What is Success?

The year is 2049 and I am 57 years old. I am retired with all the money one could desire. I hit it big in the banking industry, made millions, then walked away. As a young and naive 32 year old, at the time, I thought this was success. However, looking back money was the least important to the many aspects of my successful life. My children, wife, parents, brother, relatives, and friends all mean more to me than money ever did. One of my children is away at college, while the other is trying to achieve the same financial success I did years ago. We have great relationships and talk many times a week. As for my friends, I have tons. Most of them I see very often. It is great to know you will always have someone you can turn to and ask for help in times of need. My great health also contributes to my successful life. With this being said, I can't help but smile when looking back at all I have accomplished.

Describe This

I look up at the round object, suspended above my creamy white door. Admiring all three of its hands. One short but significant, another longer and black like the first, and the last seems as if it is running in circles around the other two. I listen for its subtle sounds that only the sharpest of ears can hear. "Tick, tick, tick," I watch as one of the hands is continuously in motion, seeming to never run out of energy. The other decides to chase the moving hand, but abruptly stops after the shortest of moments. The other moves so slowly, so slightly, so steadily, that its displacement becomes unnoticeable almost like that of a turtle or slug. I analyze the three hands again, but this time they whisper something to me, "it's time to leave or else you'll be late".

What is Heritage?

What is heritage? In the shirt story, “Everyday Use”, heritage is presented in two different ways. First, there is Dee. Dee tries to Africanize herself very much. She wears her hair tall, lavish jewelry, and loud clothing, as if she was an African princess. However, one must question, is she trying too hard to keep in touch with her roots? The answer is probably yes. Dee is faking a personality for the sole reason of trying to keep in touch with her roots. You should just be who you are and not have to fake anything about yourself.

Then, there is Maggie. Maggie does not fake anything about her. She is very much in touch with her heritage by simply being herself. She has assimilated into American culture, rather than put on a facade and act African like her sister has. Towards the end of the story there is a debate of who deserves these old hand-stitched quilts. Dee argues that Maggie will not appreciate them and will use them everyday. However, Maggie does not have to fake her image to appear close with her roots. So, who deserves the quilt? One can make an argument for both. I believe heritage is a combination of one’s traditional roots (Dee) and one’s new roots from the current country in which one lives (Maggie). Overall, this short story was pretty interesting and I hope we read more like this one.

Obama's Inauguration

Barack Obama is the 44th president to be sworn into office. What makes this inauguration different from all others? Barack Obama is the first biracial (not black) president in United States history. president Obama has plenty to worry about, as America is in a recession. The stock market is not doing well, many are homeless and unemployed, and others are starting to spend money more carefully. Everyone knows president Obama can speak, but can he really carry out his promises. As an observer of the crisis that currently looms in America I question the readiness of president Obama. Unlike president Obama's speeches, the world is not scripted. There are things we can not expect and president Obama has a very difficult task ahead of him. Overall, it still was one of the most historical events in U.S. history. I am looking forward to how president Obama will improve our country. 

Keeping Secrets

When I was little I used to keep many secrets. For instance, I once broke an expensive lamp in my basement, but never told my parents. I felt very guilty for what I had done. At night, it was very difficult to sleep, since I was always thinking of what I had done. Even when I slept, I could not escape what I had done. I would dream about terrible things and had many nightmares. For days I felt pretty paranoid about it. When my mom or dad would speak to me I would always feel nervous, even when the conversation was just about how my day was or what my plans were for the weekend. At times I avoided my parents in case they had found out about the instance. When my parents finally did find out about this days later they were surprisingly not too mad. They were more upset that I didn't tell them than the actual lamp. Next time I broke something I immediately told my parents and all worked out well. In conclusion, guilt may take a bigger tole on one's body than the actual punishment he will receive for his sin. 

My New Year's Revolution

This New Year, like all past New Years, I have made a resolution. This year I have decided to focus on a very big problem that I will need to improve, especially for down the road in college and in the real world. My problem is that I do not spend my time well and procrastinate way too much. In my near future good time management skills will be key to my success. I feel like I can fix this problem many ways. First, I am going to do all my homework first and do other thins afterwards. This way I can focus on projects and test many days before it is due, rather than the day before. If I can learn to focus more and with just a tad more of determination my problem with procrastination will disappear. 

Favorite Winter Poem

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost

Good Authors

What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers." - Logan Pearsall Smith

What I think Smith is saying here is that good authors will not blatantly write a straight forward piece. Instead, a good author will make it so the piece has many meanings. A good way of doing this is by using symbols, themes, and foreshadowing events throughout a novel. Sometimes the underlying meaning of a certain text can tell more about a certain book than the obvious. Also, more obscure novels leave readers with different opinions on what they feel the text is actually trying to reveal. This leads to a more interesting novel along with a good discussion about the text.

My Favorite Short Story

One short story I remember during middle school was The Lottery. It was a story about a perfectly normal neighborhood except for one thing. Each year they had a lottery. I know what you are thinking, what is wrong with a lottery? Well, this lottery was not an ordinary one. The winner of this lottery did not get money, but got stones thrown at them until they died. This story attached to me for a couple of years. It was really interesting. Questions like why this strange town would hold such a cruel lottery still stick in my mind. Overall, I felt this was a very interesting short story, unlike any other I had read. 

Do you think young people today value their education as much as Sara Smolinsky does? Why or why not?

Personally, I believe people today do not value education as much as Sara Smolinsky did in The Bread Givers. First, today many people did education for granted. In fact, I can't even imagine a world in which a formal education was rare among women. In the Bread Givers Sara willingly gave up her home and family to pursue her dream to become educated, allowing her to later become a teacher. Today, most people are educated no matter what. We don't have to fight for it, or give up our family and home for it, education today is just taken for granted by many students, including myself. All of Sara Smolinsky efforts went towards her dream of one day being educated and becoming a teacher. I feel there is no comparison between the way she valued education and the way students today value education. Sara Smolinsky was willing to sacrifice anything for an education. 

First Bread Givers Class Discussion

The Bread Givers, by Anzia Yezierska, is a novel which mostly describes the hardships and struggles of an immigrant Jewish family in America. During this discussion, our class mainly discussed the role of the father in this novel. I have made two observations of this infamous character. First, he is very irrational. Throughout the novel he clearly favors his religious studies over his family. He sacrafices his family's well-being for a so called place in heaven, which may not even exist. Next, the father is very irresponsible. After picking two unsuccesful suitors for her daughters the father becomes very enraged. However, instead of stepping to the plate and taking responisbility for his mistakes, he blames everything on his daughters. The father needs to seriously adjust his character, but until he does so, I consider him to be pure evil.

How Difficult is Writing?

"There's nothing hard about writing. All you have to do is sit down and open up a vein."

- Walter "Red" Smith

I agree with Walter "Red" Smith; writing is very difficult and almost
impossible. Anyone can put together sentences, but can we really
consider that writing? Being a writer does not mean you get to sit
in your pajamas, with the television on in the background and write
whatever you want. It is quite the opposite. Being a writer consists of
many stressful nights trying to compose a well-written masterpiece,
that you are proud of. Writing has also contributed to some authors
and poets going mad. In fact, I believe being a writer is one of the most
difficult professions.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

My Top 10 Thanksgiving Foods

1. Pumpkin Pie

2. Sweet Potatoes

3. Cranberry Sauce

4. Apple Pie

5. Mashed Potatoes

6. Stuffing

7. Gravy

8. Roast Beef

9. Yams

10. Green Beans