My Declaration January 14, 2008

  My Declaration

Sept. 21^st 2007 

     When, in course of human events, it becomes necessary for

one portion of students to assume among the people of the school, a position different from that which they have occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and the laws of God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of their peers and the authority, which requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.

     We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all students are created equal; that they are endowed by creator, respected by their authority, with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the freedom of no homework, tests, or quizzes; that to secure these rights, student governments are instituted, deriving their powers from the consent of the student body.

     Having deprived students from sleep, the teachers, thereby leaving us with more work than time in the day, have oppressed us in all classes.

     And for the support of this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our homework, and our sacred grades. 

Signed,

Sara K. Cranford

 

Analytical Essay on AFTA (before) January 12, 2008

The goal of this paper was to pick a topic of interest in the novel A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemmingway, and analyze it. In class we watched a biographical movie on Hemmingway and his life experiences intrigued me so, for my topic, I chose to analyze whether Hemmingway based his characters in his book on the real people who played major rolls in his life. His girlfriend was an American nurse named Agnes and in his novel A Farewell to Arms, the main character falls in love with an American nurse, Catherine Barker. Going off of a few simple details I picked up from the film, I created an analytical essay on the novel A Farewell to Arms.

Sara Cranford

Mrs. Robinson

H. English 3

15 November 2007 

A Personal Metaphor or Simply a Fictional Novel 

      To express his life through the novel A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway introduces the character Catherine to represent his real life love, Agnes.  Upon first glance, one might think that Hemingway wrote the novel, A Farewell to Arms, base on how he hoped his relationship with Agnes would have ended.  If this statement is true then why did he chose for Agnes’s character, Catherine, and her child to die?  Hemingway chose for Catherine to die because he needed to rid his heart of the pain that Agnes struck him with when she left him for another man.  If he let the child live then there would always be a constant reminder that Agnes was gone, therefore the child too had to die.  Hemingway was an American solider who fought in World War 1 on the Italian front.  His novel, A Farewell to Arms, is based on his experiences in Italy and his encounter with an American nurse, Agnes, with whom he fell in love.  Hemingway planed to marry and spend the rest of his life with Agnes; however, when he returned home to the states Agnes wrote him a letter saying that she had fallen for an Italian officer and the two were engaged to be married.  Hemingway was in the process of writing his novel in which he based the main characters Henry and Catherine on himself and Agnes.  When Agnes left him, it was like a dagger going straight to his heart, consequently he chose for Agnes’s character in the novel to die.  Catherine and Henry were expecting a child, but since Hemingway could not spend the rest of his life with Agnes why would he want that everyday reminder that she was gone; therefore, he chose for the child to die as well.  It has been said that Hemingway wrote the conclusion to his novel thirty-nine times.  The varieties of conclusions vary in length in an aim to achieve a conclusion mirroring the life choices of the creator.  The Sense of an Ending to A Farewell to Arms states, “The conclusion of a life can be as arbitrary and/or artistically appropriate as the conclusion of a novel” (Oldsey).  Hemingway wrote and re-wrote the ending to his novel to perfect Catherine’s death.  In one conclusion, Hemingway reached back to “Henry’s near fatal wounding as he compares the traumatic effect of Catherine’s death on him with that produced by the physical wound: in both instances the numbness wears off and only the pain still remains” (Oldsey).  His goal was to mirror his own life and end the novel with his expression of the pain he was suffering by creating the ideal death for Catherine.Hemingway also created three “Live-Baby Endings”, but “the third makes it clear that he attempts to provide an ending in which the fact of birth, of new life, mitigates death.  In this version Henry finds it difficult to talk about the boy without feeling bitter towards him, but concludes philosophically that ‘there is no end except death and birth is the only beginning’” (Oldsey).  These examples, however, never seemed quite right to Hemingway.  It is apparent that having the child around would be a constant reminder that Catherine was gone.  This daily memento simply deepened Hemingway’s pain because of his loss of his true love.  It only seemed fit that he chose for the child to die with his mother so that there would be no lingering pain of emptiness. In “Pseudoautobiography and Personal Metaphor”, Millicent Bell says that “It was not memory but printed source material that supplied the precise details of its descriptions of historic battle scenes on the Italian front in World War 1” (Bell).  This statement shows that Hemingway did indeed write his novel base on his own life experiences, the question is: to what extent?  He based his characters on himself and his love in the time of the war.  His occupation as an ambulance driver on the front, his friends, and the background was all true.  However, it has also been said, “The only writing that was any good was what you made up, what you imagined”.  Hemingway felt that the only good ending to his novel was an imagined one; one that included a major death.  A Farewell to Arms is not about love or the war; it is about the author’s state of mind.  This statement relates back to the original idea that Hemingway wrote his novel based on how he desired for his relationship with Agnes to end.  His devastation over her leaving him caused Hemingway to end the novel the way he did, with Catherine’s and the child’s death.  He needed to get Agnes out of his heart and his mind so he chose for her character to die.  No more reminders of her unexpectedly leaving him, breaking his heart into a million pieces. 

Research Paper January 12, 2008

Sara Cranford

Mrs. Robinson

H. English 3

18 December 2007 

A Terrifying Knock at the Door: How Does Death Affect Teenagers?

Loosing a close friend or loved one is one of the most difficult obstacles we cross in our journey through life.  Death comes knocking on our friend’s door and so unexpectedly takes their life away.  When this tragic event occurs, teenagers seem to be the ones hit the hardest.  Coping with the loss of a friend can often change our lives forever.  Positive life lessons are learned and we move on to become better people.  However, it does not always work quickly like that, and there isn’t always a positive outcome.  Teens often blame themselves, “if I had only known, I would have…”, and sometimes they are confronted with the thought of suicide.  The funeral and viewing play a large roll in this struggle to cope with loss.  Seeing that body, lying motionless, lifeless, can bring pain and sorrow to the survivors.  Saying good-bye for the last time is often the hardest step in letting go.  Death knocks at the door of a loved one and in a moment teenagers lives are forever changed.  The loss of a loved one affects teenagers drastically, both physically and mentally and each of us is affected differently. “Just as people feel grief in many different ways, they handle it differently, too. Some people reach out for support from others and find comfort in good memories. Others become very busy to take their minds off the loss.  Some people become depressed and withdraw from their peers or go out of the way to avoid the places or situations that remind them of the person who has died.”  - Lyness Coping with the loss of a loved one or close friend is a difficult, slow and painful process.  We were so used to life with them, and now we must adjust to life without them.  Who to turn to is one of the most important aspects of coping with death.  When surveyed, the majority of teenagers responded that they turn to their parents and close friends for comfort.  Talking about death can be difficult to handle, but it is easier on teenagers if they know the person they are talking to can relate and understand.  They need to confide in them in their quest for comfort.  Close friends are often most helpful due to many factors.  First of all, it’s easier to deal with something so tragic when someone else is too.  Age also makes a difference in the choice of who to turn to.  Teenagers tend to feel more comfortable discussing the issue with someone their own age rather than an adult.  Adults have a higher experience level with grief and death, which makes it more difficult for them to relate to someone who isn’t as familiar with the issue.  Teenagers are more likely to turn to close friends who can relate to their grief on the same level. Marin E. Marty, a divinity scholar at the University of Chicago said, “Loss is so terrible, whatever instrument people choose that is good for them, I will start by applauding.”  The most common method of coping with grief among teenagers is bringing to mind all the good memories and talking about them.  Keeping your feelings bottled up can be harmful and bring out negative effects.  Talking about the deceased can bring relief and help to speed up the grieving process.  Prayer is another route that many teenagers chose when searching for comfort in the loss of a friend or loved one.  Whether it’s for help, guidance, thanksgiving, comfort or forgiveness, forty percent of teenagers make the daily choice to pray.  When a loved one has passed away, this number increases rapidly.  In times of desperate need, even teenagers that don’t pray on a daily or regular basis find themselves turning to God for help. When a loved one passes on, positive life lessons are often obtained.  When surveyed teenagers responded that they learned, “laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change.  Take chances, give everything, and have no regrets.  Life is too short to be anything but happy.“  Letting go of a loved one can be difficult but searching for the good in something can bring relief.  Through experiencing this type of loss, we learn not to take anything for granted.  Nothing, not even tomorrow, is promised.  We must live each day to its fullest.  We often grow stronger and wiser through the negative downsides of life.  When teenagers experience loss they tend to help one another find comfort.  Sometimes, when comforting others, we find strength in ourselves.  Strength we never knew we had.  We are able to push back the hard, painful part, and help someone else pull through. This strength is another positive effect that we obtain through the loss of a loved one.  In some cases teenagers believe that the strength which the find inside them is from the loved one who has passed.  We feel like they are pushing us to see the good in life and not be sad because they are gone.  They are in a better place so we should be happy for them. There isn’t always a happy ending to everything in life though.  Some teenagers choose to blame themselves for the death of a friend or relative.  They feel like they could have made that life changing difference.  “If I had only been there…”, “If I had only known…I would have” are thoughts that teenagers procure when trying to solve the unanswerable question of “why them”?  Teenagers may turn to drugs or alcohol to help them forget about their troubles, or take the edge off the pain.  This mistake can often lead to life changing events for the worse such as: trouble with the police, loss or friends, and causing family problems.  This type of “coping” will only lead to more trouble.  Some teenagers even have thoughts of suicide or self inflicted injuries due to this drastic loss.  When it is a close family member that passes away, blaming one’s self is usually the first instinct; however, with much thought and contemplation teenagers soon come to realize there was nothing they could do.The question of whether seeing the body in an open casket is good for the survivors is one that will remain forever.  When a person dies, their appearance often changes dramatically–sometimes to the point where they are unrecognizable.  This can be difficult to bear for the family and friends that remain.  Some families choose to keep the casket closed and this brings controversy with the survivors.  They believe this is a time for us to say our goodbyes and seeing the estranged body shouldn’t distract us from knowing the person is in a better place.When a loved one has died, the funeral often seems to be the most difficult part.  It is the last time we will see the body of the person we once knew and loved; it’s truly time to say goodbye.  The funeral, however, can give a feeling of relief to the ones left behind.  When surveyed, teenagers responded that being at the funeral made them realize that their loved one was in a better place; they were no longer suffering.  A funeral is a way for us to confront death and release our emotions.  In relation to the letting go process Thomas Lynch says, “Right between the inhale and the exhale of the bone-wracking sob such hurts to produce, some frightened and well-meaning ignoramus is bound to give out with: ‘It’s okay, that’s not her, it’s just a shell.’”  This acknowledgement of the body, which we see lying motionless in the casket as a shell, not the real person, lets out a feeling of relief.  It comforts us and confirms our belief that our loved one is now at peace. Burying the dead is often a comfort factor of laying the soul to rest.  This ceremony brings ease to those left behind.  Teenagers responded that witnessing this ritual was difficult, yet soothing; because, they knew their friend was at now ease.  Martin Marty also states, “To me, the worst pastors in the world are those who know why bad things happen or believe words can compensate for a life.”  Words said at a burial, as we say goodbye to our love one, can never make up for the loss, which we suffer.  They comfort us and bring relief, but they can never fully reimburse a life.

MortalityNumber of deaths for adolescents 15-19 years of age: 13,812Deaths per 100,000 population for adolescents 15-19 years of age: 67.8Number of deaths for leading causes of deaths among adolescents 15-19 years of age:Accidents (unintentional injuries): 7,137Homicide: 1,892Suicide: 1,513 

 It takes time to adjust to our loved ones not being with us all the time.  Recently a student at our school that battled cancer for two years passes away.  Everyone who knew him was touched by his short life.  He inspired more people than he will ever know.  I interviewed his closest friends and they told me, if there was one thing they learned from Michael, it was to always be happy.  You should never go to sleep feeling remorse for something you have done.  Life is too short to have regrets.  Always apologize.  Be the better person.  Treat people how you want them to treat you; because, you never know when that knock will be heard at the door.  When a life is taken away, teenagers are forced to deal with the unfortunate matter.  It is then that we realize friends and family are the most important part of a teenager’s life.  Make smart choices when you have to deal with something so unfortunate.  Coping can be difficult, but your true friends and family will be there for you when you need them the most.  Dance, sing, write, run, pray, do whatever it takes to gain happiness and know that life is a gift–make yours worth it.