Spring Break

My spring break was pretty much and basically boring. I just stayed at home the whole time except for a few instances. I did go shopping Thursday with Becca and Kandess at Jonesboro. It was fun, but I bought some jellybeans (popcorn flavored) and I couldn't stop eating them so Kandess took them away. We tried on prom dresses and took pictures even though none of us are going to prom this year. We had to fit three people in my car while they were over, but just long enough to drive out to my land and change cars so everything worked out. Sunday my parents and my brother went to Memphis and watched North Carolina play but I stayed home and got money.

Anthem Review

Ego, the sacred word, means everything to Equality 7-2521. He and Liberty 5-3000 have to take many risks and endanger themselves to find their spirit and to find the meaning of the word "I." The future is a dark and oppressed time, and the people are no more than slaves to society. This is the time of Equality and Liberty. A time where it is illegal to write, or to draw, or to even think for oneself.

Anthem by Ayn Rand really made me stop and think. The book got me to ask the question "what if the world turned out like that." When I really thought about the book, I started to make connections between the society in Anthem and some of the different societies already in the world. The plot in Anthem flowed well and the author's style was very detailed in the philosophical meaning of Anthem.

I would recommend this to older people. This book did offend me in that the book did have some anti-Christian material. So some Christians may not want to read Anthem.

The Call of the Wild Review

Forced to survive in the harsh, frozen Arctic, Buck, in Call of the Wild by Jack London, has to change from a pampered Southern dog to a wild beast. Buck was kidnapped from his easy life at the home of Judge Miller and is sold to become a sled dog for adventurers seeking gold in the grit of Alaska. He faces many hardships along the way and has to learn the heartless lessons of survival.

The plot of Call of the Wild is very well thought out. Jack London did an exceptional job in writing this book. The storyline flows well and the book is much easier to read than some of the other classics. Call of the Wild kept me entranced up until the very end. There is a lot of description which makes it easy for me to be there in the Arctic with Buck watching the story unfold. Buck has to make life or death decisions at every turn. He has a rivalry against the leader Spitz that comes down to a battle to the death. And when Buck finally has a chance at a good life with a man he loves, will it all be ripped away from him in the end?

The characters of Call of the Wild are refreshing. Buck is a strong, defiant dog always looking for his chance to escape. He makes a great leader and is good at heart. The other dogs all have different personalities that come into play later in the story and make the story all the more interesting. The travelers that own Buck never stay for to long with the dogs, but they always bring a certain spin on the story. None of the owners handle the issues of the dogs and challenges that the team faces the same way.

I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys a good story. Call of the Wild is an adventure story and a wonderful book. The book is one of the easier classics to read which makes it all the better for younger readers, although I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of ten due to some improper language and use of challenging words.

My perfect world

It was late one night when a miracle occurred, a bright purple flash engulfed the world and the world was made perfect, this is the story through my eyes.

I woke one morning to find that everything had changed. My room was bigger and exactly matched the room of my dreams. I opened the window to let some fresh air in only to find that the air smelled cleaner and sweeter than ever before. The grass everywhere the eyes could see was lush and thick. There was no trash on the side of the road and no trash in our front yard. I left the window open, quickly changed, and ran down the stairs.

I felt like I was in the best of moods, completely happy for no apparent reason. My parents were the same way, just as happy as I was. We turned on the news only to hear how great the world had become over night. There were no more wars and even arch enemies had settled their differences to become friends. No more crimes were committed and the world was no longer polluted. The strange thing was that no one questioned what had happened to make the world perfect.

I went to school and noticed that everything looked clean and there were no more run down building, all the buildings looked brand new. Everyone on the street looked happy, and everyone working loved there job. When I arrived at school, I noticed that the school seemed different, more high-tech. I went up and talked to a few guy friends. The guys had also changed, they were no longer jerks or immature, they were sweet and kind. The rest of my day went great, at school education was very important and there were no more idiots in school.

Suddenly a loud beeping echoed through my mind. The world around me started to deteriorate, as I blinked my eyes into reality. I sat up in my bed and realized everything was a dream.

Antigone Review

Would you stay with a decision, even if you knew that decision was wrong, for the sake of your pride? That question is represented in Creon one of the main characters in Antigone. Antigone by Sophocles astounded me with its confusing themes and tangled dialogue. The play did have some redeeming qualities lying within the books characters.

The dialogue of Antigone was very complicated and confusing. I was never completely certain of the events that were unfolding. To make matters worse, prior knowledge of Greek mythology is needed to even begin to comprehend the meaning of the play. The events that take place seem almost rushed, which leads to only more puzzlement on the readers part.

The characters were the best part of Antigone. Antigone is a free-willed, stubborn woman bent on sticking with her beliefs. All women should learn from Antigone to all ways stick with one’s beliefs. Creon was another intriguing character. He was almost a character that we all love to hate. He remains the antagonist until the end when he does a complete 360. Creon is stubborn and prideful, so much so that those traits lead to self-destruction.

I would not recommend this book to any ordinary students looking for a good read. The only people I would recommend this to read are those that enjoy plays like those of Shakespeare.

Review for Crank

Crank is a book by Ellen Hopkins about a girl that gets down with the monster, crank, ice, meth. The story is in poem format, but the book shows raw emotions better than any story formated book that I have ever read. Crank really showed me the life of someone that was hooked on meth, without knowing she was hooked (she thought she was in control).

Crank is a story that is based on the really experiences of Ellen Hopkins's daughter. The story is only coming more and more familiar in our modern day society and that is extremely depressing. To know that many Americans spend their lifes revolved around a substance that is killing them, and this story shows that to the fullest. The main character, Kristina or Bree, is not some slum street kid either, she has a good family and is "the perfect daughter."

Crank tells Kristina's or Bree's struggle through a hard society and where, for her, courage is only a snort a way. It is a very real story that warned me about the dangers of meth, while inspiring me to be the best I can be.

Taking a Stand

Taking a stand is not always easy; I once took a stand for McCain and against Obama. I was the odd man out, the black sheep of the family. I was the blemish on the face of my Obama-supporting family, which was not the greatest feeling in the world. Also equally distressing, I was often ridiculed for my choice of candidate in the presidential election. My family seemed to take delight in poking fun at me for my choice of McCain. I was deemed "the little Republican," a title that was labeled as funny in my democratic family. Finally taking a stand for myself, I debated against them, thrusting my opinions in their faces whether they wanted to hear my opinions or not. Of course, my family is very stubborn, so for me debating against them was as if I were trying to swim up a river. I would get very upset, and because the opposition came at me from all sides, I felt like I was cornered. I acted accordingly, like a snarling animal, which earned more chuckles. To my eyes I was a seething tiger, but to their eyes I was a furious kitten. Even though I was mocked, debated against, and the outcast of the family, I still took a stand for myself against my own family.

So take a stand even if doing so is hard. Let everyone know your feelings and don't just bottle up anger if someone is pushing you around, stand up and make them back down. Even if standing up is hard sometimes, standing up usually makes obstacles easier to overcome.