Literature Group

The Perfect Holiday

Authors Note: I had written this particular story for the Literature group in Academy. We were holding a contest to see who could use certain words the most efficient way possible. In this piece I was trying to work on my metaphors and my sentence fluency. I hope you enjoy.

Hanuka was right around the corner while my sister Rosily and I watched the rain fall as lightning  struck the ground miles away from New York City. I couldn't wait for Hanuka, it was my favorite holiday to me. Although my family lives in America our entire family celebrates Hanuka because  we are Jewish. All I wanted this year was a brand new orange bike that had a seat that vibrates when you peddle. Although it might sound like a defect in the bike it feels really good when your tired. My sister wanted all kinds of stuff this year like clothes , tank tops, shoes.  She also wanted a toy kitchen since she was only four. Rosily always wanted to act like mom when she was making dinner. She would always want to flip the pancakes during breakfast or cut the pizza because she wanted to be a cook when she grew up. Me on the other hand wanted to be a  professional Olympic medalist for the Untied States. I always thought it would be cool to win a  medal for your country. I could imagine it in my head right now. Me standing with that gold medal on a  podium telling the world "You can". That would be something wouldn't it. My pet alpaca came up and licked my ear with his wet slimy tongue. It felt like I was being licked by some kind of wet mop  you used to clean floors. Anyways lets get back to reality. My parents always took me out to dinner  somewhere special for dinner on Hanuka. Last year they took me to a place called "March Grove"  which was this Chinese restaurant with really good rice. This year it's my turn to pick where we go and I thought we could go to the Krusty Krab. You might be thinking of the SpongeBob restaurant but this is an  exact replica of it, it's just not under the sea. They serve the best Kelp Fries and Krabby Patties it's ridiculous.  They have the best decor also, like chairs that are barrels. Plus a kitchen with the same doors and shelves as the  real Krusty Krab. I couldn't wait for Hanuka.

I woke up by a sudden fright of my sister trying to wake me up. "Its Hanuka, it's Hanuka, come down stairs and  look what we got. My sister was to young to know that our parents leave gifts and not some Hanuka Harry who  leaves gifts. I was finally pulled out of bed and dragged downstairs by my sister. I looked into my living room and saw a  boat load of gifts sitting in the middle of the room. I was looking through the pile of gifts to see them all to my  sister. As mad as I was I kept digging, and digging, and digging. I couldn't find a present in site for me. My sister  started ripping through wrapping paper to find clothes and shoes. She didn't seem to impressed so she kept  ripping and tearing through wrapping paper with roses on it. The next thing she got was a Barbie beach  play set  with a boat. Waterfall, and a slide. She put it to the side and opened another package with a fluffy pillow shaped  like Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb. in it. After my sister started to open her 4th package and me trying  to find my first one I decided to give up hope. I went into the kitchen to find some Cookie Crisp in the pantry. I  thought Cookie Crisp was one of the best cereals I know of. My mom usually doesn’t let me get it because she thinks it's too sugary but I begged her into getting it for me. I crunched on the cookies like it was some kind of  candy. I thought in my mind if my parents forgot about me and didn't get me anything. I always knew I was the  less favorite out of my sister and myself. I was starting to tear up when I heard my mom yell for me in the living  room. I came in and saw both my parents sitting on the couch waiting for me to come in.

"Well come look for your presents."

"I already did and there aren't any there."

"Hey here's one." My dad found one for me and I snatched out of his hands. I ripped it open to find a rusted,  ghostly looking hammer. I was so depressed about my dumb gift I wanted to wail all my sister presents with that  hammer. I looked up at my parents to see my mom softly elbow my dad in the stomach almost like a signal.

"Do you hear that?"

"No." I answered back.

"I think it's coming from the garage."

"So."

"Well you should go check it out." I then dragged myself over to the garage and opened the door. I saw a largely  shaped box with a bow on it that said "To Mitchell" so it most of been for me. I took the box and cut it open with  a knife and opened it up. There I saw a orange bike with the vibrating seat.

"Yes." I said to myself with the joy of another successful Hanuka coming to an end.

Lottery Ticket

Authors Note: I have written this piece because we have been doing Stream of Conscious in the Academy. Our phrase that day was “A tree dropping its leaves” and I excelled from there. I have been trying to work on voice and vocabulary today. I hope you enjoy.   

A tree dropping its leaves on a cold, fall day.  The leaves from the trees looked like balloons blowing through the gusts of wind. Colors of orange, brown, red, and yellow came from the ground while I see trees as dull as ever. Today seemed like the perfect day to have some fun outside and play in the leaves. As I was wandering around the driveway I had seen something not so particular in the yard. It looked like a piece of litter lurking in the piles of leaves. Since my mom always told me about being a good person and saving the world, I thought I should go and throw it away. Once I ran over to get the paper I realized it was a lottery ticket for 5 million dollars. The name of the lottery ticket was ‘Lucky Loot'. Thinking to myself what would happen if we won the lottery. Me and my Mom lived in one of those old shacks that you find in the woods while you’re thinking to yourself “I wonder if the Wicked Witch of the West lives in there.” Once my dad past away in a construction accident we found out he was in a lot of debt and we were stuck with it. We had to give away our 1.5 million dollar house for a house the size of a garage. Anyways, since it had not been scratched off I decided to run inside and grab a quarter to scratch the numbers off. I had scratched the first number which was a 7, and then a 9, and a 3. Thinking to myself what would happen if we won the lottery, we would be rich. I checked the lucky numbers and there they were 7, 9, and 3. I couldn't believe my eyes, as I drop the quarter out of my hand yelling for my mom to wake her up. "Mom, come down here, I got something to show you. And it’s not your ointment today."

"What then, if it's another one of those subscriptions to Cat Fancy in the mail, I’m not buying it.”

“Just come down you’ll be happy.”

“Fine, be right there.”  My mom finally dragged herself out of bed and came to look at my discovery. I was so excited to show her what I had found. She looked over at me and couldn’t believe her eyes. She started to jump and down in her pink striped robe. “We’re going to be rich, how did you find this and where. Let’s look for more. “My mom yelled like she was some kind of a wild animal.

“Slow down, slow down we should probably take it to a bank before we think it’s anything real.” My mom finally pulled herself together and drove me and my dog Sprinkles to the bank. Since my mom doesn’t have a husband she thinks the next best thing is a dog, so she got this ugly half shaved rat dog that cries whenever it goes to the bathroom. I have no idea why she named it Sprinkles because looks more like a mental rodent then a dog. We got out of the car at the nearest bank

 and I followed my mom into the bank. We walked to the counter and found an overweight man with overalls, glasses and a very bad haircut as the teller. I almost wanted to throw up just by looking at him but I was too excited to do that.

“Can I help you?” The man asked.

“Yeah, I recently bought this lottery ticket and I think I have won.”

“Ok can I see your ticket please?” My mom handed him the ticket as he put his glasses on to have a better look. “I’m impressed, I’ve only heard of 2 other people who have won this kind of lottery ticket. You are one lucky woman, but be careful. Although you got a lot of money in your hands, don’t spend it all at once.” My mom didn’t really care what the man said since she was too busy thinking of what she could do with 5 million bucks. ,

“I want the 5 million right now.” My mom demanded.

“Uh, alright” He replied. I had known this wasn’t the right decision to make and we should probably keep some in the bank so we could save the money, but I am not old enough to do anything about it. After the man wrote the check we sprinted out the door like Road Runner would do in those old TV shows.

After my mom and I got home my mom was headed for the telephone book to find the luxury car dealer down the street. She called them up saying she wanted Ferrari that cost about 1 million dollars. I thought she was going overboard by buying a car so a finally stopped her before she thought she was queen of the world. I had thought we could use the money for something better then what we want, but for what we need.  I needed to stop her before she bought the world so it took all the courage inside me but I did. “Mom, don’t you think we should use the money to pay the debt off the house and car.

“No, not now we have so much money I could use it like a swimming pool.”

“But what if we run out of money?”

“We won’t now quit your wining and I am going to buy some more stuff that I don’t need.”

“Wait what about me?” She had already left the house and left me and Sprinkles home alone. I was glad mom was looking happy for the first time in 5 years but I think she might have lost it. Soon we might be living in a mansion and the next thing you know we’ll be back on the streets looking for loose change and eating from food stamps. I had to put a stop to this. I had been waiting for mom to arrive to make her stop buying everything she saw. She finally came home about 3 hours later with a brand new expensive coat, sunglasses, and shoes. “Want to see what I bought?”

“You bought more?”

“Of course, come outside.” I followed her out to see a red Ferrari outside our old shack. “Hop in, were going somewhere special. Oh and also grab Sprinkles.” I got inside the car which felt so nice and looked like nothing I had ever seen. She turned the key and the engine made the sweetest noise ever. I loved the car but knew what I had to do.

“Hey mom I think after this we should go to his “special” place, could we go to the bank and pay some of dad’s debt so that we don’t we can live without having the bank hovering over us?”

“Nonsense we have plenty of money for that later.” We finally came to one of the most luxuries neighborhoods in our town. It was called “Un Montón De Dinero De La Calle”. Which meant, “Lots of Money Street”. I thought it was a very stupid name for a street but it was right, they were the richest people in California. I thought we were just taking a drive to show off our new car but mom suddenly came to a stop at the biggest house there. “Welcome to your new home”. My mom said. I got out of the door to see a butler waiting patiently at the door for us. I stood in dought with my mouth open and my eyes wide. I couldn’t believe myself. This house had a 5 car garage, a swimming pool, and its very own tennis and basketball courts.

“May I give you a grand tour of the house sir?”

“Uh, okay.” I stepped inside to see two master stair cases heading upstairs. Sprinkles ran up and down them like she had never been in such a big place before. Mom how much did this cost?”

“Oh, only the rest of our money.”

“You mean you didn’t save any money for food our payments on our old house?”

“Aw, who cares we got this giant house to live in now.”

“The bank cares, and they’ll track us down until we pay for the old house we had, were done for.”

“Well I don’t, so why don’t you enjoy yourself while we live here.”

We’re living here now, but what about our old house and all our stuff there.”

“Since we got this house, we don’t need that old shack or the stuff we left behind. Now go to your room it’s the third door on your right. Take the elevator up to the third 4^th floor.” I finally stopped arguing with my mom and headed upstairs to my room. I took the elevator upstairs which was right next to the 96 inch TV and the kitchen. There I found hallways of doors, pictures, and sculptures. I had found my room where my mom had told me and opened the door. The room was giant, with a TV, Foosball table and a waterbed. It was crazy and unrealistic. Although this was one crazy dream I couldn’t let this happen to our small family. After dinner I planned what I was going to do tomorrow. After breakfast I was going to go down to the bank and tell the bank what my mom had done.

When I woke up next morning our butler had already made breakfast in bed for us. He had given me a bacon, egg, and cheese omelet my favorite. As soon as I finished I grabbed my shoes and clothes and headed for the garage. I opened the garage door to see I bike fit perfectly. It was one of those real expensive BMX bikes the professionals use. I had always wanted one but now I have to give it up by doing the right thing. The bank was about 2 miles away from my house so I had to ride quick before my mom found out where I was. Halfway to the bank I was panting and grasping onto any air I had left in my lungs. I finally peddled my way into the banks driveway and parked my bike in the grass by a lamp post. I walked inside sweating from all the biking to see the exact same guy from the last time we came to the bank. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, my mom recently bought a house and she has a lot of debt that she needs to pay for. Do you think by any chance you could come over in an hour to talk to her?”

“Sure, I’ll be over there in 1 hour.” I left with confidence that we could get things straight but I was scared that how mad my mom was going to be about what I had done. When I got home from the bank I saw Sprinkles tying herself around a tree with her leash while our butler was walking her. I laughed out loud wondering how many dogs it would take to screw in a light bulb because dogs are just so stupid. As I walked inside I could hear my mom playing Just Dance on the Wii. She always wanted to get fit even though she had a diet of chocolate and soda. I walked down stairs told my mom that someone is coming over. I didn’t tell her who or why I just pretended it was the next door neighbor and she bought it. After 1 long hour of waiting I finally heard the doorbell ring. I quickly opened and invited the man in. Since the bank had close he was wearing a shirt that had Poker Chips and playing cards on it. “So I hear you have some debt to pay off your lost husband?”

“Who brought you here?”

“Your son of course and by the means of all the debt you owe and how much the house is worth. I could say you have just the right amount to pay it all off by giving us your house, car, and your butler.”

“I think that’s a far trade.” I cut in before my mom could speak.

“Wow, wow, wow, wow, you are not taking any of this.”

“Yes they are mom, you’ve only been thinking about yourself. It’s time for you to give all of this up and go back to our original home and forget about that stupid lottery ticket!”

“Even so, you still have enough money to buy an apartment. I also think they have some down the road that allow dogs and have a nice view of the lake.” The banker said. There was a long pause of silence and thinking between me and my mom but then she finally gave in.\

“Alright, fine we can move into a new apartment and sell this house. I’ll also go back to our old shack and get all of our old stuff back.”

After about a week of signing papers we move into our new apartment. My mom sold all of our extra stuff to send me to a very nice school called ‘Lake Shore Middle School’. My mom also got a new job as a nurse at a Vet not too far from our house. So after all that ruckus, as the old saying goes “It’s always too good to be true”.

To Turn Bad To Good

Authors Note: This essay was written for the Literature Group going on in the Academy. This is a response to the short story Tom Sawyer And The Glorious Whitewasher and how it is a Romance. I have really been trying to work on my connections to this story. Please comment on the post with positive criticism.

Everyone has had that feeling when they wake up Saturday morning. "What a great day." Until you hear your Dad burst into your room yelling at you to get up and clean something you didn't even mess up. We've all been there at some point and time. In the novel Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain gives us a perfect example of what we have to go through every Saturday morning. Although tom may have to go through child labor on a hot sunny morning, his clever little tricks can turn everything around, because something bad can be turned into something good.

Tom Sawyer is an ordinary kid who lives on the Missouri River. His Saturday was ruined by his having to paint a fence. As sad as he was Tom thinks of away to turn a frown upside down. Tom tricks his friends into painting the fence like painting is a time of their life. His friends start giving him little treasures to whitewash a fence. When Tom's friends are done washing the fence, he is left with a smile on his face. Tom has always been a clever boy but always finds a way around bad things.

Like Tom Sawyer's Dad, my parents can also ruin a perfectly good Saturday by having to work at my Mom’s store. Although, working It is always a weekend crusher but like Tom I can usually find my way around work. Even almost of my friends aren't stupid enough to get tricked into doing free labor. A lot of the time I get paid for doing work occasionally, or I'll try to make fun out of work. Tom might have tricks up his sleeve but he is very good at making a bad day into a great day.

Mark Twain adds twists and tweaks into this story to show the reader what kind of a story it really is. Twain uses many symbols including the weather being hot and sunny. Twain also uses symbols such as flowers and singing to show the reader that this story is a romance. Despite the fact that this part of the book has no love in it, Twain still shows how The Glorious White Washer has symbols to make this book a romance.

Tom Sawyer can show kids all around how cleverness can make things go your way if you have a wild imagination. When Tom needs to paint a fence he found a way to make job turn into a walk in the park. Twain's famous novel shows how bad can always turn into good. 

Shelfishness Kills

Authors note: I had written this response for the Literature Group going on in the symbols used in the Academy. I have been working on my transitions and word choice in the essay. When writing this paper I was supposed to have a clean thesis and the body paragraphs needed in the story.

Watching the bus pass by I knew in my head that this wasn't right. I was told to hide from an education by my own father. Maybe school was a bad place to be, but I couldn't figure out. What if I would get in trouble for not going. My father had seemed to always be the person to go to for questions but this time he seemed like a stick in the mud.

In the story "The Circuit" shows that selfish people can crush other people's hopes and dreams. Panchito's family moves to a new house because his they moves as the seasons come and go. After they find a spot to live, Panchito and his family go out to pick for the season. The next day Panchito, Roberto, and their father go out to pick grapes. They then see the school bus driving by and their father tells them to hide from it, and to be careful. After the seasons ends Panchito goes to school finds his teacher, Mr. Lima to be very kind and generous. After a month of English lessons during recess he shows Panchito how to play the Trumpet. Panchito enjoys playing it and then starts having second thoughts on school. Panchito starts to enjoy school and having Mr. Lima as a teacher. When he goes home that day he finds all his stuff packed in boxes ready to be packed into their jalopy.

Panchito's dad made some of the worst decisions of his life that month. Not only did he let his sons hide from school, but crushed the dreams of Panchito. When Papa told Roberto and Panchito to hide from the bus, that's like saying no playing outside, or you can't get an ice cream. For Panchito, school is his only hope of happiness, but his Dad is warning him not to get an education.  That would be one of the most crude and horrid things to do to a child. The second act of selfishness, Papa has to offer to Panchito is moving. After Panchito goes to school and has the time of his life with Mr. Lima, it gets pulled away from him. Papa makes his family move again and trashes Panchito's hopes and dreams for an education.

The author Francisco Jiménez includes a variety of symbols in the passage that describe that the story is a tragedy. Many  When Papa tells his kids to run and hide from the bus, he is telling the kids to hide from something good. The same kind of act happens in the bible when Adam and Eve hide from the Lord because they ate fruit from a tree they weren't supposed to. Both these scenes are people hiding from something good in their lives. Also Jiménez includes another object from the Bible. When Mr. Lima shows Panchito how to play the trumpet, Panchito starts to like school and becomes happy.  Jiménez  puts a trumpet in the story because angels use trumpets in the Bible to exchange good news to people. On the other hand, Jiménez uses lots of symbols showing that this story is a tragedy. The weather that Panchito works in blistering temperatures during the day,  and has to sleep under a willow tree  at night.  He also includes how the family lives in a dirt floor garage why'll they harvest for the season. Jiménez uses these symbols to show the reader what kind of a story this is.

Once Panchito finds his happy place at school, it gets ripped from him instantly from his father. Papa never seems to care about his family and only his job. Jiménez shows how people can be egocentric to one another when it comes to life decisions. Papa crushes the dreams of his son by telling him not to go to school. If people become fond of themselves, they may stop caring about others and ruin other people hopes and dreams. Even though this is a fictional story, it can also be seen as a life long lesson as being caring and unselfish.

All Summer in a Day Essay

Authors Note: I have made this essay for the Literature Group going on in the Acadamy. I was supposed to have a thesis that was the purpose of the story. The body paragraphs were about symbols in the story. I have also been working on my introductions and transitions of paragraphs.

"Get away!" The boy gave her another push. "What are you waiting for, stupid head?"

We've all seen or heard crude actions on the playground. Bullying happens on a daily basis everywhere, because bullies cannot control themselves. Some people that get bullied change to a point where they don't want to be around people anymore. This is called isolation. Many kids that get bullied don't hang around people because they are scared to get bullied.

 The short story "All Summer in a Day", shows what bullying does to a person. Bullying is a serious topic that is happening in schools, homes, and outdoors. When bullied people around other people they think those people will bully them too. If isolated people do not get any interaction with other people they think there social life is crushed. Some people that have been isolated for too long tend to talk to themselves and act like nobodies there. Isolation is a very serious topic  bad thing to happen to people, but the only reason it does happen is because of bullying.

The main "character in All Summer in a Day" is a girl named Margot; she is intensely bullied at school by classmates because she has seen the sun before. Since Margot has had a rough time at her school because of all the bullying, she is very isolated. Her main conflict in the story is a boy named William; he pushes, shoves, and calls her names all the time. The bullying from him is so tremendously harsh that Margot goes insane. She screams in the shower and won’t say a thing to anybody. Although Margot is the main character, she doesn’t have control of anything going on in the story. She gets bullied all day by William and doesn’t do anything about it. Margot hates the fact that she is isolated from her classmates. So since nobody around her protects her from bullying, she has no way to go but to stay alone.

Although Margot is in a very bad setting with all of the bullying, the setting around her is as bad as the bullying. Even if you didn’t know what the actual story was about, you would still be able to figure out that this story is irony by listening to the dreadful words that the author uses. The author Ray Bradbury, uses different symbols that let the reader see how the world around the kids is put together. Ray includes different objects about the planet such as the sun only coming out every 7 years. In addition, he includes the jungle colors are as gloomy as ash. Another symbol describes that "Margot looks like an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost". These symbols describe the story as a sad and terrible time for these kids.

When Margot gets bullied in this story, she tends to get secluded from her classmates. She then can’t stand what she is going through and ends up committing suicide. Just because this is a science fiction story doesn’t mean it isn’t all real. Bullying happens every day from kids around the world. Kids that get bullied don’t feel like they’re important anymore and drift off into their own world. Some kids then go crazy while others need mental help. When somebody get isolated from friends and family they may not be able to go on with themselves. This is why bullying needs to end. Otherwise, kids everywhere may soon give up confidence to live because of bullying.