Author: ChloeZ

The Moustache by Robert Cormier is a short story. It is about a 17 year old boy named Mike, who is going to visit his grandmother, who lives in a nursing home . Before he leaves, he has an argument with his mother about his mustache. He claims that it is just an experiment, but actually he likes it because it makes him feel like an adult. When he arrives, he is pleased to see that his grandmother seems to be in one of her better days. She remembers his name, Mike.. She begins to say about how she is so glad he had come to visit her, that she had thought he was gone forever. She talks about how she is sorry, and asks if he can forgive her. With a start, Mike realizes that she believes that he is his grandfather, whom he is named after. He ponders why, because he and his grandfather didn’t look very alike, until he remembers his grandfather had a mustache. His grandmother talks about how she and his grandfather had a fight when she assumed he was cheating on her when he wasn’t. Feeling extremely uncomfortable,Mike says that he forgives her, then leaves. When he arrives back at home, he shaves off his mustache.

This story is quite compelling, and it makes you think about people’s lives not on the surface. I did not exactly enjoy it, but it was very enlightening. At the end, the reason why Mike shaves off his mustache is because he does not want to relive the experience and because he realized he is not ready to be and adult yet.

There are several themes that could apply to this story. The one that seems most apparent to me is : don’t judge a book by its cover. When you see other people, you only see the outside. In the story, Mike thought that his grandparents had a happy relationship, but he realized that there were many things that he didn’t know. This made him see the world in a new way and understand that people are multi-faceted, not one-dimensional. He wanted to ask his mother about her relationship with his father after, because he knew that things may have not always bee how they seem.

I would recommend this story for other people to read, because of its deep meaning. Also, the way it is written is very descriptive and often times humorous. Realistic fiction is my favorite genre besides fantasy, so this story is good for people like me.

As the last story in this Sunny Youth camp, I believe it is great because it gives you something to think about far beyond the near future. I will keep this story in mind whenever I meet someone new, and will be thinking about its lesson for a while.

A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury is a short story. It is about a man named Mr. Eckels who lives in the year 2055, when time travel is possible. In the story, Eckels pays $10,000 to go on a trip back in time to hunt a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Before they depart, Eckels and the other hunters discuss their opinions on the recent presidential elections, where a man named Keith beat his top competitor, Deutscher. When they arrive, the guide tells them how they must stay on a path that is built 6 inches off the ground in order not to disturb the earth. He explains that stepping off it could kill one mouse, which could leave to all the mice who descended from it to die. He also explains that the Tyrannosaurus Rex is marked with red paint, and would die a few minutes after anyway, as to not have an important effect on the future. When he sees the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Eckels gets afraid and begins to run away. The guide, Travis, tells him to return to the time machine but the disturbed Eckels strays off the path. He hears shots fired, and sees that the other men have succeeded in killing the Tyrannosaurus Rex. When Travis realizes that Eckels had strayed away from the path, he says that he will leave Eckels if he doesn’t take the bullets from the dinosaurs body. When they return, Eckels soon realizes that something is off. Words are spelled differently, and Deutscher has won the election instead of Keith. When he looks down, he sees a crushed butterfly that had created the change for a new present he had returned to. He begs to go back to fix it, but Travis adamantly refuses. Travis takes his gun, and there is a sound of thunder.

The idea for the setting is rather unconvincing, as I doubt that by the year 2055 time travel will be possible. It is already 2020, but this seems to be maybe centuries away. However, I really enjoyed reading this story. I found it interesting and smartly written. I also liked how there were several themes relevant to the story. The sound of thunder at the end implies that Travis had shot Eckels, and Eckels died.

The theme of the story that seems most apparent to me is be careful, because your actions may have unintended consequences. Often, in time travel stories, the main characters are warned not to do anything that might affect the future. In this story, Eckels is careless and runs off the path. He believes that kicking up a little dirt won’t have a big affect on the future. However, because he stepped on the butterfly, it does. If he had stayed on the path, the future would have not changed. He did not intend for that to happen, but it did due to his carelessness.

This story is definitely something that I would recommend to other people because it is written in a very nice way, and the themes are very significant to any time-travel story. Most people enjoy a bit of adventure, so this story is perfect.

I loved this read, and I think it was my favorite story I read in the entire Sunny Youth camp. A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury is definitely a story that I will remember forever.

In the Ted Talk, the speaker first spoke a little bit about chickens. Green Zone chickens were collaborative chickens who could tolerate each other, and laid more eggs because they were able to in peace. Red Zone chickens, on the other hand, were non-collaborative and hated being together. Thus, the chickens pecked each other to the death. In the end, there were only two emaciated, bloody, and featherless chickens who could only lay a few eggs compared to the Green Zone chickens.

What this shows is that when people and animals are collaborative, or “Green Zone Chickens”, they are more productive and are more able to problem-solve. The Ted Talk was about how to stop yourself from being defensive, which can cause you to be in the “Red Zone”. When you are defensive, you can drop significantly in IQ, and get extremely angry, which will not allow you to work things out.

There are many ways to realize you have become defensive. This might include but is not restricted to: heavy breathing, a large jolt of energy, a faster heartbeat, anger, a drop in IQ, a want to have the last word, blaming your defensiveness on other people, and not wanting to talk. When you are becoming defensive, you should recognize your signs in order to stop the defensiveness.

Once you realize that you are becoming defensive, I think you should take a couple of deep breaths. This will help clear your head. You could also walk around, leave the room and go somewhere to be alone, or just keep your mouth shut and listen to what other people are saying. Then, join in and work out your problems.

Being defensive is a bad thing, but learning to control it can help you a lot. Once you are able to do that, then you will basically always be a Green Zone Chicken. You can solve problems, collaborate with your peers, and make smart decisions. If you can’t, then you may lash out and end up as bad as the Red Zone Chicken.

In conclusion, there are many things to stop you from being defensive. Once you have a good mindset, you can be much more productive and never go back to being a Red Zone Chicken again.

” The Landlady ” by Roald Dahl is a short story about a young man named Billy Weaver who needs a place to stay for the night. He ends up going into a boardinghouse, where he is greeted by a landlady who ushers him in. He notices that the landlady has stuffed her dead pets. Later, the landlady asks him to write his name in a book so she can “remember his name.” He sees two names, of men who came 3 and 2 years ago. He remembers their names from a newspaper that said they had gone missing. She gives him a cup of tea that tastes like bitter almonds, and when he asks whether she has had any other visitors besides him lately, she says no.

As it turns out, the tea was actually poisoned with cyanide, and the landlady poisons men and stuffs them like with her pets. The two men went missing because of this. In the story, the landlady says that the men haven’t went missing and are still staying on the 4th floor, where they are stuffed.

I don’t really know how I feel about this story. It was really interesting, but I find it eerie and creepy. I can imagine everything happening, though I don’t want to. I feel like this wouldn’t be a story I would have read if I wasn’t required to. I don’t like horror at all, whether shows, books, or movies.

To me, the theme of the story is pretty clear: be wary of strangers, and don’t trust everyone you meet. We can see that poor Billy was naive and trusting. Even though he thought the landlady was a bit eccentric, he went in anyway because it was cheep and because he was tired. The landlady seemed to be kind, so Billy didn’t mind anything. He should have realized that there is more than meets the eyes. After his already made bed, seeing the stuffed pets, and the suspicious names, he should have hightailed out of there.

I feel like this story represents the young, naive population vs. the crazy, bad population. I bet any little kid would go off with a stranger offering them candy unless they know the danger of it. We all need to remember that people can be bad or mentally unstable, and not be naive like Billy.

If you like a bit of thriller, I would recommend this story because it kind of gives you the chills. I wouldn’t recommend it if you are like me and don’t like horror. All in all, I think it is really eye-opening and makes you think about strangers. It does require a little background research though, because the story does not directly state that the men are poisoned and stuffed.

In conclusion, ” The Landlady ” is a very interesting story that made me think a lot. I think if you read it, it might make you see the world in a whole new way.

Almost everyone has heard of Marco Polo. Mostly, we think of the pool game. But what about the real person? Marco Polo lived a fascinating life. He was born in Italy, but ended up traveling all over with his father and uncle. Along the way, he learned some very interesting things, and ended up publishing a book about his adventures: “The Travels of Marco Polo”. Let’s dive deeper into the life of this famous figure.

Marco was born in Venice, Italy, on January 8-9th, 1254. He first met his father and uncle, Niccolo and Maffeo, when he was 15. They were merchants, and they taught Marco the mercantile trade.

The three men started on their journey in 1271, and explored lots of different places on the silk road, until they reached China. They had to travel on foot because their ship was in a state of disrepair.There they met with Kublai Khan, who was the current ruler of the Mongolian empire, and grandson of legendary conqueror Genghis Khan. Niccolo and Maffeo had met him on their previous trip, and they were treated as honored guests.

In China, Marco was shocked by everything from the giant palace, to the technology. He looked up to Kublai Khan because not only was Khan very skilled in battle, but also because he was a good ruler. When Khan conquered different places, he allowed the government to continue to operate on the terms that they bow down to the Mongolian empire. This allowed them to keep their customs and religions. He also welcomed all different cultures and beliefs, as he was a big believer in diversity.

Khan was impressed with Marco’s many abilities, including being able to speak 5 languages. Marco traveled all over China doing missions for Khan, and lived there for 17 years.

After a while, Polo, his father, and his uncle, began to want to go home. They were worried about when Khan would die. Kublai had always been very hospitable towards them, but they thought that their rights might change from the peoples’ when someone else took over. Although he initially refused several times, Khan finally let them leave in 1291, with one last mission: to accompany the beautiful Mongolian princess Kokochin to Persia so she could be married to her husband there.

After taking a boat to drop off Kokochin in Persia, The Polos returned home in 1295. They brought with them many, many riches and treasures. The Poloos had been gone for 24 years, and had traveled almost 15,000 miles.

When Marco arrived, Venice was currently at war. Polo joined the fight, but was captured around 1296. He spent several months in prison, where he told a fellow inmate, Rusticello da Pisa, all about his fantastical adventures. Together, they published his book, which became an instant bestseller. Released from captivity in 1299, Marco went home. In 1300, he married a woman named Donata Badoer, and they had three daughters.

“The Travels of Marco Polo” drew a lot of mixed reviews. Most people thought he was lying, as they couldn’t believe in all his crazy stories. Also, they disliked the way he depicted the Mongolian empire as good and with more advanced technology than the European empire. Basically, they didn’t want the Mongolian Empire to sound better.

Marco Polo’s book has been reprinted many times, but unfortunately the Europeans slid over some of the good things, and focused on some stories that made the Asians not sound good.

In the end, most of Marco Polo’s stories have been deemed true. Marco Polo was actually pretty amazing because he didn’t lie, and told his stories in a completely unbiased way. He didn’t say anything bad, and instead just described what he saw and the stories that he heard. Polo inspired lots of people to explore too. Although nobody really knows about his personal life, as he only talked about his stories and not about him, he is still a well revered person.

I think Marco Polo was a really interesting person, and that his adventures sounded amazing. I hope one day that I can lead a life as amazing as his.

In conclusion, Marco Polo is a very famous explorer who lived such an amazing life, and he is still so well known today.

“The Ransom of the Red Chief” is a short story about two men who decide to kidnap a child and hold him for ransom. However, the child is very rambunctious and energetic, so the men quickly get tired of needing to play with him. Also, the child is a bit violent and hurts one of the men, Bill, while they were playing. The narrator, Sam, writes a letter to the boy’s father, demanding $1,500 in exchange for the boy. When the men receive his reply, the boy’s father has them pay him $250 each in exchange for the boy’s father taking the boy off their hands. Bill immediately agrees, as he is the one who is feeling the most suffering, and he hightails out of there leaving the Sam to catch up.

I think this is a very funny story, and I enjoyed it very much. I could imagine the little boy and the robbers cooped up in a cave together, and envision him driving the men up a wall with his shenanigans.

I sympathize more for the robbers, because even though they were the ones who kidnapped the boy, the boy still acts like he is in charge. He makes them play games with him, and plays in a rough way. I think the robbers didn’t really know think things through when they decided to kidnap such a handful. Of course I feel slightly bad for the boy, but he is treated reasonably well and seemed to have a really great time playing and camping in the cave.

My interpretation of the theme is don’t bite off more than you can chew. I think this is pretty clear, as the men definitely bit off more than they could chew when they kidnapped the kid. They should have planned and researched more, because if they did they wouldn’t have kidnapped a hard-to-handle kid. Instead, they would have kidnapped an easier target.

I would recommend this story because it’s very funny and enjoyable, and also because it is very easy to understand. The characters have funny and unique personalities, plus the plot is very good.

In conclusion, ” The Ransom of the Red Chief” is a very good read and I definitely think you should read it.

Almost every person in America has heard of Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic and inspirational “I have a dream” speech. On August 23, 1963, over 250,000 civil rights supporters gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C to hear his speech. It became one of the most famous speeches in history, but why?

First of all, it had very strong and well chosen words. Probably the most famous sentence is this one:”I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a nation, where not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character” It is so powerful, and the rest of the speech is of equal strength, so you can see why it is so treasured.

Another reason why it is so empowering is how MTK was so brave and stood up for the entire black community. At the time, it was a bit dangerous to speak such bold words on racism and segregation. There were a lot of people who believed in segregation, and were definitely not a fan of the civil rights movement. Also, MTK gave a voice for the voiceless. A lot of people were scared to say what they believed, or weren’t heard because they didn’t have the right platform, but his speech spoke for them.

One last reason is that MTK Jr. wrote his speech in a completely peaceful way. Instead of calling out white people for segregation, he instead asked for unity without any rudeness to any race. He focused on how he had a dream to fix the problem, not how the problem started.

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protest, we are once again reminded of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech. It feels sad that even almost 57 years later, his dream has still not been fulfilled. Of course it is better, but there is still a lot of things that show that we still have a ways to go. America must keep trying to have more equal rights. The only reason these problems keep resurfacing, are because there is not enough change, and because setbacks are recurring in the most terrible ways. We must remember MTK Jr.’s words, and help reach the goal in his dreams.

In conclusion, the “I have a dream speech” is probably the most important civil rights speech ever. Everybody should remember Martin Luther King Jr.’s words, especially in hard times , and strive to make a difference. Hopefully, in a few years, his iconic and famous dream will finally be fulfilled, and we can all stand together as equals.

In the short story, we met a class, and 2 teachers. One had went on vacation, so the other came in as a substitute. Miss Orville, the sub, was extremely strict and old fashioned. Miss Wilson, on the contrary, was very whimsical and fun in the classroom. But which teaching method sounds better?

Let us start with the pros and cons of Miss Orville. The pros: during her time, the students made significant academic improvement and made sure to finish their homework. The cons: her students were not used to her style of teaching, and proceeded to coin her “Miss Awful”. They even went to get “Revenge” on her because they were angry at her for her strictness, by horribly mutilating her favorite potted plant. So, we can conclude that although she pushed her students, her personality caused her students to heartily dislike her.

As for Miss Wilson, she couldn’t be more different. The pros: she is very nice and likable to her students, and does not punish them for misbehaving to much. She also likes to have fun in class. The cons: she is a little soft on her students, and as a result they are not very well educated and don’t have very good classroom etiquette. As a result, when Miss Orville showed signs of being strict, the students were all mortified on how she could be this way, when Miss Wilson had always been so carefree. What we get from this is that she has a very whimsical happy personality, causing her class to like her a lot, but she is a little lax on teaching and pushing the kids.

It seems that both teaching styles have their faults. Miss Orville’s is that her students thoroughly dislike her, and Miss Wilson’s is that the students don’t learn much in the classroom. I think the best teaching style is a mixture of both, where you can be nice and fun to be around like Miss Wilson, but still be slightly strict and very serious about education.

In conclusion, I think both teaching styles have good points and bad points, and that neither is superior to the other. I believe that people should form their own ways of teaching so that their students like them but also do good academically.

In the short story, when the king thinks you’ve done a crime, you are sent to an arena with two doors. Behind 1 of the doors is a fearsome tiger, the other a beautiful lady. If you choose the door with the tiger, it means a terrible death. If you pick one with the lady, you must marry her, regardless of whether you already have a wife and a family. The thing is, which one is worse, the lady or the tiger.

If the lady is behind the door, it depends on who she is. If you don’t like her, you still must marry her. Also, I think this is very rude because the lady also doesn’t get the decision to see if she wants to marry you. This is kind of sexist because the lady is a prize, instead of being regarded as a human being with her own feelings. However, if you and the lady like each other, then it is certainly better than death.

If the tiger is behind the door, there is nothing that can be done. You will die. Would you rather a miserable yet long life or death? I would choose the latter option. As Dumbledore says in Harry Potter:”After all, to the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” Dying would mean you would go on to whatever is there after death. That seems more interesting than continuing to live unhappily.

I think it matters entirely on your opinion to decide which is worse. I think the lady is worse because I am a girl and also because death would get me away from that crazy, terrible, world where it doesn’t matter whether you are innocent or guilty for a crime, and you’re entire life depends on a decision of which door. I think we should all create our own doors in the world that lead us to happiness, instead of the black and white doors of marriage or death. Everyone deserves a full life, and you’re life can’t be full if you’re unhappy.

In conclusion, I would rather die than be unhappy for my whole life, and I would want to see what is after death. This is a really interesting story that makes you think a lot about your choices, and whether you made the write decision.

For years, scientists have wanted to inhabit a planet other than Earth. If one day in the next, say, 20 years, we could live safely on Mars, would I do it?

The answer is no. First of all, in the article, it states that humans may require genetic modification in order to safely inhabit Mars. I would not want to do this, because what if this went wrong? I could easily lose my life. Also, I do not my DNA merged with another life form’s.

Second of all, I really like Earth. Earth is where I live. There are so many wonderful places to travel, and so many things to do. If I went to Mars, I do not think that I’d like it, and the environment would differ very much from Earth’s, so I wouldn’t feel very comfortable.

Also, I would miss my friends and my family. I don’t think that all of them would come too, and I doubt communications would be strong enough for us to converse daily. It would be sad if I had to leave them behind, when they help make me love Earth so much. I can’t imagine not having them there.

Lastly, I would miss my home. I would miss my stuffed animals, my room, basically everything. I would miss the birds singing every morning and the beautiful green trees and flowers. I would miss playing in the snow during winter, and playing sports in the yard during summer. Everything that makes Earth Earth I would miss.

In conclusion, although going to Mars sounds interesting, I don’t think I would want to do it. I think I would miss everything on Earth too much. I’m sure there are adventurous people out there though, who would jump at a chance to go to Mars. If someone I know goes there in the future, whether temporarily or as their new home, I would love to hear about their experiences and I’m sure it would make a great tale to tell.