Behind the beautiful steely blue Hope Diamond lies a cruel and often bloody history, a history that is full of mystery and intriguing stories. This ornate diamond has changed hands many times throughout its long past. The most interesting part of this is the fact that it is said that many of its owners have met with a gruesome fate. It is because of this occurrence that there is an alleged curse behind the precious gem, whether true or not. As stated by Richard Kurin, “[the curse] is only one small piece of a long and lustrous story…” (Kurin). From its supposed origins in an ancient Indian statue, through the hands of Royalty, and on to the ultra-rich, the Hope Diamond leaves a fascinating yet often brutal mark on many of those in its path.…
Many writers on their venture to becoming great, are faced with roadblocks. I too feel those stresses. When sitting down to begin a story, novel, or poem we all strive to be different. But as Baldwin explains, "there is no original thought, because we all humans think and feel has been thought and felt so many times before, by so many generations." This in itself makes starting writing a very daunting task. Not to mention the sea of fellow authors you are competing with for limited shelf space. A trip to a jam packed bookstore reiterates this feeling instantaneously. Really, what sets the writer apart is the original perspective and finding out what shape to give it to really hold the readers attention. This can all be achieved through the power in…
“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.” (142)…
This morning we went outside with the teachers and the children into the small playground. R wanted a cooking tool to knock these new homemade instruments, but he can’t (could not) find one. So (Therefore) when R asked me to help him to find a cooking tool, I told (asked) him “Can you wait for you turn as your friend M had first” I asked him that could he wait for the next turn because his friend M had it first, and he said “yes” (answered yes). After a short time wait, he found one cooking tool on the sandpit. Then, R played these instruments looks like a musician, and then, I asked R “shall we sing your favorite song together?” and he replied “yes, old Macdonald had a farm.” After singing song, child R glanced over his shoulder to knock the second pan and he listened what the sound of the pan makes. After a short time of period, he changed to use another hand to knock the second cooking pot again with highly concentration listened what the sound of pot makes. He showed a big smile face to me and carried on knocking the third cooking pot. When he knocked the third cooking tools, and he found that the sound was different from others, so he listened carefully.…
The poetry was a fun activity, for it made me use my imagination to create titles and come up with a poem that would go with it. I must say some of the poems were a lot easier to write than the others. The transformation, welcome, acrostic, bio, ode, change, list, concrete, parody, and my favorite place poem were the easiest while the rest, not so much. The narrative poem was one of the hardest to write because I had a hard time following a certain foot and meter. The hokku was difficult was difficult because a certain line had to be a certain number of syllables. Also, it was hard to put a poem into a…
As I leapt from the window of the dreaded vessel, I vowed I would never be privileged to see the sun as it rose anew. I thought of the past. I pictured my creator and I admired the picture of my fated self-destruction. Death did not scare me. How could it possibly when I already embodied the anatomy of a corpse so fully? Yes, this would be enough for me. To expire upon the diamond plains with the northern waves buried below me was the moonlit future I longed most for. My life had been altogether exhausted of breath and I, its humble advocate, was thoroughly depleted of any remaining will to gratify its pleas of invitation into the world that had so quickly recoiled from my hideous stature. This was to be how it ended. I had now outlasted the only identity that had ever attended to my entity at all. How could one conceivably carry on their everyday occupations without a single remaining acquaintance in the uncut span of the world? I longed for animation’s kiss of farewell as I departed forever from the hatred and confinement of this world. I advanced upwards along an icecap I had recently encountered as I continued my journey into death’s grip of acceptance. I knew full well I would not be missed. Not a soul among me had even granted me the gift or humanity of identity. I walked, nameless, among the masses of earth’s vast expanses. I was unknown, unneeded, and utterly and undeniably alone. As I neared my final resting place, a thought passed through me: What if instead of ended my existence in darkness and solitude, I exerted forth a flame to carry me on past this life? And thus was decided my fate would be that of eternal fire, for darkness was all I had ever been entreated to know of. Reaching the apex of the mountain, I removed my flint and steel from my right waistcoat pocket and struck the two together with such force that I did not know if the rocks would remain intact to themselves. When no spark ignited, I grew impatient and enraged. I must be the only being…
2. What are the symbolic significances of the candy store in Lawrence Ferlinghetti's "The Pennycandystore Beyond the El" (Geddes, 318)?…
In today’s society, most people communicate using of cell phones. Just 15 to 20 years ago, cell phones were a rarity for the average person. The average income person could not afford a cell phone. Today, cell phones are affordable and the majority of people own them. The days of waiting until you are home to use a telephone or searching for a pay phone if you are out are long gone. In fact, pay phones are being removed, which increases the need for a cell phone. The government will provide a cell phone with limited monthly service for those that are low income and meet certain criteria. The cell phone has also created people to feel the need to be accessible to constant communication. The major problem lies with cell phone use while driving, which presents a constant danger on the road. In many instances, it is a deadly danger.…
In this essay, I will be comparing four poems: Checking out me history; Singh Song; The Ruined Maid and Give. ‘Checking out me history’ By John Agard is a strong piece which shows a hint of anger and almost betrayal as he enlightens us on his knowledge of unknown history. The second poem, ‘Singh Song’ by Daljit Nagra has a stereotypical Indian man who runs one “ov his daddy’s shop” bit it has the theme of romance added. Thirdly, The Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy, the poem is a conversation between two female friends, the poem depicts a young country girl who has become a rich man’s mistress or a prostitute to escape her own poverty and the friend seems to envy her. Lastly, ‘Give’ by Simon Armitage, the poem is about homelessness and the way society reacts to beggars, the poem is in the eyes and voice of a beggar. I will be exploring the ways these emotional voices are presented and used to challenge the stereotypes.…
Writing is something that has never been easy for me. For most of my life I have tried to avoid it if I can, but of course I can't avoid stuff like school forever. So for the most part all of my writing has been forced upon me. Even with the help of teachers and some helpful hints from the internet, it never got easier. But obviously I have written before and like anyone else who has written before, there must have been some sort of influence. My main influences were the books I have read, my teachers who have helped me throughout the years, my experience, and strangely enough my music.…
The purpose between a narrative and descriptive essay differ from each other because of how you want to convey the story and how to accomplish the purpose. In How to Say Nothing in 500 Words, by Paul McHenry Roberts, the intended audience is for students and writers, and in Once More to the Lake, by E. B. White, it is for readers who had experience with sharing a moment with their loved ones, which both stories accomplish a specific audience.…
One would think that purchasing your first home would be a very fascinating experience; after all it is one of the most major purchases of your entire life. In America, home ownership ties in with the American Dream and the spirit of working hard to one day earn through hard work a home with a white picket fence. My husband and I felt that it was time for us to reward ourselves for all the hard work we have been putting in over the years by purchasing our first home, which was well overdue. I quickly learned the process of purchasing your first home can be very frustrating and stressful. However, if you survive the home buying process the reward is priceless once you move into your “American Dream.”…
What if everything you knew and were used to, such as friends, family and way of life, suddenly changed? This happened to me when my family moved to Puerto Rico for the first time. All the things I was used to in my hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, all the people I knew suddenly changed overnight. At first I didn’t think it was going to be that different. But I soon found out that there were so many differences, big and small.…
The morning was young and the barn was alive. Horses were neighing, dogs were barking, the goat was bleating, and cats appeared out of every nook and cranny that you could see. All were awaiting their morning meals. I grew up on a small farm in Pennsylvania. During the fourteen years of living in Pennsylvania, my experiences have taught me many important life skills and morals that will forever guide my life.…
So my last weekend before being deployed has finally arrived. I wanted to do something exciting, extreme - something I never would have imagined doing before – something that would take a lot of heart to do. Maybe even could be called a little crazy as others told me. Skydiving was something I had never done and certainly had never thought of doing until now.…