... difficulties balancing life in the academic world and the life of a working class family. As a child, Rodriguez was the exception to the stereotypical student coming from a working class family. He was always top of his class, and rather than spending his time out with friends or with his family he ... spent his time with books and notes. Initially, this approach makes Rodriguez stand out as an exceptional student, but as time goes ... starts school is thrust into a totally new environment. Where the chaos of a working class home is gone and the boy is surrounded by a sort of, "mental ca...

• Word Count: 1139
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... my face part, I have done this just about every morning for the past four years. I have chosen competitive running because I felt I could excel and do well running. Most people would not pick competitive running as their primary sport because of the intensity and dedication required to stay competitive. When I first began my cross ... . The experience I have had on the cross country team has developed not just my muscles and abilities, but has made friendships an integral part of my running career. I did not expect, when I first joined the team, to make such friendships but as it turned ...

• Word Count: 486
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... one of his arms while working, I became his other arm. When he was unable to do many things independently, I was always there to help. His five-year old grandchild had to grow up quickly. I would often tell him to stop smoking. Always being in good spirits, he would just laugh. Being serious, I would tell him, "You're going to mess up ... . I needed my mother who was lost to the streets, my dad who was caring for another family and my grandfather. I needed to know as a young child these losses would not always be hard for me. I needed to know that even with a family that was all dysfunct...

• Word Count: 793
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

You could literally spot the shooting sparks coming from her eyes. This is why everyone considered her a live wire. "An American Childhood," by Annie Dillard explains how children may struggle with adolescence and growing up. When growing up is already hard enough, Annie explains in great detail how moving can take a toll on a ... , as if pushed." Different emotions flying at her any second of any minute can make someone feel bipolar and confused with what decisions to make. She could calm herself easier by doing multiple things, sometimes it was eating and sometimes it was singing. "I discov...

• Word Count: 708
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Looking Backward A Novel by Edward Bellamy How would you feel if one day you woke up and you were in a completely different world from what you were used to? I know that it would be ... I would not have any time to really focus on my studies. Sometimes I would not even get home from out of town games until eleven or twelve o"clock at night and by that point I was way too tired to do any homework. In Bellamy's world I would probably participate in a school activity an hour a day for a couple days a week and that would be ... I would get bored really quick. My life now is so busy that I can h...

• Word Count: 1738
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... his high school year. Peter seems to be pleased with his decision in preparing for a shooting at Sterling High School, however he had no one to be by his side; he was alone. Peter's loneliness lead him to the unexpected. You may think you know someone, but discover an outrageous action they have done ... break down. What Lacy and Lewis did not understand about their son was that the silent one is always the one to be suffering the most. A sign of being too close to someone and sharing everything is not always the best sign. In this case, Peter and his father, Lewis, were very close when ...

• Word Count: 1341
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Learning by Doing Learning is a skill of gaining knowledge to be used in ones everyday life. As a senior in college, I have learned many lessons on learning. ... incidents I have been through is repeating an animal science class. If I had applied myself, for excellence in education, I would have done better in my studies. I faced loopholes by not applying myself towards the subject. Through repeating the class, I have gained a better outlook on learning. I did not read the assigned topics; as a result, I faced many ... was "hard headed" and not focused. Therefore I did not read. Many class m...

• Word Count: 342
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... before. Everywhere he goes the villagers are watching him and examining his every step. He is an oddity and a new member among their ranks. He is always asked questions about himself and the change in his skin. There are moments when he no longer believes he exist in the community. There are points when ... house down the street from Cedar Wood Elementary which was reasonably close to Gateway. My 6th grade year started with me walking into the gym and being astounded by the sheer number of kids that where there sitting in the bleachers. I walked in and sat down on an empty row with my dad...

• Word Count: 862
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... you eat, her mother would say" (pg. 62). Louise's mother was the first person to warn her about her weight. She was constantly being watched by her mother, which made Louise feel uncomfortable which eventually led to her secretive eating. Her mother was worried about her daughter's weight, not for her health's ... and Marjorie said of Louise", which means they were aware there was something wrong, but they just minded their own business about it. They would always think of her as the girl who was intended to be overweight, "Sometimes she got through the cafeteria line with only a salad...

• Word Count: 927
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... the summer. The only time Coach Rake had off from coaching was during the summer he spent by coaching younger kids in a youth league which exemplifies his goodness. Coach Rake confirms that he is a good man by taking his own time and using it to help all kinds of children. Eddie Rake not only ... to tell him, "half and half would work just fine" (214). Yet again Rake demonstrates how much he values justice and how he will always stand up for the little guy. When black players come to the team he refuses to judge them, and he puts the best players on the field ... would happen. Besides ...

• Word Count: 721
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Title: Farm Team Author: Will Weaver Pages: 400 The book Farm Team by Will Weaver is one of the better books I have been able to read this past year. The setting is revealed as the book begins. It takes place ... . With a little help from his mother, he was able to post signs inviting kids to play at a diamond he creates at his farm. He never excludes anyone and always keeps an open mind. Add to this he rises out of adversity time after time, you will read the reason for that later. There are a few antagonists in this ... , Mavis, a lemon and won't do anything about it when the car breaks do...

• Word Count: 882
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

In life, there will always be one person who influences you, impacts your decisions and aids you in your struggle for identity. It is of no importance whether that person is male or female, friend ... in the tale, who remained nameless throughout the novel, was only able to discover herself with the help of Mary Fortune. Not only does the main character live a life defined by others, but she also does not know how to express herself and is not confident and unable to be at ease around others of opposite sex. Throughout the story, it ... the following quote: "Now grown wiser, I wished for dr...

• Word Count: 1190
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... freshman year of high school concealing a dreadful secret. Melinda struggles throughout her school year withstanding a flashback and battling her lack of voice, frightened to share her secret. She was raped by Andy Evans, a popular senior, the summer before starting high school. Laurie Halse Anderson uses the motifs of mouth, lips, and trees to develop Melinda's character throughout the novel. The motif ... , "my tree is frozen." She was probably thinking of her own life when everything hard, and she had no clue what to do. When Melinda's father said, "by cutting off the damage, you make...

• Word Count: 548
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... 't. It can be hard to tell an adult about being cyber bullied because their parents and peers may tell them to shut their account down. Blocking doesn't always help because you can make multiple accounts and even fake ones. When the bully is a fake user, it's even harder to identify the bully but it ... everything between had to be kept a secret. As you can see there are lots of conflicts in my book, Backlash. 6) My personal reaction to Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman is very serious. I enjoyed the book because it teaches the reader so much. This book gives an inside look on what happens...

• Word Count: 2400
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Rose 155). Overall, students in the vocational track at his high school were not interested in learning and were not positively motivated to do so by any of the faculty members. Students became accustomed to being humiliated and punished if they made mistakes in the classroom. Rose later finds out that ... class which excited him in ways school never had before. During his senior year, Mr. McFarland asked where Mike planned on attending college. Mike always assumed he was going to get a full time job after high school as no one in his family went to college and very few completed high .....

• Word Count: 1263
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The novel, "Hate List," by Jennifer Brown is written from the point of view of teenager, Valerie Leftman whose boyfriend, Nick Levil, opened fire in a school cafeteria filled with students and faculty; he then turned ... how something perceived as an innocent act at the time can lead to serious consequences. When Valerie helped write the hate list she didn't realise that somebody could get hurt by it, she never even thought that anybody would read it. I was surprised how such an innocent act could result in such a monstrosity such as the school shooting. Valerie "may ... ...

• Word Count: 760
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The Story: Carrie always gets teased by her classmates and one day she gets her first period in the shower after physical education. Her mother has never told her about periods and so she thinks she's bleeding ... and Queen of the Prom-Night. When Carrie takes place in the chair, the defrosted pig-blood falls down at her and everything is coverd in blood. Tommy gets hitten by a piece of metal and drops dead. Everybody laughes at Carrie and she runs out of the hall. But then she returns and with her telekinetic power she switches on the ... happened, but it's too late: Carrie dies in the woo...

• Word Count: 734
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... Frost In the "Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, up until the last stanza the poem appeared to be concerning only on the choice between two roads in a woods. The final stanza, however, gave a significance to the ... ...

• Word Count: 462
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... to conclude that when Dylan and Eric are a pair, Eric's killer psychopath instinct and Dylan's suicidal mind will result in horrific violence. By failing to include an unbiased amount of information on the possible causes of the shooters, he completely fails at his attempt to provide a ... complete answer to the question. The American Theater Company's production of "Columbinis," answers the questions that Cullen did not. Originally written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, "Columbinis" exposes the many social issues of high school students as well as the "before and after " of ... manl...

• Word Count: 1619
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... their Tucson home to the uncivilized South American country, Codi is so distraught and does not know how to live without her younger sister. As said by Codi, "Our home fell apart when she [Hallie] left- (Kingsolver 10). Because of Codi's inability to live in Tucson without her sister, she ... important because they help each woman relate to one another. Discussing problems with another woman allows for closeness and for a deep relationship to occur. As noted by Paul Gray, Barbara Kingsolver's novel contains a theme of eco-feminism; a kind, gentle type of writing with women relying on the...

• Word Count: 1050
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of those things that develop as we grow. I believe that in was somewhere in the middle of my sophomore year that I took a true stand and vow to live my life by a group of values I had set for myself. Like many other students in high school, I too experimented with alcohol, mostly due to peer pressure, which I never believed existed until today ... friends however were ready to go out only a few days after our return. Not knowing what else to do, and still being young enough to be afraid to take a stand by myself, I joined them. I remember that night like it was yesterday. We were sittin...

• Word Count: 903
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... an hour at a time [or] get to sneak into Rowsell's store on the way back." Miss Ralston also has a certain amount of courage, for she surprises everyone by saying, "I'll think about that, and I'll let you know next Friday." The teacher is respected and therefore is not punished for what she said, but Alma suffers ... recesses. Due to the water dispute though, "the boys decided not to let [the] girls field at softball anymore." One of the older boys makes this clear by saying, "The first girl that goes out to field, we break her neck." At the end of the week's baseball game, Ernie gloats ...

• Word Count: 1283
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Arlington Robinson, Carl Sandburg, and Robert Frost all explore the complications of modern life. One of the prominent European American poems is Robert Frost's "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening". (Jackson 9-11) Robert Frost was born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874. Frost lived most of his life ... in New England. Many of Frost's poems were influenced by New England. After his father's death in 1885, when young Frost was 11, the family left California and settled in Massachusetts. Frost attended high school in ... his poems. Most importantly Robert Frost concerns himself with ...

• Word Count: 1464
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... deal with the issues of students overwhelming teachers, some of societies teachers still choose not to help our students in need. In the essay, "Always Running" by Luis Rodriguez he writes about his troubles in the school district. First, on the subject of him being an immigrant and being unable to communicate correctly with ... teacher. Then as a teenager, counselor after consoler wouldn't give him a opportunity to try to better himself with some more advanced classes. One of Rodriguez's" counselors in junior high had this to say about him taking some incentive to better himself, "Your ...

• Word Count: 1565
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... was a little child my parents read to me almost every night. I experienced childhood in a domain where perusing was viewed as pleasant. My reading comprehension has always been extremely good, and I cannot thank my mom enough for this. In the event that I ever asked what a word implied she would make me find ... an early age I don't think I would be at the expertise level I am as of now. In "The Lonely, Good Company of Books," by Richard Rodriguez he tells about what reading has done, or hasn't accomplished for him in his past. Beginning toward the start of the essay the inspiration dr...

• Word Count: 828
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School