My Battle With Honors English 3 November 9, 2007

“My Battle with Honors English 3”

By: Sara Cranford  

So many times my teacher says,

Go home and write, A page tonight.

And let the words come straight from you,

Always be honest and true. 

Now how come when she says it,

it sounds so simple? I am only sixteen,

a softball player, and an honor student,

born in good old NC.

There are only three girls on my softball

with a GPA above 4.0,

And I am one.

Each day brings a new challenge,

As I try to balance sports and homework in my busy life.

I am slowly climbing the sixteen wooden stairs which lead to my room,

Where I will sit and write this page: 

 It’s not easy to always know just what to do,

When you’re sixteen, my age, but I guess I am

What I am.

What I feel and see and hear.

Trust me, I hear you Inside I hear you, telling me what to do,

Hear you, hear me — we two — you, me, talk on this page,

I like to run, play and be with friends.

I want to practice, work and excel in this sport which I love.

I like a bat for a Christmas present,

Or a ball and a glove.  

Playing a sport makes it difficult for me to do,

The same things as other kids my age.

So will I write the best page I can?

Will I be who I am?

Or will I slack off because I don’t have the time?  

Sometimes, perhaps, I don’t always listen to you,

But still you tell me the right thing to do.

So I suppose this time I will follow you,

And be who I am. I learn from you,

And I guess you learn from me too.

You may be smarter and wiser, 

But I am me,

Simple and free.

This is my battle with Honors English 3.

Light Shines Down on the Disease That Kills November 9, 2007

This assignment was to write a descriptive essay by observing nature. The week this assignment was given out I lost a very good friend, Michael McKinney. I will never forget the night I heard that he passed away. Everything thing I did that weekend reminded me of him, so it only seemed right to write my descriptive essay in memory of Michael and how he touched the lives of every person he met. He was and will always be my HERO.

                      Light Shines Down on the Disease That Kills           

          Sparkling streams of transparent thread flow back and forth from leaf to leaf glowing in the sunlight and in the middle lays a black and yellow body with eight legs extending across the radiant lattice. Next to it, a twisted ball tangled in the web is shaking violently, trying to break free. The quivering ball began to calm. Slowly the shaking became a subtle twitch. The black and yellow creature crept forward, drawing itself closer and closer to the shimmering object. Suddenly it threw itself on top of the frightened mass and injected it with venom causing it to stop moving and lay helplessly, floating with the streams of thread in the wind. As I watched I became fascinated, fascinated with how this bizarre experience reminded me of a friend stricken with disease that gradually sucked away his life.  

         It was the fall of 2007. It has been a year since my friend was diagnosed with leukemia. The moment his family received the terrifying news their lives changed forever. After the first months of chemo and multiple surgeries, they thought the cancer was gone, but it wasn’t. One morning he woke up with no sight in one eye; it was a sudden nightmare coming to life. His mom rushed him to the hospital where they admitted him and ran several tests. After days of testing and hours of waiting, they received news that no one ever expected to hear. His leukemia had returned.  His second fight for life was about to begin and “whoever said winning isn’t everything, never had to fight cancer.” Each day was a struggle, doctor’s visits, riding back and forth to Chapel Hill, and the strenuous side effects of the chemo, but if there was any kid out there that would take this challenge with a smile it was Michael. Even in his darkest, most painful hours he had that contagious grin on his face. It was the biggest, wide-eyed smile you could ever imagine and you couldn’t help but look at him and smile back. There wasn’t a person out there that knew him and didn’t like him.           As I sat on my porch, thinking about Michael, I watched the black creature crawl about in the luminous streams. I closed my eyes attempting to soak in the warm sunlight but a tiny, irritating mosquito began to fly around me. It was an annoying little thing, buzzing in my ear, trying to get a taste of my skin. I waved my hand back and forth trying to kill it or simply strike it away from me. I watched it fly towards the transparent maze, and then it stopped. It became the spider’s next victim, tangled in the sticky strings between the leaves.  This time I moved closer, hoping to get a better look at the spider and its vicious attack.  It wrapped the mosquito with its shiny strings, as if it were trying to suffocate it. I couldn’t understand why it would want to harm such a little innocent creature, but then it hit me that I tried to do the same. All along I thought this spider was a bully, harming blameless creatures, but it was simply trying to help me. Amazed at what I had realized, I stepped back and stared into my back yard. The scent of fresh flowers filled the air. Enormous pine trees covered with sap were scattered about.  Birds, perched on their branches, sang sweet songs as if they were trying to comfort me, and even a fuzzy squirrel sat in awe of the gorgeous surroundings. I thought to myself, “How could I ever have thought so horribly of the spider? I wonder what other little things I have simply overlooked. How beautiful our yard looks, so full of life and color.” It’s amazing how one little creature can change your perspective of life itself.  Life is a beautiful thing that should never be taken for granted. There are a few that we might think are unlucky, like Michael and the mosquito, to have a life stricken with disease and suffering, but they are truly the lucky ones. They appreciate each day that God gives them on this earth and smile knowing that life itself is a blessing.  

        I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and pondered on life’s little blessings. As I opened my eyes and looked up into the pure blue sky, I couldn’t help but wonder what Michael might be doing. Then, as the sun cast down its vibrant rays upon my face, warming my heart, I began to laugh because I knew exactly what Michael was doing. He was sitting there cracking jokes with God and smiling down on us, because he could see that he touched the life of every person he met.  

 

  “I remember the last time I saw you.
You held your head up proud.
I laughed inside when I saw how you wereStanding out in the crowd.When I tried to make sense of it in my mind,The only conclusion that I could come to,Is heaven was needing a hero,Like you.” 

 –Jo Dee Messina

The Hanging of John Proctor vs. The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ November 9, 2007

The Hanging of John Proctor vs. the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

         Jesus Christ was crucified to save us from our sins. It was not what he wanted but he knew it was what he had to do. “With him they crucified two insurgents, one at his right and one at his left.” (Mark 16:27) There, his body hung on the cross, on a dark and gloomy Friday afternoon. John Proctors was one of many accused of witchcraft in 1692 and he was one of nineteen to be hung. On the inside John knew that all the accusations were false and not one of the women was truly in contact with the devil. When John was accused he had the choice to admit to being a witch, no matter if it was true or not, and save his life or, like the others, say it was all a lie. “I have confessed myself,” he cried, “Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name.”  In his heart he knew he could not lie just to spare his life, so in he chose to tell the truth, which meant he would be hung. Jesus Christ and John Proctor were more alike than most people would ever imagine. They were both hung to save other people, both died leaving behind a family yet became legends, and both prayed at the moment of death. 

         When Jesus chose to die on the cross for us, he knew he would be leaving his mother, Mary, and his 12 apostles behind; in turn, he was saving the lives of thousands Christians by sacrificing himself. When John chose to die, he was saving the life of his wife and others who stood behind him in his beliefs. When it came time for John to confess or deny the use of witchcraft he knew he was loosing his family by making his choice. He cried out to Mr. Danforth and said, “I have three children—how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” He may never see his children again, but they would know what an honest and true man their father was. He became a legend in the town of Salem, and would never be forgotten. Both Jesus and John made courageous moves that contributed to how we live our lives today. Because of what Jesus did we as Christians can live freely and not be persecuted for what we believe in. John’s brave sacrifice eventually led to the end of the witchcraft accusations.            

        Around the time of the crucifixion Jesus became the main focus. People everywhere looked to him; he was like a celebrity.  Thousands gathered to watch him hang on that wooden cross and suffer. Some were there because they followed and believed in him and others were there because they wanted to ridicule and scold him. When he died he became a symbol of faith, hope and love. Once John was accused he quickly became the main focus, during the witchcraft trials, and all attention turned towards him.  He chose not to lie and die an innocent man and that made him an icon among the people. Thousands also gathered to watch the accused be hung; some mocked and made fun while others cried for the loss of a friend and companion.          

         As he hung on the cross Jesus uttered a loud cry and said “Father, into your hand’s I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) He knew it was his time to go home to his father in Heaven and his spirit rose up into the sky. When John, Martha and Rebecca were standing in front of the crowd, with ropes around their neck, waiting for their time to go, they began to pray The Lord’s Prayer.  ”Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…” and it was over. There bodies hung in air, blowing with the wind. Their bold and courageous spirits were gone; God had called them home.  

What’s going on in my head? November 8, 2007

This journal entry was an experiment to try write to down simply what we were thinking about in our minds. We had to depict what we were imagining by writing a description in our journal. This journal was appealing to me because I was able to express myself freely without descrimination from others. I could use my imagination and release my emotions.

Journal 11-7-07

I’m leaving school, walking outside without a care in the world about my grades. I am free to do as I please and be myself. No punishment from my parents on my bad test grades. Who really cares? It’s just a number. Life is like a blank page in front of me. I can choose what I want to make of myself; perhaps a kindergarten teacher. It’s always been a dream. I’m going to go to college and be successful; my grades in high school aren’t going to weigh me down. So I’m not the smartest kid in school. So I don’t always make A’s. I’m not perfect. Perfection is boring. I have my talents and my faults, but I am me, simple and free to be who I want to be. Life is waiting and I’m going to make the best of it. I learned from a wise friend of mine to live every day to the fullest. That is my only goal.

“Learn from yesterday.

Live for today.

Hope for tomorow.”

-Anonymous