This I Believe

Caitlin Kilgore                                                                                 November 11, 12

708                                                                                                     ELA

This I Believe Essay

One time in Montauk I was biking with my family when I saw a snake. I am terrified of snakes so naturally I freaked out. From that moment on I was sure that my bike some how attracted snakes. When my family and I went on 35 and 36-mile bike rides in Cumberland, Maryland. I didn’t enjoy the view and spending time with my family because I was looking at the ground, for snakes. My whole family was laughing and enjoying themselves. My dad was taking video of us with the camera strapped around his neck.  My mom was relaxed and my brother was getting rid of his endless pit of energy. And I was looking at the ground.  The couple times we stopped for lunch and breaks, the view was amazing.  You could see mountains in the distance. The sky was bright blue with only a few scattered clouds. Trees and creeks surrounded us. Every once in a while we would pass a lake and would see ducks and other water animals.  We heard birds and squirrels running through the forest.  A couple of times we passed these big, beautiful bridges. We passed and went through many tunnels. Sometimes we went through tunnels that were through mountains that were too tall to go over. I saw all of this in breaks and stops and from what my family told me afterwards. I wish that I could go back on the trail again and really enjoy the view.  Rather than spending my trip with the ground.

This is why I believe in enjoying life to the fullest. Even if it means taking risks.

In life people talk about being safe. They worry about there children getting hurt and how no, kids can’t do this they aren’t ready. But if people took more risks would they be ready? In life taking risks is good to some extent because it prepares you for life and the real world.

            I should have taken more risks that day. My whole family was there and they weren’t going to let anything happen to me. If I had seen a snake which I did I know that if god forbid that snake I had seen had slithered down the vine and had come over a bitten me my parents would have done everything they could to get me to a hospital and get me the treatment I needed. This is why I believe in taking risks. 

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Book that I have recently finished is Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. Stargirl is a girl who isn’t afraid to be herself. She wears long skirts, she plays ukulele and has a rat named Cinnamon. A Leo falls develops a crush on Stargirl but not for who she really is. He wants her to change and become Susan instead of Stargirl because ever since they started dating the whole school have been ignoring Leo. For a little while in the middle of the story Susan replaces Stargirl and Leo is thrilled. Susan blends right into the crowd because she is “normal”. But eventually Susan becomes Stargirl again. Leo breaks up with her. Later in the story Leo realizes that he needs Stargirl but it’s to late.

This book sends a powerful message of be yourself no matter what any body else thinks. When Stargirl was Susan she was upset and depressed. We know this when Leo notices that Stargirl’s wagon only has two stones in it. Stargirl has a wagon were she puts stones and that shows how happy she is. It can go all the way up to twenty. She says that they lowest its has gone is maybe three or four stones but when Leo goes in to here room he see’s that there are only two stones in the wagon. This shows that went you aren’t yourself you become sad because you cant show your true colors. Stargirl is a really amazing book about love, kindness and finding yourself. I highly recommend this book to people 10 and up.

“The Revolt Of The Evil Fairies” by Ted Poston

Caitlin Kilgore                                                                                 October 15, 12

708                                                                                                     ELA

Segregation

Thesis Statement: Segregation is a recurring theme in the short story “The Revolt Of The Evil Fairies” by Ted Poston.

            During the 1960’s, the civil right movement was happening but there was still segregation. White people over all had the best of everything, while African- Americans got the hand-me-downs and the worst of everything. This happened in schools and no one, especially children, should ever get treated differently because of the color of their skin.  We can clearly see the difference in treatment and how it affects people emotionally through Ted Poston’s short story “The Revolt Of The Evil Fairies”. In this story the narrator wants to be Prince Charming in the school play but he can’t get the role because of his skin color. At the end of the story the protagonist revolts because he is angry at the way he and everybody else is being treated. Segregation is a recurring theme in the short story “The Revolt Of The Evil Fairies” by Ted Poston.

            The yallers have the best of everything. The yallers are the light skinned African-Americans. We can clearly see how they have the better opportunities when the protagonist states, “ The yallers had the best of everything. They held most of teaching jobs in Booker T. Washington Colored Grammar School. They were the Negro doctors, the lawyers, the insurance men. They even had a “Blue Vein Society,” and if your dark skin obscured your throbbing pulse you were hardly a member of the elite.” (p.30) This quote illustrates the fact that segregation wasn’t just in the school but also out in the world and it even happens within the African American community. The pigmentation of your skin helped decide what job you received. It also decided what clubs could be a part of. This type of treatment is extremely unjust.

            The color of your skin decides your role in the play. Every year the school puts on a version of Sleeping Beauty and casts the yallers as the hero’s and good fairies while the darker skinned children always play the evil and bad roles. We see this when the narrator says, “And therein lay my personal tragedy. I made the best grades in my class, I was the leading debater, and the scion of a respected family in the community. But I could never be Prince Charming because I was black.” (p.30) This shows that even though the main character is a really good student and his family is respected in the community, he can’t be the lead in the play because of his dark complexion. And this isn’t a new concept because even before casting the protagonists family went out and bought black cheesecloth because they know that their child wouldn’t be getting the good lead. This is downright unfair because a person, who might not be as smart or talented and could even have behavior issues, can still be Prince Charming just because he is a yaller.

            Segregation isn’t new. The reader gets the sense that segregation has been going for a long time when the protagonist states, “They wouldn’t let me appear in the grand dramatic offering at all next year. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t have been Prince Charming anyway.” (p.33) This quote shows how much the narrator wants segregation to end. He realizes that he doesn’t want to be a part of something that is based basically on skin color.           

            As you can see segregation is a recurring theme in Ted Poston’s short story “The Revolt Of The Evil Fairies”. Segregation and discrimination are never just. People think that segregation has stopped. But it has not, people might not be bullied for their skin color as much but people are still getting bullied.  The definition of segregation is the state or condition of being segregated. But what does this really mean? I looked up segregated and found this: to separate or set apart from others or from the main body or group; isolate

2.to require, often with force, the separation of (a specific racial, religious, or other group) from the general body of society. Segregation basically means treating people badly for being different. This is downright unjust. We should embrace are differences. If everybody acted the same the world would be very boring. Do you agree?

Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick

The book that I have recently finished is Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick. This book is the 6^th book in the mother daughter book club series. The Mother Daughter Book Club books are about club of girls and their mothers reading great books together and what its like to grow up. I highly recommend reading the other books in the series before reading any farther. In this book there are many changes. I won’t say much but basically they club is reading Jane Eyre, Megan goes to Paris, Becca, Cassidy and Emma have boy problems and life has many changes for the club.

            The book club doesn’t give Sophie a fair chance. When a foreign exchange student named Sophie comes to stay with the Wong’s, things get out of hand. Sophie is a boy and kitten magnet. Read the books this will all make sense. By the middle everyone is sure that Sophie is evil and the play a prank on her. But by the end of the book the girls understand that they misunderstood Sophie and that they need to set things straight because some people happiness depend on it.  

You always need to give people a fair shot because that might not be what you thought. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories about teenage girls and growing up. Remember don’t judge a book/person by its/their cover/appearance.