Author: SamuelM

People often feel they made a wrong decision, and they did that because they were influenced badly. Too often in our fast and ever-growing society, we see just that. We get influenced badly and pay the consequences. In today’s short story, some kids are faced with some tough decisions.

So there is a man. According to most of the kids in the town he is called Uncle Willy. He is a clerk at a shop. But there is one major thing that is off about him. He has a huge addiction to drugs. Since he is a huge friend to the kids, he gives them ice cream, the kids like and want to be like him. The kids want to be like him, which means they might do drugs as well.

But next let us look in the example of Michael Jordan. We all know him as the best basketball player of all time. But he started from humble beginnings. First he barely made the high school team, then told he wouldn’t be able to make the college team. But he would not let his doubters stop his dreams. So he persisted, and you know what? He became the NBA player he is now. But if he had been influenced to give up, he would not have acheiveved his dreams.

We looked at how Uncle Will probably will negatively affect those children and how MJ, did not let other people influence him, as a result become the basketball player he is today. Though we may not influence someone positively, we can always do our part!

Have you ever wasted your privileges? Or felt you were privileged but wasted them. Well in today’s short story: Mrs. Awful, we see how a kid named Roger, think school is just a place to play and relax. Too often in our modern and fast-growing society, we are just like Roger and misuse our privileges. But instead, we should use them wisely and treasure them.

Roger is a carefree boy who thinks school is a place to play and relax. He brings toys to school and thinks a school is a place where he plays with his friends. But when his playful teacher who he thinks is a good teacher because she is very carefree, like him, and is not strict. But when there is a substitute teacher, Roger calls her a witch, and quote on quote, awful. She is strict and helps Roger realize how privileged he is. For example, he is going to school and thousands of other children in the world cannot. After that, Roger is more serious about school and his academics improve.

After looking at a negative example, let us look at Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt was born in a rich family. He had many privileges, such as being able to wear the best clothes and go to te best schools. He could have easily said I want to be lazy and misuse my privileges. But he did the exact opposite. He worked hard, studied all the time, and became one of the best presidents of the US, helping make one of the greatest achievements of all time: The Panama Canal. If he had not, he would not have beed the great president he was.

We looked in the example of Roger, and how he wasted his privileges. But then changed, and his academics improved. In the example of Roosevelt, he used his resources and made the best of them, which helped him become one of the best US presidents. Though we may not be able to become the president of the US if we do not waste our privileges, we will see an improvement of ourself.

We often feel we are in control and that we can do anything. But what is the use when we have power, but do nothing to fix our society. Too often in our society that is what happens. In today’s short story we see just that.

In the beginning this barbaric king has an usual and unjust system of trial. Which is you are guilty until proved innocent. Unlike our modern day justice system which is you are innocent until poved guilty. It is vice versa. The king has a daughter, which he loves alot. So one time, the king’s daughters’s lover is on trial. The daughter has a choice to chose a door with a lion or the door with a beautiful girl which is assumed to have an affair with the guilty man. When the girl has the power to save the life of an innocent person, but decided to not. She had the power, but not the will. That is exactly what happens in our society.

Finally let us look in the example of Theodore Roosevelt. When Theodore Roosevelt was the president of the US, he had power, he did not just say, “who cares?”. He said I am going to do it, and that was what he did. He put into action one of the hardest constructions of the century: the Panama Canal.

We looked at how in the short story, like us, we are the girl, and have the power, but not the will. But in the example of Theodore Roosevelt he had the power AND the will and helped society. Though we may not be able to help our society soo much like Roosevelt. But, we can do our part!

I bet we all have daydreamed and wished we could do or be something. In today’s short story, we follow a man named Walter, who daydreams all the time. He wants to be in the military, a feisty person, etc. But too often in our society, just like Walter, we only dream, not follow.

Time and time again, Walter hears about something, and then daydreams about being something great or having an amazing adventure. He keeps on being on daydreaming and not acting on what he is dreaming about. Becasue of his behavior he is the same boring guy who never does anything special.

But next let us look in the example of Michael Jordan. We all know him as perhaps the best basketball player of all time. But he started from humble beginnings. First he barely made the high school team, then told he wouldn’t be able to make the college team. But he would not let his doubters stop his dreams. So he persisted, and you know what? He became the NBA player he is now. But if he had given up, he would not have achivieved his dreams.

We looked at how in the example of Walter,in how he dreamed, but did not persist and failed. But in the example of MJ, in how he tried, failed and tried again. And that is what we need to do. We may not be able to fix our entire society, but we can do our part!

Has your mom ever said, ” We need to respect our history, and enforce our heritage?” Well in today’s short story we will see what the outcome will be when people forget their heritage. Too often, we young folk, forget our history and lose respect for our heritage.

There is a humble family that has a rich and diverse heritage, including everybody being able to sew. But they soon lost that. But one family member still does. Dee, when visiting her family, want to take a couple of items. She wants to take a bench and some quilts. Now, these are no regular items, they are full of heritage, the bench being carved by a grandad, and the quilt by a grandma.

You may wonder what is so special about this story. Well these items are literally the only thing this family has to remember their history. Again, you may wonder, what is so specail about remembering your heritage? Well sewing was literally in their history. When they lose their heritage, thye lose their sewing history. But let us look at this in aother example.

But let us look at this in another example. We see this in Marco Polo. Marco Polo’s family has a history of being merchants. Marco Polo could easily just say, I want to be a sailor, etc. But he decided to stay true to his heritage and be a merchant, which helped him to see the Mongolian empire.

Today we looked in the example of this short story and saw how losing our heritage is bad and unwise. But in the example of Marco Polo, we see how he stayed true to his heritage and as a result saw many wonders. I our ever-fast growing modern society, it is especially hard to stay true to our heritage. But we must prevail and do our part!

Have you ever lied and paid a terrible consequence? Well in today’s short story “Seventh Grade”, we follow a boy named Victor, who wants to impress someone, and as a result, lies. Too often, in our modern-day society, we fall under the pressure to succeed, or the want to do something and lie. But that has happened for way too long.

During seventh grade, Victor has a crush on a girl called, Teresa, and wants her to like him. When they are in French class, the teacher asks if any of them already know French, and, because he wants to impress Teresa, lies, saying he does know French. But the truth is, he does not. Nothing really bad happened to Victor because of that lie, but it could escalate to other things in different situations.

Today we looked at how in Victor’s situation, and how a lie did not cause any backlash for him. But in our society, a lie about not doing something bad, etc can cause serious consequences. We need to fix our society and make it rid of lies. But we may not be able to cleanse our entire community, but we can do our part, so remember, the next time your mom asks you if you did your homework, tell the truth.

Samuel Ma

Have you ever felt that someone was arrogant or strong-headed? Well in today’s short story, the grandma, is that person. We will also see what happens when someone does this.

In the beginning, the family travels to Florida, and already, the grandma shows a sense of um . .. peculiarity and says she needs to dress up as a lady. She does this time and time again, and in the end, causes her own downfall. Her killing by Misfit, a criminal, who she claims is her son.

We see in her that our arrogance causes our own downfall, and we do not want to end up like that, so we have to be humble and willing to listen to others. If we do this our society will be more open-minded.

Have you ever witnessed a murder that you could have prevented, but did not. Well most people have not. But in today’s short story, we saw a little boy see his mother get stoned.

The village has a tradition to have a lottery every year and the winner gets stoned. They do this for good crops every year. When a mother wins the lottery, the procedure begins: the stoning begins. Her son is among the people who throw stones at her.

When the child had the chance to stop all this madness, he did not. In our modern day society, we fall to pure pressure and do what others do. But if we want change, we have to do what others may not like. Until then, we will, in some way, keep on stoning people.

In Denver, there is a huge facility that holds 400 men in solitary confinement 23 hours of the day. In today’s TED talk, we see how a Laura Rovner, a civil rights judge explains how these criminals, who have done acts of national treason to the US should be treated better.

Now Laura Rovner so gloriously stated that these men are being tortured. I, though, unlike before, completely disagree. Though these people are being held in the worst conditions, what did they do to deserve this? Well, they most likely did huge acts of mass murder or were terrorizing us. if we do what Laura Rovner says we should: treat them as guests of the most utmost splendor, we are just inviting them to do it again. We need to but them in solitary confinement for those who deserve it. But not as long as they are now. People can be held there for 40 years. We need to respect, yet punish them for what they did.

We do not need to invite them to do it again, but we also need to limit their time there. So I completely disagree with some of Mrs. Rovner’s points, I agree with some of them. If we do this, we will not completely devastate them, yet still punish them, we can restore our community, yet also not allow criminals to get away for their crimes. >_<