Too much Power

In the story, "The Lottery" By Shirley Jackson everything happens around the theme power and control. At the beginning, everyone is gathering for the lottery that takes place every year. It seems like a normal day but really it's not. The government controls the people of the village to come and draw out of a box for the black piece of paper. Whoever gets the piece of paper, their family has to draw to see who will get the black dot, meaning they will die. The government has brainwashed these villagers into thinking that this is right and completely normal. They have total control on everyone! When Tessie draws the black dot, she screams in panic. "It's not right! It's not fair!" And when a man tells the people to start throwing the rocks at her, everyone does. The villagers can't really do anything about it but to throw big stones so she dies quickly and less painfully. As you can tell, the government has all the power and control and the villagers can do nothing but obey.

This story also relates to one of the huge, best selling books, the Hunger Games! In the Hunger Games, 24 tributes have to kill each other to win. The government has all of the control and think that they have to keep continuing this tradition, like The Lottery! They have all the power and basically can do whatever they want to the children who are fighting and even before they are in the arena! They have so much control that each district has to do whatever the government tells them to do, no matter how stupid or how huge of a project. This book is exactly like "The Lottery" because of control and powering covering this whole book. Both of the books have the exact same overall theme, power and control.

A Crack In The Mirror

One day, I was just sitting on the dresser making sure I make the best image back at the person standing in front of me.  I loved seeing all the beautiful faces that look into me and especially, my owner, Dakota. She was the most beautiful of them all, inside and out! Yes, I saw other pretty faces but nothing like her. She was one of a kind. I was waiting for her to get home from school when all of a sudden I hear the door open. The person looks into the mirror and CRACCCKKK! I felt like I was going to die, right there in front of the stranger. I looked at myself, cracked like a sidewalk. This never happened to me before and I started to feel weak. Who could have done this? I tried to see who was the person and finally saw that it was a burglar, trying to take all of Dakota's stuff. I was getting tired, dropping into unconscious when I knew I had to do something. With all my energy left I slammed into the intruder, now unconscious and so was I. Before I drifted out, I thought to myself, I just saved Dakota and all her family. I guess that was my purpose in life. Goodbye Dakota, you will and always be the most gorgeous human I've ever saw….

That One Serve- District Writing Assessment

Author’s Note: This is a persuasive piece on why you should play volleyball. This will also count for my DWA. This will be graded on the writing rubric. Enjoy!

            You’re in the championship volleyball game at the state finals. You’re exhausted, so thirsty you might just die, but you have to keep going if you want to win.  It’s your turn to serve; its 23-24 and you’re up. Everyone is counting on you to make the serve that could potentially affect your whole life. It’s so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. You throw the ball in the air and serve it over the net. Next you hear screaming and cheering from the stands. All of a sudden your team is picking you up and cheering your name. You have just won the state finals! Moments like these are really what volleyball is all about. You should play volleyball for many reasons!

                        First of all, volleyball is all about being part of a team. If a specific team does not get along with each other or if there is drama between the athletes, you will never win a game. You have to be like one, big, happy family, always cheering other girls up if they make a mistake. This will create such a bond between a group of girls and might even change your life. A connection I can make is the first time I started playing volleyball I didn’t know a lot of the athletes on the court, but eventually we all became like sisters! I also met for the first time, my best friend, Abbi, who now, I could not live without. As you can see, being on a volleyball team can have so much impact on your life and you will never, ever want to stop being part of a team.

            Even though being part of a team is an important reason why you should play volleyball, the actual game of it, is extraordinary! In this wonderful sport, you never know what’s going to happen. Since the ball could go anywhere, you have to be ready at all times! Everyone has their own positions and knows exactly where they are supposed to be on a serve, hit or a free ball. In volleyball, there’s a position for everyone. Whether you are amazing at passing, a great setter or just love to spike it down at the other team. Also, if you are not a runner, like me, this sport is just right for you!

            On the other hand, volleyball is a terribly amazing, very active hobby. In this activity, you’re never standing still! You have to be on your toes all the time, always moving toward the ball or toward your position! You get very exhausted trying to not let the ball touch the ground, kind of like how you played with balloons when you were a kid. Volleyball is a very hard-working sport, always keeping you in shape! If you are in a very serious and competitive team, you usually do a lot of conditioning to get you ready to dive for the ball any second. If you’re looking to get in shape and have tons of fun doing it, play volleyball!

            In conclusion, for many reasons, you should play or at least try volleyball! It shows you how to be part of a team and what beautiful friendships can happen in this sport. The actual game of volleyball is so intense that it just gives you a thrill every time; you’ll never want to stop playing! Also don’t forget that it is a very active sport! It can help you stay in shape and be healthy while being with your friends and having the time of your life. So, will you try volleyball? How might it change your life?

The Blood Red Car

I stood there in the middle of the road, playing with my jump rope. I started to count how many times I could jump! Fifty, fifty one. Have I really jumped that many times?! Excitement and determination filled me and I started jumping more and more, not paying attention to anything else. All of a sudden I hear a horn and finally the screeching of the tires, trying to come to a stop. The car didn't stop and that's when I flew. By the time I woke up, I couldn't feel anything. I didn't really think much about this at first because all I could see was a blob of random colors. Something was seriously wrong....

To be continued