Sestina #2

Nolan B.
Mr. Salsich
English 9
5/2/11
Sestina #2

I want this experience to be never-ending.
One to never be forgotten.
Anything to happen after these memories only seems to be emptiness.
A vast emptiness that will end up leaving no one’s lips.
These memories will never measure
Up to the one’s I have from this school.

I have become a better person from being at this school.
Much better by an amount that is endless.
It’s had such a huge effect that it’s immeasurable.
And I have affected it too so I will leave unforgotten.
My name will be mentioned, even after I have left, by many lips.
I am full with joy not emptiness

I do not feel empty.
I have been improved by this school.
A school that will always be heard from my restless lips.
To no clear end.
I have laid upon my mark to let people never forget
who Nolan Burkholder was and how important to this school he and the rest of us are to no measure.

The time spent here is marked and measured.
It is a place that will never be left empty.
I am leaving, but not forgetting.
It smelted itself a place in my head as most memorable school.
The worst part is the ending,
and the unfinished business I have talking and using my lips.

My lips.
They could never say enough to measure
my memories. There is no end
to them. The rest of my life is still empty.
It will be filled with other schools.
Schools I will most likely just end up forgetting.

I would never consider myself to be forgetful.
I speak my memories all the time from my lips.
Especially about Pine Point School.
Nothing bad will be a measure
of my time there. To me it won’t become empty,
until it is near my times end.

I can’t be forgetful even if life has finished my life’s measurement
My free lips that were sure to be left empty,
are now filled with this school ‘til my end.

Sestina #1

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

4/29/11

Sestina #1

Here lies so many memories.

Every moment in another school will leave me missing

this school. I will never be the same.

Sometimes I would fall,

but the people there to pick me up were my friends.

Without them I would have had no love.

I wouldn’t have made it without the surrounding love.

It shaped each and every memory.

I go to school to see my friends.

They will be dearly missed.

I know without them that I will sometimes fall,

but I still left them by never again being the same.

My old friends in my new school will too realize I’m no longer the same.

I will have to learn to give new people my love.

If I don’t, I will just end up falling.

In a new place, I can’t forget to withhold my old memories.

I’ll just have to miss

my old buddies and still try to keep them securely by my side as my best friends.

I can’t be without my friends!

I don’t want to learn to change but instead just stay the same.

I’m going to feel as if part of my life is truly missing.

The only way to describe the way I feel about them is love

because they hold things in common with me called great memories.

They are what kept me from tripping and falling.

I want to rise rather then fall.

I have to make new friends.

I have to create new memories.

I cannot stay entirely the same.

I must meet more people worthy of my love

And leave behind some of what I will want to miss.

I don’t want to completely forget since it’s all right to miss

people. I can still keep in hold and not let those people to fall

out of my life. It comes to points in all our lives where we have to give up our love,

and sometimes even our friends.

But that doesn’t mean I have to do that as long as I stay somewhat the same

person. I will create new and keep the old memories.

Next year I will miss my friends.

I will fall if I do not keep my great characteristics the same,

and I love every single memory.

Final 9th Grade Project

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

4/25/11

Final Project

Dear Reader,

This is only for people who have or want to learn about strength of spirit. If you believe yourself to not have any strength of spirit, this is most likely not for you. You should behold some amount of confidence in yourself, but not so much that you will do unintelligent things. You shall not fear many things, like death because as Caesar says, "...death, a necessary end, will come when it will come". You must use your bravery and not hide it away because everyone has it in them, and it just comes down to whether or not they choose to use it. You should believe in what you believe in, and not what others encourage you to believe in. You should do what you think you should do, and not what others tell you do. I know this may be many things to follow, but they are necessary because this entire project is on strength of spirit. I can anticipate that my writing will give you a better handle on what it means to have strength of spirit. All you have to do is read on.

Sincerely,

Nolan

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News Cast

We interrupt this program with some interesting news. We have received reports of an unknown author that is going to write an alternate ending to the world renown novel known as Tale of Two Cities. This author supposedly claims to be an ancestor of Charles Dickens. He has made remarks that he believes the ending of this novel is too unrealistic. The author thinks that no one could ever have as much strength of spirit to do what Sydney Carton did at the end of the book. In his head, there is no way someone in reality could switch places with another, knowing full well that he would soon be headless if he did. This accusation has angered many of the people who respect Charles Dickens' books and love how this particular book ended. Many of them completely disagree with this author and believe that anyone can show an infinite amount of strength of spirit since everyone has it in them. These people don't want this author to disgrace what Charles worked so hard on by creating a new end. We have heard nothing about what this author plans to make the new ending about, but we will try to keep you posted as often as we can. This is Nolan Burkholder and thank you for listening to this slight interruption in your program.

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Diary Entries

My name is Brutus, and I was once believed to be one of Caesar's most trustworthy of friends. I did too at one point consider him a good friend, but now my opinion has changed. A man named Cassius had come to me to ask for my help to assassinate Caesar. I was puzzled at first, but he was able to convince me of the true tyrant Caesar actually was. It took quite a bit of strength of spirit on my part to agree to kill one of my good friends, but Cassius made me understand that Caesar thinks much too highly of himself, and I believe he must be removed from the role as Emperor of Rome. We have been discussing different plans to kill Caesar, but it will not be easy. I can use the trust he has in me against him though, which is why Cassius needed me. The "Ides of March" is coming soon along with the death of Caesar. A glorious day shall that be.

Today, I have done the deed of killing him once and for all. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, and now that it's over, I feel that I have made a huge mistake. It took a lot of courage to do what I did today. It was awful looking into Caesar's dying eyes while he spoke the words "Et tu, brute?". It took a lot out of me to have to finish him off with one final blow, a blow that I almost had the urge to go back on. I sure hope Cassius didn't trick me, and that this action was actually going to benefit everyone. There is much on my mind right now, and I need rest. Goodbye my old friend.

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Short Story

I have been a cancer patient for a couple of years now, and I'm still fighting to survive even today. I first developed it in my liver, and it has gradually spread among the other organs in my body. I have received many different surgeries to try and stop it from spreading, but not all of them have been successful. Now I just sit here and wait for any results at all, whether they be good or bad. People come and ask me if I still have the will to live, and I just shake my head at them. My spirit will never be let down, especially not to cancer because I know I can defeat it. My will is much stronger than anything thrown at me. I still have much life to live and many memories to create with my five-year old daughter, Amber. Her mom and I have had our issues over time, and we are not together anymore. I still love her, but this hospital bed refrains me from attempting to get back with her, but I know that after I have defeated this curse of cancer, I can bring her heart back to me. I want our family to be reunited again, which is my only hope and dream, and I know that my spirit can guide me to that dream. We will all be together soon enough, to live our life to the fullest. I can feel it. No cancer can ever take over the spirit that thrives inside me, and my spirit will be victorious.

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Poem

I have grown so much over the years.

Overcoming many obstacles

And shedding many joyful tears.

When I first came here to school,

I rarely spoke to anyone.

Now my voice is my favorite tool.

I wish this wouldn't be my last day,

But I need to let my strength of spirit take over,

Even though I would rather stay.

The experience has made me stronger.

Shaping who I am today.

I will be leaving much smarter

By learning to shut the pain away.

I was taught to tackle anything thrown at me,

Creating rumors about the kid to be remembered,

And I be he.

Essay #18

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

4/19/11

The Power of Strength:
An Essay on the Book Julius Caesar

It's hard for someone to display their strength to others because everyone has so many weaknesses, but the characters in Julius Caesar by Shakespeare seem to do it effortlessly. They all have someway to show their amount of strength and will in them. Whether it be doing something completely outrageous and brave or holding dark secrets within themselves, they are still considered to be strong. The characters in Julius Caesar are perfect examples of people with lust.

Strength appears to be a major theme of what we have read in Julius Caesar so far. Cassius showed his bravery by revealing his chest while in the midst of a thunderstorm. To do something this wild takes crazy bravery or he could also believe himself to be immortal. He told people of this bravery to show his strength over Caesar. Brutus is another person that has quite a bit of hardiness to agree to kill one of his good friends. Caesar trusts Brutus, making him a key person to help with the assassination, but it also puts a ton of pressure on Brutus. Brutus's amount of might and will is helping him get through this tough situation though because without it, he would most likely fall apart and even tell Caesar of their plans. Lastly, Portia has a great deal of inner vitality. She stood up to her husband Brutus because she felt betrayed when he wasn't being completely honest with her. She felt obligated to know what was wrong with him, so she confronted and demanded to know his secrets since she was in fact his wife. Brutus, Cassius, and Portia all have the same characteristics, strong and full of courage, and they even keep these attributes in the most difficult of times.

Shakespeare's Julius Caesar has actors that are not afraid to show the strength they own. Almost every person inside the play reveals their interior power and has immense amounts of it. For example, Cassius shows multiple times how brave he his, not just once. Shakespeare must have believed that once a person found their strength, it would usually stay there until the end of them.

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Self-Assessment

1.) I am still continuing to work on being specific in my essays. I still sometimes appear to be too vague in my writing. In this essay I felt I was specific only in some parts.

2.) A strong point of this is my concluding sentences. I usually have boring finishing sentences in my paragraphs, but in this essay I tried to create a more interesting concluding sentence in each of my paragraphs.

3.) A weak point of this essay is my assonance uses. I had a tough time fitting this special effect in and the examples of it are exactly my best work.

4.) I would give myself a B- on this essay.

Essay #17

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

4/11/11

Controller of Our Fates:

An Essay on the Book Julius Caesar and Our Opinions on Fate

Cassius says that people are "masters of [their] fates" in the book Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, which was believed by most in that time period. I can both agree and disagree with these words, making this a hard topic to discuss. I believe it definitely depends on what you are trying to control about your life. There are parts of your life you can control, while there is also parts considered uncontrollable in my opinion.

There are ways in your life that you can actually decide the outcome. Choosing where you work can potentially be your choice if you devote yourself enough. For example, if you want to become an engineer, you have to work painstakingly hard in area's such as math and science. Becoming an exemplary student in these subjects, doing every assignment to the best of your abilities, being an over achiever by doing extra work, are all ways to get you that much closer to getting your dream job. There are points in everyone's lives where they can choose between different things. This comes into play when you're determining the kind of car you want. It's in your own control to pick a car that you like, but that will also keep you safe. Lastly, I think that karma can be a deciding factor to your own fate, since I'm a believer in karma. Any good deeds done by you, like helping someone in need, will result in good things to come later in life. If I were to be callous to my piers, bad things would end up happening to me instead. You can keep control of your fate in only some instances of your life.

There are times where we can't manipulate what happens in our lives. Sometimes our fate can be put into other people's hands. When in need of some serious surgery, doctor's are put in charge of our fates instead of us. Any mistakes made by the doctor can potentially pull powerfully on our life force, coming to the point where that mistake could even kill us. Sometimes I can't seem to decide something on my own, so I ask someone else to choose for me. I guess that could still be considered me deciding my own fate, but it also is letting someone else do it for me. I usually only do this with things that aren't that crucial though. I believe that sometimes no matter how hard you try, you won't always be able to get what you want. I would love more than anything to be an amazing basketball player and go into the NBA, but that's impossible because I can't swish almost every shot; I can't dribble between each and every player on the other team; I can't be the high scorer in almost every game I play in. I practice everyday, but my chances are still extremely slim to go into the NBA no matter how much effort I put into basketball because I wasn't born with the right genes. Whatever happens in our lives isn't always entirely controlled by us, but instead our fate can be put into other peoples command or it was just how we were born.

To be honest, I really wish I could decide my entire fate, but that's unrealistic in my eyes. I understand that you can in fact control what happens in your life based on the decisions you make, but you can't control everything. If everyone were able to control their entire fate, then everyone would be happy and have their dream job. This topic to me is still very hard to discuss because it is based entirely on opinion.

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Self-Assessment

1) I'm still working on putting more of more own style into my writing. I feel that most of the time my writing is pretty plain and not very interesting. This essay I tried to switch up my wording to make it more interesting.

2) The strong point of this essay is my first paragraph. I thought I stated my idea's very clearly in that paragraph, while also making it interesting.

3) The weak point again in this essay might be my special effects. I have trouble finding spots to put them in. Not all of my effects are bad, but most of them could use some improvement.

4) I would give myself a B- on this essay.

Essay #17

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

4/11/11

Controller of Our Fates:

An Essay on the Book Julius Caesar and Our Opinions on Fate

Cassius says that people are "masters of [their] fates" in the book Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, which was believed by most in that time period. I can both agree and disagree with these words, making this a hard topic to discuss. I believe it definitely depends on what you are trying to control about your life. There are parts of your life you can control, while there is also parts considered uncontrollable in my opinion.

There are ways in your life that you can actually decide the outcome. Choosing where you work can potentially be your choice if you devote yourself enough. For example, if you want to become an engineer, you have to work painstakingly hard in area's such as math and science. Becoming an exemplary student in these subjects, doing every assignment to the best of your abilities, being an over achiever by doing extra work, are all ways to get you that much closer to getting your dream job. There are points in everyone's lives where they can choose between different things. This comes into play when you're determining the kind of car you want. It's in your own control to pick a car that you like, but that will also keep you safe. Lastly, I think that karma can be a deciding factor to your own fate, since I'm a believer in karma. Any good deeds done by you, like helping someone in need, will result in good things to come later in life. If I were to be callous to my piers, bad things would end up happening to me instead. You can keep control of your fate in only some instances of your life.

There are times where we can't manipulate what happens in our lives. Sometimes our fate can be put into other people's hands. When in need of some serious surgery, doctor's are put in charge of our fates instead of us. Any mistakes made by the doctor can potentially put our lives on the line. Sometimes I can't seem to decide something on my own, so I ask someone else to choose for me. I guess that could still be considered me deciding my own fate, but it also is letting someone else do it for me. I usually only do this with things not that crucial though. I believe that sometimes no matter how hard you try, you won't always be able to get what you want. I would love more than anything to be an amazing basketball player and go into the NBA, but that's impossible because I'm not big enough; I can't swish almost every shot; I can't dribble between each and every player on the other team; I can't be the high scorer in every game I play in. I practice everyday, but my chances are still extremely slim to go into the NBA no matter how hard I try because I wasn't born with the right genes. Whatever happens in our lives isn't always entirely controlled by us.

To be honest, I really wish I could decide my entire fate, but that's unrealistic in my eyes. I understand that you can in fact control what happens in your life based on the decisions you make, but you can't control everything. If everyone were able to control their entire fate, then everyone would be happy and have their dream job. This topic, in my opinion, is still very hard to discuss because it is based entirely on opinion.

Essay #17 Outline

Nolan B.
Mr. Salsich
English 9
4/6/11

Paragraph 1
TS: Cassius says people are "masters of [our] fates"
CM: hard topic to discuss b/c it can be true and not true
CM: it depends on what your trying to control
CS: I believe we can in some ways and cannot in other ways decide our own fates
Bell words: Control and Decide

Paragraph 2
TS: there is ways in your life to decide the outcome
SD: deciding where you work
CM: working hard in the particular subjects for that job (engineer = math + science)
CM: be a good student
SD: there are points in life when you have to pick one thing over another
CM: choosing the type of car you want is an example of this
CM: you want to have the best car to keep you safe, but also have a nice look
SD: I'm a believer in karma which can effect your fate
CM: doing good things for others like lending them a hand will only bring me good later in life
CM: if mean to my piers then bad things will happen to me
CS: you can decide your fate but only until a certain point

Paragraph 3
TS: there are certains things uncontrollable by us in my eyes
SD: sometimes our fate is put into others hands
CM: if you need surgery, your putting your fate in a doctor
CM: if the doctor messes up your life is on the line

SD: sometimes I ask others what I should do

CM: I can't decide so I like having others do it for me

CM: usually only do this with things not that important though

SD: sometime no matter how hard you try at something, you won't always get what you want

CM: I would love to be a basketball player, but I'm just too small

CM: I play ever day, but my chances are very slim

CS: whatever happens in our lives is not totally based on are decisions

Paragraph 4

1) I wish I could decide everything about my life

2) It's not all entirely in my control though

3) if we could decide our own fates completely, then everyone would be happy

4) this topic is based on opinion though, no ones really ever right or wrong

Essay #16

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

3/30/11

Un-right Treatment:

An Essay on Rebellion

Rebellion is not uncommon for the people on this Earth. Disagreeing on what other people do and think is just in our nature. Each and every one of us has our own beliefs, and we like to stick to them. If a leader is doing unlawful actions, we as citizens have the right to rebel and disagree (Bell words).

Rebellion has never by me been done (Inversion), but I have heard about people who rebelled, and they do it only when it is needed. The number one reason to rebel (Echo Word) for me is if your leader is doing unjust things. Killing your own people, for one, is highly unjust (Verbal Opener). There is absolutely no reason for this to occur by a countries own leader so he can get his objectives done like that of Libya’s leader. A leader who makes decisions entirely by himself also deserves to be opposed (Echo word) by his people. Every person in a country should have their right to have a say on what the president does. I know sometimes, our president has to do what is needed to be done, but any decisions that involve our lives should be known by us and have our opinions considered. The last likely (alliteration) reason for a leader to be confronted (Echo word) by his people is when he's not doing his job. Slowly slouching silently (alliteration) in your chair of authority while completing nothing to help out your country is not what a leader should do. Any leader found doing this is no leader at all and should be removed. People don't like to rebel (Echo word), so they try to pick the best person to lead in the first place, but it doesn't alway turn out like that, causing a rebellion to find a better leader.

Me like many people, hate to see people fight and rebel even if it's needed. Though it is understandable that some leader's are a bad seed that needs to be replaced. If it were me, I would definitely want to have as best a leader I can, so I would rebel if it was necessary. I don't agree with everything the leaders of this country have done, but they have done nothing in my lifetime that would cause me to rebel.

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Self - Assessment

1.) For some reason, I still need to learn where to put my comma's. I struggle at some points in my writing when I have to decide whether or not to put a comma in a certain place. This troubles me, and I need to fix this soon

2.) I tried to put more of my own style into this essay, which I think could turn out for the best for me. I tried to use some more inversion by switching words around and such.

3.) My special effects were tough to fit in for me. I'm not sure all of them actually helped improve writing them, but some of them I know for sure did help with my writing.

4.) I would give myself a B on this essay.

Essay #15

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

2/16/11

Cherishing Tale of Two Cities:

An Essay about What I’ll Remember about Tale of Two Cities

We have read the book Tale of Two Cities for several months now, a very important piece of our class. So much happened in the book that it is hard to write about it all. Dickens puts so much thought into the books he writes that it comes to the point where you have to believe him to be a masterful planner, someone who puts in entire mind to what he’s writing, never letting his mind go stray. I will remember this book for a very long time for it is memorable material.

One character I will certainly remember in this book will be Sydney Carton. He started off as one of those characters that all you could do is feel bad for. He constantly would go down on himself and get drunk, caring nothing about what he was doing to his body. His character was just plain miserable, and there is no other way to describe it. As the book went on though, you could see change in Carton. He gradually slowed his drinking down until it came to a stop, becoming a big part of his life no more. Change continued to happen to him until he turned into one of the bravest and courageous characters of them all in the end by sacrificing himself for Lucie and her daughter. Sydney’s character will always find his way into my mind because of the hero he was.

The other character that will retain itself in me would be Miss Pross. Miss Pross’s character was sort of sad like Sydney Carton’s in a way because of her background with her brother, who robbed her of everything. She had loved her brother very much and still did even after what he had done. This takes a true and loving person to forgive someone who doesn’t deserve to be. This worked out to benefit her in the end though because it led her to Lucie, the only person who could keep her sane. Miss Pross treasured Lucie like a daughter, and she would do anything to protect her. This was even proven in the book when she had killed an evil woman named Madame Defarge, who was after Lucie and her head. Miss Pross too has found a place in my head to stay and never leave.

Sydney Carton and Miss Pross are the two people that really stood out to me. They conquered any obstacles or problems they had in life and then continued to do good things for others. Sydney even sacrificed his life for another, one of the most heroic things you could ever do. In my opinion, Dickens did his best work in this book by creating these two characters.

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Self-Assessment

1.) I am still continuing to work on my different length's of my sentences. I think I did well on this

this essay though because I tried to do both long and short sentences throughout it.

2.) A strong point I see in this essay is my special effects. I used quite a few, and I was trying to also

to make my writing more interesting.

3.) A weak point in this essay are my closing and opening paragraph's. They seem a little vague, but

I wasn't sure how to make them anymore specific.

4.) I would give myself a B on this essay.

Nolan's Essograph

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

2/9/11

Prophetic Thoughts:

An Essay on My Life

There are many ways my life and the rest of the world can turn out in a few years, but this is what I think. I haven't totally decided what I would like to do later in life yet. I know that I will have many choices though if I work very hard in school and other things now in my life. All I have to do is dedicate myself to the things I enjoy now like basketball, and I'll have a much higher chance of being able to continue basketball later in life. I also want to do basketball because it would be good pay, and I'd really enjoy doing it. I know there's not a very likely chance I will go into basketball, but I do have to believe in myself. If I am able to do this dream job of mine, I can afford to treat my parents with many nice things as they grow older and can't work anymore. I would love to be able to do this because I have to give back for everything my parents have done for me. I do deem my parents worthy of such treatment for the many years that they had treated me the same way. I would be no where without them. Lastly, my prophecy is of better world without so much disagreement and fighting. I know that many, but not everyone are trying to understand the different beliefs of people, but everyone has to do this before anything will change. I realize that it's not an easy goal to be accomplished, a goal that will take years upon years to ever come close to happening, a goal that will only happen if people make it so. You never really could know what will happen in the future, but I do have my own opinion of it.

Essay #13 Outline

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

1/31/11

Outline

Paragraph 1

1) respect is a hard thing to have for others for some people

2) have trouble always treating others well

3) your emotions take over sometimes, but some are good at controlling them

4) respect is found in TOTC and my life

Paragraph 2

TS: Charles Dickens has respect in some parts of TOTC, but not others

SD: Miss Pross has respect for few people and her brother's one

CM: she believes " [he's] only one worthy for Lucie"

CM: surprising since he stole everything from her

SD: the revolutionaries have respect for Doctor Manette

CM: they consider him a "good fellow republican"

CM: Doctor actually is only nice to save Darnay

SD: Madame Defarge "cares nothing for [the] Doctor" though

CM: she wants his head off like Darnay

CM: her husband doesn't agree though so she can't yet

CS: Respect has a pretty big role in TOTC

Paragraph 3

TS: Respect also is seen in my life

SD: I respect my parents

CM: they have done everything for me, so they should be treated right

CM: I haven't "lived the first 20 years without my father" like Lucie in TOTC has, but i still have respect for them

SD: try to respect my brothers

CM: their older and give me advice

CM: sometimes tough to respect them cause can be aggravating

SD: I respect my friends

CM: I like keeping them as friends and respect is a way to do that

CM: also lets them know I'm there for them

CS: I need to have respect for people in my life to make life easier on me

Paragraph 4

1) It isn't easier to always have respect

2) Dickens shows that in TOTC with Madame Defarge and the Doctor

3) You should try your best to have respect for others as much as you can

4) Respect is a key to friendship and love

Exam Essay

Nolan B.

1/20/11

Mr. Salsich

English 9

Self-Sacrifice:

An Essay on Tale of Two Cities, the Poem “Snow”, and My Life

A lot of people in the world like to try and be a hero. They feel that if they sacrifice themselves, they will be doing what’s right, and they will be considered a hero. They try until they succeed at being this hero to the people they love or people they don’t even know. The main thing about this is that self-sacrifice is just another one of those things that happens during everyday life.

Self-sacrifice shows up over and over again throughout the book Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Miss Pross’s life is Lucie, and she would do anything to the best of her ability for her. When Lucie was left without her father for the beginning years of her life, Miss Pross was right there ready to help when needed. Even as Lucie became older and decided to be married, Miss Pross seemed to be distraught because she had sacrificed her entire life for Lucie, and now Lucie has someone new to protect her. Mr. Lorry is another character who sacrifices everything, but for a business, not a human. He is merely a “man of business” and that is all he knows. He puts his life on the line by traveling to a war-ridden Paris just for the sake of his bank, having no desire to let it be taken over by people who aren’t nearly as loyal to their area of work (Participle). Self-Sacrifice can be found in any of Dickens characters because it can be found in anyone very easily.

“Snow” by Naomi Shihab Nye is a very deep poem that has many meanings, but self-sacrifice is the one that appeared to stand out most. Nye seems to hate conflict like most people, so she tries to avoid it. She would forfeit the warmth of her house and go into a snowy storm just to be away from fighting. She goes and strives to have fun instead of staying home and crying a “raging blizzard of sobs”. Sacrifice takes over her brother too. He speaks to Nye with his “sunniest voice” to make her cheerful. As her brother, he feels obligated to do anything he can to help her get through this “storm” of conflict. This poem could have multiple meanings, but a sense of sacrifice and tension is what it meant to me.

I don’t like having to sacrifice things, but sacrifice is something that is just not hidden in my life. It can be controlled by me sometimes though. Sometimes I have to choose between two sports where I can do one but not the other, requiring sacrifice. The choice of what I sacrifice should be chosen by me and no one else in these types of cases because it can affect me later on in my life. Uncontrollable sacrifice is in my life too. I have a cousin who is dying of cancer, and I can do nothing about it besides sit around and wait. I have to learn to live through this sacrifice though no matter how much it hurts. Sacrifice is something unwanted to me, but continues to repeat itself in my life anyway.

There is not one person I can think of who does not have to endure the pains of sacrifice. You can not just surrender to it, but deal with it head on. More and more misery will just become of you if you don’t do something about it. Sacrifice can just be considered a recurring theme that’s part of your life.

Essay #12

Nolan B.

Mr. Salsich

English 9

1/27/11

Bringing it Around in a Circle:

An Essay on Tale of Two Cities and My Life

1) Charles Dickens is starting to show the end is coming, and he is rapping up Tale of Two Cities very interestingly. 2) Themes are showing up that he had earlier in the book, and his characters are starting to change. 3) It is becoming the point where you can actually start to make good predictions. 4) The entire book is turning into one big circle.

TS: Dickens is finally finishing up the circle of Tale of Two Cities and repeating (bell word) themes from earlier in the book. SD: Reincarnation has been a very common (echo word) theme throughout the book. CM: Sydney Carton earlier in the book constantly thought of himself as a "useless piece of furniture". CM: Now with Darnay being sentenced to death he feels redeemed (FAST word) and found something he can be useful in helping with. SD: Another theme that keeps returning (echo word) throughout the book is darkness. CM: Charles Darnay's father and uncle were responsible for killing a peasant boy and girl, an awful crime to even think about, a crime he's not responsible for but has to pay for it anyway, making his wife and daughter exceedingly sad (Coordinate Cumulative Sentence). CM: Charles Darnay is now sentenced to have his head chopped off by the "La Guillotine", a very dark moment in the book. SD: The last reoccurring (echo word) theme in Tale of Two Cities is sacrifice. CM: Lucie was forced to sacrifice her first 20 years of her life without a father that she didn't even know was alive. CM: Now she must sacrifice her dear husband, obliging (FAST word) her raise her daughter all alone after his death. CS: Dickens really enjoys to have his themes keep showing up throughout his books.

TS: There are many routine (bell word) themes in my life. SD: Pain is one of these common (echo word) themes. CM: I endure (FAST word) much pain when I'm playing sports due to working hard and sometimes even potentially hurting myself. CM: I deal with the pain though because you have to deal with pain with anything you do; it's just how it is. SD: A theme you will find everyday (echo word) in my life is comedy. CM: I always love having a good laugh, and it usually makes my day. CM: Whenever I am hanging out with my friends, majority of the time we are laughing because we savor (FAST word) comedy. SD: Success and failure are the other themes found regularly (echo word) throughout mine and everyones lives. CM: At certain times I can do very well in a subject at school and have much success, getting great grades most of the time, understanding everything completely, enjoying every moment of it, wishing my entire school career would be like this (coordinate cumulative sentence). CM: At other points I just don't do nearly as well as I want to, but only because I don't ask teachers or friends for help or just don't study enough. CS: Many different themes seem to just pop up in my life.

1) Dickens likes to repeat themes throughout his book; my life repeats themes too. 2) Never will Dickens mention a theme only once and leave it alone for the rest of the book because themes also show up more than once. 3) My life finds ways of bringing back themes over and over again too. 4) Themes can be found anywhere and everywhere it seems.

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Self-Evaluation

1) I am still working on keeping unity by having bell words ring throughout my essay. I have trouble picking the right echo words to use for my bell word and where to use them.

2) I really like my first body paragraph. I thought long about what I wanted to say in it and felt that I did very well in it. I felt my themes were very important themes in the book.

3) A weak point would be my special effects. I had a hard time making them 40 words long, so it almost seems like it could be rambling. I tried my best though.

4) I would give myself a B- on this essay.

Essay #12 Outline

Nolan B.
Mr. Salsich
English 9
1/25/11

Outline:

Paragraph 1
1) Charles Dickens is really rapping up Tale of Two Cities
2) Themes from earlier are repeated and characters are changing
3) Predictions are starting to be able to be made
4) Everything is turning into a circle

Paragraph 2
TS: Dickens finally completing the circle of TOTC

SD: The theme of reincarnation has showed up throughout

CM: Carton used to think of himself as "useless piece of furniture"

CM: Now been brought back to life and found purpose

SD: Darkness has been seen in this book

CM: Darnay's father and his uncle were responsible for killing a boy and his sister

CM: Now Charles is sent to guillotine

SD: Sacrifice is last huge theme

CM: Lucie was left to sacrifice without father

CM: Now must sacrifice her husband

CS: Dickens really likes to continue themes throughout whole book

Paragraph 3

TS: There are common themes in my life

SD: Pain is one

CM: I have much pain in sports from working hard and hurting myself

CM: Go through pain

SD: Comedy another theme

CM: I always like having good laugh

CM: Whenever with friends, all we do is laugh

SD: I can succeed but also have failures

CM: At times I can do very well in subject's at school and be proud

CM: Other times I just either don't study enough or don't get it and do poorly

CS: Many themes pop up in my life

Paragraph 4

1) Dickens likes to repeat themes in TOTC, my life repeats themes too

2) Never does Dickens talk about a theme only once

3) My life has a way of bringing back the same themes over and over

4) Themes can be found anywhere and everywhere it seems