks and watches out to see if Max is in there. One side of her wants to see him, but there are only three possibilites that may happen. Max is free and is happy-- or Max has been captured and is suffering, or the third option that Liesel does not want to think about... death. It is also hard for Hans Humbermann to watch, for he feels guilty that Max has left his safe house, and is out in the cruel world of German Nazi where he is hated.
Zusak explains in detail how the Jew parades were hard for the Humbermann family. For Hans Humbermann does an amazing thing that not anyone would ever ever do, at least if you were a German. The tension and sadness of a Jewish person who is close to death is describe by Zusak . "The Jew stood before him, expecting another handful of derision, but he watched with everyone else as Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread, like magic." (Zusak 304) In this scene Hans has helped out a Jew who was starving and had fallen on the ground, and the poor man has been calling out for someone to help him, but no one does, not even the rest of the Jews, they just stomp and trample over him. But then Hans could not handle or resist and goes out to help the Jew.
At this point Liesel is crying and then notices a soilder coming to the scene; now she feels Rudy holding her hand and giving a sympathy look. While Rudy is dong this Leisel is just waiting to see Hans suffer likes Zusak decribes. "The Jew was whipped six times. On his back, his head, and his legs. 'You filth! You swine!' Blood dripped now from his ear. Then it was Papa’s turn... The sound sickened her and she expected cracks to appear on her papa’s body. He was struck four times before he,too hit the ground." (Zusak 304) This scene shows that the Geman Nazi was serious about helping Jewish people, and it shows that none of it would be taken. That’s when Liesel, realized the dangerous it was for them in the past to keep Max.
Soon everything keeps falling down, her papa has been drafted to war, as well as Rudy’s father. She still hasn’t found Max, Rudy is not the same anymore, he dosen’t talk or smile much. Her mama is not he same tough loving mama, she’s quiet and every night grabs her husband’s accordian and cries. Everything is going awful and not according to the life plan Liesel intended to have in the begining.
Soon Rudy and Liesel start to hate the Fuhrer, which at this point is Hitler, and they turn and rebel against their German society:
"Where are you going?"
"Isn’t obvious?"
She stuggled to keep up. "Well, to tell you the truth -- not really."
"I’m going to find him."
"Your papa?"
"Yes." He thought about it. "Actually no. I think I’m going to find the Fuhrer instead."
Faster footsteps. "Why?"
Rudy stopped. "Because I want to kill him" (Zusak 425).
In this quotation, Rudy is upset because his father has been drafted and wants to kill the Fuhuer. He believes that it’s unfair that his father has to pay the price for not letting Rudy go to a school to be trained to be in the army. This shows the stong feeling a child has had in the war, and how they soon realized that life is not always just fun or rainbows.
Soon, Max is found, Liesel was watching a Jew parade, and as always she was looking for Max, in this scene Max and her break out in tears not knowing what to do, and Liesel does get punish the same way her father did and so does Max. And that is the last she saw of him for a long while.
Things apparently do get better for Liesel. Hans has broken his leg and is allowed to go back home. Rosa and Liesel are happy, but the Steiner family try as hard as they can, but they can’t help thinking why Hans, why not Alex (husband and father of the Steiner family). Soon, after all this happens, Liesel is upset about the whole Max incident and can not stand the guilt and suffering any longer, and decides to tell Rudy about it.
Soon, months have passed and things get from good to bad to worse, there are more raids occuring, and life is just sad. One good thing does happen, the mayor’s wife, one that Liesel considers a friend gives her a book, an empty one. She had told her that since Liesel had so much passion for reading, then maybe she should try writing herself. Liesel cherishes the book, and begins to write. She actually decides to write in the basement, where Max use to write himself. She was dedicated to it, and would sometimes fall asleep in the basement itself. Then, one day, it was late in the night, and Liesel decided to write. She was almost finished with the book, she called it the Book Thief, and she was extremely proud of herself. ``*Book Thief—last line* I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.’’ So, she difted off to sleep.
The sirens were loud, but it was too late by then, the raid had begun, bombs falling on Himmel street, people not screaming, because they were asleep. It was too late by then, carefully death picked them up and took them to another place, this inclueded the Steiner family, which was Rudy, also Tommy Muller, and sadly Rosa and Hans Hubermann. The only hope was Liesel, for when the bombs drop, she was in the basement writing, and had saved herself.
The men tried picking her up and taking her to saftey after they found her in the ruins of Himmel St. All of a sudden she stumbles and tries to get out of their arms, they let her go. She starts screaming and yelling for her papa, then she notices, a boy with hair the color of Lemons. She runs to him and realizes that it’s Rudy, her best friend, her crush she had for many years. He is dead, and she is distraught, she tries kissing him knowing that he is not feeling it. Next, she discovers the bodies of her Papa and Mama.
First she goes up to her Mama and holds her hand, ``Remember when I came here, Mama? I clung to the gate and cried. Do you remember what you said to everyone in the street that day?... Did you know I saw you with Papa’s accordian? She tighten her grip on the hardening hand. ``I came and watched and you were beautiful, you were so beautiful Mama.’’ Next her Papa, she would not, she just could not look at Papa, not at that moment.
Papa was everything to Liesel he was the one that sat in the washroom with her, the one who taught her how to roll a cigarette. He was the one who gave bread to that poor dying Jewish man. He was the one who encouraged Liesel to keep reading and to follow her dream, and to read in the bomb shelter. If it weren’t for him, she might not have not been writing in the basement, and would have died herself. Papa was the person who Liesel loved the most, he was her home. "that as she knelt next to Hans Hubermann, she watched him stand and play the accordion. He stood and strapped it on in the alps of broken houses and played the accordion with kindness silver eyes and even a cigarette slouched on his lips. He even made a mistake and laughed in lovely hindsight. The bellows breathed and the tall man played for Liesel Meminger one last time as the sky was slowly taken from the stove. Keep playing, Papa. Papa stopped. He dropped the accordion and his silver eyes continued to rust. There was only a body now, on the ground’’ (Zusak 538).
In this quote Zusak describes that Liesel is having flashbacks of the past. Flashbacks, that remind her of good times she had with her family. This is a sad moment, for she is imagining her Papa playing for her, and all of a sudden he stops, for he is dead.
War is a hard thing, and it is not a person’s choice to have it. The leaders of our world sometimes don’t think about others, such as the individual soldiers and individual families. For example, in this case the family of a small girl named Liesel who not only suffered her own problems, but others. Paul Baummer was just as brave as Liesel still both of them young people trying to survive the war.
Liesel was a girl whose self confidence was terrible, and later on it grew thanks to her amazing faster family and even though they had left her; she knew what they would have wanted her to do, and it was to keep going for her dreams and keep her self confidence. In the case of Paul Baummer, he was the opposite, his confidence was high, a little too high, and he trusted himself with many things, including the war. He had everything he could ever want, but he wanted more, he wanted to be famous and become a hero. And when this happens the war affects him. His confidence decreases until he can’t handle it any longer.
Another similarity is that Paul Baummer had everything he wanted; he went to school, had a great education, and had a family. And he longed for more and more. Liesel on the other hand, did not. She did not go to school and in fact she was an awful reader, her birth family had left her, and she longed for more, but she longed for love. That’s when Liesel starts to steal books and learns how to read. And above all of that her foster family is amazing. Liesel does become greedy. And wants more and more. Until, they both realize that they will both lose one of their most valuable possessions, their family.
Mentally, I think that Liesel and Paul were quite equal, they were not young, and physically they were. They both had seen someone die in front of them. They both knew what it felt like to lose more than just one beloved one. They knew what as reality and what was make believe. They cannot be tricked, not even by death. Sooner or later death does meet them, Paul dies in the war, while Liesel survives and dies of old age. Their souls were ready, and sitting up for death to come. And they both finally found relief and calmness.
Remarque, Erich Maria . All Quiet on the Western Front . Berlin: A. G. Ullstein in Germany; Little, Brown in the United States, 1928.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Death to the Undead
by Becca L.
Bite me. Go ahead. Do it. I'm not afraid. After all, I love you. Here we have the plot of every vampire story written in recent years. Am I the only one who longs for an end?
Many teens are familiar with the website, Quizilla. They are also familiar with the mind boggling unoriginality that runs rampant on the site. 60% of the stories on quizilla are about vampires. Being kidnapped by them, betrothed to them, sold to them. Usually this would be the spot for an "etc, etc.", but that is the extent of the vampire plots. Just once I wish a vampire would be an evil, mindless parasite instead of a romantic stock character. Half the time vampires don't even suck blood. They were meant to frighten children away from the woods and to be the villains of fireside tales, not fodder for some teenage girl's fantasy.
I find the Twilight craze particularly annoying. When the book first came out I picked it up. I then put it right back down. A sappy teenage romance does not require a saga to complete it. Stephanie Meyers should have followed in the footsteps of Katie Maxmillian and let her silly little romance remain 200 page paperbacks. I have been forced to hear about Edward Cullen for the last two years. I am only going to say this once, so listen closely. HE'S NOT REAL. He will never be real. He is a fictional character.
If you want to meet a real vampire, ask your doctor. There is a real disease that can be treated by drinking blood. Now patients mostly take pills. Isn't that romantic?
Bite me. Go ahead. Do it. I'm not afraid. After all, I love you. Here we have the plot of every vampire story written in recent years. Am I the only one who longs for an end?
Many teens are familiar with the website, Quizilla. They are also familiar with the mind boggling unoriginality that runs rampant on the site. 60% of the stories on quizilla are about vampires. Being kidnapped by them, betrothed to them, sold to them. Usually this would be the spot for an "etc, etc.", but that is the extent of the vampire plots. Just once I wish a vampire would be an evil, mindless parasite instead of a romantic stock character. Half the time vampires don't even suck blood. They were meant to frighten children away from the woods and to be the villains of fireside tales, not fodder for some teenage girl's fantasy.
I find the Twilight craze particularly annoying. When the book first came out I picked it up. I then put it right back down. A sappy teenage romance does not require a saga to complete it. Stephanie Meyers should have followed in the footsteps of Katie Maxmillian and let her silly little romance remain 200 page paperbacks. I have been forced to hear about Edward Cullen for the last two years. I am only going to say this once, so listen closely. HE'S NOT REAL. He will never be real. He is a fictional character.
If you want to meet a real vampire, ask your doctor. There is a real disease that can be treated by drinking blood. Now patients mostly take pills. Isn't that romantic?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Being Blonde by Alexis M.
Even though some blondes make stupid decisions and don’t behave appropriately, doesn’t mean everyone with blonde hair is a “dumb blonde”.
First of all, no one has a choice about what he or she looks like. It all depends on genetics. Not only from your parents but also from generations before them. There are many different theories on how hair color, eye color, and skin tone are determined, hair color being one of the most complicated. According to one popular theory, at least two gene pairs control human hair color. One gene, which is a brown/blonde pair, has a dominant brown allele and a recessive blonde allele. A person with a brown allele will have brown hair; a person with no brown alleles will be blonde. This also explains why two brown-haired parents can produce a blonde-haired child. The other gene pair is a not-red/red pair, where the not-red allele (which suppresses production of pheomelanin) is dominant and the allele for red hair is recessive. Since the two gene pairs both govern hair color, a person with two copies of the red-haired allele will have red hair, but it will be either auburn or bright reddish orange depending upon whether the first gene pair gives brown or blonde hair, respectively. About 2% of the world’s population has naturally blonde hair. To determine the shade of hair depends on Eumelanin and Phaeomelanin levels. Eumelanin is black and brown, while Phaeomelanin is red. A rare shade of blonde is strawberry blonde. It takes both the blonde gene and the red. The most rare though is platinum. You’d need extremely low levels in both Eumelanin and Phaeomelanin. Platinum also happens to be the blonde most associated with the “dumb blonde” label. So, if a blonde had high Eumelanin level to the point it looked light brown, why don’t they get picked on? They still are “blonde”, even though it might look darker, so what gets them out of being labeled “dumb”? This actually would prove the lack of knowledge in whoever was behind the “dumb blonde” saying because it proved that they didn’t know the facts about hair genetics.
Also, there are plenty of people with blonde hair who have achieved great things. JK Rowling for example, is the much loved author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. Her books have gotten worldwide attention, been translated into 65 different languages, and sold over 400 million copies. The Sunday Times Rich List, in 2007, estimated Ms. Rowling’s fortune to be about £545 million. Forbes, ranked her as the 48th most powerful celebrity of 2007 and Time Magazine named Rowling as runner up for their 2007 “Person of the Year” noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her fans. Madonna, while it might not seem like it, is a very important and powerful blonde. She’s managed to keep her career going for about 26 years and sell more than 200 million copies worldwide. She has a record of 12 number one singles, 22 top ten singles and the most weeks at number one with a total of 74 weeks. Recently, on March 10th, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The American business magnate, author, editor, and homemaking advocate, Martha Stewart, also has blonde hair. Over the past 20 years, she has written several books, hundreds of articles on the domestic arts, been editor of a national home keeping magazine, and hosted two popular daytime television programs. In 2001, Martha was named 3rd most powerful woman in America by Ladies Home Journal. This summer Hillary Clinton had the opportunity to be the democratic representative in the 2008 election. I don’t necessarily think it would be good to have someone labeled “dumb” in office… and even though she didn’t “win”, I can definitely tell she’s intelligent. Clinton attended Wellesley College, and in 1969 received national attention when she delivered an address as the first student to speak at commencement exercises. She graduated from Yale Law School in 1973 and then in 1975, she married Bill Clinton. She played a role in advocating for the establishment of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the Foster Care Independence Act. Hillary was elected senator for New York State in 2000. Currently she is running for president, and has won the most primaries and delegates of any woman in U.S. history. Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She served from 1981 to 2006. She also was the woman to fight for woman’s right to vote. In 2001, O’Connor was voted the 2nd most powerful woman in America by the Ladies Home Journal. One of my favorite actresses, Reese Witherspoon also is an intelligent, important blonde. The movie that really helped her career, Legally Blonde, completely proves blondes can do anything… and accomplish it in style. Reese owns a production company named ‘Type A Films’. She is involved in children’s and woman’s advocacy organizations. Witherspoon serves on the board of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, serving as honorary chairman of the charitable Avon Foundation. The blonde known as “The People’s Princess” was probably the most loved and she also probably made the most difference. Princess Diana supported many different charities. She was a supporter of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a campaign that went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1987, the Princess of Wales was one of the first high-profile celebrities to be photographed touching a person infected with HIV at the ‘chain of hope’ organization. Her contribution to changing the public pinion of AIDS sufferers was summarized in December 2001 by Bill Clinton at the ‘Diana, Princess of Whales Lecture on AIDS’. “In 1987, when so many still believed that AIDS could be contracted through casual contact, Princess Diana sat on the sickbed on a man with AIDS and held his hand. She showed the world that people with AIDS deserve no isolation, but compassion and kindness. It helped change world’s opinion, and gave hope to the people with AIDS.” –Bill Clinton. Diana also made unexpected visits to hospitals with specific instructions that the visit was to be concealed from the media. Her sudden death in 1997 from a car crash is currently the subject of inquest. Plus her sons, William (Blonde) and Harry (Strawberry Blonde) are second and third in line for the throne so that has to be worth something… Anyway, there are many successful blondes out there. And to call any of these people dumb would make no sense since they all have major accomplishments.
Yes, I will admit there are a lot of pretty stupid people out there that happen to be blonde. Britney Spears is definitely at the top of that list. There is no excuse for anyone whether blonde or brunette, male or female, famous or not… for some to have committed multiple crimes and not go to jail… well… not go to jail for more than a few hours. Anyone who is not a celebrity, wouldn’t be able to get away with it. With the paparazzi putting Britney and Paris in the news constantly, it’s easy to see where blondes get a bad name. But, Lindsay Lohan is not blonde… or she might be now but it’s not natural… and she is just as bad, if not worse. The same thing applies to Amy Winehouse. As much as I can see the people picturing blondes as these idiotic celebrities, there are still people who aren’t blonde who behave just as brainless.
Over all, blondes can be dumb, but so can everyone. As the wannabe blonde Hannah Montana would say, “Nobody’s Perfect”. No one’ s personality should be judged based on his or her hair color, skin color, age, height, religion, or anything but who they are as a person. For the intelligence thing, it‘s all about genetics. Blame your parents! “Dumb blonde” jokes hurt just as much as someone being racial or sexist. And… if blondes are so dumb, why do non-blondes pay to dye their hair?
First of all, no one has a choice about what he or she looks like. It all depends on genetics. Not only from your parents but also from generations before them. There are many different theories on how hair color, eye color, and skin tone are determined, hair color being one of the most complicated. According to one popular theory, at least two gene pairs control human hair color. One gene, which is a brown/blonde pair, has a dominant brown allele and a recessive blonde allele. A person with a brown allele will have brown hair; a person with no brown alleles will be blonde. This also explains why two brown-haired parents can produce a blonde-haired child. The other gene pair is a not-red/red pair, where the not-red allele (which suppresses production of pheomelanin) is dominant and the allele for red hair is recessive. Since the two gene pairs both govern hair color, a person with two copies of the red-haired allele will have red hair, but it will be either auburn or bright reddish orange depending upon whether the first gene pair gives brown or blonde hair, respectively. About 2% of the world’s population has naturally blonde hair. To determine the shade of hair depends on Eumelanin and Phaeomelanin levels. Eumelanin is black and brown, while Phaeomelanin is red. A rare shade of blonde is strawberry blonde. It takes both the blonde gene and the red. The most rare though is platinum. You’d need extremely low levels in both Eumelanin and Phaeomelanin. Platinum also happens to be the blonde most associated with the “dumb blonde” label. So, if a blonde had high Eumelanin level to the point it looked light brown, why don’t they get picked on? They still are “blonde”, even though it might look darker, so what gets them out of being labeled “dumb”? This actually would prove the lack of knowledge in whoever was behind the “dumb blonde” saying because it proved that they didn’t know the facts about hair genetics.
Also, there are plenty of people with blonde hair who have achieved great things. JK Rowling for example, is the much loved author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. Her books have gotten worldwide attention, been translated into 65 different languages, and sold over 400 million copies. The Sunday Times Rich List, in 2007, estimated Ms. Rowling’s fortune to be about £545 million. Forbes, ranked her as the 48th most powerful celebrity of 2007 and Time Magazine named Rowling as runner up for their 2007 “Person of the Year” noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her fans. Madonna, while it might not seem like it, is a very important and powerful blonde. She’s managed to keep her career going for about 26 years and sell more than 200 million copies worldwide. She has a record of 12 number one singles, 22 top ten singles and the most weeks at number one with a total of 74 weeks. Recently, on March 10th, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The American business magnate, author, editor, and homemaking advocate, Martha Stewart, also has blonde hair. Over the past 20 years, she has written several books, hundreds of articles on the domestic arts, been editor of a national home keeping magazine, and hosted two popular daytime television programs. In 2001, Martha was named 3rd most powerful woman in America by Ladies Home Journal. This summer Hillary Clinton had the opportunity to be the democratic representative in the 2008 election. I don’t necessarily think it would be good to have someone labeled “dumb” in office… and even though she didn’t “win”, I can definitely tell she’s intelligent. Clinton attended Wellesley College, and in 1969 received national attention when she delivered an address as the first student to speak at commencement exercises. She graduated from Yale Law School in 1973 and then in 1975, she married Bill Clinton. She played a role in advocating for the establishment of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the Foster Care Independence Act. Hillary was elected senator for New York State in 2000. Currently she is running for president, and has won the most primaries and delegates of any woman in U.S. history. Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She served from 1981 to 2006. She also was the woman to fight for woman’s right to vote. In 2001, O’Connor was voted the 2nd most powerful woman in America by the Ladies Home Journal. One of my favorite actresses, Reese Witherspoon also is an intelligent, important blonde. The movie that really helped her career, Legally Blonde, completely proves blondes can do anything… and accomplish it in style. Reese owns a production company named ‘Type A Films’. She is involved in children’s and woman’s advocacy organizations. Witherspoon serves on the board of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, serving as honorary chairman of the charitable Avon Foundation. The blonde known as “The People’s Princess” was probably the most loved and she also probably made the most difference. Princess Diana supported many different charities. She was a supporter of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a campaign that went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1987, the Princess of Wales was one of the first high-profile celebrities to be photographed touching a person infected with HIV at the ‘chain of hope’ organization. Her contribution to changing the public pinion of AIDS sufferers was summarized in December 2001 by Bill Clinton at the ‘Diana, Princess of Whales Lecture on AIDS’. “In 1987, when so many still believed that AIDS could be contracted through casual contact, Princess Diana sat on the sickbed on a man with AIDS and held his hand. She showed the world that people with AIDS deserve no isolation, but compassion and kindness. It helped change world’s opinion, and gave hope to the people with AIDS.” –Bill Clinton. Diana also made unexpected visits to hospitals with specific instructions that the visit was to be concealed from the media. Her sudden death in 1997 from a car crash is currently the subject of inquest. Plus her sons, William (Blonde) and Harry (Strawberry Blonde) are second and third in line for the throne so that has to be worth something… Anyway, there are many successful blondes out there. And to call any of these people dumb would make no sense since they all have major accomplishments.
Yes, I will admit there are a lot of pretty stupid people out there that happen to be blonde. Britney Spears is definitely at the top of that list. There is no excuse for anyone whether blonde or brunette, male or female, famous or not… for some to have committed multiple crimes and not go to jail… well… not go to jail for more than a few hours. Anyone who is not a celebrity, wouldn’t be able to get away with it. With the paparazzi putting Britney and Paris in the news constantly, it’s easy to see where blondes get a bad name. But, Lindsay Lohan is not blonde… or she might be now but it’s not natural… and she is just as bad, if not worse. The same thing applies to Amy Winehouse. As much as I can see the people picturing blondes as these idiotic celebrities, there are still people who aren’t blonde who behave just as brainless.
Over all, blondes can be dumb, but so can everyone. As the wannabe blonde Hannah Montana would say, “Nobody’s Perfect”. No one’ s personality should be judged based on his or her hair color, skin color, age, height, religion, or anything but who they are as a person. For the intelligence thing, it‘s all about genetics. Blame your parents! “Dumb blonde” jokes hurt just as much as someone being racial or sexist. And… if blondes are so dumb, why do non-blondes pay to dye their hair?
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Steam Engine: Concept to Reality by Ryan S.
The idea of making a steam engine to perform physical work is an old idea that has been around for centuries. Not many people realize how old this concept is. In fact, the idea was first written down almost twenty-one centuries ago. Many people contributed to its success and no one can take absolute credit for designing the steam engine. However, some people did greatly influence the successful path of the steam engine, and the steam engine in turn put the United States out in front economically. As Robert H. Thurston said, “The wonderful progress of the present century is, in a very great degree, due to the invention and improvement of the steam engine, and to the ingenious application of its power to kinds of work that formerly taxed the physical energies of the human race.”
The power of steam is a natural force—a very powerful natural force. A geyser would be an example of natural steam power. People noticed the energy of steam and recognized its potential uses early on in history. The learned writer, Hero, wrote about the first prototype of a steam engine in Alexandria. He was assembling a book about devices of the time. His manuscript gave historians an accurate blueprint of his steam engine. The purpose of his unique design was to open two temple doors. To do this a fire would be lit on the pulpit. This energy would heat and boil water in a hidden container beneath the floor. The steam would rise and flow into a narrow tube and then escape into the “globe.” Once the steam had built enough pressure inside the “globe,” it would escape out of one of two holes, causing the “globe” to spin. The spinning of the globe would pull ropes attached to two poles. As the poles, turned the doors connected to the poles turned, too. However ingenious this design may seem, there was no actual evidence of its material existence.
After Hero’s time the steam engine seemed to vanish from people’s minds. There was no real need for steam engines. Slaves and draft animals could do the physical work that was needed. However, around the sixteenth century, the demand for physical work began to exceed the work that could be provided by slaves and animals. As Robert H. Thurston said, “Inventions only become successful when they are not only needed, but when mankind is so far advanced in intelligence as to appreciate and to express the necessity for them, and to at once make use of them.” True to his words, people realized the potential power of the steam engine once again and began experiments to harness its power. A man named Matthesius lectured people about the future possibilities of the steam engine. His support inspired many people to try to build the world’s first successful and useful steam engine. The fuse was lit and the race was on. In 1543, the first attempt to make a steam ship, in which a steam engine was used to paddle a wheel, was tried. Good records were not kept but people can infer that the project was not triumphant. In fact, the person credited with the steam engine’s invention was not even born yet!
In 1601, Giovanni Battista Della Porta drew up plans for a machine powered by steam that could raise a column of water. He named his creation “Spiritali.” However, the world around him called it “Pneumatica” after the force that made up a crucial part of the engine. His steam engine consisted of making a vacuum in a tube to raise water. The vacuum would be caused by the condensation of steam. His brilliant plan was never applied but Giovanni Battista Della Porta did describe the necessary presence of a vacuum in order for a steam engine to work.
Another man trying to raise water with steam power was Edwards Somerset Marquis. He was mistakenly hailed as the inventor of the water-raising machine. He never made a successful steam powered engine. Instead he made a hand powered pump that did nothing to further the development of the steam engine. Many people from different times were entangled in the web of mystery as each tried to reconstruct the power so commonly seen in nature. All of these people helped with the success of the steam engine and provided knowledge that would assist future generations in solving the puzzle. Some of these people were noted for other projects as well, such as Leonardo Davinci, a mathematician, engineer, poet, and painter. Agostiro Romell was a distinguished Italian writer. Jacob Benso was a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy. Many others, such as Ilorence Rivault, Salonon de Caus, Giovanni Branca, David Raseye, Thomas Grant, and Edward Ford, were valuable to the project’s success before Newcomen and Watt, the two most credited “inventors” of the steam engine, were born.
With all this help the steam engine progressed. Even the failures helped because afterwards people could skip over an experiment that didn’t work, thus reducing the time it took to get from the drawing board to the market. Thomas Savery was the first person to create a running steam engine that could raise water twenty-six to twenty-eight feet high. His engine used the condensation of steam and the pressure of the atmosphere to power it. The power of the atmosphere played a very important part in the steam engine and if Savery had not realized that, it is possible that the invention of a real steam engine would have been delayed. He used this engine to drain flooded mines and patented it in 1698. As good as his engine was, it was not self-acting. It had to be helped along. There was plenty of room for improvement.
The next great inventor came along. Newcomen was the first to make a steam engine that could do physical work other than lifting columns of water. It was the most reliable engine of the time and it was a self-operating engine. His design included a boiler, pump, and cylinder, which housed a piston. One of the few problems with the engine was the loss of energy during the process of converting steam energy into work. The steam condensed inside the cylinder itself and a lot of potential energy was lost. Newcomen was an ironmonger and a tradesman. Because of his low class standings he did not receive much credit for his work at the time of invention but people began to see his engine as the best.
Newcomen is often over shadowed by James Watt, who was born in Greenock, Scotland. Watt was asked to fix one of Newcomen’s broken engines in 1761 and he did fix it. He also added something. That something was a separate condenser. The steam would no longer condense inside the cylinder. This addition conserved heat energy and saved 75% of the fuel that had been used to heat Newcomen’s engine. It was the greatest single improvement to the engine and it opened up new possibilities.
Much of the Industrial revolution was caused by this great invention. Trains were made and work could be accomplished with high efficiency. Steamboats became successful. People and goods could now travel to remote places. This opened up the West. People flocked there and business thrived. All the trade and growth caused the whole country to explode economically. As Robert H. Thurston said, the success of our country was based upon the success of the steam engine and the people who built it. However, new technology does not stay new forever. Better technology was made and it quickly replaced steam technology. Steam-powered trains were replaced with diesel and then electricity. The invention that hundreds had struggled to bring about vanished in the face of the new. The last steam-powered train ever made was called the “Evening Star,” a fitting name for the collapse of steam.
Even though the steam engine disappeared from use as once again the demand for physical work grew, it played an indispensable part in United States history. It helped economically and allowed technology to improve. The multitudes of people who endeavored to create it, share the glory of its success even after death; and the three most influential—Savery, Newcomen, and Watt—should be hailed as heroes for their great efforts on behalf of the steam engine and this country.
The power of steam is a natural force—a very powerful natural force. A geyser would be an example of natural steam power. People noticed the energy of steam and recognized its potential uses early on in history. The learned writer, Hero, wrote about the first prototype of a steam engine in Alexandria. He was assembling a book about devices of the time. His manuscript gave historians an accurate blueprint of his steam engine. The purpose of his unique design was to open two temple doors. To do this a fire would be lit on the pulpit. This energy would heat and boil water in a hidden container beneath the floor. The steam would rise and flow into a narrow tube and then escape into the “globe.” Once the steam had built enough pressure inside the “globe,” it would escape out of one of two holes, causing the “globe” to spin. The spinning of the globe would pull ropes attached to two poles. As the poles, turned the doors connected to the poles turned, too. However ingenious this design may seem, there was no actual evidence of its material existence.
After Hero’s time the steam engine seemed to vanish from people’s minds. There was no real need for steam engines. Slaves and draft animals could do the physical work that was needed. However, around the sixteenth century, the demand for physical work began to exceed the work that could be provided by slaves and animals. As Robert H. Thurston said, “Inventions only become successful when they are not only needed, but when mankind is so far advanced in intelligence as to appreciate and to express the necessity for them, and to at once make use of them.” True to his words, people realized the potential power of the steam engine once again and began experiments to harness its power. A man named Matthesius lectured people about the future possibilities of the steam engine. His support inspired many people to try to build the world’s first successful and useful steam engine. The fuse was lit and the race was on. In 1543, the first attempt to make a steam ship, in which a steam engine was used to paddle a wheel, was tried. Good records were not kept but people can infer that the project was not triumphant. In fact, the person credited with the steam engine’s invention was not even born yet!
In 1601, Giovanni Battista Della Porta drew up plans for a machine powered by steam that could raise a column of water. He named his creation “Spiritali.” However, the world around him called it “Pneumatica” after the force that made up a crucial part of the engine. His steam engine consisted of making a vacuum in a tube to raise water. The vacuum would be caused by the condensation of steam. His brilliant plan was never applied but Giovanni Battista Della Porta did describe the necessary presence of a vacuum in order for a steam engine to work.
Another man trying to raise water with steam power was Edwards Somerset Marquis. He was mistakenly hailed as the inventor of the water-raising machine. He never made a successful steam powered engine. Instead he made a hand powered pump that did nothing to further the development of the steam engine. Many people from different times were entangled in the web of mystery as each tried to reconstruct the power so commonly seen in nature. All of these people helped with the success of the steam engine and provided knowledge that would assist future generations in solving the puzzle. Some of these people were noted for other projects as well, such as Leonardo Davinci, a mathematician, engineer, poet, and painter. Agostiro Romell was a distinguished Italian writer. Jacob Benso was a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy. Many others, such as Ilorence Rivault, Salonon de Caus, Giovanni Branca, David Raseye, Thomas Grant, and Edward Ford, were valuable to the project’s success before Newcomen and Watt, the two most credited “inventors” of the steam engine, were born.
With all this help the steam engine progressed. Even the failures helped because afterwards people could skip over an experiment that didn’t work, thus reducing the time it took to get from the drawing board to the market. Thomas Savery was the first person to create a running steam engine that could raise water twenty-six to twenty-eight feet high. His engine used the condensation of steam and the pressure of the atmosphere to power it. The power of the atmosphere played a very important part in the steam engine and if Savery had not realized that, it is possible that the invention of a real steam engine would have been delayed. He used this engine to drain flooded mines and patented it in 1698. As good as his engine was, it was not self-acting. It had to be helped along. There was plenty of room for improvement.
The next great inventor came along. Newcomen was the first to make a steam engine that could do physical work other than lifting columns of water. It was the most reliable engine of the time and it was a self-operating engine. His design included a boiler, pump, and cylinder, which housed a piston. One of the few problems with the engine was the loss of energy during the process of converting steam energy into work. The steam condensed inside the cylinder itself and a lot of potential energy was lost. Newcomen was an ironmonger and a tradesman. Because of his low class standings he did not receive much credit for his work at the time of invention but people began to see his engine as the best.
Newcomen is often over shadowed by James Watt, who was born in Greenock, Scotland. Watt was asked to fix one of Newcomen’s broken engines in 1761 and he did fix it. He also added something. That something was a separate condenser. The steam would no longer condense inside the cylinder. This addition conserved heat energy and saved 75% of the fuel that had been used to heat Newcomen’s engine. It was the greatest single improvement to the engine and it opened up new possibilities.
Much of the Industrial revolution was caused by this great invention. Trains were made and work could be accomplished with high efficiency. Steamboats became successful. People and goods could now travel to remote places. This opened up the West. People flocked there and business thrived. All the trade and growth caused the whole country to explode economically. As Robert H. Thurston said, the success of our country was based upon the success of the steam engine and the people who built it. However, new technology does not stay new forever. Better technology was made and it quickly replaced steam technology. Steam-powered trains were replaced with diesel and then electricity. The invention that hundreds had struggled to bring about vanished in the face of the new. The last steam-powered train ever made was called the “Evening Star,” a fitting name for the collapse of steam.
Even though the steam engine disappeared from use as once again the demand for physical work grew, it played an indispensable part in United States history. It helped economically and allowed technology to improve. The multitudes of people who endeavored to create it, share the glory of its success even after death; and the three most influential—Savery, Newcomen, and Watt—should be hailed as heroes for their great efforts on behalf of the steam engine and this country.
Werewolves by Emily
Werewolves for centuries mankind has feared and honored these beasts. Whether in a movie, an old tale, or a book, werewolves have been captured as everything imaginable. Every description is as diverse as the one before. A werewolf might look exactly like a wolf, or maybe half human, half wolf. It could have razor-sharp claws and large venomous fangs and is howling at the moon.
So, what actually is a werewolf or lycanthropy? It is a fact based on concrete evidence? Is it a myth, fabrication of feeble minds? Is it an exaggeration of some other things? All of these questions have been puzzling humans for the past 5 centuries. Many ingenious hypotheses have been suggested as conceivable explanations, but no conclusion can be drawn. Many people have observed it as purely supernatural, while others rely solely up scientific explanations contradictions and debates still exist and will continue until a theory solves the puzzle, which is highly unlikely considering the topic. The werewolf phenomenon has not perished yet and sightings are still reported today.
The word werewolf means man and wolf and comes from two old-Saxon words: were and wolf. The Greek word term lycanthropy refers to the transformation. Lycanthrope is also used and is in fact, a synonym for were wolf and is the afflicted person. A popular definition for were wolf or lycanmrope is a man who transforms himself or being transformed into a wolf under the influence of a full moon.
During the middle ages, especially from the 15th to 17th centuries, Europe was under the influence of superstitions and ignorance. The fear of wolves was a nightmare. The attacks were so frequent and atrocious in nature that people were afraid to travel. The first recorded werewolf sighting took place around the countryside of the German town cologne and Bed burg in 1591. An age-old pamphlet describes those shivering moments vividly. A large grouped people cornered a “werewolf” and sent their dogs upon it. They attacked it and it didn’t try to defend itself or run away and it turned out to be a man named Peter Stubble from that same village.
In the late 1930’s to the 40’s, Hollywood started a new trend of using werewolves in movies. The first werewolf movie was made in 1935 and titled “The Werewolf of London”. In the 40’s, 3 more popular werewolf movies were made. 1941’s The Wolf Man is one of the most classic and popular werewolf movies ever made. Shortly after in 1943, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man went to theaters, as did 1948’s Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. This Abbott and Costello comedy features Frankenstein, Dracula, and, most importantly, the Werewolf Man. After the 40’s werewolf movies diminished in popularity at the box office until the days of big hair and bright clothes. That’s right, the 80’s! in fact, 9 werewolf-themed movies were made in that decade, which created new ideas for writers and brought us movies such as The Howling, Ginger Snaps, and of course Scooby Doo and The Reluctant werewolf. Today, werewolf movies still frighten box offices and popularity is still growing.
Besides movies, werewolves have been a staple in many horror novels, books such as Silver Bullet by the ever popular Stephen King, and Blood and Chocolate by Anette Curtis Klause. These books were so popular that they were both made into movies.
Other than those two books, there are many other werewolf novels. One of my personal favorite werewolf books are the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. Although the werewolves are not technically introduced into the series until the second book, New Moon, I like how the author portrays them. The main character that is werewolf is Jacob Black, whose family has an ancestry of werewolves. In this story only men can become werewolves and this transformation, doesn’t occur until their teens. Once they make the complete change, they don’t age until the ability of becoming a werewolf diminishes. They also do a process called “imprinting” which is when they see a woman and will only ever be in love with her. It’s sort of like love at fist sight but much more permanent. A vital detail bout this series is the hatred between vampires and werewolves. They are described as mortal enemies.
Werewolves also appear often in comic books; also wolverine has to be on of the best characters of all time. I know technically he is not a werewolf, but his bones are counted in a metal called admantium and he can heal himself. He is virtually indestructible, with retractable claws.
One of the most iconic horror monsters are werewolves whether these are tormented souls, who have suffered or monsters who revel in their predatory nature, they make some of the most wonderful creatures for horror novels, movies, tales and music. And besides, who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
So, what actually is a werewolf or lycanthropy? It is a fact based on concrete evidence? Is it a myth, fabrication of feeble minds? Is it an exaggeration of some other things? All of these questions have been puzzling humans for the past 5 centuries. Many ingenious hypotheses have been suggested as conceivable explanations, but no conclusion can be drawn. Many people have observed it as purely supernatural, while others rely solely up scientific explanations contradictions and debates still exist and will continue until a theory solves the puzzle, which is highly unlikely considering the topic. The werewolf phenomenon has not perished yet and sightings are still reported today.
The word werewolf means man and wolf and comes from two old-Saxon words: were and wolf. The Greek word term lycanthropy refers to the transformation. Lycanthrope is also used and is in fact, a synonym for were wolf and is the afflicted person. A popular definition for were wolf or lycanmrope is a man who transforms himself or being transformed into a wolf under the influence of a full moon.
During the middle ages, especially from the 15th to 17th centuries, Europe was under the influence of superstitions and ignorance. The fear of wolves was a nightmare. The attacks were so frequent and atrocious in nature that people were afraid to travel. The first recorded werewolf sighting took place around the countryside of the German town cologne and Bed burg in 1591. An age-old pamphlet describes those shivering moments vividly. A large grouped people cornered a “werewolf” and sent their dogs upon it. They attacked it and it didn’t try to defend itself or run away and it turned out to be a man named Peter Stubble from that same village.
In the late 1930’s to the 40’s, Hollywood started a new trend of using werewolves in movies. The first werewolf movie was made in 1935 and titled “The Werewolf of London”. In the 40’s, 3 more popular werewolf movies were made. 1941’s The Wolf Man is one of the most classic and popular werewolf movies ever made. Shortly after in 1943, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man went to theaters, as did 1948’s Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. This Abbott and Costello comedy features Frankenstein, Dracula, and, most importantly, the Werewolf Man. After the 40’s werewolf movies diminished in popularity at the box office until the days of big hair and bright clothes. That’s right, the 80’s! in fact, 9 werewolf-themed movies were made in that decade, which created new ideas for writers and brought us movies such as The Howling, Ginger Snaps, and of course Scooby Doo and The Reluctant werewolf. Today, werewolf movies still frighten box offices and popularity is still growing.
Besides movies, werewolves have been a staple in many horror novels, books such as Silver Bullet by the ever popular Stephen King, and Blood and Chocolate by Anette Curtis Klause. These books were so popular that they were both made into movies.
Other than those two books, there are many other werewolf novels. One of my personal favorite werewolf books are the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. Although the werewolves are not technically introduced into the series until the second book, New Moon, I like how the author portrays them. The main character that is werewolf is Jacob Black, whose family has an ancestry of werewolves. In this story only men can become werewolves and this transformation, doesn’t occur until their teens. Once they make the complete change, they don’t age until the ability of becoming a werewolf diminishes. They also do a process called “imprinting” which is when they see a woman and will only ever be in love with her. It’s sort of like love at fist sight but much more permanent. A vital detail bout this series is the hatred between vampires and werewolves. They are described as mortal enemies.
Werewolves also appear often in comic books; also wolverine has to be on of the best characters of all time. I know technically he is not a werewolf, but his bones are counted in a metal called admantium and he can heal himself. He is virtually indestructible, with retractable claws.
One of the most iconic horror monsters are werewolves whether these are tormented souls, who have suffered or monsters who revel in their predatory nature, they make some of the most wonderful creatures for horror novels, movies, tales and music. And besides, who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Prom by Nathan
It’s what all high schoolers wait for: their senior prom. For the seniors at Central, the Mother’s Day weekend was their prom.
I flew one of my friends from Georgia up to be my prom date. We went just as friends. She wore an iridescent pink dress, while I wore a black suit, tux shirt, and a silver tie.
The actual prom was held at the Valencia Ballroom in downtown York. For the pair of us, it was $80 for tickets, but we still had a good time. The food ( which was a buffet consisting of Caesar salad, Tuscan shrimp and chicken, beef tips, lumpy red skinned mashed potatoes, and more). The lights finally went down, and we “danced the night away.” Yes, Nathan danced for 3 solid hours! At 10, our class president took the stage to announce the Prom King and Queen; Matt Nugent and Kelsey May took their titles, and lead the students as they danced together. In choosing the king and queen, the class president randomly selects a boys’ name from a hat and the same is done with the queen.
At 11, we left the Valencia to head over to the school for the post-prom party. Tickets for this event were only $10 for the both of us. The school had been decorated to look like New York, with Central Park, Broadway, Times Square, and many other New York sites. There was even a mechanical bull, and Nathan played “cowboy” by riding it for 25 seconds!
All in all, the senior prom was definitely worth it, despite all the costs.
I flew one of my friends from Georgia up to be my prom date. We went just as friends. She wore an iridescent pink dress, while I wore a black suit, tux shirt, and a silver tie.
The actual prom was held at the Valencia Ballroom in downtown York. For the pair of us, it was $80 for tickets, but we still had a good time. The food ( which was a buffet consisting of Caesar salad, Tuscan shrimp and chicken, beef tips, lumpy red skinned mashed potatoes, and more). The lights finally went down, and we “danced the night away.” Yes, Nathan danced for 3 solid hours! At 10, our class president took the stage to announce the Prom King and Queen; Matt Nugent and Kelsey May took their titles, and lead the students as they danced together. In choosing the king and queen, the class president randomly selects a boys’ name from a hat and the same is done with the queen.
At 11, we left the Valencia to head over to the school for the post-prom party. Tickets for this event were only $10 for the both of us. The school had been decorated to look like New York, with Central Park, Broadway, Times Square, and many other New York sites. There was even a mechanical bull, and Nathan played “cowboy” by riding it for 25 seconds!
All in all, the senior prom was definitely worth it, despite all the costs.
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