The Theme of "The Lottery"

     When you think about your town lottery, what is the first thing that comes to  mind? Money? Riches? Fortune? Well, not in the village of the story The Lottery. The lottery for them meant death. So now a days, where everybody would just love to win the lottery, it was very different from back then, winning meant that you were stoned to death by everyone. Children, your friends, your family, everybody. Even though this town's ways seem very depressing, the people in it are very different because they have lots of courage.

     First of all, the main reason there is courage is because of the villagers. Every year, they seem excited to see who dies. That is disturbing and wrong to our current culture, but it was as normal to them as it is normal for us to wear clothes. It was just a way of life for them. The courage coming from the villagers is like water pouring out of a squeezed sponge. Every year, they have all stayed. None of them have fled or ran away. They all stayed, even if they knew they had just a chance to be killed as much as anyone else in the town. If they were cowards, they would have already left. They also show courage right before they die. The ones that are picked, they don't run, they just accept the fact that they are going to die, and let it happen.

     Also, Tessie, one of the main characters, had showed up late to the lottery. Her husband and family were already there, but were wondering where she was. She finally showed up, and they were free to start. They already weren't as happy as they could've been, because they had to wait to start, and Tessie was the cause. Tessie only made it worse when she argued that her husband didn't get enough time to pick. It all just ended up with her dying, so her actions didn't help her.

The Harmful Effect of Viruses

Author's Note: This is my science essay. The purpose is to explain the common cold and the black death.

 

     Have you ever felt sick? Maybe your white blood cells are too great and on-task to ever let you get sick.  On the other hand, if you have been sick or felt ill before, you know how miserable it can get. It can range from just a runny nose to hacking and throwing up. There are many types of viruses than can invade the human body and do terrible things.

     To start off, the common cold is what people usually catch when they say they have a cold. Symptoms usually include runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, headache, etc (Common Cold). Honestly, this disease deserves its name! Each year, the United States contains over one billion citizens who catch the common cold. It is much more common to catch this than any other virus (Common Cold).

     Unfortunately, the common cold is fairly simple to catch. You might not even know you have it for a day or two. All it takes is contact between your bare skin and a contaminated object. About half the time, the cold is caused by rhinoviruses, but there are also other viruses that can cause it (Common Cold). The key to staying healthy and fighting the viruses off is staying clean and to always wash your hands. The more you wash your hands, the fewer germs you will have, and the fewer germs you have, the smaller chance it is that you will catch the common cold.

     On the other end, the Black Death was much worse. In fact, it was so much worse, that there were 3 parts to it. The first of the types was the bubonic variant. This usually causes buboes on the neck, armpit, and groin areas. The sizes range from about the size of an egg to about the size of a whole apple. The way that one would catch this disease is when a fly lands on a diseased rat, then later lands on a human. When someone caught the bubonic variant, the life expectancy was about a week after noticed infection (History).

     Following the first, the second, a slight bit worse, was called the pneumonic plague. The pneumonic plague is usually focused mainly on the respiratory system when infected. One would catch this awful disease by breathing the same air as a true victim. This disease was no joke. This illness being a bit more dangerous than the first can kill you in about one or two days (History).

     Last but not least, the third was very deadly. It killed fast, and it affected your blood system, which would lead to heart problems, as well as movement problems. The blood wouldn’t flow and you would be in lots and lots of pain before you were gone if the third was what you caught.

       To conclude, both viruses are quite harmful to the body, although many would come to the agreement that the Black Death was much more effective, as it had wiped out the whole continent of Europe while the common cold is still around today and is not physically capable of killing someone. Out of the many, many viruses that could come into and harm the human body, these are just a couple.

Bibliography

Common Cold. 8 January 2012. 24 April 2012 <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001698/>.

History, Eye Witness to. The Black Death, 1348. 00 00 2001. 25 April 2012.

Fear and Calmness

 Author's Note: The purpose for this piece is to explain a quote.

     What do you think when you see a werewolf, two sorcerers, a witch, and a necromancer strutting about the streets? Actually, most people wouldn't even know that that is what they really are. They would just look and see a normal group of kids. But if they knew who they were, they would know that they are anything but normal. Even though they don't like her, when the witch gets captured, they decide that they need to save her because nobody deserves to be with the Edison group, not even her.

     To start, in the book Awakening by Kelley Armstrong, it is the physically advanced against the crazy scientists. They called themselves the Edison group. They keep trying to capture the four kids to keep the, from the world. When they finally catch one of them, Tori, the witch, they all decide that she needs to be saved. None of them are very fond of her, considering the fact that she isn't nice to anyone but Simon, the younger sorcerer. Obviously, it's because she has a crush on him. When Derek the werewolf and Andrew the adult sorcerer decide to go looking for Tori, Simon and Chloe the necromancer are told to retreat to the truck. Andrew hadn't planned to have Derek come along, until he said he was going to. This quote from the book kind of explains why: "Andrew seemed ready to argue, but one look at Derek told him it was useless, so he took the radio from me and sent us to safety."

     To explain, this quote clearly give you an idea of Derek's appearance. When it says "one look at Derek told him it was useless", it sounds like Derek is some really tall and buff guy who could win any fight or argument without hesitation. Well, that description is absolutely accurate. Nobody would even bother arguing with Derek because since he's a werewolf, one direct hit and you could be only holding on to an inch of your life.

     Also, it shows that Andrew is a calm guy. Even though a lot of men would feel intimidated and scared by Derek, there is still that dumb handful that would pick a fight with him. Andrew, on the other hand, knows where this could go and decides to just stay out of it. Andrew is defeated but okay with it because clearly, he would rather have Derek tag along then have his throat ripped out.

     In conclusion, this quote can show many things. Fear as well as calmness. It well demonstrates the fact that one single line can have more than one mood, and they can very well be exact opposites. It all just depends on how you look at it.

Spring District Assessment

 Author's Note: I wrote this because my friend inspired me to write it(but she doesn't know she did).

     "Stop!" I yelled. She turned around and looked at me. "What??" she said. I fell off the swing trying to stop myself. She laughed at me but I walked over to her and told her to move. I was trying to see how far off the swing I could jump, but she was just sitting there. I didn't want to kick her in the head, but if she won't move, I will. She threw a temper tantrum, so I said "Calm yourself!" She ran inside, so I was free to swing on my own.

     After a little while, it started to rain, harder and harder, so I decided to go in. I jumped off the swing, satisfied with the length, and went back inside. I walked upstairs and waited. My dad had promised me we could go to Fun World tonight. He had said many times we could go, but this time, he PROMISED. I sat and stared out my window, watching for his car to pull into the driveway. Soon, I heard a *Click!* I yelled, "Mia?" but my sister didn't respond. I got up and opened my door. "Mia?" I called again. I checked her room, where she normally was, but she was nowhere to be found. My inner aura was telling me that she was just playing with me, just trying to freak me out.

     Soon, many minutes had passed, and I still couldn't find her. Where could that little 7 year old be hiding? Then it happened. All the power had clicked off, and then "SOPHIE!" I heard her yell. I could tell she was crying, she always had a shake in her yell when she was crying. I sprinted downstairs into the basement. It was dark, and I dropped my flashlight. When I picked it up and shined it right in front of me, I saw her face, her mouth covered with a black glove.

     "Who are you?" I scream. No answer. "WHO ARE YOU!!" I raise my voice. I can see Mia crying, her cheeks are shiny with tears. I slowly angle the flashlight up and see the face. It's my father.

      I just stood there in shock before I realized that I need to do something. Now. "LET HER GO!" I elbowed him in the stomach and grabbed Mia while he was recovering, but I was too late. He back stabbed her with a knife, but she was still breathing. "What have you done? You monster!" Mia was trying not to cry, as shaking was hurting her wound. I jumped on him and tried taking him out. Only the next thing I knew, I was shot in the shoulder.  I fell to the ground with a thud, instantly bringing my hand to cover the wound. In pain, I dragged Mia and myself under a table. When I dropped the flashlight, it was facing the other way, unable to reveal our hiding spot. I found the nearest cloth and wrapped it around her torso. "It's going to be okay," I managed to get out, but it hurt to talk. I propped her against the wall and crawled out to get the flashlight.

     I don't really know what happened after that, because I suddenly became unconscious and later woke up in a hospital bed next to my sister. Mia told me that she could see the dim figure of him hitting me in the head with a brick, then she grabbed my cell phone and called the police. Our father was sent to jail and we were okay. When our mom came home from Miami, we told her everything.

The Lonely Flower

     It's been really harsh. All my friends are gone. That bunny shows no mercy. All it does is come and stomp on us, wreck us, ruin us. Most of the flowers around me died from injuries, ranging from broken, leaking stems to torn, rotting petals. Some just died of fear. It all started back when we were first planted.

     We were all seeds, obviously, bought from your local Stein's. We were all crammed in a bag, though I didn't mind because I spent most of my time sleeping, so I didn't notice anyway. One day, we felt the bag shake. We were tossed and turned, rumbling inside. Then it all stopped. I couldn't tell, but I'm sure that two days had past before the violent shaking started again. Then the bag opened. Oh, how happy I was to have finally gotten to breathe! Unfortunately, within the next few seconds, that become once again a fantasy as we were separated into three's. We could hear each other calling and crying through the soil. Thank goodness I was put with my two best friends. Jem and Raphael. Yes, I know, it's weird for a girl like me to have both her two friends be guys, but I honestly couldn't care less. They're great friends, and at this point, I don't think it matters the gender. Anyway, back to the story. All three of us made the plan to escape, when suddenly, we felt water being poured on us. We panicked a little, when suddenly, something strange and brown popped out of Raphael. He screamed, and fainted. We both started laughing until the same thing happened to us. Well, let me just say, THAT shut us up. When we finally woke up, there were many more brown things sticking out of us. And they were much longer, too. It also felt like we were getting closer to the surface somehow, but I couldn't really tell. A few days passed, and we were up above the ground, so we couldn't even see those ugly brown things anymore. We could finally see out friends and family! Just as it seemed great, and all of us were tall and colorful, something happened. The bunny happened. It started out with Grandma Gladys. She just all of a sudden passed out. When she woke up, she said she saw something. Something white. It had red eyes, she said. Long ears and soft skin. She told us not to let its cuteness fool us. Then, she had a heart attacked. Every moment from then, even though we were pretty sure she was just crazy, we looked out for whatever she had been talking about. Then, it showed itself. The bunny came out of nowhere, it looking so adorable. Then, we forgot all about grandmas advice until he stepped on Grandpa Jack. And then Aunt Kathy. And then Grandpa George. Then some of my friends. More and more were being killed every day until it was just me.

      Just me in that lonely patch of flowers. The bunny never came back after I was the only one left. No, there would be no pride in killing us all. It's too bad that I'm too old to do anything now. It really is a shame that we all had to die a cruel and painful death. But not me. I was strong. But not strong enough to save them all.. and seeing that bunny hopping towards me, I can now say, I am not strong enough to save myself now, and this is the end of my story.