“Horses of the night” by Margaret Laurence is a story about a boy named Chris that moves into his grandfather’s home to attend high school. The story is told through a narration by his younger cousin Vanessa. The poem “What Shall he Tell That Son” by Carl Sandburg is about a father telling a son about life and how he should deal with it. The poem gives advice to the son that for Chris would have been very beneficial.…
Krakauer wrote, "no one was affected more powerfully by his or her brief contact with the boy than Ronald Franz"(Krakauer 48). My life and values have been influenced by relationships with others just like Ronald Franz was greatly impacted by Chris McCandless. Many of the relationships that I have been involved with have changed what I value in a relationship and ultimately what I value in my life. Different relationships have opened me up to several different perspectives and different lights, which I am so grateful for. It is inevitable that out of all the relationships that I have made there are negative and positive aspects of each relationship, which I learned from and each of these relationships are blessings. Every relationship is crucial…
Walking into the locker room about to get ready to go to our last football game of the season. I could smell the sweaty equipment from the kids who never take their pads home. The Hempfield Spartans 7th grade team would be ending their season 0-7 if we didn’t win today. As I was changing into my pads my friend mike walked in the room. I said “you ready for tonight”. “Heck yeah” replied Mike.…
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Are you pleased, or do you immediately come up with an endless list of insecurities? As a child one of my favorite memories was laying around the house with my older sister on rainy days. We would leave the windows open so we could hear the rain coming down on the tin roof over our patio, while watching reruns of our favorite tv show “America's Next Top Model”. I always thought that these women were gorgeous and I would catch myself constantly comparing their looks to my own. I wanted to be just like them until I realized the unrealistic expectations that they had to live up to. A sizeable butt and breasts, but not too large; they have got to be proportional. A skinny waist, impeccable hair, blemish free face although even with clear skin you are expected to cake on makeup because no one is actually pretty without mile long eyelashes, the perfect smoky eye, and exemplary contouring. Society has idolized these things as “beautiful” and shamed the girls that do not meet these standards; however, society should be making everyone feel confident in their bodies. Girls need to know that it is okay not to have an “hourglass figure” so they don’t…
Throughout my life, I have faced a number of crucibles but one, in particular, is more prominent than the rest. About five years ago, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, a traumatic experience that affected my entire family. Each member of my immediate family chose to deal with the news in different ways, however, I am the only one that elected to live in denial. Sadly, the only way I knew how to cope with such devastating news was to continue living my life as if nothing was happening. Denial is simply unsustainable as you cannot escape the memories that the crucible has formed. Nevertheless, years after my mom was originally diagnosed I began to appreciate the experience for what it was rather than shy away from it; developing hardiness.…
Currently, I’m sitting in Panera after a long weekend away from Jacksonville, listening to Lord Hurton, and breathing in a newfound confidence.…
Galatians 2:20” I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Knowing Jesus on a personal level is the greatest thing in the world. When we come to know Jesus all the angels in Heaven rejoice. Having a relationship with the Lord can change your life forever. I love knowing that There is a God up in Heaven that I can go to when things get out of hand. Glorifying God for the rest of my life will be something I will always cherish.…
My mother, “Regina Hopkins,” has been a positive influence in my life. She has raised 6 kids all by herself as well as earned a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from a City College in Gainesville, Florida. My mother has been through pretty much everything a person can go through outside of war and was still able to be there and provide for all 6 of her kids. In high school, my mother wanted to play football and couldn't because she was a girl and back-in-the-day women were not allowed to play football with the guys. However, she remained strong by raising 6 kids and independently took care of all of us on her own. My mother has several qualities that I would love to develop. The first quality she has is balance; she certainly knows how to make…
Today was the day. The big day. My election for Lieutenant Governor of Division 2B for Key Club, an international service club, was today. Fear and anxiety pricked my skin in rapid movements emanating from every pore. I rehearsed my speech for the fifth time that day. Upon arrival at the Fairfax Library, I urged myself to remain calm. I quickly scouted out the other girls who were present; one girl was dressed professionally with a folder in her hand. I knew that was my competition. The girl spoke eloquently and genially, she radiated enthusiasm and a certain warmth that I did not have. With every question that was asked, she answered with a smooth smile and high-pitched tone that was dripping with sincerity. I bristled inside; I had just been slapped. I was shrouded in a cloud of anxiety and anxiousness. Suddenly, I was dragged from my reverie.…
Christianity has always been apart of my life. My grandparents, parents and siblings are strong christians and always encouraged me to become one. When I was about four I was at a Christian camp that my family had always gone to and I decided then that I would give my life to Christ. But honestly at four years old I had only given my life to Christ because that's what everyone else did. Through my early teenage years I had lost my connection with Christ. There were so many difficult situations I was going through that Christ seemed so distant from me and what I needed. But turns out what I really needed was Christ. At the beginning of my sophomore year I began to go to Young Life, and what a difference Young Life made on my life. Young Life…
When asked to write about a childhood experience most people think of the time they lost their first tooth when they were 6, or about the time they started school when they were 5, however, I’m going to write about summer. It wasn’t just any summer it was the summer that I went to the lake with my Dad and Papa. I was about 4 and couldn’t be any more excited about what was going to happen…
Ever since I was born, I was a military brat. Not knowing where to call home, or if any place could be home, I moved. I moved six times, four of those places were towns that nobody could think about. Germany, North Carolina, Alaska, North Carolina, Germany, and Alaska, yet no place to call home. May 22, 1999, my first day on this world; Kronach hospital had its first American baby in their hands, yet they acted like I was a different species. The only event I remember was when I was about one. While I was one, I grabbed everything in my reach, even a grill handle. As a baby, I did not know that the handle was moving, the grill top had smashed my thumb. Ever since that event, I now have a starfish mark on the side of my right thumb from where the stiches were.…
Who am I? That has always been an essential question for as long as I can remember. I never really understood why we had to answer that question along the way, but I’m now a senior at SJPII and I still have no idea who I am. It really bothers me that for 16 years I still haven’t figured out who I am. Constantly going from class to class and making new friends I still can’t pin point who the “real” me is.…
Throughout my life I have encountered many circumstances that have shaped me into the person I am today. I was born in Moroleon, Guanajuato, Mexico. I attended school in Mexico all the way to second grade. In the summer of 2006 I moved to Cumming, Georgia. It was the hardest thing to do because I left everything that I care the most about. We lived in a trailer which was not the nicest place and in the middle of the forest. I started school at the beginning of August. I had always loved school so I was so excited for the first day. I knew it was going to be hard because I would have to conquer so many obstacles on the way. At this time the only English I knew was probably counting from one to ten and some of the colors. My Father knew some…
Football has always been a big part of my life. As a young boy I would day dream of making insane touchdowns, making tackles that would leave man stuck in the ground, and even winning the heisman trophy. In 7th grade I had begged my mother endlessly to sign me up for pee wee football because she would always worry about the risks of football. After finally getting her to sign me up, we went straight into the season. I chose to play running back because as a 12-year-old I was remarkably fast having timed 5.3 in the 40 yard-dash. After a few weeks in the season we approached the playoffs and found out our opponent for the first round of the playoffs were the jaguars who were undefeated. Our team didn’t have the best chemistry on…