The Lost Woods

Authors Note: This is a creative piece I made to focus a lot on imagery, tone, and figurative language. It is greatly inspired by The Legend of Zelda video game series.

The green tree leaves were wet and damp. Clear water slowly tripped down the rough, brown bark of the giant, god like trees that scrapped the stormy sky. The rain had stopped but it left such a thick misty mass through the woods that you wouldn't even be able to see your own hand in front of your face.  The forest was endless. With every turn, everything looked exactly the same. This was diffidently no help for the young adventurer searching through the forest for his friend with his small fairy companion beside him over his shoulder.

His friend said she would be at the end of the woods waiting for him. What had his friend brought him there for?  Didn't she remember he was busy on his quest to help the royal family with their troubles? Didn't they just say goodbye a few days ago? The young adventurer had no time to waste and needed to be at the castle as soon as possible. He didn't even have anything other than his sword and shield for the quest and needed to find some magical item to help him aid the royal family. This was such a distraction. Though he admitted to himself he did indeed feel lonely from these long days of travel and missed her company, so he pressed on.

The warm steamy mist hissed at him as he walked through it, as if it didn't want to be touched.  There was just trees, trees, fog and more trees. There was a strange ominous feeling of hopelessness throughout the forest and he didn't like it at all. With what felt like hours of walking, the young adventurer finally spotted someone - or something faintly in the fog. It looked like a child -no a scarecrow but it wasn't tall or hanging on a stick. It was as small as a child and sat on a tree stump with its eyes buried in it's straw hands, panting. Crying. It was alive.

The sight of another living being, or just of something other than trees and fog made the young adventurer's heart skip a beat. Slowly and cautiously he walked towards the creature, ready to draw his sword if necessary. Nervously he asked the creature if it knew where the end of the woods was. The creature just sheepishly stared at him with no response with tears in its eyes.  The young adventurer's fairy explained to him what the creature was; a skull kid. When children get lost in these woods and never find a way out, this is what happens to them.

Suddenly the young adventurer felt  a strong pity for the poor skull kid, but then soon panicked and ran away from it as quickly as possible.  How long would it be until he turned into a skull kid himself if he didn't hurry up and find a way out? The dim light slipping through the branches of trees from the sky was slowly fading into darkness.  What was he going to do, everything still looked the same and it would get even worse at night. Maybe it was all inside his head but he thought he felt his hands changing, feeling hard and rough like tree bark. He was about to scream in fear and frustration but then suddenly noticed a faint sound in the distance. He paused, remaining completely silent, trying to block out the sounds of the forest night to hear what it was. It was a song. A beautiful, mesmerizing  song was coming from somewhere.

The young adventurer didn't know exactly why, but he had to follow it. He just had to. Almost as if in a trance, the young adventurer slowly followed the song through the dark misty woods, the song growing louder with every step. Before he knew it, he was standing at the very end of the woods with a maze of the grand trees standing behind him proudly. The song was now so loud he could practically hear it clearly booming through his ears. The young adventurer was so exhausted and sleepy (or just so deeply mesmerized), his eyes nearly closed. It took him a few moments to noticed where the beautiful music was coming from.  

There, sitting on an old dead log cross legged was his friend he had been searching hours for. The young adventurers eyes quickly shot open as he ran toward her, but then immediately  stopped in his tracks in awe. The music stopped and there in her hands was a small ocarina. She had been playing the music the whole time. His friend looked up and smiled. She then took the ocarina to the young adventurer and placed it in his hands. She explained that the ocarina was magical and she made it all by herself here at the end of the woods. Not only can it produce a loud, beautiful sound, it can also perform spells depending on the song that is played. She then taught the young adventurer how to play the song she had been playing. The song in particular was a communication spell.  If for whatever reason the young adventurer ever needed to talk to his friend, he could just play that song and instantly be able to no matter where he was.

The young adventurer's friend told him she thought the ocarina could come in handy for his quest, so she's letting him keep it. She originally was going to give him it before he left but she didn't finish it in time. That's why she brought him here. It was just the kind of item he needed for the quest! With a rush of joy, the young adventurer jumped in excitement feeling immensely grateful for his new gift. He thanked his friend and promised he would keep good care of it.

 The young adventurer stayed up all night with his friend, learning how to play new songs, playing games and having fun. When the orange sun finally began to rise at dawn, the young adventurer remembered that he still had a quest to do. After thanking his friend one last time, he played a teleportation spell and disappeared.

Potter vs Jackson (Spring DWA)

I've been reading Harry Potter for a quite a while now as you can probably tell if you've read a lot of my pieces. As of a few months ago, I finally finished reading every single book in the series, front to back. Not too soon after I finished my friend nearly forced me to start reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series, claiming it was supposedly as good or better than Harry Potter. Upon finishing the first book and currently reading through the 2nd I've noticed quite a lot of similarities between the two series.

For one thing, both books are about a normal boy discovering an alternate fantasy world to reality. For Harry Potter it's the Wizarding World and for Percy Jackson it's the Olympian World. In both series, these alternate fantasies are hidden and kept secret from the normal people the world.  Another blatant similarity would be Hogwarts, Harry's school, and Camp Half Blood, Percy's Summer camp. Both books center around going to these places that act as a "true home" for Harry and Percy. They feel most comfortable when they are their and train for their future. Not only that, but even the character set up is pretty similar! Harry, Ron, and Hermione; Percy, Grover, and Annabeth. Percy being the main character. Grover being Percy's good friend is like how Ron is to Harry. Annabeth being the smart female of the group just like Hermione. Gabe, Percy's mean step father, is basically the equivalent of the Dursleys, Harry's family, to Percy. They both are treated terribly by them. I could really go on forever with the similarities, honestly.

However even though there are tons and tons of similarities, obviously they can't be exactly the same. The over all writing styles of the two series are completely different from each other. Harry Potter is written in the 3rd person in a very formal way, not using any slang and using a big vocabulary. Percy Jackson is in first person in Percy's perspective and is written a lot more casually because of it. This probably also has to do with the setting in which the two books take place and where they are written. While Harry Potter takes place in and is written in United Kingdom, Percy Jackson takes place in and is written in America. These two different cultures make a big difference when it comes to the writing. And of course, probably one of the more obvious differences, is the theme. As stated before Harry Potter has to do with the Wizarding World and magic while Percy Jackson has to do with Greek Mythology and Gods. While Percy Jackson has to do with young warriors learning how to fight monsters, Harry Potter is about young wizards and witches learning magic. They're two completely different themes.

That being said, I still think both books are very, very similar. I recall upon reading the first Percy Jackson something about Percy seeing someone reading a book with a wizard on the cover. Could this be a settle nod to Harry Potter? Could the Percy Jackson series indeed be inspired by the Harry Potter series, if not only partly? Perhaps that's why they are so similar to each other? Either way, at the end of the day I still prefer Potter over Jackson regardless.

The Value of Gym Classes

Authors note: This is an essay we had to right for Fitness. This is my take on it.

We’ve had a variant of Fitness classes in this school district since all way back in Kindergarten. Back then we just called in gym. When we got into Horizon, it was called PE. Now that we’re here in Asa, it’s just called Fitness and Health. In every variant of the class, it has always provided a lot of value towards me.

Gym class has always provided me a good amount of exercise. I don’t play many sports anymore and I need to get some somehow. Gym has been my primary source of exercise for a while now. I feel like it has helped me improve my health and I feel a lot more comfortable running and moving around now, near the end of middle school, than when I started it.

Not only has it provided me exercise, its also given me some fun with friends. Playing a game or just passing a ball back and forth at the start of class, we get a lot of time to talk and just have fun. It also helps gain new friends as well.

Gym and physical activity is very valuable to me. I think gym is a very important class class to help keep us fit and healthy and also give us some social interaction. It’s an essential break we need from just sitting in a classroom working all day.

The Circuit Inference Analysis

Author's Note: This is a Inference Analysis on the short story "The Circuit" by Francisco Jiménez. 

The Circuit is a very interesting short story. The story is about a poor hispanic family that works in farming fields. Whenever they start to run low on money or a certain picking season ends, whether it be strawberry or grape picking season or whatever, they need to migrate to a new place to keep getting money. While I didn’t exactly understand at first, The Circuit definitely has a few things you can take from it.

The main character has to move and leave his home after every harvesting season. Moving is a very hard thing to do sometimes. After you finally get get used to the home, you don’t want to leave it. You become too used to it. You’ll miss it. I think the writer was trying to describe and teach how hard it is too move to a completely new place. He couldn’t sleep the night before the move. He hated the idea so much.

His family lived a harsh life, especially when they moved to their new home. All they did was work, work and work more. They didn’t even get a proper home, they got a dirty garage to sleep in. Eventually when November came he was able to finally go to school after having to hide out of site from the cops for not going. He was alone, scared and nervous. He met a teacher who became his friend who taught him how to play a trumpet. He was finally happy again with his new home.  But then the season was over and they had to move again. That’s a pretty harsh life and I think the writer was trying to express how hard some people have got it.

In conclusion, The Circuit was a pretty good short story. While there isn’t exactly any direct moral or lesson to be learned if you ask me, there still something to be learned. Not everyone’s got it so easy.

Forced Labor

Authors Note: This is a short creative piece I did off an inspiration I got when learning about sweatshops in Social Studies. This isn't necessarily a sweat shop as much as it is a prison where people work, but you get the point. 

We wake up at 5 o’clock sharp every morning. No later. The orange sun barely rising in the dark, black sky at dawn; we dress quickly before we get warned a second time.  We pace our way in an orderly fashion through the bland, dimly lit corridors with guards shoving the points of their guns in our backs.  They escort us to our dirty work stations -- all our supplies sitting there waiting for us.  We pick up our sewing materials and begin the boring, tedious process over and over and over again.  There are no breaks. No talking. No escape. No hope. Just work. All day, every day. Forever. If you are working too slowly or fall asleep, you’re beaten nearly to death. If you attempt at saying as much as one word, the watching guards are more than happy to pull the trigger pointed at your head. 

Homophobia Rant (Revised)

Authors Note: I revised this a piece a little bit, fixing a few things I felt could be improved.

Homosexuality has become more and more relevant in America as time has gone by. I personally am not a homosexual nor have I ever knowingly met a homosexual in person, however I have met a few over the internet. I can assure you that they are completely normal people that act just like everyone else and I completely support their rights. Can someone please explain to me a good reason why there so much hate and discrimination towards them? Homosexuals deserve every single right you and I have, and the hate and negativity towards them needs to stop.

Discrimination has been relevant in America’s history ever since we started this nation; whether it be racism or sexism. Ever since then, women and race rights have since been resolved in some way. However, gays seem to still not have completely equal rights or respect in most places. This hate towards gays is the same kind of discrimination! Who cares what sex, skin color, religion, or sexuality people have? People are people and should be treated equally no matter what. What right does anyone have to say two people who love each other shouldn’t be able to marry, let alone make it illegal, just because they happen to be the same gender?

I understand it’s a religion thing, but isn’t this country all about freedom and freedom of religion? Our laws shouldn’t be centered around a certain religion if we are free to believe whatever we want. Why is it anyone else’s business in the first place? If someone personally believes a homosexual is going to burn in hell for being the way they are then power to them, but why do they feel the need to shove their believes in peoples’ faces? If it’s not any of your business, if it’s not even affecting you, if they mean no harm at all to you why should you care so much? Leave them alone and let them live their life without being harassed for once. Everyone has different beliefs; learn to respect that.  

                                                                                                                

 People typically claim that homosexuality is a unnatural and is a choice. If that is the case, how come some animals, who cannot make choices the same way humans can, have been found to be homosexual? Penguins, Amazon dolphins, lions, elephants, giraffes, sheep, lizards, dragon flies and many others have all been found to be homosexual before. Do these animals necessarily decide they to be gay? No, some are just born with a different attraction than others. It’s the same for humans. It is most certainly not a choice. It is more of a preference, you can’t just change it, it’s just who you are. For instance, let’s say we lived in world where almost everyone loves straw berries. In that world, let’s say instead of liking strawberries, I preferred blueberries. You wouldn’t be able to force me to like strawberries or make me not like blue berries. It’s just who I am and what I prefer. If I don’t like strawberries, I don’t like strawberries. It’s that simple. It’s a preference.

Even if it was unnatural and was a choice what difference would that make? If it’s not hurting anyone or affecting anyone, why does it matter? Like I said before, this is a free country isn’t it? If it is a choice, they should have the right to make that choice. We do unnatural things every day anyway. Is using technology natural? Are drugs like caffeine natural? No. So then so what? What does something necessarily unnatural have to do with anything? It’s ridiculous.

Gays are also often bullied if they ever come out of the closet or show signs of being gay; especially in school years. This can often lead to depression and even suicide.  These people never decided to be the way they are or who they would be attracted to and they are being punished for it; they are being told these feelings are wrong and they can’t feel that way. What positives come out of forcing people to repress their sexuality? What positives come out of keeping them from marrying? How does it fix anything? It just makes things worse so what’s the point?

I’m really tired of all this negativity and discrimination towards homosexuals. They seriously don’t deserve any of it and it really needs to stop. I just hope for a future where stating your sexuality in public will be as normal as it seems to be on the internet. Where having a different sexuality will be completely normal and that no one will be treated unfairly for it. 

Homophobia Rant

Author's Note: This is a rant essay about homophobia. I meant to revise and add more stuff to it to work more towards my goals, but I ran out of time. I mainly meant to work on voice. 

Homosexuality has become more and more relevant in America as time has gone by. I personally am not a homosexual nor have I ever knowingly met a homosexual in person, however I have met a few over the internet. I can assure you that they are completely normal people that act just like everyone else and I completely support their rights. Can someone please explain to me a good reason why there so much hate and discrimination towards them? Homosexuals deserve every single right you and I have, and the hate and negativity towards them needs to stop.

Discrimination has been relevant in America’s history ever since we started this nation; whether it be racism or sexism. Ever since then, women and race rights have since been resolved in some way. However, gays seem to still not have completely equal rights or respect in most places. This hate towards gays is the same kind of discrimination! Who cares what sex, skin color, religion, or sexuality people have? People are people and should be treated equally no matter what. What right does anyone have to say two people who love each other shouldn’t be able to marry, let alone make it illegal, just because they happen to be the same gender?

I understand it’s a religion thing, but isn’t this country all about freedom and freedom of religion? Our laws shouldn’t be centered around a certain religion if we are free to believe whatever we want. Why is it anyone else’s business in the first place? If someone personally believes a homosexual is going to burn in hell for being the way they are then power to them, but why do they feel the need to shove their believes in peoples’ faces? If it’s not any of your business, if it’s not even affecting you, if they mean no harm at all to you why should you care so much? Leave them alone and let them live their life without being harassed for once. Everyone has different beliefs; learn to respect that.  

                                                                                                                

 People typically claim that homosexuality is a unnatural and is a choice. If that is the case, how come some animals, who cannot make choices the same way humans can, have been found to be homosexual? Penguins, Amazon dolphins, lions, elephants, giraffes, sheep, lizards, dragon flies and many others have all been found to be homosexual before. Do these animals necessarily decide they to be gay? No, some are just born with a different attraction than others. It’s the same for humans. It is most certainly not a choice. It is more of a preference; you can’t just change it, it’s just who you are. For instance, let’s say we lived in world where almost everyone loves straw berries. In that world, let’s say instead of liking strawberries, I preferred blueberries. You wouldn’t be able to force me to like strawberries or make me not like blue berries. It’s just who I am and what I prefer. If I don’t like strawberries, I don’t like strawberries. It’s that simple. It’s a preference.

Even if it was unnatural and was a choice what difference would that make? If it’s not hurting anyone or affecting anyone, why does it matter? Like I said before, this is a free country isn’t it? If it is a choice, they should have the right to make that choice. We do unnatural things every day anyway. Is using technology natural? Are drugs like caffeine natural? No. So then so what? What does something necessarily unnatural have to do with anything? It’s ridiculous.

Gays are also often bullied if they ever come out of the closet or show signs of being gay; especially in school years. This can often lead to depression and even suicide.  What positives come out of forcing people to repress their sexuality? What positives come out of keeping them from marrying? These people never decided to be the way they are or who they would be attracted to. I just hope for a future where stating your sexuality in public will be as normal as it seems to be on the internet. That having a different sexuality will be normal and that no one will be treated unfairly for it.