Like cement,

Kiowa whispered in the dark

The guy’s dead

he kept saying

This is all wrong

He felt paralyzed

They found jokes to tell

They made themselves laugh

He thought of new things he should’ve done

but it was so much more than that

Scary stuff

Sure, just kill him

It was cruel

but right and wrong were somewhere else

You see ghosts

You blink and shake your head

This isn’t real.

I can’t remember what real is

You hold your breath

I’m not dead

But I could be.

Modern Transcendentalists

     Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the extremely important factors contributing to the civil rights movement. He is what I consider to be a modern Transcendentalist. One of the attributes of this was his belief that the answer to gaining civl rights was to simply be non-violent. He thought that in doing this, their successes in the form of equality would come faster and in greater abundance. This simple beilief was an excellent motivator for many African-Americans at this time in history.
     Another of his beliefs was that of human divinity. He believed that all people, black or white, were children of God and therefore should be treated equally in society. Being a minister, this was a hugely important belief contributing to his forms of leadership and active role in the civil rights movement.
     Strong individualism was also an enormous part of his beliefs. He believed and preached this value endlessly throughout his career, in church but also to crowds throughout the country. He believed that in order to be accepted as equal, African-Americans needed to stay true to who they were, and be individuals instead of conforming to the way white people wanted them to be.

The Great Gatsby

Why don't Daisy and Tom just divorce if they are both having affairs?

Value of Poetry

In my opinion, poetry is a valuable thing to teach in schools. However, it is taught almost every year and as a result of that, students begin to resent and dislike poetry. There are many students who enjoy poetry, but I am not one of them. Maybe it's because I don't fully understand how to analyze poems to figure out their true meaning, but poems are just a confusing mess to me. The things we have done this year have helped me a little, but overall I am not poetry's biggest fan. It would be helpful if teachers who are just starting children out on poetry in elementary school taught more on understanding and appreciating poetry, because if I had gotten that education and insight I might be able to appreciate and understand poetry a whole lot more. Another thing that would create a more positive atmosphere for poetry would be to not learn it every year in English class starting at around fifth grade. Poetry is an important part of our culture and society, I just wish it was handled in schools differently.

The American Dream

      To me, the American Dream means happiness and the freedoms that come with being an American. Being able to vote, the nation's progress as a whole, equality, and the pride that comes with being an American are all things that I think are a part of the American Dream. However, many people think of the American Dream as something completely different. When they think of the American Dream, they typically think of wealth. In America's early days, immigrants came to America mainly to escape the life they were living but also with hopes of having a greater income then they did in their home country. Many people dreamt of moving to America and doing just that, so that became known as the American Dream to many people. Those are just two interpretations to the American Dream and there are many more throughout the country and the world.