Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great. I look forward to this time of year. I love spending time with my family. We all went to my aunt's new house this year. It was alot of fun. The only thing that could have made it better was if my dad had been able to come. My mom took him his food, but still it would have been nice to have him with us. The food was delicious as always. We had the perfect amount too. Afterward, we all sat around and visited with each other. I cannot wait till Christmas because the whole family will be together. This is really the best time of the year.

My weekend

My weekend was really good. Friday I went out with my boyfriend and then went to work that night. Saturday was nice, because I spent it at home with my family. It would have been better if I did not have to go to work that night. Work went well, I guess. I got to leave at 10 in the dot so that was great. Sunday I went to church and then went to see Saw 4. I had seen the previous 3 so I was excited. It was gross as expected. lol That night was fun. My friend and I helped shop for Christmas gifts for two girls. Afterwards, we went to Taco Bell and caught up on stuff. Today was a blast. My Mom is off work all week, so we just ran around today and got some lights to decorate the house for Christmas. I cannot wait for the rest of the week!

My three essays

Red and Math
Red is like math. How I am not sure. I like the color red, but I cannot stand math. Math is hard for me. Red is just a color that makes me happy. I do not have to know anything about the color red, but I do about math. The only connection they have is the use of red pens to grade my math exams.

God and an education
You do not need God to get an education. You do not have to pay lots of money for God. I have to pay lots of money for my education. People base your abilities to do certain jobs on your education. They could care less if you believe in God and have a relationship with Him. Your ability to succeed in this world requires an education. And your ability to succeed beyond this life is in God, not an education.

Name calling and abortion
They are alike because whether you are for or against abortion both parties have done alot of name calling towards one another. This is a very heated issue so people do not think before they speak sometimes and they name call. Also name calling is painful thing that you can do to someone. Abortion is as a horrible thing that you can do to someone. (yes, a fetus I am saying is a person) They both have negative tones about them. They can both be controversial, from when Dog called his son's girlfriend the n-word ,to whether a woman should have a choice to kill her baby before it is born.

The commonality in it all is that I am trying to get you to see some different sides of things that you normally might not think would go together. In each essay, I use different words to give you an idea or not to give you an idea of what I think. In the first essay, I used the word I alot so you know I felt that way. In the second one, I used the word you alot. So you could not really tell if that was how I felt or if I was making a general statement. In the last one, you already know that I do not like either one because they were from list b. All of these essays have something that is bad, even in trying to find commonalities. You could say that because of the size of my essays I might have had a hard time trying to find a common bond or a difference. You can draw your own conclusion.

List A and List B

List A

1. Family
2. My boyfriend
3. I Love Lucy
4. God
5. an education
6. amusement parks
7. haunted houses
8. kayaking
9. swimming
10. purses
11. red
12. flip flops
13. springtime
14. Christmas
15. Halloween
16. Peyton Manning

List B

1. the dark
2. snakes
3. bees
4. Britney Spears
5. name calling
6. gay marriage
7. abortion
8. math
9. umbrellas
10. carrots
11. bean
12. funerals
13. cancer
14. UT
15. the Grizzlies

My "A-Ha" Moment

The moment I would like to tell you about was when I first knew I was in love. I have been with the same guy for four and a half years now. He was my first love and will be my last. We started dating when I was 14 and he was 16. We had not dated any other people so this was a new experience for us both. When we were first talking, it was on AIM. I had in my profile information that I liked all these old television shows like I Love Lucy and so on. When I gave him my AIM name, I rushed on my computer to take out all that information for fear he wouldn't talk to me. I was embarassed about it, but needless to say he saw it before I could get it off. But he did not react the way I thought he would. He inquired more information about what I liked. I will always remember that because he made me feel accepted by him. On our four month anniversary, which was also my 15th birthday, he took me out. He gave me an I Love Lucy jewelry box. That is probably the most cherished gift he has ever given me. That meant so much to me because he really tried to find something that I would enjoy and he did. He really showed me he cared about me and what I liked.
As the years went on, we grew together and matured together. We have been through some really tough times. And when I thought it all could be over I prayed and God gave me the answer. He always brought us back together somehow. So my "A-Ha" moment is not exactly one moment. I cannot exactly pinpoint the exact moment I went "Whoa, I love him", because it is not like that. All I know is I just did and always have and always will. It was natural, like something that was always there. Love is not something that is easy to explain. It's that excitement you get in the pit of your stomach when you know he is about to pick you up. The smile you get when you talk about him. The happiness you feel when all your doing is just talking to him on the phone. These are just a few things I felt and still do.

Christmas Tradition

DeFilippo 1
Christina DeFilippo
Wendy Sumner Winter
Essay
11-06-07
My favorite tradition when it comes to my family would be our Christmas party. Every year since I can remember we have always had a Christmas party and it has always been at my grandparents house. For as long as I can remember we have always had the same food and we always gave everyone a present. We have only recently begun to draw names so we will not have to but ten to fifteen gifts every year. We all gather around the tree and Pa hands out the presents.
When we first get there we all talk and help Ma and Pa get dinner ready. After that we eat and it is always the same lasagna and salad. We do get have different deserts, except for our strawberry truffle. My aunt has to make that every year. This is a fun time for all of us. We all just find a place to sit, eat, and catch up. After that we all are getting ready for presents.
We do the same thing every year. All the little kids gather close around the tree and all the rest of us gather around them. Pa sits in his chair by the tree and one by one calls out the names and hands the presents out. This is so fun to see the reactions from everyone. This is also a time when we take lots and lots of pictures. I love this because we have so many memories on film, that I can take with me forever.
My family has many other traditions but this one sticks out the most. This one has never changed and I cannot wait for it every year. This is the only time all year that the WHOLE family is together. I love it.

Halloween party

My family Halloween party was this weekend. I look forward to this every year. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so this party I especially enjoy. Also this year, Jonathan was able to come. We had so much fun. We had lots of food and played all sorts of games. One of them was charades. We each popped a balloon and did whatever the piece of paper inside said. Ofcourse they all had something to do with Halloween. Mine was ghost. lol Needless, to say I had to ask my aunt for help. It was so much fun to see everyone act so goofy. My only thing is I wish my dad could have been there. It would have been so nice to see him act out something in charades or play black magic. The party yet again was sooo much fun. I cannot wait till next year!!

My weekend and My Mondays

My weekend was great. I got to see my boyfriend everyday and I got to house sit too. Friday, we saw a movie and after that I went to work. That night my cousin and I played guitar hero till 2:30 a.m. I have not mastered it yet, but I am working on it. We were at our Aunt's house. They went to Mississippi for the weekend so the house was ours. :)
Saturday, I did some shopping with my Mom and I went to dinner with my honey. That night we played guitar hero again but not that late this time. Because we had to get up and go to church, we needed some sleep. Sunday, I went to church and Jonathan came back to the house with me. The afternoon consisted of Kayla and him riding dirt bikes and me sitting and watching. I finally rode before dark. Wow, I was so proud of myself. I finally did it. I did not fall either. Then night came and we had to leave. My fun weekend had come to an end.
Mondays, I hate them. For some reason Mondays are the hardest day for me. The week is beginning and it makes me sad. I get depressed and just kind of gloomy. It makes me think about school all week and when I am going to be able to see Jonathan again. The weeks suck. They always go by somehow, but it seems like forever. My Mondays are the beginning of it all. I wonder if I am the only one who feels this way, kind of hopeless and just blah. I think about one thing each day that I can look forward to. It gets me through the week.

Reader Response Essay

Christina DeFilippo
Reader Response Essay
Wendy Sumner- Winter
10-18-07
In this paper, I will try and show you my thoughts and response to the story The Rake.
When I first read this story, it made me sad. To think that children could go through something
like this at home is horrible. From the first example of the kitchen table, to the school play, and
of course the rake it showed me again the idea of silence.
The first thing that really stood out for me was blood and how the kitchen table
symbolized that for them. “So the table was associated in our minds with the notion of
blood. (pg.1, Mamet) A kitchen table should be a place where families come together to eat and
catch up on everyone’s day. It should not be a place where there is fear and guilt. I know at my
house the kitchen table is a place where we get together and laugh and talk.
Another thing that stood out from the beginning was this idea of beautification. The
stepfather wanted the kids to keep up the yard. It struck me as if the author was trying
to say he wants to keep appearances up so no one would suspect anything. If you look
at something and you do not see anything wrong at first glance, odds are you will think
everything is fine and dandy. I think the children resented the fact that they had this
responsibility. He even said “Why this chore should have been so hated I cannot say,
except that we children, and I especially, felt ourselves less than full members of this
new, cobbled-together family, and disliked being assigned to the beautification of a
home that we found unbeautiful in all respects, and for which we had neither natural
neither affection nor a sense of proprietary interest.” (pg. 1, Mamet) One can only imagine how
it must have felt to be in a family that you did not really feel apart of. I cannot really
understand that feeling, but I can imagine how it must have felt.
Now on to the school play story. This really affected me, because there was no
reason for the mother to have been that harsh and not understanding. I just do not
understand how you could not let your child be in a play because they were not hungry
and did not finish their dinner. Has she no understanding that her daughter might have
been a little nervous. “My sister sat down with the plate and pecked at her food and she
tried to eat a bit, and told my mother that, no; really, she possessed no appetite
whatever, and that was due, no doubt, not to the food, but to her nervousness and
excitement at the prospect of opening night.” (pg. 2, Mamet)
To me, the author is trying to show the heartlessness of this mother. How could she
be like that? How could she let her husband act the way he does to her children. The
author even says his sister told him every Sunday night she was always being
physically abused in some way. One example would be when their grandfather
had gotten to a certain age he had come to live with them. Her brother was gone one
night and she stumbled upon an incident going on between her mother, stepfather, and
grandfather. When her stepfather realized she was there, he hit her and slammed the
door. “My sister pushed the door open farther and said-I don’t know what she
said, but she asked, I’m sure, for some reassurance, or some explanation, and
my stepfather turned around and saw her and picked up a hairbrush from a
dresser that he passed as he walked toward her, and he hit her in the face
and slammed the door on her.” (pg. 3, Mamet) There is no excuse for physical abuse. But one
thing we come to understand is it did not start here. Their mother was abused. In the text, the
author shows you that she was exposed to this when she was a child too. Her family was silent
about it too. So I guess she did not really have anyone stand up for her, so why do it for your
own children. One would think that you would want it better for your kids than what you had
yourself.
It is so sad to me that the only good memory they have is a family joke. When they
would all go out to eat the parents would act like they were leaving them and of course
would always come back and get them. “The happy trips were celebrated and capped
with a joke. Here is the joke: My stepfather, my mother, my sister, and I would exit the
restaurant, my stepfather and mother would walk to the car, telling us that they would
pick us up. We children would stand by the restaurant entrance. They would drive up in
the car, open the passenger door, and wait until my sister and I had started to get in.
They would then drive away. They would drive ten or fifteen feet, and open the door
again, and we would walk up again, and they would drive away again. They sometimes
would drive around the block. But they would always come back, and by that time the
four of us would be laughing in camaraderie and appreciation of what, I believe, was our
only family joke.” (pg. 4, Mamet) I do not know what I would do if I only had one happy
memory of my childhood. When I think of my childhood, I have so many happy memories, from
wrestling with my Dad, to eating lunch with my Mom at school. I am sure there are children out
there who can relate to the author’s story though. Maybe that is why he is sharing it, so others
will see they are not alone. They can find a common bond with these people.
Now to the last and most anticipated story, the rake incident. This one struck me as he is
just doing what he has seen his whole life. He is angry and his sister says something he does not
like, so he hurts her. I think the author left this one till last so he could build up to it. In my
opinion, the first stories were examples to show that if you see something like this going on your
whole life; it will eventually become a part of you. Another thing about this, they were both
silent! The sister did not even tell on her brother and he did not admit what he had done. The
fact that silence is so prevalent in this story does not surprise me as to why these children did
not speak up and say what had happened.
As I read this story and the others I had to choose from, I saw an ever present theme of
silence and appearances not always being what they seem. From the Hashish story, to Street
Haunting, to this story, and the alcohol abuse essay, they all have these themes. Though all are
different stories, they all have this underlining meaning. If you are a witness to such things as
what went on in this story and you do not speak up you are just as guilty as the stepfather. Like
keeping up the yard, so simple yet so much meaning lies beneath it. Keeping up appearances as
so no one suspects what could be going on behind closed doors. One cannot really see what is
there until we are there in it ourselves. Appearances and silence they go hand and hand really.
To keep up appearances, you must be silent sometimes. You must hold in it and give up
something for the sake of how something must look. I think that is what Wendy is trying to
teach us. Do not be silent just to make sure everything and everyone looks okay. Be loud and
proud. Voice it when you see something that is wrong. Stand up for what is right and do not let
anyone tell you otherwise.

Response to the story in class

Church

Church is a crucial part of alot of people's lives. In this story, the place where the family lived was big in the Bible. The author kept talking about the stories from the Bible they would tell. One being the swine and the lunatic. It seemed to give the author a reason for his father being a drunk. He was possessed. He looked at it as if his father was possessed, who would help him? You find it hard to believe that nobody knew. I would think someone in your church could see what was going on. Maybe they did and and just thought it was none of their business. Then again maybe they just did not care. Although in a church,you would think they would be the most caring. I think it's a shame they did not tell anyone. Who knows what they could have done. In my opinion, I would need to tell someone or it would eat me up. To have someone to talk to or someone to just be there for me. Christians are supposed to help one another. Everyone is, but you would think they would especially.

The way the author keeps talking about the Bible stories almost makes me wonder if they told specific stories like that on purpose. If maybe the ministers knew or had an inclination about what was going on. I know when I had things going on in my life , everyone tried to help me. But then again they were told ( most of the time) what was going on. The mother in way reminds me of my Mother. When all this stuff has been going on with my Dad she did not want to tell anyone. We told our immediate family, ofcourse. But as far as others we tried to keep it on teh down low. So in a sense I can see where they might be coming from. Still, I think it can be good to let people know.

Four essays

Christina DeFilippo
Wendy Sumner-Winter
10-09-07
Essay
In class today we were talking about the essay The Rake: A few scenes from my childhood. We talked about several things we saw in the essay and how they could relate to us. We were supposed to pick one topic and tell how it affected us or how we viewed it in the story. The topic I chose was blood.

When I think about blood, I think about bad times in my life or I think of pain. As in the story, you see blood when he hits his sister. She is bleeding all over everything from her the wound he caused her to have. Blood is not a good thing or having to give blood. Blood relates to me because my family has had quite a few health problems and the doctors always have to draw blood. When my sister was three she was diagnosed with JRA. It is a form of arthritis and because she has this disease they have had to draw blood from her every three months. I have been to almost every one of these appointments and to this day I cannot watch it. It was so bad one time I almost passed out.

My father has always been sick too. He has had to get his blood drawn quite a bit too. Blood just does not sit well with me. I cannot stand to see it much less watch someone have it drawn out of them or me. I go into panic mode when it is time for them to take blood from me. I try and do everything I can to avoid it at all cost. Some people may think my fear is silly, but if you could have seen what I saw my sister goes through you would understand.


DeFilippo 1
Christina DeFilippo
Wendy Sumner- Winter
10-09-07
Essay
Another assignment from the same essay was to choose a scene in which we had a certain response to from our own lives or from the story. I chose funerals. In the story, they are at the mother’s funeral. When I read about this section it made me sad for the family because I know how painful it is to lose people you love. As just about everyone would I imagine.

The first funeral I remember that really affected me was my great grandfather’s. I was close with him and I loved him very much. I remember I cried a lot. I was so sad for my loss, but also for my grandpa and my mom. I remember my Uncle Chuck saying this really long heartfelt prayer. That has stuck with me ever since.

About two years ago, I knew five people that died all in the same year. I went to so many funerals that year it was sickening. The first being my great aunt and the next to last being my good friend Amy. That one really hit me hard. She was only eighteen years old and had so much in front of her. I remember as time passed on I would think who is next. Is God trying to get me ready for someone in my immediate family to die? Is he testing me to see how far I can go till I break? These questions I still cannot answer. But all I do know is that by going to all those funerals it taught me that no matter what I have to live life to its fullest . You never know when your funeral someone you love’s will be.


DeFilippo 1
Christina DeFilippo
Wendy Sumner – Winter
10-09-07
Essay
From the story Hashish in Marseille, I chose the topic being hashish is like being in love. I found this very interesting how he compared the two. I cannot say for sure I know what he is talking about because I have never been high, but I am in love.

I can see how being in love makes you look at things differently. One would act one way and because of the “drug” he or she completely changes. I know that when I first fell in love with my boyfriend I looked at things completely different. You see the world differently as if you had a new pair of glasses on. I know that I definitely saw things with a new pair of glasses on.

One thinks of someone else before himself. You take their feelings and thoughts into consideration before you make certain judgment calls. In a way, you become a better person. You become more compassionate and more thoughtful. Even when that lovey dovey feeling goes away, the love is still there. Your actions may even change a bit more after that too. But no matter what you will always be changed by that experience. I know I was and still am. I have seen what love can do and how love can stand the test of time. My grandparents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary this year. Yes, love does change you and makes you see things differently, but it is so worth it.

DeFilippo 1
Christina DeFilippo
Wendy Sumner – Winter
10-09-07
Essay
I chose to talk about the dwarf and how appearances are good in some ways and bad in others. This comes from the story Street Haunting. Like the dwarf, we all have things we are self conscious about. She was about her height; I am about my weight and height. But when she took her shoes off and everyone could see the appearance of how beautiful her feet were she was like a different person.

Appearances about yourself and how other people view you are very important and very complex. A lot of people make assumptions based on appearance. Like by color, gender, weight, age, and etc. This really is not fair. No one can really know someone based on their appearance. You can get clues about that person but you can never really know that person. Like I am sure you would not think that I would be self conscious about my height, but I am. I feel short compared to a lot of people. It is especially hard for me, because I was always the tall person when I was in elementary school. It was like one day I just stopped growing. It has always been hard for me to accept that I am not tall anymore.

But like the dwarf, as soon as she went into the world again she went back to being a dwarf. Not to being the beautiful woman she was. Because she was short people made assumptions about her, as we all do. Just remember you do not like people basing their opinions on you based only on your appearance. Let’s try to do the same for others.

Memphis essay

Christina DeFilippo DeFilippo 1
Wendy Sumner Winter
Essay
10-03-07
I would like to start out by saying I think what happened to Taylor Bradford was horrible. What happened to him shocked and frightened the students and the faculty at The University of Memphis. It had made everyone think twice about walking around on campus. Everyone is more aware of their surroundings and who they are with. This really makes us all think twice about the crime that has been happening recently on campus.
Even though I did not know Taylor, I can still imagine what it must be like for his family and friends. At school, no one should have to worry about getting shot and killed. This is a place where people come to get an education and become something. I think the city should do something to make our campus and our city much safer. Memphis has become the most dangerous city in America. That is so sad.
We should be able to feel safe in our own community, not terrified of what might happen to us. We want our leaders to stand up and take a stand against violence. But when most our own leaders have criminals records themselves, what do you expect? As students of this campus and citizens of this city we should come together and let criminals know this will not stand. We are going to take back our city and our campus. That they will be brought to justice for all these horrible crimes they have committed. That way what happened to such a bright and innocent guy Taylor was will not happen to anyone else.

Virginia Woolf and Walter Benjamin

These two stories were very hard for me to get through. I like stories and articles that get to the point. These two you had to really read the whole way through to get at what they meant. And even then I was not one- hundred percent sure. Their writing styles were very different. Virginia's story was very jumpy. She told many stories all in one. She tells of what she sees throughout her street haunting in London. At the end, you see how she watches people's other experiences and draws the same conclusion from each one.
Benjamin's story was more difficult than the first. He was harder to understand. He used many words I cannot even pronounce. His writing style was very straightforward. He had one story and it was him and his experiences during a day. They were very similiar in that they both were examining things they saw. The point of his story I am not quite sure. I had a hard time keeping my attention on this one.
Some history on these two authors would be Virignia Woolf considered to be one of the foremost modern literary figures of the 20th centurty. She has written many famous works such as To the Lighthouse and Orlando. Her death was very untimely. She fell into a depression and killed herself.
Walter Benjamin was a jack of all trades. He was a German marxist literary critic, essayist, translator, and philosopher. Some of his most famous works include The Arcade Project and Illuminations. He too probably killed himself. The circumstances concerning his death are not clear though.


(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Benjamin)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf)

Paper

DeFilippo 1

Christina DeFilippo

Wendy Sumner- Winter

Textual Analysis Paper

09-22-07

I chose to analyze Audre Lorde’s essay called The Fourth of July. I liked this essay very much. I believe that her theme throughout this was the silence at which a young girl sees, through her family and people, in general, about racism. The author is very descriptive in how she explains things and describes things. She uses many describing words so that you can almost see yourself in that place and time. Her choice of words is very important in this article. I will try and show you how the writer wants you to understand that even now when you are silent you are going along with things even when you may not agree with them. You should be able to see how smart young children are. How they can pick up on things even when they are not necessarily told them. I hope that when you are done reading this you will see just how much your voice matters. I hope that you see the strength of a young girl who fights for what she knows is wrong. You should come away with a feeling of obligation to speak up when you see something that is wrong.

From the beginning of this essay, you can see that the writer wants you to see this through a child’s eyes. She tells you that she is on a graduation trip. She has just graduated from the eight grade and she is now to stop being a child. When the trip begins in the railroad cars she cannot eat in the dining car because she is black. Her mom says that main reason is it is too much money but also

DeFilippo 2

she is black. She also says “ whatever mother did not like and could not change, she ignored”. (Lorde, pg.568) This tells you right here her mother has a problem with the racism. She believes this is wrong, but believes she cannot do anything so she is silent.

The real reason they are in Washington is because her older sister Phyllis had just graduated from high school and could not go on her senior trip. They told her Dad that she would not be comfortable in the hotel they would be staying in. So their father decided he would take his family on their own graduation trip. Now why did he not say anything to the faculty? He was silent also. Her parents believed if they did not address the racism problem they could better protect their children. If they only knew that that would hurt them more. The funny thing is children notice things. The young girl knew about the racism that was going on. She knew that the color of her skin mattered. That is one reason why I believe the author is so descriptive. She is very detailed about the color of things. From the brown bread, the green pepper, violently yellow iced cakes, to the bright mother and brown father. She wants you to see that color does matter and that the young girl picked up on that. On another occasion she shows us a lady she knew was not able to sing because she was black. They were at church and still was refused too.

I love how this girl sees all the colors so vibrantly. All the white is hurting her eyes but yet her parents will not let her wear sunglasses. Maybe that is because they want her to get used to the color issues and this is one way to do it.

DeFilippo 3

At the end of the story we see that they stopped in a store to cool off a bit and have some refreshing ice cream. They all went inside and sat down like a normal family would. But then they were told that they could get their food to go

but were not allowed to stay and eat. Can you guess why? They were black. This enraged the young girl, rightly so. But her parents and sisters did not say a word. They all got up and left. The silence of her family confused her. The writer is trying to show through all these examples of silence you are getting nothing accomplished and in the long run, the child is being hurt more. She does not understand why they chose to be silent, when she does not. She takes action and writes the President. Did that help anything? No. But she was not silent she stood up for what she knew was right and what was wrong. If an 8^th grader can do this, why can’t we?

As I conclude this paper, I hope you see that your own silence says something about yourself. You should see that you should always speak your voice and tell what is being done is wrong.

Like this young girl, you should see what is happening and not stand for it and try to make a difference. I hope you saw how through the words she used she was trying to show you something. Color is very important. Everybody sees colors in different ways. The color of your skin some people see as making you different and not in a good way. This is not true; the color of your skin is just pigment. It does not show the person you are or will become. I hope you see that through silence nothing can be fixed or even acknowledged. If you do not

DeFilippo 4

speak up; everyone will think you think what they do. Your opinion and your voice matter, I believe that is what she wants you to see out of this story. She wants you to realize no matter your color, religion, anything you have a voice. If you do not choose to use it, you are doing an injustice to the people that are being wronged because of this racism.

DeFilippo 5

Citations

Paul Eschholz, Alfred Rosa and Virginia Clark. Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers, 9th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005.

Response to the Essay

After I read this article I can honestly say that I do not agree with him on his ideas of the war and of the American soldiers. When he says that the soldiers who were in the photos were “hicks from the sticks” that is a stereotype that I believe is completely wrong. How dare you classify a group of people based on your opinion? You are exactly the type of person who I would not want to represent America. You are too stuck up your butt to see what is really going on. While you sit at your home, the soldiers are out there keeping you safe and sound. My father fought in the Vietnam War and he is no “hick from the sticks”. He and the other soldiers are far braver than any of you so called educated, metropolitan people. You say that you are so good because you respect other people’s differences. Respect was not what was shown to the United States when they came over here and kill thousands of Americans. You may not believe war is the answer, but how do you deal with a people who will never respect you and who will do whatever they can to destroy America. You sure as heck do not have a talk with them.

Another problem I have is this idea that we have a moral code not to interfere with other countries. Well, that is true unless they interfere with us first. We cannot just sit back and let them do and say whatever they want. The terrorist groups over there are killing millions of innocent people in the name of Allah and who knows what other crazy ideas. When they came over here and did what they did on September the 11th, they cut all peace ties.
I love how he makes himself out to be so much smarter than everyone else. I love how he thinks he is the only one who notices his friend and how he is dressed. This comes from the guy who took the pictures with him and participated in this disrespect of these so called poor detainees. So smart, right.

Theme Paper

We would like to start out by saying that this is not going to be a standard paper. This will be a paper in which three different people ‘s lives are compared and come together under a unified theme. Our theme is Family Traditions or get Togethers, which consists of Jacob Connell’s beach trip, Christina DeFilippo’s Christmas party, and Kemishia Williams Family Reunion. As you will be able to see from our personal experiences that our families make up whom we really are. All these events show love, happiness, and a great time with our families.

My name is Jacob and my most favorite time of the summer and the year, besides football season, is the week or two I get to spend at the beach with my family. Not only is it just my Dad, Mom, and sisters but my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are all at the beach together.

I have 3 sisters, so I am the only boy and I get stuck not being able to do guy things a lot so when I go to the beach I meet up with my cousins (three boys) and have a great time. The cousin closest to me is Caleb, he is the same age as me and if you didn't know us, you would think we were brothers, not because of our appearance but because of how we act just a like. We both love sports to death and we are both very athletic and active.

Most of our trips to the beach are very similar. The past 3 years we have stayed in a large beach house in Fort Morgan, Alabama but before that we always stayed in condos in Gulf Shores, Alabama. My family likes the beach house because the beach is never crowded and we are pretty much by ourselves, but Caleb and I of course would much rather be in a place where there are a lot of people and there for more girls, but besides the lack of girls on the beach everything is perfect.

The typical beach trip with my family starts with everyone meeting down on the coast (we don't all live around here so we just meet down there) and checking out the nice house that we get to stay in for the next week or two. The week we go is always during the TSSAA dead week for high school sports because we all play sports and that's the only time we get off. The days at the beach always start late for me because I sleep till Caleb gets tired of being up by himself and finally decides to wake me up. We always start our day by going down to the beach and riding the waves for a couple of hours or if the jellyfish are bad till we get fed up with getting stung. After we are all tired of the ocean beating us into the sand we go up and eat lunch, normally sandwiches, and rest a little bit. After eating lunch Caleb and I normally decided to take a walk on the beach to see if we can meet any girls, but where we are at we both know our odds are not very good. Since we will probably not see a single girl our age we take a football or frisbee and have fun throwing it up and down the beach as we keep an eye out for the girls that is never there. Once we have walked for five mile we both decided there are no girls our age anywhere in the state of Alabama we decide to walk back.

It is now late afternoon and we are all somewhat burnt from being out in the sun all day. Around this time Caleb and me grab our skim boards, which we have mastered with years and years of experience, and find a perfect spot to skim until the sun goes down. Even though I said we master it will still find our selves bleeding at the knees and elbows and washing sand out of our pants from busting and rolling across the beach. Once day light is gone we decide to go up and eat dinner. Now dinner on our family vacations is something you do not want to miss. I am talking steak, boiled shrimp, barbecued shrimp, tilapia, huge baked potatoes, and amazing sides that are better than any restaurant I have ever been to. And then there is sweet tea and you can’t beat good sweet tea. Once our bellies are full Caleb and me normally take my younger cousin out to hunt for grabs. Because there are not that many people around where we stay at the crabs are everywhere and that makes a lot of fun while hunting them. Just a little side note we even got to see a giant sea turtle coming up on the beach to lay its eggs this past year. After we are done with our hunt Caleb and me normally go and relax in the hot tub before hitting the sack and starting the cycle all over again.

The beach trip wouldn't be half as fun as it is without my cousin and family there and they are why I have such a great time every year we go.

As you go from the first story to the next you will start to see the similarities between us. You will see how we love our families and how we interact with one another.

I will start by saying I have a big, wonderful, funny, and loving family. I have three aunts, three uncles, and there are fourteen cousins. We love to get together and have a great time. This is my story of our yearly get together at Christmas.

When I first get there I feel excited and happy. I feel nervous and jumpy almost at the sight of seeing people I do not get to see a lot. The atmosphere is great. We are all happy to see each other and it is really like a homecoming, because everyone is together for the only time that year. All the little kids are excited and wanting to open their presents, the big kids too, but not as much. All my uncles and aunts are talking and helping with the food. All the young adults (who used to be the kids) are just hanging out and having fun.

The next scenes are interacting and mingling before dinner is ready. Everyone is running around and talking. We are all laughing and having a good time. We are all getting caught up about everyone’s business. This is a fun time because we are all just sitting around, helping Ma, and having a great time.

Dinner is served. Boy, are we all ready to eat by then. By that time the smell of the food cooking has made us all so hunger we don’t know what to do. Ma and Pa always make the same thing too. Spaghetti and Lasagna with salad and rolls is the standard. Yum Yum. Of course there are deserts too. I love the deserts. We always look forward to this part.

Presents are next. Now who doesn't like presents?? Nobody I know. Anyway, we all assemble in the den and Pa hands out all the gifts. The excitement is in the air. "What did we get?" that is all we can think about. The little ones especially you want to watch. They are so funny. When I was younger I was the one they were all laughing at, but now that I am older I see how much fun it is to be the observer. I have a younger sister so I have more fun watching her than I do opening my stuff.

Afterwards we all sit around chatting and us older ones are making plans about what or where to go next. We always have so much fun at the party. We all look forward to this one event every year. We never get to see everybody together at the same time and this is our only time. My Uncle Chuck lives in Ohio so they only get to come down once a year and that is at Christmas. We all look forward to getting to know one another again and just taking time to talk and laugh. Because when everything is said and done our heart is in our family.

Family reunions are when each side of your family gets together and have valuable time. At family reunion your relative show you love and support you through difficult situations. The most important part is the you get to see long Lot relatives that you were dying to see. Most family reunions stitch up break-ups between one another and the can prevent separation time. Reunions keep down the drama from each household. Many times when families plan them it shows that the members of your family have a positive outlook on life, like sticking together at all times. When people attend family reunions' emotions flow throughout the whole day till everyone is gone their separate ways. If a family reunion is something new to you: you will really enjoy moments like those of a family reunion. Reunions are based n a family's communication among each grandparent, sister, brother, and cousins. These people are the unity of everyone. Then location is the biggest part because everyone needs a nice convenient place that is reasonable for everyone. Out-of-town trips are fun for a family reunion but not fun like being at hone giving your family coming to you. Money is a big component that is involve in being a family. If u know it or not their are dues to be paid. Dues should be no more than twenty-dollars. When you can't pay dues your other fellow family members that happily love you will come out their pockets and make sure you com out to attend this gathering. My family reunions are always fun. I just attended an family reunion Saturday the 8th at tan clubhouse. It was exciting, especially for me because I'm like the star of the family. People actually jump up running to me to give me hugs and to speak. All my baby cousin run all around me as a whole and it swam me. Always there is little kids all around me. Yes, I just love the attention because it makes me feel special. When I arrive I feel the vibe of a good time with my family. My family consists off plenty of characters so i never know whom I'm going to run into. The food is always good so if you have good cooks there should not be a problem with nasty food. We had dishes from green beans which I hat spaghetti, ham (to let you in on a secret I don't eat pork). We had plenty of chicken and hamburgers. Lots of cakes and drinks, most people thinks that's the best part of getting together with family is "the food", which is kind of true, but it not important. An older person from the family always selects the music because if someone young picked the music the elders would be upset. The music that is played is good enough to make both parties satisfied. When i go to my reunions i always like to bring my boyfriend at the time to show him off, but i also bring friends of mines too. When all these fun things end it just spoil your night but there is always next year. The next year probably would be more exciting than he previous time.

At first glance, we appeared to be very different people but as you can see from our stories and experiences we share similar qualities and values. We hope that you can take away from our experiences the love and joy that we receive from our families and apply them to your own family lives.

Christmas Party

I will start by saying I have a big, wonderful, funny, and loving family. We love to get together and have a great time. This is my story of our yearly get together at Christmas.

When I first get there I feel excited and happy. I feel nervous and jumpy almost at the sight of seeing people I do not get to see a lot. The atmosphere is great. We are all happy to see each other and it is really like a homecoming, because everyone is together for the only time that year. All the little kids are excited and wanting to open their presents, the big kids too, but not as much.

The next scenes are interacting and mingling before dinner is ready. Everyone is running around and talking. We are all laughing and having a good time. We are all getting caught up about everyone’s business. This is a fun time because we are all just sitting around, helping Ma, and having a great time.

Dinner is served. Boy, are we all ready to eat by then. Ma and Pa always make the same thing too. Spaghetti and Lasagna with salad and rolls is the standard. Yum Yum. Of course there are deserts too. And there is always my favorite desert, Strawberry Truffle. :) Thanks to my Aunt Leah.

Presents are next. Now who doesn't like presents?? Nobody I know. Anyway, we all assemble in the den and Pa hands out all the gifts. The excitement is in the air. "What did we get?" that is all we can think about. The little ones especially you want to watch. They are so funny. This is also picture time. We all get together and pose with each other and our gifts. It's great.

Afterwards everyone sits around chatting and us older ones are making plans about what or where to go next. Usually one of us girls always spends the night with one of the other ones, so we have to decide on that matter too. We always have so much fun at the party. We all look forward to this one event every year. We never get to see everybody together at the same time and this is our only time. My Uncle Chuck lives in Ohio so they only get to come down once a year and that is at Christmas. We all look forward to getting to know one another again and just taking time to talk and laugh. Because when everything is said and done our heart is in our family.

Theme and Team Members

Team Members: Jacob Connell, Kameshia Williams, and myself. Our Theme is Family Traditions and Family Get Togethers.

• Christmas party with everyone at g-parents
• Memorial day cookout
• Birthday parties
• 4th of July cookout at g-parents
• Mother's Day and Father's Day
• Easter get together
  
• Thanksgiving meal at someone's house
• vacations at H. Springs and Dollywood with g-parents
• Halloween party at Aunt Leah's house
• Labor day cookout
• New Year's Eve party at Aunt Cindy's

Article

My article I found was in Esquire magazine. It was on fatherhood and learning to lower your expectations. As I sat there reading it, I could hear this guy talking and his tone was not a happy one. He sounded very upset with dads and especially new ones. I could tell the tone of this article or mood of it was not going to be a ha ha laughing one. I could tell he took this very seriously. He kept making the point that you have to listen and observe and really be a role model for them.
You could tell he was not happy by his diction, the words he was using, . He started off by saying "I hate new fathers". He called them arrogant and smug. I thought it was kind of funny to be honest. But as the article went on I could tell just how serious he was. He sounded almost regretful and sad in a way. He talks about looking back at pictures and thinking what a dope he was. He said he'd kept thinking it would get easier or he would have more time for himself as they got older, but now he realizes just how much he missed out on. His words come out so that he sounds like he is trying to teach you a lesson.
The structure of this article is very important. He starts out by saying what he thinks when he sees new fathers and what he thinks they are thinking. Then he shows you that he isn't perfect either. That actually he is trying to show you how he did what they are doing and is trying to give them a heads up. They need to take time to enjoy life and not keep waiting for things to speed up. It is funny because Wendy was saying in class about how sometimes you can hear the person talking to you or reading the article to you. I could definitely hear this guy. Even though I am not the group he was talking to, I still learned a lesson or two myself.