"Stolen Day" Essay

Rewards Of Determination

You wake up to your alarm clock, it’s Monday morning and time to get ready for school. The last thing you want to do is have to deal with more teachers today after your long weekend. But as usual, you get up and get ready even though you’d much rather want to sleep. This is the exact opposite of what the main character in “Stolen Day” written by Sherwood Anderson, did. He was so desperate to miss school he made himself believe he had inflammatory rheumatism. This shows that our society has grown to become very lazy and careless. We always want change and refuse to enjoy normal routines, which made him careless about life. Sometimes we have to go through boring routines in life, and in the end they benefit us greatly.
The main character in “Stolen Day” is a boy who just wants to get by with life as easily as he can. This life set determination took over his mind and made him careless about his surroundings. You can’t go through life without facing the tough times, even if it’s the last thing you want to do. The boy let his laziness take over which made him stay home. If he would have went to school, he might have had a great day that would have later benefited him. “Stolen Day” is an excellent comedy to tell the reader about carelessness.
A comedy begins with normalcy in life which starts with the boy attending school in spring. The story continues with a mild conflict when the boy realizes his body is aching. This then causes him to stay home from school. The conflict is then realized when he comes to a conclusion that he might have inflammatory rheumatism. Next, the resolution occurs when the boy shares his discovery with his family. They all laugh and deny his conclusion because they know that he tricked himself to stay home from school. The comedy then returns back to normalcy when the family has dinner together. This short story is a great example of a well written comedy and a clear theme.
The theme of “A Stolen Day” is man vs. himself. The reasoning for this relies on the boy’s thoughts in the story. He made himself believe he had the disease because of his desire to miss school. The conflict in the story was all inside of his head, which caused problems for himself. If it weren’t for his distracting thoughts in his mind, he would not have stayed home from school. This gives a clear message of tough experiences through its theme.
In order to be rewarded in life, you have to face the hard times. People don’t realize that hard work pays off with great rewards. But the option of laziness gets in the way of the determined thinking. You have to decide whether you are going to be a hard worker with a good determination or a couch potato with no hope. So what will you decide to do? Sit on the couch and eat another bag of chips, or get out and accomplish something?

"All Tales are Anansi's" Essay

Confidence


Have you ever yearned something so much that you are willing to accomplish anything to receive it? Majority can answer this question with yes, because we have all wanted that new outfit or the new video game system. But to earn this reward, did you have to risk your life? Anansi, the main character in “All Stories are Anansi’s” written by Harold Courlander had to do so. Except Anansi was not fighting for clothes or games; he was fighting for all the tales and stories of the world to belong to him. Anansi was greatly underestimated, but that did not stop him from fighting for what he desired.
Giving up can sometimes seem to be the easier option rather than going on and succeeding. But what we do not realize is that the hard work does pay off eventually. When we think negatively and complain about the work it takes to accomplish, it lowers our interest in succeeding. This can become a habit and your mind will trick you into giving up on everything. Anansi is the perfect example of how to keep your mind set on getting your task accomplished. Anansi was very confident in himself and never once doubted his skills. He is an excellent role model for all who feel like giving up, as Anansi avoided in this short story romance.
A romance begins with a minor conflict which in “All Stories are Anansi’s” is the spider asking the owner of all stories to take his position. He is then given three tasks to accomplish in order to take this position of having all the stories belong to him. Then the romance ends with some kind of symbolism of life. The symbolism of life in this romance was the new owner of all the stories and tales in the world. Characteristics of a romance are unrealistic, main character not in control, and the good is strong while the evil is weak. This short story is very unrealistic because the animals in the story are all capable of talking. Anansi, the main character, is never in control because he cannot make the animals go to the owner of the stories. He had to trick the evil then take them to the owner himself. In a romance, the evil is weak. The hornets, python and the cougar are all weak because they were fooled by the spider. While the good, the spider, is strong because he successfully fooled all three of his components. This romance not only has a mode, it also contains a theme that makes the message of the romance clearer.
The theme of “All Stories are Anansi’s” is man vs. himself. Anansi is against himself in this short story because of his confidence in himself and the work he had to do. This story would have to be man vs. himself because if it were man vs. nature or society he would be fighting against something other than himself. But in this story, it is testing his own knowledge, strength and wisdom. It could seem as if this short story could be a man vs. man theme. Anansi does fight against other men, but it was really testing his skills to determine if he could be given all the tales of the world.
Everyone comes across a time in their life where they desire a certain something so much that they couldn’t let anything like being underestimated get in their way. Don’t take the easier way out in life and give up on something you have worked on. Keep fighting no matter what the struggles are that come upon you. It may be tempting to think towards the negative side, but if you get these thoughts think of Anansi. Anansi believed in himself and that is all that mattered, no one else’s opinion was important. So whatever the circumstances, never back down and always believe in yourself no matter what others think.

"The Ugly Duckling" Essay

Acceptance


Have you ever felt rejection or loneliness because of your appearance? Have you been judged about your clothing, talents or looks before a person got to know you? This is what the main character, an innocent duckling, experienced in the short story “The Ugly Duckling” written by Hans Christian Anderson. Acceptance and judgment are two cruel concepts that have grown to become an issue in our society. People tend to judge someone just by one glance at their appearance and assume they know their personality. The ugly duckling was treated very unfairly because people were looking at him but not really seeing his true personality.
The ugly duckling was born with a strong self esteem, but that was crushed by just a few cruel comments. Being judged just by your outer appearance is very unfair to the person being judged, because they can do nothing about their appearance and their personality could be the complete opposite of the assumption. People have to remember to think hard about what you say to people, and picture how it could harm them. This would be one of the simple things to do to get one step closer to a better world with more peace. This romance was a perfect example to show the harms of not being included and simple, harmful words.
A romance’s plotline is very simple, it begins with a minor conflict which is no one accepting the ugly duckling because of his appearance. Then the romance ends in a symbolism of life, which is the duck’s formation into a swan. This gave him a new life because his new appearance gave him more acceptance. A romance is an unrealistic story, in “The Ugly Duckling” the animals talk with each other which is very unrealistic. The ugly duckling did not have any control in this short story, he could not control what he looked like or what others thought of him. This is another characteristic of a romance, the main character is not in control in the story. A romance always contains some sort of message throughout the story, this short story has an excellent purpose to speak to the readers.
The purpose of this short story is to speak to the reader about the dangers of judgment and verbal abuse. The story contains a lesson about both of these very important actions that can negatively change someone’s life. The ugly duckling was judged multiple times by just one glance. This did not help his confidence within himself, which can change someone’s personality. Another harm that changed his confidence was verbal abuse from others. Because of his appearance, the ugly duckling was verbally abused by many of his peers. They would say things that would make him think even more negatively of himself. Hans Christian Anderson wrote “The Ugly Duckling” with an excellent purpose to inform the readers about these very important dangers.
People are judged by their outside appearance everyday by people who don’t acknowledge what matters most, which is their personality. People cannot choose what their looks will be, but they do choose what their inside will be. Next time you think about not talking to someone because they aren’t pretty enough or wear clothes like yours, ask yourself a question. What is the difference between a beautiful girl with a bright personality and a not so beautiful girl with a bright personality as well? Judgment can end in missing out in a friendship with someone that you could have shared the best memories with. So who will you choose to be? The shallow one who chooses friends by just a first glance? Or the one who looks past appearance and has the most memorable friendships?

"The Lie" Essay

The Easy Way Out

Can you honestly confess that you have never told a lie? If yes, you have most likely just told your “first” lie. Unfortunately, everyone has told a lie no matter what the story is behind it. But have you ever told a lie which ends up ruining your family’s line of tradition? Now there are few people that can truthfully answer that question as yes. Eli Remenzel, the main character in “The Lie” written by Kurt Vonnegut Junior can be, if not the only, one of the few that can answer that question yes. This short story contains an excellent moral that can save someone from trouble. Eli was looking for the easy way out by telling his lie, but sometimes the easy way out comes with a consequence.
There are many different types of lies that come with different consequences. But the worst consequence is the guilt you get after your lie is discovered. Convincing citizens to prevent lying would be an easy job, but would they come through? New technology is being invented everyday to make our lives easier, which at the same time is making us lazier. It is not only making our bodies lazier, but our minds as well. It is like our minds have been hypnotized by today’s technology to take the easy way out. That is why lying is so hard to prevent these days. A lie is obviously the easy way out in a bad situation, but sometimes before someone lies they don’t think about the outcome that could occur days, months, or years later. Technology and lying have changed our society in so many ways it is unimaginable, which is what is told in “The Lie”. This comedic short story is a great example for the world to see about the outcomes of lies.
A comedy begins with normalcy, as “The Lie” did while Eli and his father were driving to his new boarding school. Next a conflict arises when the reader finds out that Eli ripped up his grades so his parent wouldn’t find out that he was flunking. Then the conflict is released when Then the conflict is released when the truth is discovered, “I tore his letter up.” Said Eli.” The conflict is then resolved when Eli’s parents understand because they put him under so much pressure. Then their lives return to normalcy as they go back home and not worry about this boarding school ever again. This story is not only a comedic short story but it is also a man vs. man short story.
This short story is man vs. man in two different ways. Eli’s lie is the reason for this theme because he is lying to both his parents and himself. “If I were you,” she said to Eli, “I’d be so excited I could hardly stand it.” His parents were clearly very proud and excited for him. But he physically lied to his parents about his grades and mentally lied to himself about the kind of person he is. Eli’s parents were very disappointed about Eli’s decision to lie, and Eli was mad at himself that he let himself do this. He knew that was not the person he really is, but a simple lie can change your thoughts. This man vs. man short story is an excellent example of not only being honest to people around you, but to yourself as well.
The easy way out is tempting sometimes, but comes along with terrible outcomes. Lying is one of those easy escapes that are very attempting to use when in a situation, as Eli did. A simple lie can ruin important relationships that will be needed later in life. Preventing use of lies is one of the many subjects our society has to attempt to begin using. You may not be able to get the world to stop choosing the easy way out, but you can surely make a small step towards it by convincing yourself not to first.

No More Mister Nice Guy Response

In the UpFront magazing I read an article talking about changing Mickey Mouses appearance. They say that because of kids texting and technology they don't relate to the old, innocent Mickey. They are guessing that a more fiestier and mischievious Mickey would attract more teenagers these days, I honestly disagree. Mickey has been famous for his sweet voice and nice acts so why change him? Teenagers are not into Mickey Mouse anymore but the younger kids most definately are. Mickey has his own show that kids adore and he is kind of like a fiction role model to them. So if they take the original Mickey away they will lose even more interest from the younger kids who truly adore him.

The Necklace Essay

Dangers of Lies

Have you ever wished that you could magically go back in time and take back something you have regretted for a long amount of time? Well that is most likely at the top of Madame Mathilde list of wishes. Madame Mathilde, the main character in the short story “The Necklace” written by Guy de Maupassant could have simply told the truth but instead she lied and caused many years of suffering for her and her husband. Because of one lie, that could have easily not been said, Madame Mathilde had to become a maid for years and her husband had to work days and night with no sleep. Although the truth is difficult to say sometimes, you should never speak of a lie because of the trouble it may bring in the future.

The main character of “The Necklace” is a middle aged woman named Madame Mathilde. She is very selfish and needy, because of her poor lifestyle. Her and her husband have little money and are not known as important people of the town. When her husband gets her an invitation into a ball, it only transforms her into an even more greedy woman. But when she tells one lie, it changes her life for the next ten years. Lies are a terrible concept that have made their way into our society. They get citizens in serious and minor trouble every day all over the world. But the question really is, why do people lie? Most of the time the reason is because of fear of the outcome if they told the truth, but there are many other broad and specific reasons. According to Margaret Paul, a doctor of philosophy, “Lying may be one end of a relationship system, with anger and judgment on the other end.” Lying is a very dangerous concept, that no one can honestly say they haven’t done. The lie in this short story is a major part of the plot in this tragedy.

A tragedy begins with a conflict which the main character is involved in. This conflict in “The Necklace” is Madame Mathilde’s jealousy problem that gets her into a tragic situation. Then the main character rises to power, when Madame Mathilde goes to the ball and appears to be the most dashing woman to attend. Next there is a tragic flaw when she realizes her jacket is not fur like the other rich women's at the ball, so she rushed herself and her husband into their carriage. Then the tragic fall occurs when she loses the necklace and lies to her friend when she replaces it with a new one that her husband purchased for a very large amount of francs. Lastly the tragedy ends in loss, when Madame Mathilde realizes she has lost ten years of her life trying to pay off the diamond necklace when the necklace she lost was made of only fake diamonds. The mode was simple to identify with the many symbols that helped make the mode clear.

The short story, “The Necklace” had many hidden symbols in the story with important meanings, such as the necklace itself. The necklace symbolizes her night in disguise. When she was dressed as if she was one of the richer woman in the civilization, she had her dress and her jewelry which everyone admired. The diamond necklace that she replaced the fake one with also has a meaning or symbol behind it, it symbolizes the dangers of lying and the trouble they went through to get the necklace. Another symbol a reader can find in this story is her shall that she wore on her not at the ball. This symbolizes her and her husband’s struggle with money and poorness, because of the poor shape it is in when she wore it. These symbols gave even more meaning and message that the reader can take from reading this short story.

Lies are very dangerous and sometimes too easy to tell, but they should be avoided because of the many consequences that could follow. Everyone has unfortunately told a lie, but in the end there is always some sort of punishment. So save yourself before you speak and just simply tell the truth, even though sometimes a small lie can be the easy way out. Madame Mathilde caused herself ten years of misery which is quite the consequence. She could’ve easily kept her ten years of precious life by telling the truth about the necklace but instead she lied and then came misery. So learn your lesson from the moral of this short story and tell the truth no matter what the outcome may be. Because in the end, the consequence of a lie is always going to be worse than the consequence of the truth.

Speak Essay

A Roller Coaster Ride

Your head is filled with everything negative you can fill it with, life doesn’t matter to you anymore, and you just feel like giving up. This is what Melinda, the main character in Speak by Laurie Anderson felt when she was beginning to notice she was depressed. Teen depression is a serious cause that can be started in many ways. Loss of friends or boyfriend/girlfriend, ancestor genes, death, disease and many others, there are endless possibilities. But Melinda had a combination of these possibilities to lead to her depression. The novel Speak teaches a great lesson on how important it is to live life as “alive” as you can, and the dangers of teen depression.

Melinda is one of the many teens who have suffered from teenage depression. There are many different ways that teens get depression but Melinda was raped, and then lost her friends because she wouldn’t speak and tell them the truth of what happened. Melinda wasn’t mentally strong in the beginning of the book. But throughout the struggles she went through she became stronger after being forced to go through very tough times. Along with Melinda’s friend life and being sexually assaulted she didn’t have a very good relationship with her parents at home. Her parents were always fighting and not excepting her for who she is. Not getting any love or support from her parents made her depression even worse, like she was digging herself into a deeper hole. But towards the end of the book when she started getting support from friends and a little more from family it was like she had hit rock bottom and now was being led back up to the light. Melinda unfortunately is not the only teen who has gone through an experience like this.

Twenty percent of teens go through depression before they reach adulthood. But there are two main types of depression. Once can be called seasonal depression, where you only have signs of depression during the colder months. Then there is serious depression where you have depression for a long period of time such as years until you recover if you do. Luckily half the time people recover from depression but in some cases people live with depression for their whole lives, and unfortunately it is what kills some. Ninety percent of suicide victims have suffered from a mental illness or depression in their lifetime. It doesn’t seem fair that in some cases something such as losing a friend, can in the end, lead to suicide. Life itself can be disappointing and rewarding but in the end you just have to live to the fullest, which is what Laurie Anderson is trying to speak to you through her novel.

The message of this novel is about life itself and living it as you are alive and enjoying it. As children’s author Stacey Charter said, “Life can be like a rollercoaster…and just when you think you’ve had enough you jump back on, throw your hands in the air, and ride the rollercoaster all over again. That’s exhilaration…that’s living a little bit on the edge…that’s living ALIVE.” This novel teaches a great lesson on enjoying life and living it the best you can because you only get one. Melinda realized in the novel that she wasn’t living life to the fullest and she would regret the months that she wasted. Speak teaches a very clear message to readers that is very useful to live life as you are more alive.

Speak is an inspiring book with a clear message to readers to make life an extravagant experience, and to never regret it. Melinda had to learn the hard way and in the end she did regret wasting precious days of her life regretting she was alive. So don’t waste any time you have, and make life the best you can. Don’t be one of the teenagers that make up the twenty percent of teens who have depression, be one of the eighty percent that enjoy life and cherish every moment. So what are you going to do, get off the rollercoaster? Or jump back on, throw your hands in the air and live alive?