Metaphors and similes!

Fifth of July

My family is an expired firecracker
set off by the blowtorch of divorce. We lay
scattered in many directions.
My father is the wick, badly burnt
but still glowing softly.
My mother is the blackened paper fluttering down,
blowing this way and that, unsure where to land.
My sister is the fallen, colorful parachute,
lying in a tangled knot, unable to see the beauty she
holds.
My brother is the fresh, untouched powder that
was protected from the flame. And I,
I am the singed, outside papers, curled away
from everything, silently cursing
the blowtorch.

By: John

Metaphors are a comparison between two unlike things without the use of like or as.

Metaphors are important to writing because metaphors can be used to compare two things to each other and they make something more descriptive. They help in making imagery and getting a message across.

The tone of this poem is sad and lonely.

The mood of the poem is depressing.

The meaning of this poem is to describe how this person feels when their parents were going through a divorce and how it just made his life a weird situation he was now lonely without his parents together.

A Love Poem 

Your love is like a blanket
that keeps me toasty warm.
Your love is like a shield
that protects me from all harm.
Your love is like a chocolate bar,
velvet-smooth and sweet
Or like some comfy house slippers
that hug my tired feet

You hold me like an easy chair
when I’m too weak to stand
Imbue me with your steadfast faith
by just holding my hand
Your eyes express devotion,
profound and true and deep
Your heartbeat’s like a lullabye
that beckons me to sleep

You permeate my memories
Romance from days long past
You underwrite my future
with a love that’s made to last
I need you more than words can say
My heart is sure and true
I’m yours until the end of time
Like, baby, I love you

 Similes are a comparison between two unlike things using like or as.

Similes are important because they also help out in imagery and they help in expressing the authors view on things.

The tone of the poem is love and togetherness.

The mood of the poem is happy and dependability.
The meaning of this poem is that this person is describing how the love of another person makes them feel and how dependent they are of that person, as in life with out them would be empty and lonely.

Did the effort make a difference?

People have lived through many events of injustice and there have been a few brave people who have had the courage to stand against the injustice and make a difference, the difference in which we live today. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. at the last speech he would ever give stated, “... I may not be there with you but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promise land.” What he meant with these words is that even though he might not be there when the change has occurred he knows and has faith that it will occur. He had a feeling he would no longer be present to witness his work pay off. All of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. work has succeeded but not completely.

Dr Martin Luther king Jr. believed that everyone was equal and he died trying to fight for what he believed was right. If he walked into our school tomorrow he would say that he could not be any more proud of the fact that schools and life is now a inter racial society. If he saw what we do with our civil rights he would be disappointed. He would be disappointed because he would see that people in our school take their civil rights for granted and do not take advantage of the opportunities they have. He would just look at the generation of today and be ashamed to see that all his work was wasted but he would be happy to see people now accepting each other not by the color of their skin but the content of their person.

Martin would be proud of me. He would see that I am actually taking advantage of the privileges I have today. He would see that unlike everyone else in the school there are people that do not take things for granted and appreciate the fact that people gave their lives up just so we could live in a better society. He would be happy to see a community in which people no longer categorize as white and colored people. He would be disappointed to see people making their selves look like idiots by wearing there pant under the regular standard. To see people being racist and hating one another. To see people in gangs and to see people killing each other.

Even tough the world is not perfect martin would be proud to see that his efforts actually made a difference. He would see that people do not discriminate each other like before. Black and whites now marry each other and have a big happy family. All the people that have fought for the rights we have today would be proud to see that they actually made a difference. They made the world a better place.

                                                                                                             

Hyperboles a tool of literature.

Hyperbole- is a exaggeration in which a statement is stretched and not to be taken literally 

Hyperboles are an important part of writing because they emphasis the meaning or the literature and it also helps in developing the feeling of the literature

 Television by Roald Dahl

The most important thing we've learned,

So far as children are concerned,

Is never, NEVER, NEVER let

Them near your television set --

Or better still, just don't install

The idiotic thing at all.

In almost every house we've been,

We've watched them gaping at the screen.

They loll and slop and lounge about,

And stare until their eyes pop out.

(Last week in someone's place we saw

A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)

They sit and stare and stare and sit

Until they're hypnotised by it,

Until they're absolutely drunk

With all that shocking ghastly junk.

Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,

They don't climb out the window sill,

They never fight or kick or punch,

They leave you free to cook the lunch

And wash the dishes in the sink --

But did you ever stop to think,

To wonder just exactly what

This does to your beloved tot?

IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!

IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!

IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!

IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND

HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND

A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!

HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!

HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!

HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES!

'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,

'But if we take the set away,

What shall we do to entertain

Our darling children? Please explain!'

We'll answer this by asking you,

'What used the darling ones to do?

'How used they keep themselves contented

Before this monster was invented?'

Have you forgotten? Don't you know?

We'll say it very loud and slow:

THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,

AND READ and READ, and then proceed

To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!

One half their lives was reading books!

The nursery shelves held books galore!

Books cluttered up the nursery floor!

And in the bedroom, by the bed,

More books were waiting to be read!

Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales

Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales

And treasure isles, and distant shores

Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,

And pirates wearing purple pants,

And sailing ships and elephants,

And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,

Stirring away at something hot.

(It smells so good, what can it be?

Good gracious, it's Penelope.)

The younger ones had Beatrix Potter

With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,

And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,

And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-

Just How The Camel Got His Hump,

And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,

And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,

There's Mr. Rate and Mr. Mole-

Oh, books, what books they used to know,

Those children living long ago!

So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,

Go throw your TV set away,

And in its place you can install

A lovely bookshelf on the wall.

Then fill the shelves with lots of books,

Ignoring all the dirty looks,

The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,

And children hitting you with sticks-

Fear not, because we promise you

That, in about a week or two

Of having nothing else to do,

They'll now begin to feel the need

Of having something to read.

And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy!

You watch the slowly growing joy

That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen

They'll wonder what they'd ever seen

In that ridiculous machine,

That nauseating, foul, unclean,

Repulsive television screen!

And later, each and every kid

Will love you more for what you did.

The tone of this poem is hatred or dislike towards televisions and the impact it has had on the children.

The mood of the story is aggravated and disappointed.

The meaning of this poem is that the imagination and the creativity of the children of today are being lost to the TV and that minds are being wasted due to the creation of the TV.

Jacinta Ramayah, Malaysia

THE OLYMPIC RUNNER (7 Oct 2009)

The sun beat down so hard it burnt his back,
His feet ate the dust as he ran the endless track,
The wind gave him wings and the miles flew by,
He was gunning for gold, for victory he’d die.

Critics had a field day when he entered the arena,
They could have knocked him down with a feather,
“Sideways you can’t see him through a 50-cent coin,
Bones on a cold carcass make up his manly loin.”

“His feet so long he will surely fall flat on his face,
Legs stretch down like two bamboo poles in place,
From the land of famine he gets not his daily bread,
If he wins, we’ll eat our hats,” in mockery they said.

As he touched the finish line, the crowd went wild,
Cheers heard across the land by every man and child,
His heartbeats so erratic they were beating out of time
If he could take a shot at his critics it’d be no crime.

Sweat streamed down, pooled like rivulets on the floor,
A warrior back from the battlefield, battered and sore,
Standing tall as a Brobdingnagian, the anthem sung
The joy so sweet, he could taste it on his tongue.

He was so tired he felt he could sleep for a year
The cynics struck dumb, had no cause to jeer,
‘A man in a million’ were the headlines that day
“Not a mere man but a giant in spirit,” they say.

                                                                       

The tone of this poem is determined and optimistic.

The mood of the poem is willful and improbable (all odds are against the runner)

The meaning of this poem is that even when no one is with you or has hope in you, you can still accomplish anything if you just have faith in yourself. 

THE FOG...

He tied his boat off and started to climb the cliffs. He knew that no one had lived to tell what was behind the cloud, but still he climbed. He was determined to be the first to live and tell the story of what would happen beyond the fog. No one believed he could do anything they all believed that he had no purpose in life. He walked towards the fog and before he entered the fog he left a note and a neon pink ribbon attached to it so that if a person was to walk by they could see that someone had been there. Every pace he took he took as if it was his last one. "Who would have thought I had this much guts to place my life in danger knowing that this could be a life or death situation." He continued walking into the fog. The fog began to become thicker and thicker he began to have difficulty seeing where he was going. Suddenly he took a step and he fell into a trench. Everything had blacked out for him. He thought that he had died from that fall. He was mistaken. He had fallen into a new civilization. There were many people there. They seemed to be the people that had been here before. They must have been the people that had come and never lived to tell their story. Now he knew why they had never lived to tell their story. How were they supposed to leave or escape this trench? He decided to take a look around and meet the courageous people that had decided to take a chance and see what was in the fog. He met this lady who seemed to be happy in this civilization. “Hello" “hello nice to meet you" " may I ask what your name might be" “my name is Rosa" “that is a beautiful name. My name is Alex" " I’m guessing your new here" "well then you would be guessing correctly.” "Since your new let me show you around” he decided to accept the offer and he went around the whole town he was introduced to everyone that was there. Every time he met a new person he would ask them the same question, which was if they liked living here or not. Some would respond yes but others were very hesitant and decided not to respond. He was surprised at their response to the question so he decided to never bring the question up again, but before this he had to ask Rosa what she had to say. “i don't like living here but I would rather live here than go back into the civilization that rejected me" those were the words she told him. "Who would have thought that a beautiful girl like her would be rejected in the society? She had beautiful brown hair, her eyes a hazel color, and her skin was very pale. She was the picture perfect women out it the real world society. Why would they reject such a beautiful young lady?" They would reject me because of where I came from and the way I live, no one can accept me for who I really am. They just think of me as a stereotype." "That should give you more reason to go back to the real world. You should prove them wrong and actually do something with your life.don't just sit around and let them talk." “Then what am I supposed to do? Do you want me to go make a fool out of me?" “No but I want you to change your life for the better; a girl like you can accomplish many things in her life.  More than what you expect." She just glared at him as if he was crazy. She said nothing and left to go pick the fruits. "Now what will I do" is all he thought to himself. He decided to live in this place for two weeks. Everyday he went to visit Rosa at her house. Each and every day that he did so he noticed that Rosa was getting sick. She seemed to get worse day after day. It seemed like Rosa was dying. He monitored her every day. He began to notice that she could no longer get up or lift heavy things like she used to. She became very thin and she seemed very depressed. She seemed to be losing her glow. She seemed to have aged 5 years. Alex was determined to find out what was wrong with Rosa. He went to the town’s doctor. "Hello doctor. This young lady needs help she seems to be deteriorating. You must help her." "Let me take a look at her and I will tell you what I can do."  The town’s doctor did not know what to do. Rosa was dying and he couldn't find anyone that could help them. He decided to find a way out. He started to seek help and advice on a way out but everyone just told him that everyone that has attempted to leave has died. That’s why no one had left this place. Alex thought to himself there must be a way out of here. He started to wonder the land and he came across this passage that seemed very eerie. He was willing to take the chance and go through that passage. That seemed to be the only way out. He packed some of Rosa's stuff and he grabbed Rosa and they were on their way. Rosa had some strength left in her so she walked as far as she could. When she got tired Alex carried her. He was willing to risk his life to saves Rosa. They came across many obstacles some of which were very dangerous. He had to face his fear of horrible darkness. He had to face his fear of being the only one who could help. He put himself in situations he had never been in before. He didn't want to let Rosa down. Alex tripped and fell time after time, but he never stopped. He was determined to save Rosa. While he was on his way he realized that he hadn't come across anything that would be life threatening. Suddenly a large creature appeared before his eyes. It was 7 ft tall and had razor sharp teeth. It also had stinky breath. He looked at it straight into its eyes when all of a sudden the monster spoke. He said" my name is Charlie. I am the keeper of the land. If you want to pass you will need to give me a reason as to why you need to leave. What is your purpose in life?" “I need to leave. I need to help Rosa. She is very ill and needs to be checked out” “and what is your purpose in life?” “I don’t have a purpose in life. I have never had a purpose in life. Please let me pass by. I need to find help. I need to leave.” “You may not pass.” “Why” “you may not pass because you don’t seem to have anything to live for.” “Are you saying I am wasting my life?” “Do you know what you’re going to do with your life?” “No but I can prove I will help another’s life but you need to let me pass.” “You may pass, only if you promise to return.” “I promise I will return. Thank you for letting me pass.” The monster moved aside and let him pass. “Who would have thought a creature so gruesome was so knowledgeable” Alex soon made it to his boat (his boat that mysteriously was still there.) he put Rosa in the boat and he started rowing. He then made it to an island that was close by. He took Rosa into the nearest hospital. Rosa was now in intensive care. Alex asked the doctor what had happened and he said “Everyone over there appeared to be healthy but they hadn't been close to people in many years many of the people there had been born there and they hadn't been exposed to human diseases. They weren't immune to many diseases, so when you came to that town you brought a disease that their body couldn’t fight off.”  “ I feel horrible now” “don’t feel horrible. You weren’t aware of what was going to happen.” Alex then waited for Rosa to get the all clear. Suddenly, his friend which was a reporter came up to him. He asked him what it was like in the fog. Alex had nothing to say except that he had to go back once Rosa was well. Two weeks later Rosa was healthy. Alex was now ready to return and keep his promise with the monster. Rosa however didn’t want to return. She had realized that society had changed and she wanted to remain there. Alex decided to leave her there. He went back to the new civilization and met up with the monster. “Hello Charlie” “hello. I see you have returned.”  “Of course I am a man of my words.” “Since you have returned I shall tell you something wise an old man once told me. Every person is made for a reason and with time they will find their purpose in life. And I think you have found your purpose.” “Thank you Charlie. I believe I have found my purpose in life. I was made to help people even when I don’t know the person very well. I made a difference in that person’s life.

A Dream Can Be a Glimpse at Reality

Every night you go to bed and never really think about your dreams( I'm not one of those people). A dream can represent something more than what it seems to be. I believe all of my dreams have a meaning. Even though all my dreams have a meaning the one that has made me think the most was my dream about being stranded with 3 of my closet friends.

 My dream starts with everyone being kidnapped and we end up in a black van. We are trying to figure out a way to escape but we can't seem to find a way out. Then suddenly the van stops and they make us get out of the van and they drop us off there and leave a note. A note which states "you guys have been selected to be part of a experiment in which you will be stranded with your friends and we will monitor your ever move. We hope your friendship is strong enough to survive this obstacle." All we could do is just look at each other and in our minds everything was going to be easy. We were wrong it seemed like months had gone by when only a few days had gone by. We were all almost at breaking point. It was every man for himself. Everybody was turning against each other and no one could be trusted. We were no longer friends. Our friendship was no more. I wanted to keep everything real so i really didn't do much. Unlike everyone else, everyone else were forming alliances and they would lie to your face just to express the hate they had. No one wanted to be here. Where was the love we had... my closest friends were now my enemies or my haters. Then suddenly we get another note which states"people make hard choices everyday and you have to make one today. You guys have to decide on who you want to sacrifice in order to return home." And a box was with it. The box contained a gun with one bullet. Someone had to die. Who was it going to be? In the afternoon my friends came to me and told me they had decided to get rid of my former best friend. She no longer wanted to talk to me. I told them they could do whatever they wanted to do. So they went over to my best friend and they pointed the gun to her. They shot the gun and the bullet had pierced me. I gave my life up for my friend which had been through everything with me. Last thing she told me was that i was her best friend and that no matter what happened she wouldn't let me die. Then everything blacked out. After that i woke up since well it was all just a dream.
My analysis of the characters and what they represent is that they represent my best friends. Everything that happened in my dream makes me think about the things my best friends and i have been through. It symbolizes that i have a true friend that will always be there for me and that i would be willing to do anything to save my friend. It also makes me think about honesty and truthfulness.
A connection to literature this made me think about was "No More Dead Dogs" this book talks about how best friends part after a discussion and dispute and they make new friends and at the end they settle their differences and become best friends once again. It also talks about truth and honesty and how the main character can never tell a lie. This connects to my story because the themes are the same and they deal with the same overall theme.

Is A Picture Really Worth 1,000 Words

What I see in the picture is a women and a child. You can also see a person that is walking in the background. That person is wearing a black suit and carrying a black suit case. The woman is dressed in an army suit with her combat boots and her camouflage book bag, which she wears proudly.  I also see a little girl which is wearing a white and pink stripped shirt.  They seem to be in a bone colored airport as if the women has just come back from serving the country. What the little girl and women are doing in the picture, is hugging. So I would lead me to conclude that the little girl and the women have a relation. This relation would be of a mother and a daughter.  The lady has blonde hair, which is braided, and her daughter has brown hair. The lady seems to be the one who has returned from war and has just been reunited with her daughter.

What I think is happening, is that the woman is being reunited with her daughter. I think that she has just gotten off of her plane and the first thing she wants to see is her daughter. Everything that she has been through is now in the past and she is living in the present she is living her moment right now. Since she is reunited with someone that she loves she falls to her knees in the joy of being with her daughter. Her expression is so touching. You can actually feel the vibes from the expression she has on her face. But I believe that what she feels is something I would you would have to be in her position to feel.  I believe the little girl must also be happy to finally see her family after so much time apart from each other. The mom must have thought she wasn’t going to make it. I think she thought this because she seems so touched by the fact that she is back with her daughter. She must have seen many terrible things when she was at war.  She must be thinking that everything is now OK and that she has nothing to worry about. She must also be thinking about being a survivor after a lengthy time period in war. The only thing she has to worry about is her daughter and watching her daughter grow up.  Everything must be falling into place after such a long time away from the place she calls home. A long time away from those which she loves. A long time away from the people those who love her.  Being happy for finally being reunited with her daughter seems to be the best thing that has happened to her in that period of time.

What I think is going to happen, is that she is going to go back to her normal life. She doesn’t seem to have much on her mind it just seems like everything she has done has been for her daughter. I think she will view everything differently and she will be grateful for everything she has unlike the people she might have met while at war. She might have witnessed people dying and people being taken from their families. she might have left as a women that had courage to serve the country but she came back as a new person with new out looks on life and she must have came back a greater and better mother. She could have witnessed many horrible and terrible things she would never want to happen in her lifetime.  I think she will try to catch up on what she has missed in the time period she was gone and she will be grateful for everything she has at this point. I think this because I heard war is no laughing matter. People die in war everyday and she was one of the few that survived and she must be grateful and happy that she is alive and with her family. I can imagine being in a place where you have to be in fear every second of your day and sleeping in such an environment.  From that environment coming into an environment where there everything is at peace and you can sleep in tranquility I would also be happy.  She must be very happy even to see the people she hates. The worries she will have after returning home is being with her child. So her future is her child.  Something else she could do is going back to war. She could volunteer to go back to war.  She must be hoping that what she did at war helped. It helped in the way that it helped stop the war and helped make peace.  She can live her life as an average everyday person.  I think the lady in the picture might have even flashed back to the events she lived through. She could have been in the position of death or the position of gun point. Everything in her life could have changed and she could be tired of the way everything is in the other countries. She might want to never let this happen to the country we call home so she could return to war. She could think of everything she went through and the present becomes the past. If she ever went back to war I think she would have another emotional event like the one pictured. She must have met many people from all over the country who are united and ready to serve the nation no matter the risk of dying. She must have noticed all the love and unity that every one demonstrated that she wanted to keep her life in something that would help bring peace and love to the other country just like the love we had for our country. Serving the country and returning must have been her fairy tale ending.

My Destination

“Lemur Island, Madagascar my destination for my vacation. I never thought that I would have a chance to visit such an exotic place.” “Come on Julie, we’re going to miss the plane if we don’t get on right now.” “Ok I’m just going to finish   saying good bye to my mom.” “Well mom I hope you won’t miss me when I’m gone, and I will call you everyday” “have a safe trip, I love you.” I boarded the plane and before I knew it we were in the air. “Hey Julie, aren’t you scared of heights.” “Yes, I am; but I’m trying to stay calm.” “Ok, but aren’t you scared that the plane might just fall out the sky and we will crash land in a weird place.” “Don’t say that!” “Ok then lets just relax until we get there.” About 10 to 11 hours had gone by when the pilot came on the intercom and said “ we will soon be landing in Buenos Aires ,Argentina” “ what?! I thought you said this plane was going to Madagascar. Caroline!! What number flight is this?” “The flight number is 32. Why?” “Why! This is the wrong plane. I told you that the flight number was 22” “I’m sorry.” “Ok now we are in Buenos Aries Argentina. I have never been to Argentina; it seems like a good vacation destination.” “So you’re not mad?” no Caroline I’m not mad. I just want to enjoy this vacation I have worked hard for.” “So are we going to stay here or are we going to get on another plane to Madagascar?” “We are going to stay here.” “This is going to be a fun trip.” The plane landed and we got off; I was so happy to be on land again, I just wanted to kiss the floor but that would have been weird. So first thing we had to do was find a place to stay. It took me about an hour to find a place to stay. Since that was done I decided to go around and take a look at the place.

 It was very hot it felt like 90 degrees. I wanted to enjoy my time here and that was what I was going to do even though I hate the heat and well I was going to have fun. So I started to wonder off into the streets of Argentina and I saw these beautiful colorful buildings and houses. Everything here was so different from everything back at the U.S. it was like going into a completely different environment. I noticed that everything was so breathe taking and I wanted to take a picture to remember this trip. I remembered that Caroline had my camera so I turned around to ask her to take a picture. When I noticed she was no longer there and I was lost. I lost my best friend and myself in Argentina what was I going to do. I decided to ask people for directions but I didn’t even remember the name of the street that I was on. This trip had just gone from bad to worse. It then started to rain what a horrible first day. 

This trip didn’t seem like a vacation. It hasn’t even been a day and everything went down hill. I kept walking and came across these tall buildings; they kind of reminded me of the towers in New York. These towers are like skyscrapers, they seemed to reach the sky. The congress hall and the main town is like changing the architectural view, everything is in a different construction perception. It’s like stepping back to the time of the royal people. Everything appears to be castles and very important. All of these beautiful sights and I’m stuck looking for Caroline and trying to find out where I am at. I just wanted to go home at this point; I was wet, tired, and lost. I came across this bakery it seemed like I had seen it before. Since I wanted to dry off I decided to go in there and buy something to eat. I saw this girl that seemed to be wearing the same thing as Caroline but I went over to her and that wasn’t her.

 So I sat down and drank some hot coffee with a croissant. This little bakery, with windows for walls, is very open to the public so you could see everyone that passed by.  This lady was walking by with a bunch of bags in her hand and she looked at me and smiled. That was when I noticed that she was Caroline. I ran outside and hugged her. I was so worried I had lost her forever. “Where were u Caroline? I was worried I wasn’t going to find you.” “I went shopping, I saw this really cute outfit and I just had to buy it. I went back to the hotel and I didn’t find you so I went for a walk.” “You know where the hotel is!?” “Yes I do, why?” “Thank gosh. Lets go to the hotel I’m tired and I want to go change my clothes.” “Ok” this trip was now getting back on track. The next few days were great and I was grateful that everything happened. It made me come to the realization that the beauties of these places are amazing and you don’t need a camera to capture them. The beauty of this place will make an impact that will be stored in your memories forever. Who would have thought Argentina was going to be my destination?