Basketball The Poem

Basketball is a game of chances. If you don't make the good pass you won't get a shot off. If you don't make your easy shots you lose. "Basketball is all about stats" says Teddie Nevermann. Stats are the calculations of the chances of you winning. You've got to play your cards right.

Toy Story Conclusion

It was a bright summer day. Andy had just graduated college. The whole last term all he thought about was playing with his old toys that were once his best friends. But when he arrived at home and ran straight to his room he remembered he gave them away to Bonnie. Andy wasn't a happy camper anymore. He thought of things to cheer him up and he got a great idea. Play with his slinky dog. But he gave that away too, there was nothing else to do besides go see Bonnie and ask for a few days with his toys. When he got to Bonnie's he realized how much she had grown. She was turning eleven in a few months and she was having a yard sale and was selling her toys which were once Andy's. Of course Andy went and bought them. When he got home he couldn't help but play with them all day. Lucky for him he went to college to be an author. Finally he had found his muse. He was going to write a story about toys. It would be called "Toy Story".

Deception

One theme that is in "The Lottery" is deception. There is deception because the title doesn't mean what you think it would at first. In the story there is a lottery throughout the town. You would think that the people of this town would be over joyed to win. But you're wrong! Who ever wins this so called lottery gets stoned to death. Throughout the book Mrs. Hutchinson says that the lottery was rigged and how her husband didn't get enough time to pick. When reading it's confusing because don't you want to win the lottery? Not exactly a lottery you would want to win.

3 Viruses

Imagine, just laying in bed, sweating, with outbreaks of spots and tearing of skin all over your body. These are many effects of diseases. Some diseases are fatal. There are millions of viruses but three of the worst ones are swine flu, yellow fever, and small pox and almost none of them have pro’s, all con’s. The definition of a virus is “an agent that sickens one, but needs a host to reproduce (Virus). It consists of a core made of DNA and surrounded by a layer of protein” (Virus). Which basically means that it makes one sick, there aren’t any pro’s. Some symptoms are fever, cough, chills, vomiting, headaches and excessive diarrhea (Swine Flu Symptoms) . To me those are all con’s, no pro’s. There are ways to prevent these three horrific viruses. Most of the time, when people go to Africa or places around there they get the yellow fever vaccine (Ethiopian Adoptive Family Care). Since there have been a few documentations of yellow fever outbreaks in Ethiopia (Ethiopian Adoptive Family Care). Although there can be some side effects from the vaccination. Some side effects of the vaccination are fever like symptoms and sore arms. The swine flu vaccination has pretty much the same effects as the yellow fever. Some are tenderness, redness, and swelling where the shot was given (Hitti). Terrorism is a terrible thing that is sadly going on through the world right now. Everyone is afraid of the big guns but another many people aren’t afraid of that they should be is smallpox. For the past decade the U.S. has been afraid that terrorist will use smallpox against us as a weapon (Yellow Fever). If terrorists let that into the world it would be terrible because it is highly contagious (Smallpox Disease Overview). All you need is face to face interactions for it to spread from a person to another (Smallpox Disease Overview). Also it spreads very quickly (Smallpox Disease Overview). When you hear virus, right away you think of bad but there can be stuff that helps, but most often there aren’t really pro’s, just con’s. Kind of reminds you of jail. It’s good we have science so we don’t break out with torn skin and perspiration issues.

Percy's Themes

Loneliness is a terrible thing. No one ever wants to be lonely. Unlucky for Percy Jackson, the main character in “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan he’s kind of an outsider. This is why loneliness and isolation is the main theme of this book, although there are other themes. The biggest theme in the book is isolation and loneliness because he was dyslexic and got expelled from every school he ever attended. Then once he found out he was a demigod which is a kid born of a Greek God and human that made him different even more. Due to being a demigod he also had to stay at a camp that was only demigods were allowed. Even though he was just like all the other demigods he wasn’t. He wasn’t because he was a son of the “Big 3”. This means he was a son of Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades. Percy is a son of Poseidon. He is the only son or daughter born of the “Big 3” since WW2 which is when they took the oath to not have any more kids because they were to powerful. So Percy was different and didn’t fit in the mortal and Greek God world. The second theme is love. Percy’s mother is captured by Hades Minotaur and is kept in the Underworld. Percy must battle some of the most powerful things known and unknown to man. But one thing is straight he loves his mom and his mom loves him. As Mrs. Jackson is being disintegrated by the Minotaur her last words are “I love you Percy, good luck”. Percy gets offered a part on the dark side but doesn’t take it because of his love towards his mother. In return Percy’s mothers love towards him is what fuels him to conquer evil and save his mother. Rick Riordan first took interest in Greek Mythology as a young boy due reading “Lord of the Rings”. He said he loved it so much that he read it ten times. This lead him to study Greek Mythology in high school and college (Riordan). Which then lead him to pursue his dream of being a full time author (Riordan). He got a huge idea of the book Camp Halfblood from where he taught in the summer, a summer camp. The events throughout his early years are what lead him to such a great book. The theme of isolation and loneliness is just like “The Outsiders”. Ponyboy and his group of friends are greasers. They’re outside of the click called the Soc’s which are the rich kids. All the kids pick on them because there poor and their hair has more grease then a Pizza Hut pizza. The Lightning Thief connects to The Outsiders because Percy is different from the other kids. Just like Ponyboy, he is different but only cause of how much hair grease he uses. Loneliness is not only a theme but the lifestyle. Because of isolation all the other themes tie into together, hand by hand.

KD vs. LBJ

Author's Note: This piece was written to show how much better Kevin Durant is than LeBron James.

Ten seconds left your team is down by two points, the crowd roars with excitement of their favorite team winning The Finals. Who would you give the ball to, Kevin Durant or LeBron James? Personally I would give the ball to Kevin Durant.

My first reasoning of giving the ball to Kevin Durant is he is so clutch. If you look up on Google “how many buzzer beaters has Kevin Durant made” there’s a page or two full of different buzzer beaters he has made. You have got to be clutch to hit that many buzzer beaters. That is just where Kevin Durant thrives, being clutch. As many have heard you can’t get four quarters of basketball out of LeBron James. This is why a dollar is worth more than LeBron James because you can actually get four quarters out of a dollar. Earlier this short NBA season LeBron was having a great game. But his team was down one with six seconds left. He could’ve shot but he passed the ball and the shot missed. If that was Kevin Durant they would’ve doubled teamed him then he would’ve done a little shimmy did a step back jumper and drained it nothing but net.

The second reason Kevin Durant is better than LeBron is Kevin went to college unlike LeBron. Which means Kevin Durant is smarter. Kevin Durant also has a better basketball IQ. It even says that on 2K12 basketball for PS3. Kevin Durant is more likely to make smart plays and better plays over LeBron James. Smarter plays equal more championships. More championships equal more fans and money. Kevin Durant just has the chain effect which is why he is such a dynamic figure in the sports world.

The third reason Kevin Durant is better is he has two inches on LeBron James says espn.com. Also Kevin Durant has a 7’5 wingspan says basketballheaven.com. LeBron’s wingspan is only seven foot. That is two and a half inches shorter for each arm. That’s a lot of leeway for Kevin Durant to dunk on him like he did April 4, 2012.

It’s not just that the coaches want to give Kevin Durant the ball. Kevin Durant wants the ball in his hands when the clock is ticking down.

Tones of Songs to Poems

Author's Note: This piece was written to show the difference of modes from a song to a poem.

I think the music of "Field Below" helped portray the mood you would get from the poem. Because it was sad. Although in "Big Yellow Taxi" it is the complete opposite from music to poem. In the poem you would think sadness but from the music its really up beat and energetic.

I don't think the artist should've changed the mood off the song "Big Yellow Taxi" because when you listen to what the lyrics really are you're like should I feel happy or sad? But I guess some people say that's what makes a good song if it makes you think about it.

Chocolate Milk

Chocolate milk is delightful
It makes my tummy feel quite full
It tastes oh so yummy
In my tummy
After I feel insightful

Party in Canada

Authors Note: this is a parody of the song Party in the USA that I made with two of my classmates.


So I jumped on the Plane heading to Canada
Welcome to the land of maple syrup, whoa can we eat it all
Jumped on the dogsled, here I am for the first time
I look to the left, and see a gun toting French mime


This is all so crazy, everybody keeps on saying Aye
My tummy’s turnin and I'm feeling kind of homesick
Too much snow so I want to leave today
That’s when my pocket radio played my favorite tune


And the Beethoven was on
And the Beethoven was on
And the Beethoven was on


So I put my hands up, they’re playin my song
The Yetis fly away
I'm noddin my head like “yeah”
Movin my hips like “yeah”


Got my hands up, they’re playin my song
I have the urge to say Aye
Aye! It’s a party in Canada Aye
Aye! It’s a party in Canada Aye


Got tavern in my dog sled
Eskimos are lookin at me now
Like whos that chick rockin the beaver skin
Shes gotta be from outta town


So hard with peeps not around me
Its defenetly not an American party
Cause all I see is beaver pelts
I guess I didn’t get the memo


My tummy’s turnin and I'm feeling kind of homesick
Too much snow so I want to leave today
That’s when my pocket radio played my favorite tune


And the JB song was on
And the JB song was on
And the JB song was on


So I put my hands up, they’re playin my song
The Yetis fly away
I'm noddin my head like “yeah”
Movin my hips like “yeah”


Got my hands up, they’re playin my song
And now I'm gonna be okay
Aye! It’s a party in Canada
Aye! It’s a party in Canada


I feel like hoppin on a flight
Back to the U.S. tonight
Something stops me every time, every time
The DJ plays my song and I feel alright


So I put my hands up, they’re playin my song
The Yetis fly away
I'm noddin my head like “yeah”
Movin my hips like “yeah”


Got my hands up, they’re playin my song
And now I'm gonna be okay
Aye! It’s a party in Canada
Aye! It’s a party in Canada

How Free Were Free Blacks in the North?

Imagine yourself in an old town. With tons of white people walking around you and you’re black. You can’t go and talk to them because you’re restricted from it. People say you’re free but you’re really not, you still have restrictions even though you’re “free”. Around 1860 this is how black people had to live. The only reason blacks were free a little bit was they fought for the north in the Civil War. Technically blacks were free but, they weren’t that free.

The fact that black’s couldn’t vote until around the 1860’s and 70’s is sad because they had pain and suffering along with the whites trying to build this country. Massachusetts set a good example for the northern states about letting blacks be in judicial cases because they were the first to allow it.

In the economic world black’s had some freedoms. A good amount but not as many as they could. One of the freedoms they had was be able to pay taxes. This isn’t a good thing. All the stuff they couldn’t do is good. For example a black man couldn’t vote. Although they could make money working, but usually a white person didn’t hire a black man.

The black man had the most rules against socializing. He couldn’t marry a white, dine with a white or go to church with a white. So mostly they didn’t associate. Since they couldn’t really talk to each other, it would cause a lot of problems in the town. Because blacks would probably start riots from being so mad.

The black man wasn’t very free but still free. They didn’t have many rights, but still had some. Overall better place than the south.

Family and Survival

Imagine yourself in a land of mystery, alone besides you and your crew members. It’s five verses about 500 sometimes. The chances of you surviving are very little. In the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Meyers the only thing keeping you alive is your crew, because you know that they got your back. The theme of this book is friendship and trust and how they impact survival, because without friendship and trust, they all would’ve died.

Say Perry wouldn’t have friends that wouldn’t have been true friends. Perry would’ve felt more nervous and made more mistakes. He probably hadn’t have lived throughout the whole war, but he did. If he wouldn’t have trusted his crew he wouldn’t have lived. Even in the book Perry says “if these guys didn’t have my back, I’d be dead right now”.

The other theme that the book could’ve been is survival. It could be survival because Perry has to survive in Vietnam. Without survival, well he wouldn’t have survived. In the book Perry says survival is key over here in Nam. He said as of right now all he cares about is survival.

Overall I think the book is both, because without the first theme the second theme wouldn’t have happened because without his friends he wouldn’t have survived.

Never Give Up

In the poem Mother to Son there is a lot of metaphors. I think that because down south they compare things a lot. For example the mom says "life hasn't been no crystal stair". I think the metaphors were used because when you compare something to something terrible and painful then it makes it 10 times more terrible. The mood of the mother speaking is sad because of how hard her life has been. But she is trying to be motivational to her son, trying to never ever give up. Always persevere!

Describing Perry from Fallen Angels

Author's Note: This piece was made to describe Perry

It was a calm cool night in Vietnam, as cool as a cold shower. Perry was walking alone, alone as the number one. He was looking for a companion because of his lonely heart. What he was wearing wasn't much. Just a dirty ragged army uniform that looked like one dollar. You could tell the way he looked that he was looking for a friend. Maybe more than a friend, someone he could be with for millions of years. He acted like he was out of his homeland, which he was. All he attracted was flies with the way he smelt, he smelled like 25 year old dung. He twitched every second from nervousness of being attacked by V.C.

Then a young attractive American woman walked his way. What should he say? What should he do? All he could think about was I like licking lollipops that taste like lemons. She looked at him as if he said the funniest thing in the world. She asked if he wanted to get out to eat and of course he said yes. When they were eating he didn’t know what to say he was so nervous.

Finding Out Hades

Author's Note: This piece was written to predict what will happen later in The Lightning Thief. Demigod means half human half god.

It was a stormy night, the ocean was astir. Percy Jackson calmly sleeping in his bed; when suddenly, someone knocks on the door. What could this be about? In the book The Lightning Thief by “Rick Riordan” Percy Jackson a 12 year old dyslexic boys who lives on the upstate side of New York, finds out the ugly truth of him being a demigod. He must return Zeus his master bolt. But everyone is blaming Hades. I predict Hades didn’t take the bolt.

All of the God’s thought that Hades had stole the master bolt from Zeus but, I believe it wasn’t. If Hades had took the bolt he wouldn’t of let Percy into the Underworld so easily. If Hades took it he wouldn’t let anyone into his layer because they would have the possibility of finding it. A demigod who no one would expect probably took it from Olympus because every God would think it was a more mischievous God.

Another reason Hades probably didn’t take it is because he kept telling Percy he didn’t have it. Also Hades kept saying to Percy “give me my Realm of Darkness”. If two things were stolen and one of them was Hades, then he probably didn’t take just one thing and someone else take the other. It must’ve been one person taking the two things.

If Percy finds a way somehow to escape the Underworld and get the Realm of Darkness back to Hades, then Hades might give Percy his mother back. I think this because when Percy first meets Hades he seems nice like he has some generosity in him.

If Hades didn’t take it everything will be peaceful on Mount Olympus. I sure do hope Hades didn’t take it.

Percy's Letter

Dear Percy,
I was wondering if you like Annabeth? It seems like you do a lot. It's kind of obvious, I just wish you would admit it so I can get that off my back of questions. Do you feel pressure being the son of Poseiden? It makes sense if you did because he's so powerful and everyone expects you to be just like him. Well, good luck with your next adventures and Annabeth.

Your Reader,
Ryan

Annabeth

Annabeth is a good friend,
Her, Percy and Grover descend,
Into eternal fire,
Percy can't help but admire,
Her strength and trend

Percy's Poem

P erseverance
E lectrifying
R adical
C alm
Y outhful

A Change?

"What is happening at the summer solstice" shows symbolism. It does because it brings irony into the book. It almost makes you feel worried. It makes you think, shoot is someone going to die, is some one going to get hurt. It made me think is some ones life going to be changed?

Predicting The Future For Percy

To inform you of how I think the book will end.

In the book “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan Percy Jackson, has to travel from New York City to Los Angeles to get the master bolt back from Hades. But I predict that Hades didn’t take it and that another God took it. I think this because Hades keeps denying that he took it. Also Hades keeps asking Percy to give him back his “Realm of Darkness”. I think Percy will find a way to return the “Realm of Darkness” to Hades. Then Hades will give Percy his mother back. Also in the middle of the book, when Percy speaks to the oracle it says “a friend will betray you”. That hasn’t happened yet so I think it will happen in the last few pages.

Down The Wrong Road

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have no one care about you? In the book “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton Ponyboy doesn’t really have true family besides his two brothers, unless you consider young teens that live on their own. Even though they can barely control their own life, they control Ponyboy from going down the wrong road.

If Ponyboy wouldn’t of had his friends and family he would’ve been a junkie who didn’t excel in school like he did. Ponyboy also was a star on his track team. Without his family and friends he would’ve been a dropout just like his brother.

I can connect this book to “April Morning” because if Adam’s father wouldn’t have been so strict Adam wouldn’t have been such a good kid and a good student. Even though Adam thought his father hated him he and it made him not want to mess up. His family kept him out of trouble just like Ponyboy.

Family is the most important thing in life. If you didn’t have it you would probably be going down the wrong road.

Super Girl

Once upon a time there was a period of great hero’s helping saving the world from evil. These hero’s were around during the great depression, they were created to stop the drought. The greatest of them all was one named Super Girl. She had as much wisdom as the three wise men and as much mass as an elephant. For some odd reason she carried a big purse around with her always. The government knew about the hero's they just didn’t tell the people the truth how we got out of the great depression. Since Super Girl had a ton of wisdom she figured if she grew millions of tons of crops without it costing anything that it would get the economy out of the hole. Coincidentally she had a friend super hero named Super Planter that could grow crops at the speed of light. So Super Girl and Super Planter grew millions of crops and sold them to China and Japan. It raised trillions of dollars and saved us from the depression. That is the real story of how America got out of the Great Depression.

The Lucky Break

It was a cold rainy night. I was all alone, drenched, sitting in my cardboard box. I was in need of food, shelter, and mostly money. I’ve lived in this good ole cardboard box for the last two years. I was sprouting a full beard. It kept my face warm most of the time so I didn’t mind. I haven’t even a full meal since I was 25 which was three years ago. I used to be a rich young fellow tilled I got sued. I invented the video game system “video cube”. It was the biggest thing out everyone bought it, you could play online with people from China it was great! But then one day I got a call from Barack Obama. He told me my game system was giving off radiation and making people ill and worse dead. It sent a chill down my spine when I heard this. He told me that I was being sued for 10.7 million dollars and video cube was being shutdown. 10.7 million was everything I had and more. So back to the rainy night I was sitting in my box in the dark scary alley. No one to talk to, nothing to do living there was like living in Hell. Suddenly my world look good for a moment, the rain let up and you could finally see the moon. Then I saw a man locking up a bank, it was dark in the bank. I could finally pay the $200,000 in debt to those poor kids I gave radiation to. So I took my chance I threw a rock straight through the bank’s windows with all my might. As soon as the glass broke an alarmed sounded I jumped through it taking my chances I grabbed all the money I could it seemed to be over millions my pockets were full of money and gold. I felt like my world was changed I was a rich man. I leaped out the window running for my life, and then I heard it. The sirens of the cops, they were hot on my tail. I saw a dark alley on my left I dove head first into the pile high of garbage bags, I don’t think they saw. I waited a few minutes to get out of the pile. Once I did they were gone. I did it, I was rich man. I started walking around the streets singing songs of praises. I knew it was one in the morning but I didn’t care I was a rich man. Then I realized my pockets were really light. I froze, checking my pockets. Where was the money?

Funny Moment Over Christmas Break

Authors Note:I wrote this because I had to inform you about something funny that happened over break.

It was a sunny afternoon, the family over, everyone overjoyed with the excitement of it being Christmas. You could smell the sweet scents of chocolate, cookies, and cakes. My family was gathered in the family room excited to open there presents. We were just about to start until my baby brother ran into the room yelled "poopie" really loud then farted and then he said "excuse me". Everyone let out with a giggle. It was truly a hilarious moment.