A Starry Night

The dark night rolls in after the sun sets
It starts out pitch black but then one by one
A million small stars pour out of buckets
Twinkling like fireflies out of the sun

Frightening things can happen in the dark
But the stars in the sky help guide the way
Couples will walk peacefully through the park
Gazing at the twinkling stars in mid-May

Night crawlers and tiny rodents saunter
Into the new night scene set before them
All of the town people and their brother
Will see the gorgeous sky made just for them

And although the stars come out every night
I still gawk at the brilliance of their light

The Old Man and the Sea writing assignment

The Old Man and the Sea essay assignment

In many movies and books, the protagonist has to over come obstacles and problems that many everyday people wouldn’t have to worry about. Some of these obstacles could be as complex as trying to stop a shark from attacking you and as simple as getting a good grade on a test so you can hang out with your friends that weekend. In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago has to overcome both types of obstacles on his quest to catch possibly the largest marlin ever.

The first obstacle the old man is forced to face, is the fact that he hasn’t caught a fish in over 84 days and he was “finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky”(9). None of the other fishermen wanted to help him thinking that he would jinks them too. This was a difficult struggle for Santiago to overcome because he wasn’t used to not catching anything over an extended amount of time. Although he was used to the rejection and not having many friends, it still took a toll on him to not have anyone supporting him.

Another problem that Santiago encountered during this story was when he was being pulled out to sea by the marlin and his hand started cramping. At first he wasn’t sure what do to and he was a little worried that he was going to lose the fish if he tried to reposition his hand. “It will uncramp though, he thought. Surely it will uncramp to help my right hand…It is unworthy of it to be cramped” (64) he said. He kept positive and with the help of drinking some water, eating some of the dolphin, and gradually flexing and relaxing his hand, his cramp went away and he was able to continue chasing the marlin.

The final obstacle Santiago is faced with, is trying to stop the sharks from eating the marlin he tried so hard to catch. “‘Ay,’ the old man said. ‘Galanos. Come on galanos’”(108). Santiago knows that this will be his last battle and he has a higher chance of losing than anything else. Knowing this, he goes into the battle head on using all the courage he had left. He uses his anger towards everyone who didn’t believe in him, and his anger toward the sharks because they are going to steal his catch. The physical strength he already has and the mental strength don’t combine to make him strong enough to beat the sharks and he ends up losing the marlin. The old man is defeated but he never really gave up.

As you can see, there have been many obstacles Santiago was faced with that he had to overcome throughout the course of the book. Some struggles were less severe than others, but he still had to work through them to be able to finish his task; catch the marlin. Like his hand getting cramped, it wasn’t the worst thing that could every happen to him, but it was another thing that added to his list of problems and it definitely did not help him in his quest to catch the marlin. On the other hand, having the sharks come and attack his marlin was probably the worst thing that happened. He had finally caught the gigantic marlin and was on his way back home when, of course, a couple of sharks happen to notice that he has a fish strapped to the side of his boat. The sharks end up eating the whole fish and there was nothing the old man could do about it. Although Santiago didn’t end up triumphant, and considering the fact that he had to overcome so many things, he still learned a lot on his journey and that’s what really counts.

Not So Sweet Sixteen

Two years ago on my 16th birthday, I almost died. I remember all the days’ events as if it was yesterday. I woke up promptly and lethargically at 5:45 like I do every Friday morning for school. The only thing different about this morning was that it was my 16th birthday and I woke to my parents and older brother singing happy birthday to me in various keys, with a big birthday breakfast made just for me. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jamie, happy birthday to you!” they sang in unison, it was dreadful and out of tune but I loved it anyway.
I felt a joyous countenance spread across my face and Edward placed the breakfast tray on my lap. There was a candle sticking in my stack of pancakes which I made a wish on and quickly blew it out. They clapped and my mom kissed my forehead, “Happy birthday, baby,” she whispered in my ear. Edward plopped a green and blue wrapped box next to me on the bed, and walked out the door. Finally, my parents left so I could get ready for school. I quickly shoveled the food into my mouth and ripped open the box. “AHHHHHHHH!!” I screamed shrilly, startling the dogs. Edward was the first one to show up in my doorway.
“Happy birthday!” he said, pulling me into a stalwart bear hug.
“You got me a CAR!”
“Well, mom and dad are getting me a new one, you get the old mustang.” I stared at him for a while in shock, not too sure what to say next. “Well,” he started, “we better get ready for school. Don’t want to be late!” he sauntered toward my door but paused when I sighed.
“This, is going to be a very good day. I can feel it.” I said. He smiled at me and walked down the hall to his room.
It took me longer to get ready than normal because of the nerves. I wasn’t too sure what to wear, so I pulled on my favorite jeans and a new shirt I got from my cousin. Car keys in hand, I skipped down the stairs into the kitchen where Edward was waiting for me.
“You wanna drive?” he questioned, as if he had to ask.
“Yes!” I said a little too quickly. He laughed opening the door for me. I stalked out onto the lawn pausing to feel a soft eddy blow back my hair. In the driveway I could see the red mustang. Someone had put a pink ribbon on it as if it was new. I ran to the driver seat and jumped in, ignoring the handle on the door. Edward chuckled as he raced to grab shot gun and hopped in the car.
I felt the silent car suddenly come to life as I turned the key in the ignition. It shook under me and I turned to smile at Edward. I turned up my favorite station and deftly pulled out of my driveway. “Eeeh!” I yelped out of excitement. I saw Edward smile out of the corner of my eye.
“You like it?” he asked.
“Yes! I love it thank you sooooo much. This is the best birthday present ever!” and it really was the best birthday present ever, I think everyone in my school would concur that a red mustang convertable is the best birthday present any 16 year old could get. "All my friends will abhor me," I thought to myself. I had a strange compunction in the pit of my stomach as I drove over the escarpment to the end of our street; the busiest intersection in all of Los Angles. The light was green for me so I went right through not looking for any traffic from the right or left. Just as my favorite song came on, Edward yelled, “JAMIE! Watch out!” at first I had no idea what he was talking about. I was driving on the right side of the road and I didn’t miss a stop sign. I was only going 30 mph on a 35, what was wrong? Then suddenly I looked to my left and there it was, the big ‘watch out’. There was a huge truck coming right at me and it didn’t look like they had any intention of stopping.
I capriciously slammed on the brake, stalling the car and lurching us forward. Almost instantaneously the truck rammed into the front end of my new car. Just then everything went black. I heard the faint sounds of sirens and the effluvia of gasoline and blood as I slipped into unconsciousness.
I guess it was a few hours until I woke up again, I was in a white hospital room and I could hear the beeping of the various monitors on the wall behind me. My mom was sitting in the chair in the corner of the room.
“Mom?” I managed feeble, “what happened?”
“Oh Jamie! I was so scared, are you alright?”
“Yes mom, I’m fine. I just have an awful headache and my arms and legs hurt. What happened?”
“Honey, you got in a car accident on your way to school. It wasn’t your fault, the guy in the other lane didn’t stop.”
“Oh my gosh, is Edward ok?” I started to remember what happened and realized Edward was in the car with me.
“Yes, he’s fine. He just has a broken leg. The doctors are putting a cast on him right now. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with me? Like, what injuries do I have?”
“The doctors say you have a concussion and you broke some ribs. Your left elbow is fractured and both your legs are broken. They said they had to wait till you woke up to put on any casts, but your on tons of pain meds which will probably make you fall back asleep any second.”
“Mom, I don’t want to go back to sleep. I want to see Edward.”
“Ok, I’ll make sure you see him right when you wake up again.”
“But mom…” and that was it, I was out cold.
Now, on my 18th birthday, I look back on that irrevocable, fateful day exactly two years ago. I think to myself, “I should’ve died. The accident was in the paper the next day questioning how I was still alive. I shouldn’t still be living, I should be dead right now.” But then I realized, I’m alive because I’m meant to be in this world. Someone kept me here for some reason and for that, I am truly thankful.