Your Past Affects Your Future

Authors Note: This is a prediction essay on the book Speak by Laura Halse Anderson. The purpose is to show what I predict will happen later in the book.

Speak by Laura Halse Anderson is a book about a girl that used to have a lot of friends in middle school but then during a party over the summer she called the police. First year of high school is hard enough but now with no friends it is even harder. I predict that she will eventually find a group of friends that like her and will accept her even after what she did. I also predict that something happened at the party and that is why she called the police. There are many reasons to support these predictions.
           Supporting the first prediction, I feel that she will find a group of friends because she has one friend now that moved from Ohio and she doesn't know what happened over the summer. This girl is very involved and does a ton of school activities. Also she is starting to get people to like her so maybe she will get them to like the main character too.

           This is a scene showing what would happen if my prediction came true: Heather seems to have been meeting a lot of new people. I think this is a mistake. I don’t think she should be doing this. They are probably going to hate her. She’s walking towards me, what should I do? I think she’s going to tell me to talk to her so called “friends”.

“Hey, Melinda!” Heather said excitedly. “I met some new people! Their names from left to right are John, Sarah, Sidney, Jack, Carter, Lillie and Gabe. I wouldn’t want you to get them mixed up. Do you want to go talk to them?”

………………

“No? Are you sure?” Heather stated.

Well I guess we can go talk to them.

“Great!” Heather shouted.

Hi guys…. (I don’t want to be here). They look like a nice group of people, they kind of look like nerds. Oh well, at least Heathers making friends.  I probably won’t make any this year because of what I did over the summer. I can’t believe people could hold such strong grudges against me. It was one party, won’t there be more?  What am I supposed to do, or say or think around her “new friends”? Maybe some of them might talk to me. I don’t recognize any of them so maybe they weren’t at the party.

“Hi, Melinda is it?” Carter muttered

I reply with a simple and nervous “uh uh”, I felt like a nervous wreck, I didn’t know what to say. All these eyes were peering on me and no one else. 

“Sidney why don’t you show Melinda your talent?” Murmured Sarah

Talent? What talent?

“If you don’t understand something Sidney can figure it out for you and help you with it.” Uttered Gabe.

Oh really? Well I am really struggling in some subjects, could you please please please tutor me or at least help me?

“I guess I could.” Muttered Sidney

These people are becoming my friends. I hang out with them more and since that everything has been working really well. I’m finishing everything and I’m doing well on tests. Sidney is the best. I can’t believe I left other people control my life before.

There are a lot of supporting details on that prediction as well as my second prediction. I think someone raped her at the party because it doesn't seem like she would've called the police for no reason. Also there is this guy that she calls a bunch of different names. At the begging she calls him IT, then she calls him by his real name Andy.  She also calls him names like Andybeast. She says this sentence after IT comes by her and tries to talk to her, "IT found me again. I thought I could ignore IT."(pg.86) I think she calls him these names and says these things because he is the guy that raped her.
          This girl had many friends but because of one mistake no one likes her anymore. My predictions (she will eventually find a group of friends that understand and like her for who she is and she will tell the reader or a friend what really happened at the party, which I believe she got raped but just never told anyone) have many supporting details and many reasons why they may come true. What had happened in the past has very much affected her future.

Thoughts From the Brain

Author's note: This is a point of view piece on the short story Thank You, Ma'am.

       
            Right foot, left foot, right foot left foot. Don’t forget to breathe. Right fo…. Aghhhh whats that. Quickly react, something's touching my purse. It’s a boy, about fifteen years old. Now what is he doing? He is trying to steal my purse, aghhh don't let him. Pull back. Pull! Oops he fell. Should I pick him up or leave him there? Ah whatever I'll just kick him in the blue jean sitter. Lets pick him up. Now what does he think he's doing? He was probably just hungry. Oh he doesn’t have a family, that makes me feel bad.

          I'm hungry, do you think he wants anything to eat? I will make some food. I wonder if he actually liked it. He's walking away….. Hmmm should I trust him? I guess if he runs I could just call the police, so I'll trust him. Wow he is changing, I feel maybe I shall let him get those shoes. I guess I will give him some money to buy those shoes. I really hope he doesn’t go stealing more purses.

Have you ever gotten that feeling,

 you don’t want to let go?

Then it starts heating,

and you almost blow.

Once it starts to fade,

you go hide in the shade.

Then you realize what you’ve gained,

but still you feel the pain

The feelings lost,

and so are you.

Your heart feels like frost,

really cold and very blue.

Even though it’s in the past,

you try not to but you still look back.

Your heart sinks very low,

you let it drop until you let go.

Family Conflicts Caused By War

Author’s Note: This is a compare and contrast piece, comparing the characters from the movie “The Patriot” and the book April Morning.

            The decision by a young man to go to war has an impact on all of his family members. In the book April Morning by Howard Fast many conflicts arose due to Adam’s (the oldest son) desire to enter the Revolutionary war and the father’s reluctance to see his oldest son put himself in danger. In the movie “The Patriot” by Mel Gibson there are similar challenges faced by the family regarding the decision to enter the war. For example the father not wanting his son to go to war, but in this case Gabriel (Benjamin’s oldest son) is old enough to make his own decisions. Adam’s mom also has opinions about his decision but Gabriel’s mom is not there to give that type of advice. In these two stories there are many similarities and differences with how the characters respond to the conflicts created within the families as a result of war.

In this case Moses and Benjamin’s sons want to enter the war but both adults are aware of the dangers they may encounter and are afraid they might get hurt. Having served in a prior war Moses felt he had more experience than his son Adam. Moses did not want Adam to fight in the war because he felt he was too young and was not aware of the dangers that can be encountered in war. In contrast Gabriel is old enough to make his own decision on entering war but Benjamin was a great war hero in the French and Indian war and so he has great knowledge and knows that Gabriel is not ready for the risks. Benjamin cannot stop Gabriel so he decides to join the war to watch over him unlike Moses because Moses can overrule Adam’s decisions. These characters face many similar conflicts but have different ways of solving them.

            Gabriel and Adam were young men in their late teens, with desires to enter the war to defend their freedom from Britain. Neither of the boys were concerned about their personal safety and with little experience did not understand the dangers of war. They both argued with their fathers over the same reasons. Their fathers did not believe that they were ready for war and thought that they were too young and inexperienced. Adam was only 16 and as a result his father was able to overrule his decision to enter the war. Gabriel on the other hand was 18 and considered a man. He was allowed to decide on his own if he should enter the war or not. Adam’s mother (Sarah) is also a big factor in his decision. She gives him advice, as all mothers do. Gabriel does not have a mother anymore. She had died when he was young and now when Gabriel and his father are away at war his other siblings are left to be cared for by his aunt (Charlotte). Adam and Gabriel both wanted to fight, not just to fight but to fight for their freedom and both fathers are oblivious to it.

            Both of the female characters Charlotte and Sarah exhibited a strong giving nature just like mothers even though one was not. Sarah was the mother of Adam and played a key role in his life, but Charlotte was only the aunt of Gabriel and the other siblings, although she had acted as a substitute since their mother had passed away. Charlotte as only being an aunt did not offer an opinion on Gabriel wanting to go to war but Sarah being Adam’s mother advised him that he shouldn’t go. Both women also experienced the tragedies of war first hand since the battles occurred close to their homes. From both perspectives they saw the violent side of war but Charlotte also saw and experienced the cruel side of it. When the war was occurring the British soldiers burned down her house because they knew that she was related to Benjamin. These female characters played an important role that was affected by the decisions of the male characters during the war.

            War creates many conflicts between family members. The youthful inexperience is shown in these two stories by the two eldest sons who are unconcerned and unaware of the dangers of war. The more experienced fathers want to protect their sons from the dangers of war and the other family members are left to deal with the ramifications of the decisions. These characters have many similarities and differences despite the different challenges that occur in their lives.

No Longer Oblivious

Author’s note: The Story “Dead Man’s Path” ended in a women dying in childbirth and the headmaster awaking to his beautiful garden destroyed. In this piece I plan to add more to the ending of the story.

“What has happened?” Mr. Opi blared at the priest.

“I haven’t a clue.” The teacher said sheepishly.

Mr. Opi was infuriated as he rushed into the village. He started asking different people if they knew of what happened to his gardens but he kept getting one response, “It’s the dead man’s path, we can’t control what goes on there.” Now he was even angrier, racing back to the school. When he got there he said “I want that path shutdown and I want it shutdown now.”

He tried to shut it down but that plan had failed. Three years later still as the headmaster he tried to shut it down again. The villagers would not allow it. One day there was an old and frail lady walking on the path, he walked up to her in a hurry. Once he got there in a very sincere voice he said, “Now ma’m out of the things you could be doing with your time why do you choose to walk upon a path like such?”

She replied to him, “This may be your school but my husband died eighteen years ago and I have visited this path every day since then. I have been able to connect with him even when he is not here and so I would not want you just embark on all the things this path has done for me and the village.

His heart had just dropped; he had finally realized what he had been so oblivious to in the past. He hadn’t questioned the path or anything else in the school from that day forward. That moment had changed his life.

Words Can Affect People Without You Knowing It

Author's note: this is a cause and affect of an argument that Moses and Adam have in the book April Morning.

Sometimes people don’t realize the power that words have. In the book April Morning by Howard Fast there is a great example of this. Adam’s father, Moses, does not believe Adam is yet a man. He would often say things like “Are you willing to start a family and make enough money to live on your own?” and Adam would get upset because he didn’t feel that these were necessary to being a man. Moses doesn’t realize how these words affect Adam but it really makes him second guess himself and almost feel he is not wanted. When you are talking to some you should always make sure they understand what you mean completely in the right way.

Adams dad doesn’t intend to hurt his son’s feelings, but he tends to get carried away with things. He already is a little harsh on Adam because he wants him to become a man but he does not think it should happen so soon. When Moses says these things he believes that it will prepare Adam for manhood and does not realize what is really happening with Adam. In Moses’ mind he believes that by not acknowledging that Adam is growing up, he is doing his job as a parent in helping him prepare.

Since Moses wants this he tries to treat him like an adult and Adam cannot see his intent so he takes his words the wrong way. This makes Adam believe that his father does not want to accept the fact that Adam is growing up from childhood to manhood. Adam does not appreciate this and feels when Moses acts this way he does not love him. This is not true but Moses is naïve to seeing how his son reacts to his words.

Being naïve is almost human nature. This is why when we speak we have to be very careful on how the listener takes your words. You cannot just say something like “I’m not inviting you over to my house today.” You would have to say why; otherwise the person would probably think that you don’t like them anymore. In the book April Morning by Howard Fast, there are many examples of one person not understanding the other which later on turn into fights.

The Way You Think of Things

Authors note: This is an assigned piece for class on point of view.  It is on the book April Morning by Howard Fast.

When you start reading a book do you ever really think about the biases? In books there are many biases depending on whose point of view the book is written from.  In the book, April Morning by Howard Fast, it is written from the perspective of the son (Adam). From his perspective, he makes his dad (Moses) seem like a really bad guy. Moses and Adam get into a lot of arguments because Adam feels like he should be treated like a man but his dad doesn’t.  Adam influences the reader to believe that Moses is a horrible father, but this is not true. The point of view of a book can be deceiving and it all depends on whose perspective is being given.

One way that Adam’s point of view does influence the readers is when Adam wants to go to the committee meeting. Adam is almost sixteen but the dads of the community usually wait until their sons are adults before they let them go to the committee meetings. Adam and his father got into an argument because his father, Moses, wouldn’t let him go. Moses was being a little harsh but from Adam’s point of view it made it seem like he didn’t love him anymore. These two quotes show how Adam made it seem like he hated him but he really didn’t, “'He seems to have gotten the idea that you hate him', said Adam’s mother."(pg. 45) “'Hate him! Of all the crazy notions! Of all the idiotic ideas! There a boy, my first-born son-why, how could any man love a son anymore than I love that boy?' said Moses."(pg. 45) They argued and argued but in the end he almost seemed happy. He got to go walk with his girlfriend during the time he would’ve been at a committee meeting.

On the other hand, if this book was written from his mom’s point of view (Sarah) it would be very different. Sarah has a very different perspective than most people in this book because she is on the “outside” of almost everything like, the arguments, committee meetings, and many other things. One of the ways she stays on the outside is by staying out of the arguments. She just sits and listens to it all happen around her. There would be a lot less bias if it was written in her perspective so the reader would feel obligated to choose a side unlike in the original book where you almost have to choose Adam’s side.

As you can see the point of view makes a reader automatically think “oh well he seems so mean I’m going to choose the main characters side.” In the book, April Morning by Howard Fast there is a perfect example of this. The narrator’s (Adam’s) point of view convinces you to think that his dad is a horrible guy, but these things are just bias. All books that are written in the perspective of someone who is in the book have some sort of bias. Whether it’s about a protest or even an argument at home, the perspective of the character will always create some sort of bias.