Reflection

Over the last two years I have improved on my overall writing ability. I came into 7th grade not knowing how to write an essay. As a writer my strengths will vary, it all depends on the topic. One of my best strengths is editing.  I am also good at word choice, idea development, content, voice, and body paragraphs. I struggle with my conclusion and sentence fluency. In 8th grade I have definitely improved my overall skills and learned how I can make my conclusions and sentence fluency  better. I enjoy writing personal narratives and am very good at it.

Gretchen

I am the new girl, Gretchen. Tomorrow, I will beat Squeaky in the May Day race. My family moves around a lot, I go from home to home. Although I have learned to find friends quickly, I become the one they want to follow, but I don't try to be mean, I guess people just assume I am. When I race Squeaky, I want to win, but if she wins, I won't hold it against her. All I want to do is show my confidence, although inside I am not that person.

Savior Siblings

One child is born to save, born out of a need since the other child has a fatal disease. This second child is a savior sibling, born to save the older one, born to help, born to sacrifice. All that has been done to save the older one hasn’t helped; their life could end at any time, they could be gone forever, although there is still hope. Is it fair to expect one sibling to sacrifice for the other?

In Jodi Picoult's, My Sisters Keeper, a girl was born for one reason only, and that was to save, which relates to real life, since other families have made the same decision. Anna was the sister of Kate, who had APL. Immediately after Anna’s parents found out that Kate had this fatal disease, they made the decision to have another child, since this was the best way to save Kate. Once Anna was born they used her umbilical cord for blood, which was only the beginning of Anna’s procedures. For numerous families, this exact situation has happened. There is a one article about a girl named Katie who has a disease called Diamond Blackfan Amenia and her only cure was a bone marrow transplant from a genetically matched sibling. After her parents found out, they chose to have another child. They ended up having a healthy baby boy named Christopher. Is this the right decision for both the families? Were they truly wanting another kid or was it the thought of losing a child that made the choice for them to have one more child? Was it fair for the parents to ask their children to give for their sibling?

Although Anna and Christopher were both born to save their older sisters, Anna spent most of her life giving and Christopher was able to make his sister healthy after the very early procedure. Though Anna spent her time having procedures done on her to help Kate, Christopher was able to grow up with his healthy sister. Growing up, Anna never knew what would happen next or when she would be needed to help her sister. Although, Christopher probably doesn’t remember what he did since he was only a baby, Anna has had multiple procedures and would remember it forever. Facing the idea of Kate needing Anna for something and her not being there, was difficult for their parents, so they weren’t allowing Anna to go to a hockey camp or do anything she really enjoyed. Being a normal child was taken away, her freedom was gone, and her life was controlled by Kate’s needs.  While Christopher did one procedure for Katie, he was able to grow up as a normal child. Each of the parents really wanted to save their first born child. But were they thinking about the second born child that was born to save? Did they know what would happen to the child if their older sibling didn’t live? How it would affect the rest of their childhood?

Asking a child to sacrifice for their sibling is a difficult thing to do. Even though parents may want to save their first child, do they consider how it will affect the younger one? Is it really fair to the younger child if they were only born to save the older one? These constant sacrifices cause the child to lose part of themselves. Whether it's a part of the body or a part of identity, it has been torn away forever.

The Sun

Swiftly, the sun made its way through the delicate clouds. Brushing itself up against the frosted windows, toasting them up, the sun's light slithered into the houses, shining its brightness throughout, bringing its warmth, giving us the morning. As every hour passed, it engulfed the town in its luster, its heat, its greatness. So hot it was, but so good it felt with its heat radiating at you left and right, pushing itself to get warmer and warmer. How could it get any hotter, that beast, which was already so powerful?

2081

The year was 2081. Life had changed drastically. The world could end at any time, every single person was living their life to the fullest. Doing all the bizarre stuff that they wouldn't usually do, all the things that they thought they would die doing. Enjoying every last second they had. It was causing the world to go out of control, chaos was all around, people were running around like they were going to die. Nobody wanted to waste what was left of their life at work. Nobody wanted to die. Nobody wanted all their life's work to end instantly.

Then whack, the end of the world hit, it all happened so swiftly that nobody was really sure what had just occurred. Even though everyone had been expected, it was still a shock to everyone. It would only be a matter of days before they were all dead, since the food supply had been destroyed along with their homes and the rest of the necessities. The children cried, but it was nearly impossible for their parents to comfort them since they were just as much upset as their children. Mankind was coming to an end their would be no one left, not one living being.

Man vs. Nature

The cold frigid air is all around, thrusting itself at you left and right. It's so freezing that it nips at any visible skin causing a tremendous pain. You're numb as could be, there's no feeling left from your face to your toes. You can’t stand the cold much longer, so you begin to run as fast as you can, but you keep falling and then you realize you will never make it back to camp. No man should venture out alone in the Yukon, no matter how brave he thinks he is, since nature is much more powerful than man.

In the short story “To Build a Fire,” by Jack London, the idea that nature can control man comes alive and can cause harm. Within this story there is a man who is trying to get to camp. Although it was 75 degrees below zero, the man still leaves the safety and warmth of Sulfur Creek. There really wasn’t much happening until, “it happened. At a place where there were no signs, where the soft, unbroken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, the man broke through.” The man’s dog had been walking in front, but he didn’t fall in. Therefore, nature was targeting him, torturing him with the cold and now the possibility of him getting hypothermia from being wet.
Forced to stop and make a fire so he could warm up and defrost his frozen feet, he pulled sticks off the tree. He set up his fire right underneath it, and then “high up in the tree one bough capsized its load of snow. This fell on the boughs beneath, capsizing them. This process continued, spreading out and involving the whole tree. It grew like an avalanche and it descended without warning upon the man and the fire, and the fire was blotted out! Where it had burned was mantle of fresh and disordered snow.” Even though the man caused this incident, nature had made all of that snow pile up on top of the tree, so he was set up. With this fire being put out, the man was sentenced to his own death, since he had to redo everything he just did. This time he would be much colder and he’d have more trouble lighting his match. At the end of the story, the man dies. Nature won over man, because the man was stupid for going out into the cold in the first place, but he was also being human.

Nature doesn’t only control the story; it also dominates in real life. During our current winter we had a huge snow storm with over a foot of snow. During the night nature took over and in the morning, it was nearly impossible to leave the house. Due to the snow storm, many businesses and schools were closed. All the roads were deserted and not many people dared to venture out into the snow. Most stayed safely in their homes and relaxed for the night. Those who had to be out risked getting stuck in piles of snow. Plows were out trying to restore the cities roads and get them ready for the next day, when everyone was back to their normal lives.

When it comes to nature, you shouldn’t risk your life, because it will usually be much stronger than you. If you get the option of whether or not to go our when the weather isn’t good, stay put. Don’t risk your life when you could be safe and alive. Your life is much more important than whatever else you would be doing. Wherever you are trying to get can wait until you can make a safe journey there.

The Day My Life Flashed Before My Eyes

It was an ordinary day, I was on my way to practice, so close to my destination, when I saw it coming right towards us. I screamed at the top of my lungs moments before we were hit. There was not way my dad would have been able to stop. It all happened so fast that one second I was screaming and the next I was in shock, uncertain of what exactly happened. The side airbags had filled with air and I was scared so bad. The one day something happens my dad forgot his phone in the house. The idiot driver that hit us was busy talking on the phone with one of her family members, as my dad yelled at her to call the cops. Luckily I was able to climb out of the car and then I realized it, the car was facing the opposite direction we had been going. The handle on the side of the car that I had been on was gone. At that moment my life had changed for ever, I would be afraid of car accidents for ever.

Two Players, Two Personalities, One Number

Lazar Hayward is a 6’6” forward that graduated Marquette following the 2009-10 season. Jae Crowder is a 6’6” forward who is currently playing at Marquette. Both of the players weigh 225 pounds. When Jae Crowder was first being recruited by Buzz Williams, every fan thought that he would be a great replacement for Lazar Hayward. Since Lazar was finishing up his last year at Marquette, the team needed somebody to replace him. The question was, could another player actually substitute Lazar, the star of the Marquette basketball team, or was he irreplaceable. Lazar was so versatile that he was really hard to guard. He could shoot the three, post up, and rebound against the big guys. Once head coach Buzz Williams recruited Jae, there were high hopes for him. The way he played was very similar to Lazar Hayward and there would be a huge spot to fill on the team. This position would not be an easy fill, but if there was any chance of it being complete, it was with Jae. Are these two basketball players really that similar or are they just two guys that love the same game and have the same style of play?

Jae Crowder is a former Junior College player that is in his first season at Marquette. He started his Junior College career at South Georgia Tech where he was named Georgia Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year as a freshman. Then he transferred to Howard College and helped them to a NJCAA Division 1 national championship. Previously, Jae went to Villa Rica High School. Last year, Jae Crowder was the Junior College Player of the Year. Lazar Hayward just recently graduated from Marquette. Now he plays in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Right off the bat these guys begin different, one played two years in Junior College and the other spent all four years in Division 1 college basketball. Either way, over their first two years, they both improved and made names for themselves. While Jae helped his team meet a great milestone, Lazar worked with three great players a year older than him so his time to truly shine was his senior year at Marquette.

Any type of stat can show a lot about someone, but in sports it shows a players strengths and weaknesses. Looking at the basic stats of Jae Crowder this year, and Lazar Hayward’s junior year stats, will say everything about these two players. Their highs and lows are as players on the basketball court will be shown. Crowder is a 62% free throw shooter while Lazar shot 82% from the line. That is a huge difference and can be a game changer, when it comes down to the last minutes of a game. Being able to be so consistent is hard to do with all the people watching, especially when you are at an away game and the opposing fans are waving their hands trying to do anything they can to make you miss. In addition, Hayward averaged 8.6 rebounds for every game and Crowder only has 6.7 per game. Jae is a better shooter than Lazar, since he shoots 5.4% higher in field goals than Hayward. He is also a higher 3-point shooter with a difference of 3.4%. These numbers don’t say much since they could change at any moment (all they have to do is miss or make a few more shots and they could be even). There could be one game when they’re on fire and another when they couldn’t buy a shot. What really sets them apart is that Jae so far has blocked 17 shots, while Lazar blocked only 9 shots. Also he has 32 steals at this point and Hayward finished his season with 35. Lazar was a huge defensive threat in the paint from all of his rebounds, but Crowder is an offensive threat with his 3-point shot and his inside out game. He is also great at getting steals and blocking shots. His blocked shots especially stand out since he’s undersized for his position.

Were the things that make these two guys similar just coincidence. Both Lazar and Jae wore the same number, which made everyone think they were more similar than they really are. There is a reporter that interviewed Jae; they asked him about his number and if he was trying to be like Lazar, he said, "actually I didn’t think about Lazar when I picked it. It was my number in high school. I wanted to wear 24, which was my junior-college number, but it’s retired. I wore 32 in high school and I felt like I need to go back to where I came from. That’s why I picked 32" (Rosiak, Golden Eagles Blog). Lazar had no influence on Jae's choice and the number situation was just happened. Jae also has feelings about the idea of him being compared to Lazar. "I’m going to let it be known that I’m Jae Crowder and not Lazar Hayward. And I talked to him about it. He said, ‘Just play your game. You’re not me; I’m not you.’ It just so happened to be that way, that everything fell into place" (Rosiak, Golden Eagles Blog). Although in a different article, he said, "I understand the role I will be taking at Marquette, and if it’s like Lazar’s then I’m all for it. I feel like I’ll step in, be fine and move on" (Rosiak, Golden Eagles Blog). It seems as though Jae wants to take the challenge of replacing Lazar, but he also wants to play his own way and make himself known as Jae Crowder, not just the replacement.

Every way you look at this story, these guys are different from each other. They both have their strengths and they both have their weaknesses, but each one is different from the other. No matter what people may say about these two players, they don’t know much until they dig deeper. All they are based off of is their same number and same position style. Jae Crowder and Lazar Hayward are similar, but different in their own unique way. I now know that Jae wants to be the best he is capable of being and he will do anything he can to make it there. He wants to be himself but he also wants to follow in the footsteps of Lazar Hayward, since he is such a good player and he’s accomplished some great things. Such as being in the NBA, which is an achievement all in its own. A life full of achievements made and ready to be made. Each one of these players is playing for success, for a win, for their team.


Bibliography
Jim Ganzer, "IWB". "Marquette Lands Jae Crowder." 3 February 2010. MarquetteHoops.com. 15 February 2011 .
Marquette Basketball 2008-09 Media Guide. 2008-09.
"Marquette Season Statistics ." 29 January 2011. GoMarquette. 4 February 2011 .
—. "Golden Eagles Blog." 7 September 2010. JSOnline. 22 2 2011 .
—. "Golden Eagles Blog." 14 April 2010. JSOnline. 22 2 2011 .
Strotman, Mark. "Crowder Looks To Fill Void." 26 October 2010. MarquetteHoops.com. 17 February 2011 .

A Wintery Mix

The day had been dreaded upon for days, a day of an early morning, a day of rain, a day of sleet, and a day of snow. It will to be a very long day. Staying enclosed in the same place for hour after hour after hour, sitting around watching and playing to have fun. As the day seems to drag on and you not even sure of the time anymore, your body is ready to lie down and relax but you have to keep fighting to win. The terrible day outside making you happy to be inside, happy to be safe for now. The day finally comes to an end, but now you must make your way through the disappointing weather outside. You’re so far away from home; you hope that there is a safe journey ahead of you. As you make your way home, there is more and more ice covering the long narrow roads. The cars that are headed the opposite direction are covered in a thin layer of snow, giving you an idea of what is ahead of you. Our adventure was almost to the end when we hit the snow, covered roads with huge clumps of snow left over by the plows. Slush is everywhere slowing down the traffic, making the car ride longer. After who knows how long, we hit Pewaukee, glad to be so close to home.

A New Year

The new year begins with a kiss, the blowing of horns, happiness, but what really happens? A new year to write down. A new start on the calendar. Another year you've been alive. Maybe another chance for success. Why is this so exciting? What makes January 1st such an extraordinary day? A New Year's resolution, says you will stop doing something, but do you really? Can you change yourself? If you really try, you may succeed, but only if you put your mind to it. Only if you never stop trying. Only if you never give up. A chance to redeem yourself from last year's mistakes; to change yourself; to improve yourself. A new year can mean so many things to so many people; what does it mean to you? Set those new goals and achieve them. Stop being lazy and work, that's what it always seems to be. Achieve what you want to achieve, follow the steps and you will make it their with success. This may mean what our last yearbook idea was, find your true colors and express them.

The Amazing Battle of Gettysburg

I remember from back when I was young, marching with the Union army, led by General John Buford. We had marched into the little town of Gettysburg, so small that it was only 12 blocks long and 6 blocks wide (Ashby). It didn't take long to see them, the Confederates.  Immediately after we spotted them our general sent a message requesting more troops. Later, we were led to high grounds and told to wait for more Union soldiers to arrive. Who would have guessed what would happen next, such a life changing moment nobody could ever forget?

By July 1, our side had 83,300 soldiers, while the rebels had only 75,100 soldiers (O'hern and Anderson). We were hiding behind the fences, as a Confederate general marched thousands of soldiers into the town. Once the Confederates spotted us, the loud ear piercing shots began to fire; I knew a battle had begun. As the smoke filled the air, I loaded my gun. Men and horses fell left and right. I tried to keep my focus on what was happening right in front of me. I tried to hold my hands still and keep them from shaking. I tried not to worry about my friends, if they were dead or if they were alive. All I wanted to do was focus on what was right in front of me; I was fighting for my country to be united as one; for the freedom of slaves; for my life. We fought up and down the streets, stepping over all the dead bodies, after only hours of fighting. Later that day, we retreated to higher ground, atop Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge (O'hern and Anderson). There we waited and watched for the rebels. Finally, General Meade showed up. We held high ground compared to the Confederates.  This was a great advantage point for the Union, and it affected the course of the rest of the battle.

When July 2 came, it was another gruesome day of fighting. Our day had started out with the Confederates advancing right towards us.  We raced down the hill to defend our position.  I remember realizing that the likelihood of getting killed or injured was very high. My life could have ended at any moment, but I never backed off and I never let those rebels onto our territory. Attack after attack passed by in a blur. All the fighting in the peach orchard was brutal and terrifying. The Confederates had attacked so hard, that we had to retreat. There had been so many lives taken already and so many men injured. Even the strongest men were weak from the heat and hard work. All that seemed clear were the sounds of guns firing and the voices of the wounded soldiers moaning in pain. Back at camp, people were dying from infections and loss of blood after losing a leg, arm, or hand in amputation. It seemed that if you were injured, you were doomed for death, but no one gave up. The doctors were incapable of keeping a wound clean or stopping the blood from rushing out of even the smallest of wounds. Our doctors didn't have the spare blood like we have now a days. When you lost your blood you couldn't get it back. That day, the Confederates attacked again. At first we had been defeated, but then we turned around and charged right back with more courage than ever and attacked some more. We ended up pushing them into their trenches. As the second day flew by, night made its cover over the battlefields. The clueless Confederates didn't see more men arriving, and then bang, we hit them, right in their faces. The sound of the guns blasting furiously in the dark cover of the night fell over the land.

July 3 started out with a large bang, as the rebels attacked. Their cannons fired, making an excruciating sound.  Later on that day, the Confederates charged toward cemetery ridge, but we fired directly at them the entire time. There was so much time that we were able to hide ourselves to surprise them, attacking left and right. It had felt like we were unstoppable. Our attack marked supreme as the Confederates retreated. The Battle of Gettysburg was over. We defeated the rebels! I smiled with pride that day, as I walked off the battlefield. I remember all the bodies that we left behind in the sun, stinking up the fresh air of Gettysburg. This marked the beginning of the ended of the civil war, making all the things I was fighting for come true.  We became the United States of America!

What will happen to our newly united states? Will we actually unite together as one and resolve all our conflicts, or will there still be differences that separate us? Now that the slaves are free, what will happen to them? There isn’t any one who is there taking care of them anymore and they won’t be wanted. Most of the slaves don’t speak English and can’t read; will they return to their home country or stay in the United States of America? Will they be able to make something of themselves? What will happen to our newly United States?  I still live there as an old man with my wife and I visit those battlefields remembering what a battle it was and what it did for me and many others.

Bibliography
Ashby, Ruth. Civil War Chornicles Gettysburg. North Mankato, Minnesota: Smart Apple Media, 2003.

O'hern, Kerri and Dale Anderson. The Battle of Gettysburg. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: World Almanac Library, 2006.