Journal Entry from Blind Person

Dear Diary,

            Today we got back our pictures from Picture Day. I heard everyone talking about how ugly they looked, while others comforted them saying they looked great. The footsteps of Ms. Gerard grew louder as she neared towards my desk to hand me my pictures. I got a hold of them and that was it. I did not know what to say. Did I look great or ugly? Was my hair combed nicely? Heck, what the hell did I even look like?

           

            When my mom picked me up, she was so excited to hear that they gave the pictures out. She said, “O Honey, you look so beautiful.” I felt that I was supposed to feel warm inside, but my heart was cold. The word “beautiful” was void to me all my life. I heard so many times how “beautiful” the sunset was or how  “beautiful” the stars twinkling at night were. What the hell is “beautiful”? This essence of “beauty” will never be a part of my life, rather, my sight.

            I hate being blind, Diary. It stinks. Everyone has more opportunities than me. I can’t go play ball after school; I can’t go to the movies; I can’t see. In school, I hate all the questions, “what’s it like?” or “why does your paper have all those bumps?” And what gets me the most is when they don’t treat me like a normal person and try so hard to fit “my needs”. “Hey, I got that,” or “Let me explain to you.” I know they have good intentions, but it just becomes annoying every single time. Each time is a reminder of my abnormality. I’m not normal. 

Pregnant Girl Journal

Dear Journal,

            As usual, another rough day.

            I can’t wake up without being reminded of “the big mistake you made” or being “the embarrassment to the family. My brother and I used to be cool, but now he just glances at me with disgust. I think my family has become a family.

           

            After getting by the diatribe from my parents, it was a workout to get ready for school. The baby won’t let me be as flexible as I used to. Both putting clothes on and taking a shower is one of the hardest parts of the day. No one helps me, for the people that should don’t want to.

           

           

            When 7:10 came, I walked over to the bus stop. Of course, right when I reach the stop, the bus rolled past. “Fuck”. Luckily enough, a car drove by to splash water on me. “Fuck”.

           

            Once I got to school, it was halfway through second period. I tried to find any papers that said “Pre-Calculus” in my locker and walked to math class. The teacher glared at me as I walked over to my seat. I could already sense the change in atmosphere once I sat down. The boys in the back were already crumpling up pieces of paper, while the click of girls on the side was already murmuring. The paper balls started flying, and the girls were giggling. Why couldn’t they just leave me alone? They had no idea what I was going through. I ran out of the classroom bawling.

            Of course, my mom didn’t want to pick me up, so I continued with the school day. At lunch, I finally got some peace and ate without annoyance. Once school was over, I took the bus back home. On my phone, I listened to six new voicemails from David saying that, “Bitch, that child ain’t mine.” Once I got home, I walked straight to my room to not hear the second round of self-examination. I was so tired from walking between classes and just emotionally drained.

           

            I have no friends; I have no family; I have no social life; My reputation is destroyed. This baby has been on my mind, and David doesn’t want a part of it. This child will have a life just like me, but it’s just too hard to have a baby now. I’m too young for this, and I have no idea what the future holds. God help me—I mean us.

  Sincerely,

                        Bonquiqui

Pregnant Girl Perspective

-worried about future

-scared for reputation

-scared of what family will think

-nervous about her health

-stressed out due to watching out for another person, or "the baby"

-loneliness- everyone shuns you due to shame.

-QUESTIONS

- what to do with the baby>> Abortion v. Birth

- who will support me?

Letter To Teacher (#5)

Dear My Beloved Mr. Kmack,

            I know we have been through a lot, but these last three years have been a great experience. I heard a lot about you from Devin coming into the school, but all he said became an understatement after I finally got to meet you.

            After my first weeks of school, I always used to laugh at your attempt-to-be-serious face, the way you scolded the rowdy kids, how you always tried to be funny, and your futile attempts at instilling fear in students. I could never take you seriously, yet I knew what you had to say must be true, for you were the Dean of Academics. I became fond of you for the things you did for the school. You coached the volleyball team and boy’s basketball team to the playoffs; you helped to rid the school of the students who induced a bad influence; you were known as one of the best history teachers ever. All you do for Trinity, Mr. Kmack, has not gone unnoticed.

            Coming into sophomore year, I had the pleasure of having you as my history teacher. By the end of that year, you became the best teacher I have ever had. You successfully mixed fun with study, using your comical enthusiasm, lighthearted seriousness, and goal to better the knowledge of your students. I had such a fun time with that class that I would take it again with no regrets.  You were a wonderful teacher.

            As sophomore year continued on, the heat of the spring weather was inconceivable. We ran hard at practice and won meet after meet. I remember, Mr. Kmack, that you recognized my goal to qualify for states in the mile and 800 meters and pushed me hard whenever you could come to a practice. The rest of the team would run 3 miles, when I dragged myself behind you for 3 more. I may not have qualified, but my improvement was astonishing.

            Mr. Kmack, you do so much. Thank you for the things you do for Trinity Catholic and the things you do for me. You are one person I can always look to for help or advice, and you are always first to make fun of. Don’t worry, I love you Kmack.

                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                Daryl Thomas

Letter To Yourself From Yourself (10 years ago) (#4)

Deer Fewture Daryl,

            How are you? I hope everything’s okay. I am doing fine, thanks you. I just finished eating my Eggos and watching PBS kids for the last 3 hours. Do you eat Eggos still? I like Eggos a lot. I like Arthur, too. D.W. is so kwezy. She always makes Arthur angry. I’m like D.W. to my brother. I get him angry a lot, and he hurts me. I always get a big boo boo on my arm, but Mummy cleans it up. I hope your strong, fewture Daryl, so Devin can get a boo boo sometimes. I think you should go find the Red Ranger and learn how to become a Power Ranger. That would be so kewl.

            So, fewture Daryl, do you have a big house yet? I want a big house. I could play with my cars everywhere. I hope you have a lot of money, too. Then I could buy all the computer games and action figures I want. This 3^rd grader told me that an 8^th grader punched a 7^th grader in the face during recess. Isn’t that awesome? O man, that must have been kwezzy. I hope when you’re in 8^th grade that you can beat someone up like that.  O wait, you’re in high school. I think Devin’s almost there now. He’s like in 3^rd grade.

            Well, fewture Daryl, I hope you’re cool. I hope you have a lot of friends and have a lot of money. I know you’re only in high school, but—Did you know Rugrats is coming on? Talk to you later, Daryl.

                                                                                                From,

                                                                                                Little Daryl

            

Letter To Yourself From Yourself (10 Years in the Future) (#3)

Dear Daryl,

            I remember when you used to say, “the stuff you do now controls the outcome of your life in the future”.  I can tell you now that you are totally right. The future holds a lot for you, Daryl. Remember how Mom and Dad and your teachers always said you had “something going for you”, or “your future looks bright”. Remember when Jonathan used to say he would pay you if you would find the cure to AIDS so that he could keep “gettin’ it in”. You were so curious about the future, and now here I am, the future you. I do not want to tell what is going to happen, but I will forewarn you and lead you onto the right paths.

            Hopefully, you still have that ambition to get good grades. I’ll tell ya, you will need them. Your grades will bring you very far. They will help you get that dream job and that perpetual cash flow.  There may be times when the work will be hard, but know that the benefits are plenty in the future.

            Stay close to your family and friends. They will be your support throughout life. Remember to always put them ahead of yourself. Just think of all the things they do for you now and think of all the things they will do for you in the future, and I know they will do a lot.

            I bet you were expecting a lot of facts from the future, but that’s just unfair, and I know you know that. If you keep up your grades and relationships, the future you have always wanted will become a reality.

                                                                                                With love,

                                                                                                Daryl

P.S. Riddhi’s a keepa.

Letter to my Future Wife (#2)

Dearest Wife,

Where are you? Who are you? My heart desires your affection. I have been sick all my life, and you are my only cure. My soul feels no fire, no passion, no purpose. I need you to feel complete.

I have been thinking about you everyday of my life. I always wonder if my eyes have seen you yet. Maybe there has been a glance; maybe I see you all the time. I feel blind without you in sight.

I have been thinking about you everyday of my life. I always wonder if my ears have heard you yet. Maybe there have been a couple of words overheard; maybe I hear you all the time. I feel deaf without your voice near.

I have been thinking about you everyday of my life. I always wonder if my mouth has spoke to you. Maybe there have been words exchanged; maybe I speak to you all the time. I feel mute without you to talk to.

I have been thinking about you everyday of my life. I always wonder if my nose has smelled you. Maybe a whiff of your scent; maybe I smell you all the time. I feel my nostrils stuffed without you to smell.

I have been thinking about you everyday of my life. I always wonder if my skin has touched your skin. Maybe a slight brush as our arms bump into each other; maybe I feel you all the time. I feel untouchable without your essence close.

Honey, you fulfill me. You bring me into a state of awe and wonder. I can imagine that you look like the fall foliage, speak like the smooth, beating waves of the ocean, listen like one to their conscience, smell like a fresh batch of roses, and feel like the soft skin of a baby. Baby, you are perfect, and I cannot wait to meet you. Be safe, my love.

Your love,

Daryl

Letter from the Devil to God (#1)

Dear Enemy,

 

            I have been doing wonderful. Have you seen what’s been going on in your Earthly kingdom? The destruction in war, greed for power and money, your children starving and dying, a culture full of sex, pride, and prejudice. Seems to me that my side is winning. I’m not saying we are at war or anything; we’re just better.

            Hey, it’s okay to be a loser. You may have good intentions, your Highness, but good can’t mess with evil. Just because I may be a cheating scoundrel, does not mean I don’t influence the hearts of others. I make the people hate, steal, kill, jealous, etc. I am sorry if I hurt your feelings—well, not really. That’s the point. I want to hurt you by hurting the people you care for.

           

 

Earlier today, I was laughing looking at the people go to Church for Mass. I find it funny that all these people are going to Church for me, not you. I have driven them into insanity with the conflict between good and evil in their conscience that they have to go to Church to feel better. Nice try, Lord. 

So this is farewell, O Holy One. I hope we get to see each other soon, maybe at the Apocalypse. Love ya, bitch.

Sincerely,

D. E. Vil

Forgiveness Letter

Dear Daryl,

            Words definitely speak louder than actions. The statements uttered out of your mouth that day have left a lasting mark on my heart.

 

            Daryl, I always told you to listen to me, but you did not. After every single time I was right, you persisted to not listen. Do you remember when I said to set a schedule for yourself? Do you remember when I said to ask those around you first before deciding anything? Do you remember that I love you?

            It does not matter, because you only remember how sad you were when you did the opposite of what I said. All I want to know is, “Why?” You know I love you, Daryl. I only wanted the best for you, yet you took the affection and care I had for you and threw it into the garbage. A relationship has to retain love from both parts, but when one says, “I hate you,” a relationship becomes split.

 

            Right after I heard you say that, I never thought our friendship would come back again. I began to hate you for saying that you hated me. I held our bond as a huge priority in my life, but when the person I care about does not care as much, why waste my time?

           

            That week became so miserable. I felt so lonely after we did not talk to each other. I realized how important you were to me, and that I have been hard on you. I could not live without you, so I want to forgive you, Daryl. I am sorry for whatever made you want to say that you hated me. It is okay, but just remember that I love you.

                                     Your brother always and forever,

                                     Devin

My Continuations

The truck could only be heading in our direction.

A pang of fear enveloped my body, and I cringed in my seat. I looked back to the truck then to my mom, to the truck then to my dad, the truck then to my brother. Then, the world went spinning.

My eyes opened to a new world.

Coming off the plane, the stench of manure and sweat filled my nostrils. The crowd outside the terminal was immense, as if they were waiting for me. I knew I came here to serve others, but the DR seemed to serve me.

Movement was not an option with all the wiring around my body.

I rubbed my eyes to see a nurse standing over me. A clipboard was in her hand, righting down the information from the monitor. All I was thinking was, "What just happened?"

Worry suffocated my heart as I looked upon the limp frame of my mother.

Some men ran towards the wreckage and lifted her up. I was on the ground looking from some ten feet away. The car became a bunch of metal scraps tossed everywhere. I lay on the ground, worrying how my mother was. The trail of blood was my answer.

She made my heart skip a beat.

Every time I saw her, I could not stop looking. Something inside had a feel for her. I wanted to know her. I needed to know her. She was mine. 

Dora's Continuations

I saw him everyday that summer, never imagining that I will never see him again, nor will anyone else

After he showed me the letter from the Guard, my eyes began to well. Tears began to blind my vision; my mouth remained closed. This blindness and silence would remain for a long time.

"I got your back, and anything else you need" my best friend said as we walked by a group of girls who we disliked.

Wrath grew in my soul. They looked with disgust, as the devil inside was fighting to come out. Eyes were met, and the atmosphere grew with intensity. The girls stepped in front of our path. I turned to see that Raquel was with me. I turned back. Pain. Anguish. "Yo, let's go!"

It wasn't meant to be.

His presence always brightened my day. His face glowed every time I saw him, making me feel special. He was the sunshine in my life. When I heard about Laquisha, the sun would never shine again.

There I was in the lunch line, standing next to a stranger, not knowing that a couple of months later she would be my best friend.

Walking down the line, I tripped on my shoelace and fell to the ground; papers flying, my face crying with closed eyes. Roshanda bent to to help me up. Her voice opened my eyes.

I've never cared about someone as much as this.

Love. Affection. Purpose. I felt that life could not be any better with Leonidas. Our feelings were mutual; we were one. Then, Patunia split us apart.

Cliffhangers

The truck could only be heading in our direction.

My eyes opened to a new world.

Movement was not an option with all the wiring around my body.

Worry suffocated my heart as I looked upon the limp frame of my mother.

She made my heart skip a beat.

I am right, you are wrong.

            From infancy to the present, being wrong has never been an option. If I had an answer, it had to be right. No one could change my opinion. If one tried to defy my view, I would shoot them down with my intellect. I made sure that they knew I was right, and they were wrong. This characteristic has often led me to look a fool.

            My brother and I are close at heart, but we do have our differences. My brother was always the type to be organized and to have a schedule, while my lazy self could care less to be neat. I was always “right” anyways. We may have been at odds with our views, yet we did share a bedroom. The room we shared was neat and organized to my brother’s preferences. Once 1999 came along, our family decided to move. I was finally achieving a lifelong dream of sustaining some sort of privacy. The move was smooth, and I finally got my own room. My brother kept on telling me to keep my things together so I would not lose anything important. Obviously, I did not listen. It was my way or the highway. He persisted to tell me to clean myself up, or that I would regret it. The threat seemed harmless.

            A month into living in my room, it was a disaster. I remember not seeing any part of my rug for a long time due to the huge clutter of papers and clothes on the ground. I would not be able to find anything in my dump. My brother would come in and say, “I told you so,” which completely irked me. I could not argue for I was a mess.

"Me Talk Pretty One Day" by Sedaris Questions

1) Sedaris adds little jokes about his actions, uses sarcasm against the teacher, and pokes fun at the reality of some of the rules of language to turn this into a humorous essay. His inability to speak French correctly and how he makes fun of his misunderstandings of the teacher evokes humor out of the reader. He will only understand parts of a sentence, but also add in the French word that he does not understand. When speaking of the teacher, he makes fun of how serious she is about correctly speaking French. One of the funniest moments of the book was when Sedaris gets the gender wrong for a French word and wonders to himself how some things could have gender, for example, "Lady Crack Pipe" (276).

"Deadpan" humor is showing humor in an expressionless tone. Some examples from the passage are when he talks about Carlos who "loved wine, music, and, in his words, 'making sex with the womens of the world.'" Sedaris sounds serious when one reads this, yet the line is hilarious. Another was when he talks about his teacher, “She hadn’t yet pushed anyone, but it seemed wise to protect ourselves against the inevitable” (276). He sounds serious about protecting themselves against the teacher beating them, but Sedaris intends to make the reader laugh. These statements are true, yet a sense of humor is evoked.

Sedaris reveals parts of himself throughout the story by always giving a reaction to something that is occurring in reality. His teacher may be talking, and he will make fun of her, or someone is answering a question, and he will  give his opinion of the answer. This continues throughout the story, and he keeps the reader attentive with his humor. Through each self-evaluation of the situation, the reader is shown some characteristic or view Sedaris has.

Ball Hog

Daryl Thomas is my name, and soccer is my game. Give me a ball, cleats, two nets, and a team to punish. See, I did not write about having my own team. Whenever it comes to soccer, I always play thinking about where I can position myself or what I can do next. I forget that I have 10 other players to help me out. I remember every goal I have ever scored from every season that I played soccer. Come to think of it, when did I ever give an assist? My cockiness on the field did bring All-star and team MVP awards, but it did not matter, for my cockiness ruined one of the most important and memorable games I ever played in.

            The first stage off the Division 3 North Bracket started with Trinity Catholic against North Shore Tech. Racing out of Algebra II, soccer was on my mind. How many goals would I score today? Are we even going to win today? Will I make my brother proud? As I changed into my uniform with sternness on my face, one could tell that I was in “the zone”.  I kept myself alone form my teammates, mentally preparing myself for the big game. I had always wondered how the likes of Tom Brady in the Superbowl or Ronaldo in the World Cup final felt before their games. Now I felt it. I was incredibly nervous. I was about to play the biggest game of my life.

            Once we got warm-ups over with, Coach called us into the huddle. I did not really pay attention but just prayed that God would be with me. As the whistle blew, all the fear disappeared. It was my time to shine. North Shore was a tough opponent, and they played hard. They were the first ones to strike. I kept telling myself, “Zero to zero, Daryl”. I could not let that bring me down. Late into the game, I got into a break away with a defender leaning on me. I saw the goal in sight as the goalie came off his line to charge me. I closed my eyes ready to be knocked by the keeper and kicked the ball. I flipped in the air and rolled on the ground. I could hear the celebration from the crowd. Pride overwhelmed me. I could see all my friends applauding, the glee on Coach’s face, and my brother on his crutches clapping on the sideline.

            As the game continued, the final whistle was soon to blow. North Shore forced a corner kick. I set myself at the top of the 18-yard box ready to collect the ball. As they kicked, our keeper, Sean Lydon, knocked the ball out towards me. As the ball ran past, I remember looking at Robert Stuke’s face who was saying, “I got it, I got it”. I turned to control the ball, weary of the fact that a North Shore defender was running towards it. I knew he would get there first, so I slide tackled to kick it out of his away. I just missed by a couple centimeters and followed the path of the ball as it sailed over Sean’s hands. I had lost the game.

            I will never forget that memory. The tears were unending. I felt like such a loser, a disappointment to my Coach, brother, and now my team. I always look at the article from the Daily News Tribune about the game as a reminder of how I should and should not play soccer. My cockiness absolutely ruined that day, but taught me to be more open-minded and to seek help from others. It has definitely worked, seeing that I have more assists than goals this year.

Shooting an Elephant Questions

How is this a story about two disparate major themes? How are these themes intertwined?

In "Shooting an Elephant", a British officer is serving for the British Empire in Burma. The story brings about two themes:  imperialism and peer pressure. The imperialistic British empire has now reached Southeast Asia. Imperialism is the ruling of one country by another from afar. Britain has taken control of Burma, and the officer in the story serves there. He hates his job and believes imperialism is wrong. He is in support of the Burmese people, who were treated poorly by the British. Even though he was uneducated and young, he could tell that imperialism was wrong. The officer felt broken between his duty and hurting these innocent people. 

As the story continues, the officer talks about one day when an elephant went wild. The animal killed a man and damaged the village. The Burmese people looked to the officer to do something about it. The officer did not want to kill the elephant. He felt that it was murder and the fact that its owner would become angry for an elephant is worth a lot. His dilemma grew to peer pressure. The Burmese looked to him to finish off the elephant and they made a huge crowd around him and the elephant. There was also the other British officers who would make fun of him if he decided t not kill the elephant. THe peer pressure led him to kill the elephant and go against how he really felt.

What tactics does Orwell employ when revealing unflattering aspects of himself? 

One unflattering aspect he reveals is that he can give in easily to others. The officer falls for peer pressure and pride to please the native Burmese people. This is possibly a representation of Orwell himself. He even states at the end, "I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that i had done it solely to avoid looking a fool." The officer did not act true to his feelings but those of others.

10 Easy Lessons to Become Popular

1. Make sure you do not socialize with anybody. Not one word with another human being except for educational purposes, like answering questions in class or homework help.

2. Having no hygiene whatsoever will get you far. Nobody cares about how you smell like rotten animal carcass or how your teeth are gleaming yellow.

3. Play a sport, and everyone will think your a weirdo.

4. Make sure all your clothes are from brand names like A.J. Wright or the Salvation Army.

5. Whenever a cute girl or guy comes up to you, pretend you do not see them.

6. Make sure you do not get less than an A+ in all your classes, and make sure to fight for every point, even the ones in the Bonus section.

7. If someone decides to bully you, accept it. There are just somethings you have to let happen in life, and bullying is one.

8. Use the excuse, "I had to do tons of homework and study for 5 tests", when invited to a party.

9. Make sure your a suck-up to the teacher. You can become best friends with them, and even ask them to hang out.

10. Scooters are your means of transportation.

Rebuttal of "The Trouble with Self-Esteem"

            The likes of Bill Gates or Warren Buffett epitomize the upper class of society. It would only be obvious for them to have high self-esteems. At a young age, both were confident and lifted their heads high. They had goals for the future, and now they relish the luxurious lifestyle. Some may think of them cocky, but they have found a balance in their self-esteem by donating millions to charity. If they had low self-esteems, both would probably not reach the level they are at today. A high self-esteem is necessary for one to have a good future and actually fulfill the pursuit of happiness, not something that makes you not work harder or posing a greater threat to those around us as Lauren Slater proposes in “The Trouble with Self-Esteem”.

            Having a high self-esteem allows one to have goals. We look at ourselves highly, and are able to see that inner worth hidden inside of us. If we held ourselves at a low level, we would be a society where no one could be successful. We would all look down on ourselves individually and as a society. Elmer states, “people with low self-esteem seem to do just as well as people with high self-esteem. In fact, they may do better, because they often try harder” (808) Of course those with low self-esteem are working harder. They want to feel satisfied with themselves, not feel they are no good at all, feel they have a number of good qualities, do things as well as other people, be proud of themselves, not feel useless at times, feel they are a person of worth, have more respect for themselves, not feel like a failure, and take a positive attitude toward themselves. All these actions would be the answers of someone with a high-self esteem on the self-esteem assessment created by Morris Rosenberg. People with low-self esteem want a high-self esteem knowing its benefits. They do not care about paying for programs or going to therapists to find this high self-esteem.

            Slater states that it is all a business with self-esteem. These therapists work to make money by telling those seeking high-self esteem to accept what they have and to move on. She states, “Really, who would come to treatment to be taken down a notch? How would we get our clients to pay to be… uncomfortably challenged?” (811). The answer to these questions is those who have low self-esteem. They want to grow highly of themselves, and one way to do this is to take a step back and then move forward. They have to accept what is going on now in order to know what they have to do to change.

            High self-esteem does play a major role in being successful. The way those with low self-esteem act today is because they are just agitated at the fact that they are heading towards disaster. That is why many seek help. They only want to find high-self esteem. It helps people grow goals and become the likes of Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.