Literature Group

Somewhere in Manhattan

Author’s Note: For literature group we tried a new writing exercise where we were given twenty words and we had to try to create a story using as many of the words as possible.  I didn’t know what I should do for the story.  Then I remember my friend telling me to write a sad story, because all my other pieces on my blog are not. This was a challenge, because I have never written about something depressing.  I tried to focus on one mode of literature throughout the piece.  In this piece I tried to use more descriptive language for imagery. 

Lightning darted from the fluffy gray clouds and struck the fiery orange horizon of New York City.  The largely populated city was hiding in their homes minding their own business, except for Rosalie.  Rosalie sat at her kitchen table thinking.  Thinking about her life and how for the longest time in New York she never explored Manhattan.  She pushed back her wooden chair and glided out into the stormy sunset, stopping open her garage.  In the very back, behind a dusty bookshelf she saw something that she hadn't touched since the senior year of high school, her bike.  Spider webs twisted between the spokes of the tires.   Taking the tank top, that once belonged to her sister that died in a car accident, she wiped the dirt off her bike.  She pushed off the kick stand and sat down on the tiny purple seat.  Slowly she let her feet down from the peddle and took a deep breath of the cool March air.  She set off to find somewhere in Manhattan that she wouldn't feel alone.

The long, scenic ride reminded Rosalie what life used to be like -- full of joy and wonders.  When day after day storms were not what kept her up at night.  When shadows did not make her hide in the corner of the closet, underneath the stairs.  When the sound of a hammer, created by dead trees banging on her window, didn't make her want to scream.  The reds and purple of the sunset slowly faded into a dark blue canvas.  She could barely make out the stars.  The sky was blacked by the dark clouds blocking the moonlight.  Dogs barked from behind the fences surround people’s backyards.  A stray black cat jumped from behind a lamp post and scurried into a bush.  Behind all the gigantic skyscrapers and office builds, a park where the merry-go-round spun slowly from the cold wind rushing through the city. 

She felt good again.  Rosalie felt like a kid again, playing at the park.  Walking around taking in everything, she found the swing set.  Swishing her legs forward and back she looked up at the sky seeing one faint ball of light.  It reminded her of lying down on a picnic blanket with her sister Lea.  How she missed those days; they used to sit there and try to figure out the constellations and ending up with pictures of butterflies and baby rabbits.  Suddenly, it felt like a glowing ray of sunshine was lighting up her world.

 As she fell back into reality, something came over her inside.  She walked in almost a ghostly matter.  Gracefully and cautiously, she pushed back the long, overgrown branches of the trees that sat in the woods.  On the other side of the canopying trees was a river, but its loud roaring sound was not created alone.  Rosalie was at the top of a waterfall; one step forward would take her to the bottom of the river.  One the edge of the water she knelt on the grass and picked up a rose -- how life was still left in it, how its red delicate petals still intact.  Would she ever have a life as good and pure as the rose?  No.  Carefully, she placed the rose back on the grass.  Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Rosalie jumped.  And there she laid, somewhere in Manhattan.

Dream

Author's Note: "The Glorious Whitewasher" is about a boy named Tom Sawyer.  Tom is told to go wash a fence, but to make time fly, he starts to day dream and act like the captain on a boat.  I learned many new things from this short story, but the one message that spoke the most to me is what this piece is all about.  In this essay I worked on using similes and repetitive patterns.  I also tried to relate back to the story more often in this piece.

"Follow the freeway, break the routine, because everything is second to your dream." -The Ready Set

Laying down and thinking.  Random thoughts float in my head.  Nothing that makes sense, just random dreams that keep the stress away--something to keep my mind occupied.  I lose consciousness when I dream.  I love to dream, no one should be afraid to dream, because when you dream, your wildest thoughts come true.

Dreaming is where I escape.  Where I escape the pressure of life, reality.  Tom dreams that he is on a boat as the captain leading the way when in reality he is washing a fence.  In dreams your surroundings disappear and suddenly you are where your mind takes you.  You feel like you are yourself, not caring what other people think.  Not thinking about how foolish you look making steamboat noises.  When I dream, I don't care where I am, what I am doing, or even care at all. 

Life is easy, life is fun, life is different when you dream.  Tom dreams to make work feel like an adventure.  When you dream, you can achieve anything.  Dreams were created to make your life entertaining.  Your wildest dreams can inspire you to do something you never thought you could do.  Everyone has a dream; whether they choose to live it or not is up to them.  If you believe in your dreams, they can come true.

Staying positive is what dreaming is all about, not dreading on the fact that others are always telling you that it will never happen.  I used to think the more realistic you are, the better off you will be, because when you always have people that are older than you hanging around, their thoughts get to you and influence you differently.  Now if I couldn't dream, my life would be miserable.  A dream is a memory that only you will ever know.

Believe in your dreams and anything possible.  Don't be afraid of what everyone else thinks, because dreaming is what makes life so incredible.  Never let anyone tell you that something is impossible, because with hard work and confidence, you can achieve anything.  Once you fulfill your dream, there is no better feeling.  Dreams are like change, if you hold on it's yours, but if you let it go, it's gone. 

A Path of Your Own

Author's Note: After I took a close look at  "The Circuit" by Francisco Jiménez, I realized the meaning of the story.  Panchito worked the same job the rest of his family did, harvesting crops in orchards.  He was stuck in a circuit that could never be broken.  His father chose his life for him.  One day, he started to see the light in the darkness.  School got him away from his dreaded life.  This miracle didn't last long.  This piece will be about what I learned from this story, if someone really loves you, they will let you find your own path.  In this piece I will experiment with semantic and syntactic devices.

Anything for my child.  Your mom and dad would do anything for you.  They would risk their lives and put themselves in danger for your protection.  I can't think of a mom or dad that wouldn't be there for you.  Your parents make many decisions in your life; the greatest parents let you make your own choices, too.  Independence.  A path of your own.

Life is scary, life is adventurous, life is a rollercoaster.  It's hard to make your own decisions and decide what's right.  At the same time, it’s hard to be guided through your life never allowed to make a choice for yourself.  Papa makes all the decisions in their family; he chooses the future of his kids without their say in what they want to do.  He chooses for his family to move once harvesting season is done for the rest of their lives.  Panchito is stuck in this circuit forever.

If you are stuck in a circuit never allowed to choose something for yourself, you will do anything to get out of it.  Finding the light in the darkness is important if your life is like Panchito's.  When they see the bus coming at the end of the road, Papa says, "Run and hide!"  Why would you run away from something that can take you to the only good thing in life?  The bus was Panchito's transportation to freedom.  There is always that time where you need to get away from reality and be yourself.  Sometimes you have to go to that place where you can be free.

When you find that place, everything gets better; for Panchito, this place was school.  He felt like he was finally enjoying life.  Life isn't always perfect; you could be having an incredible day and out of the blue, something terrible would happen.  Panchito learned so many things in one day, but when he got home, his world died.  They were moving again; His life, his dreams, his future, and his hope died.

Good parents let their children make their own decisions.  Being guided throughout your entire life is terrible, because everyone is different.  Everyone has different needs, likes, and dislikes.  Parents will do what is necessary for their children.  They will guide them in times when they need it, but they won't hold their hand forever; they will let them be independent and find a path.  A path of their own. 

Luck and Love

Author's Note: The story, All Summer in a Day, takes place on Venus.  The sun only shines once every seven years.  During the rest of the time, Venus is submerged in rain and eeriness.  Margot, the main character, is isolated, unloved, and unwanted.  This piece is what I learned from the story.  We are all lucky to be on a loving planet called Earth. In this piece I will try to create a poetic voice.

Earth, the galaxy, the universe.  They have many things to offer.  Some we work for and others are taken for granted.  We don’t embrace the sun's power thinking it will disappear tomorrow.  People rely on what our world has to offer; we know that it won't vanish into thin air.  Although it seem that everything is always there, we don't always see how blessed we are to be on a planet like this.

Food, air, water, sunlight.  Earth has it all.  We know it will always be there long after our generation dies out.  Those are things we take for granted.  When you look at the big picture, Earth is the only planet that offers all these qualities.  Nothing man kind can do will change that.  Everything we are given is a blessing and we should appreciate it.

On Earth, some people are born better off than others.  Money, intellect, characteristics; it's given to us.  People who have it all, will waste it.  Others that don't will work to get.  Selfishness is a human quality.  Individuals have things that not everyone owns.  We should be more grateful about the many things we call ours.  Those who need specific qualities or goods will work and trade what they are good at for those belongings.  Garbage of ours is the most prized possession of others.

The simple things, in the United States of America, such as freedom of speech, privacy, and other rights are not found everywhere else in the world.  In some countries there are people living on the streets fighting disease.  Others struggling in dangerous areas where every corner is another nightmare.  Then they find hope, light in the darkness.  We live in a place where we are wanted.  A world with love.

Earth, the galaxy, the universe.  We are blessed to be where we are, and to know that everything is going to be alright.  Taking the earth for granted is not an option anymore.  Our life is a gift and everything in it.    There are days when things are going south, but we know we are loved here on Earth.