Sunny Youth Journal

Wording is very important in communication, whether it be in talking out a problem or conveying a message, and O. Henry’s short story Hearts and Hands is and example of that importance.

In the story, a marshal and the couterfeiter he’s arrested switch roles in front of a high-society lady the counterfeiter knows when they meet on a train (the role switch is the plot twist that readers are given small hints to until the reveal at the end). The marshal is handcuffed by his left hand to the counterfeiter to keep him from escaping, meaning that the counterfeiter, Mr. Easton (who is presumably right-handed) has his right hand cuffed, and to anyone listening to his conversation with the lady, he is the marshal. The lady apparently does not see anything strange about the “marshal” (Mr. Easton) having his right hand cuffed, but another pair of passengers had been watching and thought it odd that the “marshal” should have his right hand cuffed rather than his left.

That is what leads readers to the assumption that Mr. Easton is actually the counterfeiter and the other man the marshal; however, a few other meanings could be taken from that observation, going off the assumption of the observer that Mr. Easton is the marshal and the other man the criminal.

Firstly: that Mr. Easton is left-handed, and the buildup of the plot twist to that point was all just a clever ruse to make readers laugh and groan at the ending. The observer says, “Did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?”, deeming it strange, which is reasonable considering that the vast majority of people are right-handed. Therefore, rather than perceiving the plot twist as the role-switch that the author intended it to be, readers might see it as Mr. Easton simply being left-handed.

Secondly: this is a bit of a stretch, but the twist could be perceived as the two men being a homosexual couple, Mr. Easton being left-handed and the other man right-handed and traveling as officer and criminal to avoid questions and judgement. The author describes Mr. Easton as handsome and having a “bold, frank countenanced” and the other man as “ruffled, glum”, and “roughly dressed”. Two traveling companions so different in appearance would no doubt draw stares, judgement, maybe questions, all unwanted; so to avoid the attention, they play roles that draw upon the people’s implicit bias for authenticity. And Mr. Easton’s right hand is cuffed to the other man’s left, which would explain their being left-handed and right-handed, respectively.

The second alternate perception was not completely serious, but it is as logically plausible as the first one and does still work as an example of how important wording is in communication. I guess the main point of this is to watch what you say as well as what you do, because words are powerful, powerful things and can have impacts just as great, if not greater than, actions.

Mozart is one of the greatest musicians of all time. He was a child prodigy at the age of four along with the rest of his family. at the age of four Mozart repeated classical pieces perfectly when his father gave him the pieces. He even started playing the violin. If he could do such astonishing things at such a young age, think about what he was like when he grew a couple more years older.

When Mozart was at the age of 17, he got a job as a court musician where it was a great opportunity to earn money for his family. Back in Mozart’s time, life was hard because there weren’t any transportation other than carriages. And wages weren’t as high as nowadays. During his time as a court musicians, Mozart thought that operas weren’t performed enough, because he wasn’t happy, he found another job! This job, a court organist, was worse than the other one because he was treated like a slave, but couldn’t quit the job because his employer wouldn’t let him. He finally left the job and felt relieved but was still humiliated.

When he grew a little older, he went to Vienna and was a keyboardist. Vienna loved him very much and appreciated him in the city, which was better than his previous jobs overall. While enjoying Vienna, he even won the heart of who he loves truly, Constanze Weber! Years later, he started performing concerts and had piano concertos reaching out to him to go to their theater and perform. He started to earn money and had a luxurious apartment with his wife.

Sadly, he started to perform less in public and loose his fame and struggled for the next years because Austria was at war. The new operas Mozart wrote were also not admired by the people of Vienna and he was going through a money drought along with other composers. He decided to go to other places to try and make money but there was no luck. Eventually, he started to get back his debt by submitting piece by piece and doing hard work. People liked him again and his life was saved!

In Prague, after Mozart performed one of his pieces, he started to become very sick and kept vomiting. His wife kept watch over him while he was writing his last piece for his funeral. Mozart, unfortunately, died for an unknown reason. There are many theories where people have thought about the cause, the most popular is a rheumatic fever (a sickness that affects the heart, joints, and skin).

Mozart was an extremely successful and talented musician. He composed numerous masterpieces that are even recognized today. Becoming successful is not an easy achievement. By looking at Mozart’s life story, one can conclude that success is not something that falls from the sky. Some life lessons that Mozart’s story has provided mankind is that in order to be successful, one has to put in hard work, one has to be unique, and one needs to never give up.

Hard work is the generic cause of success. Success is not solely measured by achievement, but more of comparison. Being successful requires people to admire one’s work more over another person’s. These means that one has to “outperform” every other individual. Since everyone’s wish is to become successful, everyone works hard. The only way to succeed is to work a significant amount larger. Mozart started learning how to play his first instrument, the clavier, at just age four. Many kids at age four are still busy playing with baby toys. In the following years, he quickly mastered many more instruments and composed many pieces. Even when he was extremely ill, he still wrote pieces to the best of his ability. In modern day, an extremely successful person is Elon Musk. He is a billionaire and the CEO of many leading companies such as Tesla and SpaceX. In a video discussing ten tips of why Elon Musk is successful, his first reason explained that one should “work like hell.” Trying to become successful without hard work is like trying to walk without legs. Hard work and success are forged together in an unbreakable bond. Don’t even think of becoming successful without putting in hard work.

School is something that prepares one for success. Remember those good old easy Elementary School days? The homework on the first day of school would often be to think of five personal objects that represents an individual’s uniqueness. Since children are young, they might simply think that this homework assignment is useless or just for an opportunity to show off. The truth is, being unique is extremely important in becoming successful. Mozart was not only hard-working, but was also unique in many ways. His pieces were original, and not some terrible remix of other music. Additionally, Mozart also increased his fame by performing in strange locations, such as in restaurants and apartment buildings. The famous Elon Musk also embodies uniqueness. One of his companies called Tesla produces electric cars. This is not only unique, but also much more beneficial when compared to gasoline cars. Gasoline cars release carbon dioxide into the air, which worsens global warming, but electric cars don’t. Ralph Walter Emerson, an American essayist once said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Once one has truly embraced their true self and potential, they are on a more probable path to success.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that perseverance, or not giving up, is defined as “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.” The key section is: despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. In many occurrences throughout Mozart’s lifetime, he was struggling, but still persevered through all of it and kept on going. When Mozart went to Paris, nobody noticed him much, and his employers neglected him. Mozart almost quit his musical career during his time in Paris. After moving to Vienna, he became a musical superstar. If he gave up during any of his many struggles, us humans would not have ever heard any of his amazing masterpieces. Not giving up is also shared in many of the most successful people yet. LeBron James used to never make it onto his high school team, and today he is a professional basketball player. Walt Disney was accused of not being creative, yet he created the world everyone calls their childhood. J.K. Rowling had an extremely tough life, yet she managed to create the entire Harry Potter series. Not giving up is one of the keys to success.

In conclusion, Mozart has taught mankind many ways in becoming successful. Elon Musk, Walt Disney, LeBron James, and many other people all shared the same path to success as Mozart. One should work hard in order to outperform others and shine in the spotlight. One needs to be unique in order to be noticed. One can only fight through tough times with the power of perseverance. Money does not grow on trees, and neither does success.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a prolific composer and pianist in the classical era. Although he died at the relatively young age of thirty-five, he composed an immense amount of musical works — more than six hundred. To this day, both fledging musicians and professionals spend hours practicing and performing his compositions.

Mozart was extremely famous from a very young age, unlike other composers such as Bach and Schubert who only achieved fame after their deaths. It is well known that Mozart was buried in commoner’s grave, and few people attended his funeral, but this isn’t an accurate representation of his fame. Then, only the nobility had the luxury of being buried in marked graves. Even at his death, Mozart was regarded as one of the best composers of the time. In fact, his memorial services and concerts were packed.

Mozart, a musical prodigy, churned out beautiful compositions. His melodies are sublime, towering over those of his contemporaries, perhaps because he was constantly experimenting with new forms and sounds. Mozart’s works seem so effortless and are quite seamless, yet they are able to contain many different emotions. His concertos, considered some of his best work, are especially imaginative and original. Many people say listening to his compositions often is an “otherworldly experience.”

But Mozart’s legacy can not only be measured with his compositions. He was also of great influence to later generations. Many famous composers, most notably, Beethoven, were affected by his works, similar to how Mozart himself was influenced by Bach. Often breaking new ground, Mozart’s unique sound greatly influenced the development of the genres he composed in.

Hearts and Hands by O. Henry is a story of two gentlemen whose hands and hearts were bound together. O. Henry or William Sydney Porter is famous for having a surprising twist at the end of his stories. How can this simple, plain story have an unexpected ending?

Mr. Easton and the marshal are on a train and are talking to a young lady named Ms. Fairchild. Their hands are bound together by handcuffs, as police do that to prevent the criminal from running away. Their hearts are bound together, figuratively, because of the marshal’s generosity to Mr. Easton. He notices that the lady is friends with the criminal and Mr. Easton doesn’t want her to know that he broke the law. To prevent that, he “switches roles” with him to prevent embarrassment.

With an unexpected ending, there are examples of foreshadowing displayed in the story. The first one is when Mr. Easton first displays uneasiness when he first saw Ms. Fairchild. Normally, people wouldn’t feel embarrassed when they see a friend, except that we know that he was hiding something after reading the story. Another example is when the marshal explained the situation to the lady very calmly. This is when he first introduces his little plan to the criminal. Usually, if you’re the criminal, you wouldn’t have a normal, easygoing, conversation with someone else whilst in the presence of the police. This foreshadows that maybe he isn’t who he says he is.

There are other instances in the story where it’s hard to understand without reading the full thing. Ms. Fairchild mentioned once, “…But people always misunderstand things and remain stupid–” (Henry) At first, you might not think much of this sentence, but after reading the ending, this becomes an example of irony. She is talking about people who don’t understand and she is technically talking about herself as she never noticed the truth that her friend was the criminal.

Many stories are more difficult to understand than others because of surprise endings, not just ones by O. Henry. Reading deeper into the story or rereading it reveals hidden meanings that you may have passed before in the story.

Did you know that Mozart only lived for thirty-five years? Mozart is a famous composer who is known by many, whether or not they’re interested in music or not. He composed many pieces during his lifetime, including short pieces, concertos, symphonies, and operas.

Early Life

Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756. At the age of four, his father, Leopold, taught him clavier pieces. Leopold was a professional musician. Soon, Mozart taught himself the violin, and he also composed many little pieces. After Leopold realized that Mozart was a child prodigy, they toured Germany, France, and England. However, the road was tough, and they could only use horses to carry the wagon. This caused them to suffer from sicknesses

Middle Life

Not very successful Middle Life

At the age of 17, Mozart got a job as a court musician for the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. However, he soon got bored of having to compose so many symphonies and concerts, so he went to Paris 4 years later. However, the people in Paris didn’t pay much attention to him, so he came back to Salzburg. During 1781, he went to Vienna so he could be freer.

Very successful Middle Life

In just a few months, he got a very high reputation. In fact, he was playing for the emperor! Soon, he married Constanze Weber, and he started writing a lot of concertos. These concertos were very popular; they’re still played today! In 1786, he composed an opera.

Decline

Mozart and other musicians were finding that it was very hard to survive. This is because Austria was at war. Mozarts main source of money was the nobility, who was focusing more on the armies than Mozart. The nobility also doesn’t like Mozarts’ newest operas. During 1786, his fame started vanishing because he performed less and less. This is because he wasn’t getting a lot of money from the nobility. At the end of the next year, he had to become a chamber musician for the Emperor to earn just enough money. Mozart went to other countries to regain his fame, but he just couldn’t regain it.

Hope

At 1790, things started becoming more hopeful. He furiously composed pieces, and finally his financial situation improved. Most of Mozarts’ famous pieces are from this time.

Death

In 1791, Mozart had a sickness, and he was stuck to his bed, aching and vomiting. He was composing his last piece: Requiem, meaning a mass for the dead. Mozart was convinced that he was writing his own funeral piece. On December 5, 1791, Mozart passed away, and he was buried in Vienna.

If we are ever going to settle down on Mars, we might have to because a little less human. Missions to Mars, which are scheduled to start in 2030, will be hard on astronauts. It will expose them to high radiation loads, bone-wasting microgravity, and other hazards, and it’s for several years at a time. They should be able to make it back with good conditions, agency officials said.

It might be different if some people don’t come back to Earth, though. If they want to stay safe and healthy while living permanently on Mars (or any other planet outside of Earth), we might have to tweak our DNA. Genetic engineering and other advanced technologies may need to be used if people want to stay on Mars. If they are living on Mars, these technologies will be necessary if they want to survive.

Genetic enhancement might not be futuristic for long. Scientists have already inserted genes from tardigrades into human cells. The engineered cells showed a greater resistance to radiation than their normal ones. Space agencies already take measures to protect their astronauts, by spacecraft shielding and using many types of medicines. So, it’s not a huge step to consider protecting them physically as well.

Using these technologies might also someday help astronauts to go farther than Mars, to an even more dangerous place. An example is, a journey to Europa is not currently possible. It is very cold, and it lies in the middle of Jupiter’s radiation belts. If they ever get there, their body would almost be completely fried because of the radiation, which would mean death unless they come up with some type of shield to protect them. It is possible, though, because there might have been life on Mars before.

The lesson in “Hearts and Hands” is to distrust what people say. Two men, handcuffed together, sit across from a woman in a train.  The lady speaks to the first man, a handsome one. The man looks surprised and he shakes her hand, asking her to “excuse the other hand.” The other man, a glum-faced one, says that the handsome man, Easton, is a marshal. Easton explains he was a marshal and the lady says that she currently is free to be courted. The gloomy man asks for a smoke, and Easton agrees, so they exit. A man nearby comments that the marshal is all right, and his neighbor points out he is really young. The first man explains the marshal is the criminal

In Hearts and Hands by O Henry, Miss Fairchild is naive. When the sad man says that Easton is a marshal and he is bringing him to jail for 7 years, “the girl… [took] a deep breath and returning color.”  She believes him. She trusts that he won’t lie and takes comfort in it. Therefore, she is naive. 

Mr. Easton however, appears calm and composed. He has a “bold, frank countenance and manner.” Even though he isn’t the actual marshal, he is very formal.

The glum-faced man, A.K.A the actual marshal, seems grumpy and disinterested. He is “ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed,” as if he was an actual robber. However, he was nice enough to pretend to be the bad guy so that Mr. Easton could save face. Though he appears unlikeable, he is actually kind.

We must travel to distant planets, it is no secret at this point. The closest such planet is Mars, and it is very promising. The main problem is, Mars is very inhabitable. No water, no trees, very little atmosphere, the easiest way to fix it is to terraform Mars. This has its fair share of problems though, both good and bad.
Mars is very inhabitable, and terraforming it will help make it much more. Terraforming Mars will help us breath better, get possibly sustainable water, and will make the experience much more smoothly as if it were on Earth. Terraforming seems like a no-brainer, but it has many problems.
Some say terraforming Mars is a bad thing, because we are disturbing the natural surroundings. There might have been other organisms that we would never know existed if we terraformed over it. One of the main goals of traveling to Mars is to see whether there are actual creatures there. Many say it is unscientific and unethical.
Others say that it defies another major factor of what we are trying to do. It will make Mars habitable. This is a problem because another major thing we are trying to accomplish is to see if Mars CAN support life. So if we terraform it, we will never know because it will practically become Earth. Terraforming Mars will ruin some of our main goals of going there in the first place.
In conclusion, terraforming Mars has its upsides and downsides. It will make Mars much more habitable. It will also probably kill any remaining organisms. It will also be like playing on easy mode, and we will never know if Mars itself can be inhabited. It is all up to personal preference and much more scientific research.

Mozart is a very famous person and is mostly known for his sonatas, solo piano pieces, concertos, operas, and symphonies.

In his lifetime, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was recognized as a prodigy. When he was about 4 or 5 years old, Mozart succeeded in teaching himself how to play the violin and even composing a few simple songs. Even I have played quite a few of his pieces.

Mozart’s father was Leopold, who played in an orchestra. After observing Mozart’s talents, Leopold took his family on tours of France, Germany , and England, stopping along the way to perform for bystanders.

I personally think that Mozart had bad traits because I would consider him as a person who doesn’t keep his promises and a person who is self-centered and proud.

I think he is self centered and proud because he likes to live a luxurious life and thinks low of people. I think that he moved eleven times just because he didn’t like the house, he also looked down on his teacher, Josef Hadyn, just because he thinks that he’s more talented.

I also think that he’s a reneger because in order to live a luxurious life, you need money. Mozart didn’t have the money so he borrowed it from his friends, promising to return it. After his death, the debts were still not payed and he had a whole lot of debts and not just one or two.

Overall, Mozart’s life was somewhat fascinating and I enjoyed reading the really short non-fiction article.