Les Misérables Preface

So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so long as the three great problems of the century—the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through lack of light—are unsolved; so long as social asphyxia is possible in any part of the world;—in other words, and with a still wider significance, so long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Misérables cannot fail to be of use.

I think it is very interesting that all these problems-crippling of children, corruption of woman, and degradation of man- are all because of the laws and customs made by society. The laws and customs are creating ignorance and poverty. All those problems would be fixed if the society fixed the laws and customs.

So long as there shall exist, by the want for independence, children growing up too fast, creating teens having sex, and adding to cyber bullying; so long as the three main issues of today’s children—the committing of suicide, the need of fitting-in, the want of drugs/alcohol—are unsolved; so long as childhood becomes shorter; —in other words, and still with a wider significance, so long as children stay children, parents taking time to enjoy their child’s childhood cannot fail to be of use.

List at least two symbols that the author uses. Provide a passage that includes a great example of how the writer uses symbolism in the novel. In at least one well-developed paragraph, write about the importance of this symbol in the book.

            Symbolism is used in the novel  And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie a few times. The main one was the storm that goes on for the majority of the story. Another symbol was the poem titled Ten Little Indians that hung in each bedroom.

Agatha Christine uses the storm to symbolize the disorder of the visitors on Indian Island. The beginning of the novel it is a hot and humid summer day, which causes a physical discomfort that is already felt internally by each of the novel’s characters. As the murders begin, the weather gradually gets worse until a storm breaks out as General Macarthur’s body is found. “The storm broke just as the old man’s body was borne in through the door. The others were standing in the hall. There was a sudden hiss and roar as the rain came down” (chapter 9). The fierce storm cuts the island off from the outside world.

Ten Little Indians is a nursery rhyme that was posted in all ten of the guest’s rooms. The poem is symbolic because it shows how the crazy murderer followed strictly to the nursery rhyme to carry out the murders. The murderer wanted to make the murders resemble the poem as closely as possible.

Dense Question: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Text- Why is William so passionate about getting an education?

Other Literature- How is Equality’s passion for getting an education similar and/or different from William’s?

Reader- Do you think someone’s passion towards getting an education can be affected by others? Does the person’s relationship with someone else make a difference? Why or why not?

In both Anthem and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Equality and William had a passion for learning, more specifically a passion for electricity. They both wanted to learn as much as they could.

At the age of 14 William had to drop out of school because his family couldn’t afford to go, but William didn’t give up. He had to walk to the village library to get an education to help his family and he wanted to make a difference in his village. Education was a huge part of his life without it he wouldn’t have made the windmill.

Equality has a hard time getting an education just like William. Equality wants to learn and discover unknown things and to find answers to hard questions, but his society limits education. His society only tells them what they want them to know. Both William and Equality had to work to get books. Although it was easier for William to get them, all he had to do was walk to the village library. For Equality he didn’t get access to books until the discovered the house with The Golden One. They both put their education to use with their inventions.

I definitely think a person’s passion for education or anything else can be affected by others, and the relationship the two people have also affects their passion. I have a strong passion for working with the FBI when I’m older, but I am unsure about going to college worried about the cost burden. I then decided to discuss this with my dad, who I have a really close relationship with.  He said that I shouldn’t let that stand in the way from pursuing an education.  I also approached my friend’s mom, who I don’t know that well, with the same question.  She said the same thing.  I would be more likely to change my mind because of my dad’s comments because we are closer plus he would help pay the cost.

Education affects everyone in either a positive or negative way. Others can influence a person’s passion for wanting to get a good education. Education impacts the whole world.

Research Writing Anthem

In Anthem Equality observes that “At forty, [men] are worn out. . . . [and] are sent to the Home of the Useless, where the Old Ones live. . . . The Old Ones know that they are soon to die. When a miracle happens and some live to be forty-five, they are the Ancient Ones, and children stare at them when passing by . . .” (p. 28). According to the World Health Organization’s ranking of 191 countries, (www.who.int) there is a huge discrepancy in the average life expectancy of various nations; it ranges from a high of 74.5 years in Japan to a low of 25.9 years in Sierra Leone. Why does life expectancy vary so greatly around the world? What are the main factors that determine life expectancy in a given country?

Select several countries with high, medium and low average life expectancy, and briefly research their political systems. Consider the following questions:

• How are their leaders chosen?

• Do citizens enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of mobility and of religion? Do they have the right to life, liberty and ownership of private property?

• To what extent does the government control and regulate the economy?

• Is the primacy of rule of law acknowledged?

Write a paper on your findings concerning the causal impact that a country’s political system has on the life expectancy of its citizens.

There is an enormous gap between the country with the highest life expectancy and the country with the lowest. Japan, with an overall life expectancy of 82.6 years, has the highest. At the same time Swaziland has the lowest with an overall of 39.6 years (List of Countries… Pages 4 and 11). Access to clean water, notorious food, a good education, access to a medical system all have a big part in the life expectancy of a country. How often or how common a disease is can also affect the life expectancy especially if the country doesn’t have a way to cure the disease. In Anthem there weren’t any social problems or wars. We don’t really know about the economy.

At 81.7 years as the life expectancy of the country, Switzerland has the fourth highest overall life expectancy (List of Countries… Page 4). With a shortage of raw materials and restricted agricultural production, Switzerland was forced to advance their economy built on the change of imported raw materials into high-added-value finished products primarily designed for exportation. The economy is greatly specialized and supported on global trade (Countries and Their Culture- Switzerland Page 12). Switzerland is safe, with a low rate of homicide. The most common crimes are infractions of the traffic code, infractions of drug laws, and theft. The people respect the court because a large number of the population lives in communities where informal social control is powerful. Switzerland is a neutral country so the army is purely defensive (Countries and Their Culture- Switzerland Page 12).

Russia’s life expectancy is 65.5 years. They are ranked 137^th out of 195 countries (List of Countries… Page 9). The Soviet command economy provided a secure living standard for the entire population. Production systems were highly developed, technologically specialized, and spread strategically throughout the country. Almost all consumer and industrial products were produced within the nation or in the Soviet bloc countries, but that all collapsed when the state support stopped in 1991. This caused many factories to be sold off. Some sectors, like food processing and distribution industries, are slowly returning. The chronic shortages led many people to produce for themselves. The current poverty has increased the importance of this practice, with a significant portion of the population partially dependent on their own produce (Countries and Their Culture- Russia Page 13).  Theft is a common crime. The economic and society liberalization in the late 1980s arranged the stage for a burst of illegal activity. Mafia-organized contract killings have become common in the cities, and thousands of political leaders, businesspeople, and journalists have been murdered. Because law enforcement is weak and efforts to reduce its influence have been ineffective. Weak legislation, a judiciary that is underfunded, overwhelmed by cases, and plagued by corruption and overcrowded jails has created a society whose regulatory mechanisms cannot deal with the current conditions. Most people see no point in appealing to the law for assistance or protection (Countries and Their Culture- Russia Pages 13 &14).  Russia has been involved in many wars like World War II, the Korean War, and the Great War.

            Malawi, with an overall life expectancy of 48.3 years, is ranked 180^th (List of Countries… Page 10). Now that the value of the kwacha has gone down in the last decade, Malawi’s economy has gone downhill. They now rely on crops supplied by the Western nations (Countries and Their Culture- Malawi Page 1). The most serious crime is robbery, which generally occurs in the major cities and in tourist areas, although murder is not unknown. The police are conspicuous by their lack of weapons and vehicles. Local justice often is meted out on the spot. If a criminal is caught by local residents, he often is taken to the police station and beaten on the way while those around him sing and mock him. These beatings have caused death on occasion. Malawi’s military is a total of around ten thousand. The army is by far the largest branch; the air force is small, and the navy is practically nonexistent (Countries and Their Cultures- Malawi Page 15).

The amount of income a country has plays a really big part in determining the country’s life expectancy because countries with higher income can afford safe drinking water and nutritious food. The amount of notorious resources a country has makes it so they don’t have to buy from others, instead other countries with be buying the resources from them which means that country will have a bigger income.

Works Citied

"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Russia. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Russia.html>.

"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Switzerland. JRank.org, 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Switzerland.html>.

"DEPweb: Life Expectancy, Print Version." DEPweb: Life Expectancy, Print Version. DEPweb, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.worldbank.org/depweb/english/modules/social/life/print.html>.

"List of Countries by Life Expectancy." Enagic.com. United Nations, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

Write a brief letter to Ayn Rand about Anthem. You can state your reaction to the text (What did you find particularly surprising? Exciting? Moving?), ask about aspects of the novel that puzzled you and relate the novel to personal experiences, etc.

Dear Ayn Rand,

            Your novel, Anthem, was a real eye opener for me. It made me realize that it is ok to disagree with what other people believe. The novel also made me realize that if you don’t believe what others do you will probably get judged for it, but you just have to stay strong through the hard times. There will probably be many nights when you are at home and your “friends” are all hanging out without you, but if you have faith in what you believe you can get through even the hardest times, although it will not be easy you can get through it as long as you stay strong.

            I didn’t understand the novel as I read it, but after I related parts of it to personal experiences of mine that was when I started understanding it better. There were some things that surprised me and some that moved me, but there were even more that confused me. I thought it was surprising that the Council wanted so much control over everyone. I don’t understand why someone would want to be like everyone else. I was also confused about why more people than Equality didn’t go against what the Council of Vocations said. I really liked how the Golden One ran off to the Uncharted Forest to be with Equality. She risked her life to be with him.

            There are some things I am curious about. Does Equality believe in only doing things for others if it benefits one’s self just like you? I was also wondering how they got their names. Were they chosen random or do they mean something?  The thing I really don’t understand but would like to is why did the Council say the Uncharted Forest is forbidden but at the same time they were telling everyone that the rumors about there being a beast in the forest that would eat you weren’t true even though the rumors would of scared them from going in the Uncharted Forest?  That really interested me.

 

            I can relate to Equality in some ways like in school. I have had a few times where the teacher was asking for answers to the questions and I was the only one that was raising my hand the whole time so after about three or four questions she told me not to raise my hand to give others a chance to answer the questions.

            Once I understood most of the novel I really liked it. Although at the beginning I didn’t like it at all, but I think that’s because I didn’t understand it. Overall I thought it was a very good novel. I hope you consider making a sequel to this novel.

Sincerely,                               

Samantha McIver

Anthem!!!! :)

Can you see any elements of our society

that are similar to Equality’s beliefs?

           In Anthem, Equality believes in only doing things for one’s self, but at the same time his society is telling him to never think of himself as an individual because everyone is equal.

        In America there are many people that have the same sort of mine set. For example a ton of wealthy people buy HUGE houses that would be able to have like ten people live there and only four people end up living there. They buy really expensive clothes and jewelry, while there are millions and millions of people that don’t even have access to clean healthy water.

I am guilty of not wanting to help others and putting myself first too. The most recent example has to do with not wanting to donate to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts because I want to use that money to buy me something that I don’t even need. So there are quite a few similarities between our two societies.

Multiple Intelligence Results

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/results/results.cfm                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ctj4942229zvg


I think for the most part it is really close to being accurate. The part that I think is that accurate is the Linguistic because I'm not very good with words. At the same time I think it got Logical and Visual/Spatial correct. I am a math person and I love doing puzzles.

Lyrics Post

Matthew West   Survivors

You've been dropped like a dream to the floor
You've been told not to try anymore
But you're wakened from yesterday's war
Cause you're a survivor

And your strength has been stolen away
And your faith has been worn to a fray
But you live to live on one more day
Cause you're a survivor

And nothing can stop you now
Nothing can back you down
You never give up
You never give in
You're a survivor

For the phone call that tore you apart
For the fear that gripped your heart
For the moment you saw who you are
And what you're made of

For the cancer that stole all your hair
For the smile like you just don't care
For your hope in midnight prayer
You're a survivor

And nothing can stop you now
Nothing can back you down
You never give up
You never give in
You're a survivor

I'm convinced neither death nor life
Neither demons or angels of light
Shadows present a future bright
Can separate us

From the love that will lead us on
To the hope when all hope is gone
Til the day heaven calls us home
We are survivors

And nothing can stop us now
Nothing can back us down
We never give up
We never give in

And nothing can stop us now
Nothing can back us down
We never give up
We never give in
Cause we are survivors

We are 
We are
Yeah
We are survivors
We are survivors

          This song has so much meaning and emotion behind it for me, and it is by one of my all time favorite Christian artist, Matthew West. I love the message behind this song. It is saying "never give up" or lose hope because God is there and you have so much to live for.

          My dad is a survivor of two heart attacks. So this song reminds me just how thankful I am that my dad is still alive. I was at my church's youth group when my uncle called and told me that my dad was in the hospital with chest pain. I knew right away it had to be another heart attack. The line "For the phone call that tore you apart" reminds me of that moment when my uncle told me.

          The mother of the two kids I have babysat a few times and who goes to my church is a survivor of stage three breast cancer. Whenever I hear "For the cancer that stole all your hair" it reminds me of her husband, her two children, and of her.

Video Post

          I absolutely LOVE this music video!!!! I read the description under it on YouTube and it said, "This video was created by using a LITE-BRITE branded toy board and 700,000 pegs. The LITE-BRITEscreen images are not computer generated graphics or effects."  I love how they didn't use a computer to make the video. It is so simple yet so technical at the same time, and that is the way I try/want to live just simple. They made the paper birds carrying the words and made it look like the flower at the end was growing and growing. Who has the patience do all that when you could just use the computer and made the video in a fraction of the time.

          I choose this video because I love the whole story line of it, and I really like how simple the idea is yet so time consuming. I have no patience so I couldn't make a video like this. I would have just used a computer and made a video.

Persuasive Essay

Dear Little Nanny,

          You have been staying in the upstairs room since the house was built in 1970, and I understand that staying upstairs in that room brings back lots of good memories. At one time there was you, your husband, and four children staying in the house, but now three of the children have grown up; one child and an incredible husband/father have passed away, and now it is just you and a twelve year old Bearded Collie. Please consider allowing my dad, Duncan, and Joe to move your things to the downstairs room that you and your husband built for the two of you when you were no longer able to go up the stairs. I want you to consider this because I love you and I don’t know what I would do if you fell down the stairs and passed away when the family could have prevented it.

          You are retired and have no earned income to pay for bills. If you lived downstairs you wouldn’t have to run the lights, and the heating and air conditioning so your electricity bill would be lower because you would be using less electricity.

            You like having a nice, clean house and you love having family over at holidays; we all love getting together. You wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning what is now the guest room because we would all know that it is your room.

          I really want you to move downstairs because I don’t want you to fall and get hurt. Falling is to be taken seriously among elderly Americans. Someone’s risk for falling is doubled every five years after they reach the age of fifty. More than 350,000 elderly Americans fall each year. Only about a quarter of elders that fall fully recover, and of the people who do recover half of them will need a cane or walker. Nearly twenty percent will die within the next year of their fall. An elder’s home is where almost sixty percent of falls occur. (Smith) One in three Americans older than sixty-five fall each year. About thirty percent of falls needs medical attention. In 2005, just under half a million elderly people were hospitalized due to a fall, that same year one point eight million older Americans were sent to a doctor to be treated, and a little over 16,000 Americans died due to a fall. (Philips)

            
          Please consider this letter in making a decision soon. It is in your best interest to move downstairs for a lower electricity bill, less upkeep, and most importantly for safety. I hope you will consider it.

Sincerely,                   

Samantha McIver

 

Works Cited

Smith, Ian K., M.D. “No Fall Insurance.” Times 29 Jan. 2001: Web. 17 Sept.2012.

Philips, Cheryl, Dr. "Falls Are Top Cause of Injury, Death Among Elderly." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 19 July 2008. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/19/AR2008071900814.html>.

Comparison and Contrast Essay

Chick-Fil-a Vs. McDonalds

We all have our favorite restaurant whether it is a fancy sit down or fast-food restaurant. Most Americans eat out at least four times a week.

Chick-fil-a was started by S. Truett Cathy, a strong Christian. He decided that all Chick-fil-a restaurants would be closed on Sundays. McDonald’s founder, Ray Kroc, was a Satanist. What the two restaurants are structured on is one thing they have in common.

I think Chick-fil-a‘s food is really good and never get tired of it. They have so many delicious options and it is much healthier than McDonald. McDonald just doesn’t have very many things on their menu that sound appetizing to me. 

My dad and I were in a hurry so we got dinner at Chick-fil-a. The employees had big smiles on their faces and bent over backward to take our order. We ordered our food and they said they would bring it to us. So my dad and I sat down at a table. About two minutes later an employee brought us our food. It was like we were at a sit down restaurant. Whereas with McDonald I feel like the employees don’t want to be there and ordering is just a process. They don’t seem to be as well trained as the employees at Chick-fil-a.  I went to McDonald’s with my dad before the big Hoggard vs. Laney football game and I asked for honey mustard with my kid’s meal, but they forgot to give it to me, so I had to go back. There were two registers open and five people wanting to order food. I went to one and asked for honey mustard again. I waited for about two minutes and still no one gave me honey mustard, so I went back to the table. My dad decided to go up.  He asked for the honey mustard and the employee stopped what she was doing and got one for my dad.

                Chick-fil-a and McDonalds are both very popular restaurants and we all like them for different reasons, but everyone has the freedom to choose their favorite place to eat out.   If I had to choose between the two, my choice would be Chick-fil-a hands down.  

This I Believe

“Samantha the police are out here looking for two girls that messed up the Yacht Club’s bathroom don’t come out,” my dad told me over the phone.

            My friend Anna and I met the summer when we were eight years old down at the beach. Our families were staying at the Hanover Seaside Club. While my family went to the lobby to check in I went to the TV room where a girl with long, wavy, blond hair was watching TV.

            “Hi I’m from Russia,” I said wanting to get her attention.

            “Me too,” she replied with her eyes now focused on me.

            We talk for five minutes yet it felt like one. We learned enough about each other that we could have been friends for years. Then we had to go to our rooms. We hung out that whole week, and we have been best friends ever since. Anna is funny. Anna is unique. Anna is Christian. Our families go to Myrtle Beach every January, and we have so many good memories. One hot summer Anna and I were at Wings. Looking around upstairs, Anna and I were really bored.

“Anna I have to go to the bathroom,” I say.

“We can go back now,” she replies.

Starting to walk back to the Seaside Club, I say, “I really need to go.”

“How about we go to a house and ask them if we can use their bathroom?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Why not my friend and her mom did it once.”

“Because we are two thirteen year old girls and I would rather go in my pants.”

“Fine.”

Approaching a church, Anna suggests we try to find a bathroom since it was a church and it should be safe. I agree. So we walk up to the church and try to find an open door. We couldn’t. Then we walked a few stairs to a door. Right as Anna started to open the door I say, “I’m about to poop in my pants.” Then everyone in the sanctuary turns around and looks at us. We run. Once we stop I tell Anna we need to go back and find a bathroom. So we do. We went into the sanctuary. This time quietly. We asked a man, standing in the back, where the bathroom was. After I used the bathroom we continued our walk to the Seaside Club. As we past the Yacht Club Anna said, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Ok we can go to the bathroom here, I know where it is and they won’t care if we use the bathroom.”

So we went to the bathroom again. Once we got to the Seaside Club we told our families what happened. Then Anna and I went to her families’ room. Then I got a call from my dad, “Samantha the police are out here looking for two girls that messed up the Yacht Club’s bathroom don’t come out.” I told Anna about the police. She was freaking out! “But we didn’t do anything but use the bathroom. We didn’t mess it up.”

“I know.”

We were really nervous and confused. So me, being curious, looked out the window and saw our parents at the sound, but I didn’t see any police. So Anna called her dad. She knew he was lying when she asked him about the police. We ran outside to our dads and told them we were so scared. They just laughed at us. But now we laugh about the whole thing too.

I believe in friendship because Anna has been there for me through everything. We cry together and laugh together. We always support each other.

http://thisibelieve.org/essay/25667/ -- Favorite Essay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2jgY8c85E -- Video Essay

This I Believe

I believe in Love.

I believe in being loved, no matter what I have done.

I believe in God loving me even when I haven’t thought about him or asked him to help me with school.

I believe in Christmas and that Jesus came on this earth just to died for MY sins.

I believe that if I had been the only person on earth that Jesus would have still died for me and my sins.

I believe in doctors, that they know what they are doing.

I believe in the American Heart Association and that they are saving lives like my dad’s.

I believe in hope that my grandmother will get her strength back.

I believe in the fruits of the spirits and that’s how I am suppose to live.

I believe in God and God believes in me.

"I just want people to see

Christ in me

I don't even care if they know my name

as long as they get to know

my God"

I love this quote so much, it is an amazing quote, and I try really hard to live by it. This verse really helps keep me grounded.

Who Am I

The two words to describe me would be energetic and fun. I am a want to be a so called popular kid at school that everyone wants to hang out with, but I’m not! I’m starting to become more comfortable with that.  I’m the type of person who isn’t real sure of how they feel about things or why they are friends with someone. When I’m around people I don’t know or that I don’t have much in common with I’m really quiet, it may seem as if I’m not there, but as soon as I’m with my friends I’m one of the loudest. I can’t stand being alone, especially on the weekends and Friday nights, but most of those days I am alone unless there is a Friday night football game, and then I just sit with my dad. I am not quite sure why I sit with my dad; I mean I see my friends at the games, but I just sit with him. I’m starting to think it is because I don’t want my dad to be alone and with him I can actually sit and watch the game instead of just walking around the whole time- why pay four dollars just to walk around with friends I mean you can go to the park and do that for free. That is one thing I will never understand. I don’t want my friends to think I’m too loud and annoying but I AM loud! I suppose I like to sit with my dad because we understand each other, he is one of my best friends- if you haven’t noticed I’m a big- what some people call a daddy’s girl.

My absolute best friend lives near Charlotte NC so I don’t get to see her very much except when her family comes down to the beach for a week during the summer or when me and my dad, again me and him,  meet her and her dad at a Carolina football game, but that’s just for a few hours. I hate when football season is over.

Even when football season is over me and guess who, my dad, go to a lot of UNCW and Hoggard basketball games. If you haven’t noticed I love watching sports, volleyball, soccer, basketball and my favorite football- seeing guys in those tight pants, *hesitates*- I mean I didn’t say that, I like football because it has lots of action where as the other sports they just run up and down the court, hit the volleyball back and forth, or soccer where they run around on the field with hardly any physical contact.

Now Saturdays I think I am just waiting for my friends to ask me to hang out when I should ask them, but it seems like every time I do something comes up last minute and they can’t anymore so I’m just home alone with my dogs and family, ugh, I get so tired of being with my family.

God is HUGE in my life. I try to live the way he wants, but I know I don’t. I am at church almost all day Sunday. “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary, and no one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak, and strength to the powerless. Even youth will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion, but those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” Isaiah 40:28-31. I have loved this verse since I was little. I’m not sure why I like it so much.

That is a small look into me. That’s Who I Am!

I love the book titled The Life Book by Carl Blunt



It is a summary of the bible with four students that makes notes and ask questions all through The Life Book. An adult also comments throughout the book. The book is really easy to understand and it makes reading the Bible a lot more enjoyable. I am at my church about two to three days a week so if I ever don't understand something I can look it up in this book.