District Writing Assement

Authors Note: This is a my district writing assessment. Which is a character analyses piece on the book The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

Adversity is a thing in life that we all go through at some point in time. Some challenges are vastly harder than others. For example in the book The Maze Runner by James Dashner, a young teenager by the name of Thomas, has his memory wiped and is put in to a maze with other boys around the same age as him. All without memory of their past. With the hope of escape from the maze dwindles. Thomas must shake his cowardice and man up to lead his friends out of the maze.

Thomas in the beginning starts off nervous, frighten, and cowardly, at one point hiding in the elevator that brought him there saying “No,No,No…take me back”. At which his new friends laugh at the him and whisper jokes about him. Once Tomas finally comes to grasps with his situation and realizes that he’s going to be here for awhile,  he ,makes friends with a guy named Chuck which shows him around the “Glade” and he makes new friends. After becoming accustom to the “Glade”, Thomas  starts taking up jobs around his new living space, working in the kitchen, helping  in the hospital, taking care of small tasks around town. Until one night the “Runner’s” two don’t return, in the spur of the moment Thomas rushes in to the maze to help rescue the two. Thomas has to fight off the “Grievers” the half man, machine, they’ve been killing people in the glades. For the first time Thomas becomes full beast and kicks one off the cliff, becoming the first to kill one.  

Life throws you many curve balls. Now you can either stand there, watch and blend in to the background as your past life crumbles around you. Alternately you could adjust and make the best off you scenario. Thomas does this quite well, leading and rallying the men around him in a situation that is pretty shaking considering that he has no memory . This isn’t an uncommon occurrence in many stories people over come hurdles in life to achieve something great even in the darkest of hours. For example in the book “The Outsiders” by S.E Hinton a young man named Ponyboy grows up in a town that has a social divide between the Socs and Greasers. Pony wants to be like his older brothers a rough and tough hoodlum. As Pony grows up he sees that life in an everlasting war between the two classes will never work as at some point they will kill each other off so he goes changes his  view on what he aims to be when he’s older. Pony instead focuses on making peace with the Socs and becoming smarter.

When your life spins you upside down it maybe be hard to come to grasps with the new changes.  Thomas saw only one choice after waking up and realizing that he was the one to lead his friends to freedom. He handled adversity very well going from a chicken to a fierce leader that could take charge. 

Text Analyses of the Book Zach's Lie

Authors Note: This is a text analyses piece about the book Zach’s Lie by Roland Smith

 Moving is one thing, being forced to move lose everything you ever loved. Is a whole different animal. Sadly this is what happened to Jack Osborne and his family, after their house is ransacked. They’re forced in to the witness protection program. Forced to change his hair, eyes and name. To make things worse he loses his dad as the people that robbed the house have ties to warlords in Mexico and his dad has been trafficking their product. As his formally world crumbles around, he has to build a new one. Jack now has to live a lie.

Being pushed out of your home is something no one would like to have happen to them. Sadly we see this everywhere.  For example in the story Between The Shades Of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. Lina, her brother and mother are taken from their homes in Lithuania. Pushed to the coldest part of Siberia. The Soviets treat them like dogs, people die from malnutrition and or freeze to death.  The difference between the two are Jack and his family are given the basics necessities to live but have to be someone there not. Lina on the other hand has to fight to survive and is given little to no food to survive, but doesn’t have to be someone she’s not. You decide which is better.

All in all Jack makes do `with his life and cares on. He has to fight back the remnants of his past life. It’s hard to imagine your whole life being sucked away and then being put in a new city a new house a new bedroom having to play pretend. Jack was barely able to hold on to this live without selling himself out and getting in trouble. Would you be able to live with a lie

What Being Phyiscally Active Means to Me

Authors Note: This is a short essay piece about what being physically active.

Physical activity provides me with an opportunity to be with friends and something to do in my free time, especially over summer.  When we are out of school sports gives me an opportunity to be with friends.  I think it is very important to have a sport to play out of school so you don’t lose touch with them.  

Being physically fit doesn’t only effect me. In studies it is shown that the people that are more physically active, have better focus and social skills. Sadly some schools can’t afford after school activities. It is also shown that sports after school help kids stay off the streets and any from crimes. Physical activity can also help people forget, for example during world war two the American Soldiers played baseball and football when they weren’t in battle this helped relieve stress.

Staying physically active is very important. Not only to me but to the world. Without it we would all be lazy.  Without it as well many people would be forced to live a life of crime to keep food on the table. Luckily most cities and schools can afford to facilitate a after school sports program or a sports team. It’s hard to imagine a world without physical activity. It’s odd how some people put other things in front of being fit. Do you?

Alone

Authors note: This is a creative piece in which I try to incorporate good word choice and figurative language

The dawn of a new day is upon us. The deer frolic in the spring mist. The flowers dance in the wind, they bloom pretty and bright. Alas that is a long forgotten time. Before the nuclear war. When cities bright and booming brought peace and prosperity to all. Well I’m on my own.  I was disconnected with my family when the bombs started to fall. I just happened to be at right place at the right time to live.

It all started when the petroleum supplies ran out, and like a caged  tiger let loose from his cage,  the nations boxed  for the last drops of the precious fuel. When that went dry, they fought for the reserves. That’s when the nuclear bombs started being dropped. No one knows who dropped the first one as anyone that dropped them were kill, as well almost everyone.  For all I know I’m the last one left and well that means humanity is dead as well.

I remember my family, my dad as tall as a flag pole, how he would walk around with a somber appearance. Only if you knew him you could tell that was the norm for him.  My mother on the other hand would always wear a bright smile, she wouldn’t walk either she would bounce always happy, never angry or sad Good example of this is when I got a C on a test instead of yelling she simply said “No more C’s please” .  I had no brothers or sisters. It was just the three of us against the world, now it’s me against the world.

I’ve became proficient at scavenging for non-radioactive food and shelter. It’s quite easy to tell. Green and furry equals no good.  I’m tempted to try something radioactive maybe I’ll become super human or just super dead.  I walk these roads alone, the shadows are my only friend,  destroyed buildings that use to house memories and good time sit there with a sad look on their face. A crow plays it song of tweets, a cheerful hymn compared to the silence of the fallen.  Who were victims of greed and power.  My memory may fad of the ones I use to love but for now I must carry on as the fate of humanity rests on my shoulders.

The World Through Bob's Eyes

Authors Note: This is a point of view essay on the book “The Outsiders”. Where I tell the point of view from another character from the book

In the book “The Outsiders”. The story is told through Pony’s eyes. You get to see what he sees. What I wonder is how would the story be told through the Socs Eye’s. Would Pony’s journey be altered if you saw what other people saw? That’s what I hope to answer in my point of view essay, in which I will write an excerpt of what I think would fit in the book if it were to be told by Bob the main antagonist on the soc side.

“Man these greaser’s are such a pain” I said “Well, Bob they haven’t done anything wrong”  “ Yeah they did, they’re greasers where suppose to beat up on them” I snapped  “But” “But nothing there below us in society” and that end our brief conversation. Our town has been like that for years, are parents were like that and their parents were like that. It’s just the way things are. Are they far? No. Is it right? No even in the slightest. Do we still do it? Yup. That’s not even the worst part, the way those kids have it is hard yes, but not like we have it. We both have our different issues, like they don’t have the nice things we do. On the contrast we are put to a higher stander in so getting drunk, smoking and doing anything that isn’t high class approved. They don’t have any standers or code that they have to follow, no stress or pressure of getting good grade, all they have do to is be hoods.

That brings me to my next point. People should be labeled because of how they dress, act and talk. Now I know you’re going to look at what I have wrote in the last paragraph and how I said “...there where below us in society,…they’re greasers where suppose to beat up on them…” The only reason I say that is because I’m the leader of the Socs, these kids younger than me need something to believe in. Now before tell them to join a club or root for a sports team, I don’t mean it like that, I mean to keep them away from killing, drugs and alcohol that stuff. Yes bulling other kids isn’t the best way to do it but it’s the only option, you would do it to if you were in my position.

I've done things I’m not proud of. We all have. The worst thing I had ever done was beat up a greaser… you know I should use that word anymore. A young kid named Johnny was walking alone in the park, me and my buddies were rolling by  and the guy in the back says “let’s jump him”. Right here would've been the perfect spot to keep driving but if I did that I would've gotten grilled and called a chicken so we continued. We jumped out of the car and…. I don’t even want to write what happened. What I did. I stayed up the whole night praying that kid would be alright, crying. Well I don’t want to write any more. I think I’m going to go talk to that Johnny kid and say I’m sorry.