Dead Silence

Late at night, all alone

Fear creeps…

Fear of the unknown,

Fear of invasion.

Seconds of dead air ticks by,

an eternity at night.

I lie awake in bed

for a long time

in silence.

 

Isolated

My barely audible voice

desperate to be heard

to be part of the loud, cheerful voices

But it only falls upon deaf ears…

I thought I’d caught the glimpse

of silver hope

that everything has changed

But my words

like silent raindrops

fell…

A lone whisper

amidst the chattering crowd

Inaudible.

 

Fahrenheit 451

1. Montag believes that the books are dead but after meeting with Clarisse, he starts to question his own assumption. I believe that what the woman said about the books is true, they are alive. A book is written by an author after much thought and improvisations; therefore, I think that books have life because it represents the author’s ideas.

1. The character I chose is Guy Montag. Throughout the whole novel, he has experienced many conflicts, whether internal or external. For the external conflict, there is a war going on in his country as mentioned in page 32 of the novel in a radio broadcast. As for the internal conflict, after meeting Clarisse at the beginning of the novel, Montag begins to question the reason for his occupation: burning books. He also begins to realize that there is knowledge hidden within the books and the act of burning books is unnecessary, and starts to reject the idea of burning books which he had once loved to do.

1. 3. I chose Guy Montag and the song I decided would apply to his life is “Set Me Free” by Casting Crowns. The reason I chose this song is because I think the lyrics really describes Montag’s feeling of wanting to be released from the duty of burning books because he came to realize that books are not what Beatty said they are and they have no reason to be burned. Amongst the lyrics, I think these few lines describe Montag the best: “It hasn’t always been this way, I remember brighter days … …, Now I live among the dead, fighting voices in my head… …”

1. 4. The book that I would choose to save from the flames would be Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It is because Romeo and Juliet is the book that introduced me to Shakespeare and it truly has a remarkable, though tragic plot. The forbidden love depicted between Romeo of the house of Montague and Juliet of the house of Capulet is really beautiful; and even the hatred between the two families could not extinguish their love for each other.

LOTF – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

Rachel   : Thanks for accepting my invitation and coming for dinner.

Ralph     : No worries, it’s our pleasure.

Rachel   : I hope you won’t mind but I have a few questions regarding the adventure that you three shared.

Jack       : You mean the one when we were stranded on an island with no adults around? No problem, go ahead.

Rachel   : Thank you, Jack. Now, Ralph, do you think you have been a good leader?

Piggy     : Ralph sure was a good leader! He was rational and thought of how we could escape from the island. Unlike someone else… Who only thought about how to hunt and kill animals, just like a savage!

Jack       : Shut up, Fatty! No one asked what you think!

Ralph     : Calm down, guys. Hmm… I would have to say that I did my best. As someone who was chosen to lead the others, I did my best to help them to stay organized and survive till we could escape. But, I can’t help it if they don’t want to listen to me.

Jack       : Hah.. of course they wouldn’t listen to you! Ralph, all you do is stand around and tell people what to do. You can’t even hunt, what a wimp!

Rachel   : Guys, let’s have a bite first… The food will be cold.

Piggy     : Ralph, stop arguing with this kind of person. He’s not worth it. You know you’re better than him. Let’s just start eating.

Ralph     : Yeah, thank you for the food, Rachel. It’s delicious!

Jack       : Not at all compared to my hunt.

Piggy     : How ungrateful! After all that time stranded on that island, anything would taste like heaven to me.

Ralph     : I agree.

Rachel   : Thanks, Ralph, and Piggy. So, what do you think of your exciting adventure? Would you want to experience it again?

Jack       : I sure would! All that hunting made me feel so satisfying. I always watch National Geographic nowadays. Watching the animals chasing their prey just makes my blood boil! How I wish I could be back at the island.

Piggy     : Back to the island, and be stranded again? I would not want to go through all that again.

Ralph     : Although looking back at it seems a horrible experience, at least we learnt our lesson. I thought it would be fun without adults to control our every move. But right now, I realize that I was wrong. They were there to teach us what to do and guide us through our challenges. They supported us and taught us our moral values. Without them, we would be totally lost and give in to our instincts. And that totally sucks.

Rachel   : Wow, Ralph… That was quite a speech.

Piggy     : I’m so proud of you, Ralph. You finally get it.

Rachel   : So in the end, what lesson have you guys learned?

Ralph     : Being a leader was harder than I thought. There are a lot of obstacles, and people don’t always agree with each other. We have different opinions about our priorities.

Piggy     : But I had a very good time with my friends, and we supported each other through difficult times, right Ralph?

Ralph     : Yeah.

Jack       : What I learnt? I am a better leader than Ralph was! And that I had known since the beginning. Hah, he can’t even sing!

Rachel   : Well, you all made a very good point. I’m glad that all of you had obtained something from this experience. Thank you for coming over for dinner and sharing your experience to me.

Piggy     : You’re welcome.

Ralph     : Yeah, don’t mention it.

Jack       : See ya!

Still Friends…?

“Bye, Mel. See you tomorrow!” I called out to my friend, Melanie as she walked across the field to the parking lot. “Bye-bye!” she replied hastily and hurried to her friend’s car. As I waved her goodbye, I feel something tugging in my heart, and I realized it was about Melanie. Melanie was my best friend, and she was closer to me than a sister. I talk to her about anything, everything, things that I would not share even with my family. Or at least I used to…

I could remember how her attitude towards me started changing, becoming more distant, and I know why. Around three weeks before the summer vacation, we were exchanging secrets. Mel’s was about someone she like, and she made me promise not to tell anyone about it. I kept my promise. However, a week later, this rumor has spread throughout the school, and her crush ignored her from then on. I told Mel that I did not say a word, but she did not believe me.

She avoided me in school, and ignored me the best she could when she had to be in my group. Nevertheless, summer vacation soon came, and I thought it might be able to help her to cool down and think about the situation. She should realize I’m not the type of person that would babble about a friend. But I thought wrong. Summer vacation did not repair our strained friendship; it gave Mel time to find a new friend. After the school break and we went back to school, things were not the same anymore.

Melanie hung out with her new friend Renee and her friends. They join the same club activities, and they sat together during class. I still talk to her but it always seemed as if she has no interest in talking to me, eventually I stopped trying and stuck to saying “Hi” and “Bye” ’s. I got new friends and she has hers.

Even so, I could not help but wonder sometimes, was it my fault that our friendship deteriorated? How can friendships end just because of a tiny thing that had happened? Friendship… is a remarkable thing, easily created, even easier for it to end.

Traditional Class vs. Online Class

            Back in the days when my parents were still schooling, the classes were all offered in a traditional way. Lessons were conducted in a room, where a teacher explains face to face to a class full of students, eager to absorb the knowledge presented. However, as the era slowly progressed, it became influenced by technology and modern systems. Everything is now conducted in a somewhat hi-tech way, including classes. Online classes are now offered in addition to traditional classes, and they provide an interesting distinction.

            First of all, for online classes, all the information on the course is posted on the website, as well as the assignments that need to be completed. This allows the student to plan ahead of time, and they can easily complete the assignments beforehand, thus providing extra time for them to prepare for their tests. On the other hand, for traditional classes, all the assignments are on a fixed schedule. Students have no opportunity to work at their own pace, and they also could not prepare for future assignments since they are usually not given till a few days before the due date.

            Another factor to be considered is the study materials for the class. In a traditional class, we are often given textbooks to read, notebooks to write down key facts about certain topics, along with worksheets to test our knowledge on what we have learned. However, with online classes, everything you need is on the website. Instead of textbooks, class materials can be downloaded in the form of audio, video, as well as text. Notebooks and worksheets are substituted with word-processing programs, and assignments are typed out using the computer, instead of writing out by hand as in a traditional class.

            Nevertheless, although online classes and traditional classes differ in a broad manner, it is still the same when we go to the roots of it. Both classes require teacher-student interactions, so that any inquiries or confusion that the student may have, he may discuss with the teacher to gain more understanding. It only differs in the means of communication, in that students of a traditional class ask their questions directly, and receives an immediate response. Alternatively, students in online classes email their teachers, and have to wait for their reply, which may take up to days.

            All in all, even though there are variations in the two classes, they are both taught by certified educators, and there is no need to worry about the course being illegitimate. Although it seems as if online classes are really different from the traditional ways of teaching, ultimately it is just a more convenient way for students to cope with their schoolwork.

Cadi Forbes

The character that I have chosen for analysis in The Last Sin Eater is Cadi Forbes. She is a 10 year old who is burdened with a haunting past that she’s trying to get rid of now. I feel that her efforts throughout that process are very encouraging and inspiring, and it motivates me to look forward to the future, instead of just pausing and lamenting about the past.

Cadi Forbes is the protagonist in The Last Sin Eater and is part of a Welsh community that lives in the Great Smoky Mountains. The author describes her mostly through indirect characterization by mentioning her thoughts and actions, as well as including what others think about her.

At the beginning of the story, she is portrayed as a girl who had just lost her beloved grandmother, whom she felt was the only person that truly cares for her wellbeing. As such, she desperately longs to rebuild her family, and believed that everything would go back to normal if she had her sins taken away by the sin eater. The incident in which her sister Elen had died had left a lasting impact in her life, and she is constantly living under the blame of Elen’s death upon her.

Cadi searched consistently for the sin eater, and did not give up though many warned her to. Her determination and strong willpower eventually brought her to her goal. However, she realized that the sin eater could not indeed take her sins away, and she met another man who claimed to be the man of God. Cadi heard about Jesus, and God’s Word, and that the sin eater cannot take away sins, but Jesus can. She then changed from pursuing after the sin eater to hope that he’ll take away her sins, to following Jesus and believing her sins are forgiven for He took it all upon himself.

Throughout the novel, Cadi had been agonizing over her sister’s death, and thinking that her mother had forsaken her because she had caused Elen’s death. However, at the end, when she had gathered up her courage to confront her mother about her feelings, Cadi realizes that it had all been her own assumption, and the mother and daughter reconciled.

Cadi had grown a lot since her introduction to the story, and by the end of it, she had slowly grown from a helpless child living in guilt, to a woman who is faithful to the Lord, and does not waver in whatever she does. The changes were gradual, yet obvious. It all started from the encounter she had with the sin eater, leading to the sin eater asking her to see the man of God. Thus, she came into contact with God’s Word, and was able to attain real freedom.