The Call of the Wild

In Jack London's The Call of the Wild, filled with adventure and violence, is a story of fighting for your passions and finding your place, brilliantly told from a dog's point of view.



London creates a head strong, egotistical, and loyal character. Buck, the main character, is plucked from his pampered life and sold into the life of dog sledding, where he defies owners and fights for his status among fellow dogs.



Packed with battles and friendships, this book is appealing to both genders.

To Perfect my World...

To bring the world together and make it a better place, I would distribute food to the hungry and cure the sick.

The rich nations waste tons of food every day, while the poor from around the world starve to death. By simply sacrificing the excessive amount of food each nation has and giving it to a nation that lacks could help, if not solve, this crisis.

Also, vaccinations and cures for diseases sit in doctor's offices, while people in Africa suffer from AIDS, simple because of the price is too high to cure them.

With a little less selfishness and a little more charity, the world would be a better place. (I promise I didn't steal that from a beauty queen!)

Antigone

Antigone, by Sophocles, is a classic Romeo and Juliet story but it also has other themes. The main character, Antigone, takes a stand for what she believed in and knowingly risked her life doing so. Creon, the leader of Thebes, is faced with a decision that will cause him to put away his pride to make the right choice. Lastly, Hameon, Antigone's fiance and Creon's son, must persuade his father to spare Antigone's life. This play is great for a short read with twists in the plot that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Listening

When you take a stand for yourself, the outcome is not always what it should be.

When I spotted my mom's white CRV rolling into the pick-up line in front of the junior high school, I slid into the passenger seat and threw my bag in the back seat. As we pulled away from the school and drove through the streets, I reminded my mom of the upcoming band concert.

At this, she whipped her eyes from the road to me, and said in that annoying I'm-fed-up-with-you-voice,
"Why didn't you tell me before now!"

This really pushed my buttons! I had told her two days before about the exact same event and, as always, she didn't remember. I could not take her anymore! I had to take a stand for myself!

"You never listen! I told you already," I blurted a little too loudly.

Now my mom is not one of those parents you talk back to , and after I said this, I wished I could rewind the scene and draw the words back. A fiery look entered her eyes and I had a moment of fear in which I thought she might slap me, but to my relief she just yelled,
"I always listen! I must have been doing something important when you told me!"

My first reaction was to stop talking but then I thought,
"I'm already in trouble, I might as well get my point across," and tried to calmly reply, "You were sitting in the living room and shopping on your lap top."

There was a moment of silence as she realized I was right and searched for a recovery.
"Well, you are grounded!"

And that was that; there was no explanation why and I knew better than to say anymore. That was the first time I had been grounded and all I was doing was standing up for myself.

My mom still does not listen.

Thank God It's Over

Thank god it's over!

As I jumped from my seat at the sound of the final bell, this was my first thought.  It was Christmas break and the end of the first semester of my sophomore year. 

With only five more semesters, I'm one step closer to college.  At first this was a relief.  After all college is going to be a blast!  

But now a slight panic is creeping up on me.  

I don't have a clue what I want to do or where I want to go.

Well thats not true... I actually have several clues, but can not pick just one!

Should I go to my dream college which is out of state or stay close to home?  Should I dream big and take a risk or follow the other safer smaller dreams?  Should I be a pianist, a physical therapist, a writer, a dancer, a journalist?

But I've got a while to decide.  After all it's only the end of the first semester of my sophomore year.

Julius Caesar- friends

One of the underlying themes to Julius Caesar that William Shakespeare tried to convey was friendship.  The point was:

Be a good friend and you'll achieve more than someone who is the opposite.

Mark Antony is the first example.  He was a loyal and good friend of Caesar. 

 When Caesar was killed he grieved and made sure Caesar's murder was not falsely presented.  Antony made sure Brutus didn't make Caesar out to be any less of a man than he was. 

 Antony went on to win the battle. 

Cassius was the opposite.  

He was deceitful and two-faced to Brutus.  Cassius used Brutus to gain more power, and never truly had what was best for Brutus in mind.  

Cassius died in the battle.

Julius Caesar

In my opinion, people with high power should put their subjects before himself in order to be a great leader.

In the tragedy, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, only one character did this, Mark Antony. All the others were just interested in power and would do anything to gain a higher status. Including deceiving the entire population of Rome and manipulating friends.

Antony never became power hungry or mad for revenge after Caesar's betray and death. Speaking at the funeral, he gave only facts and let the Romans decide for themselves whether Cassius and Brutus were traitors or doing what they had to for the benefit of Rome.

Antony, displaying genuine interest for Rome, showed real leadership.