Independent Writing Project

Writing Prompt: What are the main similarities and differences between childhood and adulthood?

                There are many similarities and differences between childhood and adulthood. These things range from responsibility to occupation to maturity level. As a child you have less responsibilities, no job because you are required to go school, and you are not expected to be very mature. As an adult, things are completely different. You have many responsibilities, a job that enables you to make money to support your family, and you are expected to be very mature, polite, and well behaved.

               There are a few similarities between childhood and adulthood. These similarities are:

·         That you still have to do your job, whether that job is going to school and doing your work or going to work every day to make money that enables you to support your family.

·         That you are still expected to be mature to some extent. Children are supposed to act mature by behaving in public and being polite, etc. Adults have to be mature all the time.

·         Adults and children both have responsibilities. Even though some of the responsibilities that they have are the same, (such as taking care of yourself), many of their responsibilities are very different.

       There are also many differences between childhood and adulthood. These differences are:

·         Adults have to go to work to make money, and children don’t have to make money, they have to go to school. Adults have to work because they are responsible for their families and making money to support them.

·         Adults have MANY more responsibilities than kids do. Adults have to work to support their families. Children have to go to school. Adults have to cook and clean for the children. Adults have to shop and buy necessities for their children. They are also 100 percent responsible for their children and their actions, whereas children are only responsible for themselves and their own actions.

·         Adults are expected to have a higher level of maturity than kids. They have to always be polite, honest, and well behaved. Children are not usually mature enough to understand this, so most children are only mature enough to be on their best behavior for an hour and a half.

       In conclusion, there are many similarities and differences between childhood and adulthood. A person’s responsibilities, occupation, and maturity level play a very big role in a person’s coming of age experience.

Romeo and Juliet Essay

               The characters in Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, are very well developed and complex individuals. Three of the characters really stand out in this book for the above reason. They are Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence.  Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence all have  personalities and unique traits that contribute a lot to the tragedy that ensues.

                Friar Lawrence is a very helpful and wise man. He agreed to help Romeo marry Juliet, even though he knew that it was wrong because Romeo was supposed to marry Rosaline. Friar Lawrence also knew that Romeo’s parents would disapprove of him marrying a Capulet, and the same for Juliet’s parents;  they would not approve of her marrying a Montague, especially since they had already promised Prince Paris that she would marry him. He married them anyway, because he didn’t want to get in the way of true love. Another example of him being a wise and helpful man is when he helped Juliet trick her parents into thinking that she was dead so that she wouldn’t have to marry Paris, or betray Romeo. He gave her a potion so that would be in a deep sleep, and she would look like she was dead. Unfortunately, this plan kind-of backfired because Romeo never got the message that she wasn’t really dead, and he thought that she really was dead.

                Juliet’s desires and tendency to be overdramatic makes the story unfold in a very interesting way that makes you never want to put the book down. In the book, Juliet usually got her way and she was always very overdramatic. An example of Juliet being very overdramatic was her monologue in the beginning of Act 2 Scene 5. Juliet has an eighteen line monologue about being anxious because the Nurse wasn’t back yet to tell her Romeo’s message. In the movie, which we watched in class, this monologue was acted out very dramatically and it seemed to drag on. In the end of the book, Juliet didn’t want to marry Paris, so instead of just marrying Paris, like her parents wanted her to, she pretended to be dead! She said, “O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, From off the battlements of any tower, Or walk in thievish ways, or bid me lurk Where serpents are. Chain me with roaring bears, Or hide me nightly in a charnel house, O’er covered quite with dead men’s rattling bones, With reeky shanks and yellow *chapless* skulls. Or bid me go into a new-made grave And hide me with a dead man in his *shroud* (Things that to hear them told have made me tremble), And I will do it without fear or doubt, To live an unstained wife to my sweet love.”  This proves my idea that Juliet finds ways to get out of things, and gets what she wants.

                Romeo's role is very important in this play because he is one of the main reasons that the play turns out the way that it does. If Romeo wasn’t a part of this play, then there wouldn’t have even been a play! He is the reason that both of them die in the end: therefore, it is called the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. His characteristics contribute to this play because he was very persistent and he didn’t give up trying until he got to marry Juliet. If he hadn’t been so persistent and set in his ways, him and Juliet probably wouldn’t have gotten married, and Juliet would have ended up marrying Paris like her parents intended her to, and Romeo would have married Rosaline.

                In conclusion, the roles of Friar Lawrence, Juliet, and Romeo are crucial to the play. If it wasn’t for their very important roles and complex traits, the play would have turned out very differently than William Shakespeare wrote it.

Nonfiction Reading Response

"To combat obesity, New York City wants to ban the sale of sodas or any other sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces (Majerol 1)." In the article, "Sugar Wars," by Veronica Majerol, I learned about the sugar ban that Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to impose on all New Yorkers. This is causing much controversy because many people believe that they should have the right to choose what they drink, even if they choose badly. The government wants to ban sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces because it is an effort to help prevent obesity, diabeties, heart disease and many other fatal medical conditions. Some people think that these drink sizes shouldn't be banned because there are many other factors that contribute to health problems.
 According to Zara Atal,a college student in New York, "If people want to drink 24 ounces, it's their decision."
According to Ronald Bayor, a professor at Columbia University, "How far should the government be able to go to protect us?" This makes me wonder how far the government can and will go to protect us. I think that it is good that they are trying to make New York healthier, because, according to the article, more than one third of all Americans are obese. On the other hand, I feel like that is unfair because America is a free country and Americans should be allowed to eat or drink whatever they want.
In this article, the author is trying to get you to side with the government. I can tell this because they gave a lot of evidence to support the government and the sugary drink ban, but a minimal amount to support going against the sugar ban.  
After reading this article, I have formed the conclusion that even though the government is trying to help make the people of New York healthier, it goes against their Constitutional rights to ban something that millions of New Yorkers drink every day.

Works Cited:
Majerol, Veronica. "Sugar Wars." Upfront Magazine 17 Sept. 2012

Romeo and Juliet Outline

Topic of Essay- How the unique charcter traits of Friar Lawrence, Romeo, and Juliet play a role in helping the tragedy ensue.
Introduction
Lead- The charcters in Romeo and Juliet are very well developed and complex.
Thesis- Juliet's, Romeo's and Friar Lawrence's personaities and unique traits contribute a lot to the tragedy that ensues.
Body Paragraph 1
Topic Sentence- Friar Lawrence is a very helpful and unique individual.
     1. Friar Lawrence knew about Romeo's arranged marriage, Rosaline, and he was supposed to marry them very soon. Even though he knew about this arranged marriage, he agreed to help Romeo marry Juliet for the sake of love.
Body Paragraph 2
Topic Sentence- Juliets' desires and tendency to be overdramatic helps the story unfold in a very intresting way that makes you want to never put the book down.
     1. Juliet usually got her way in the book and when she was anxious or nervous or excited she was very dramatic about it, not like people are today.
Body Paragraph 3
Topic Sentence- Romeo's role is very important in this play because he is one of the main reasons that the play turns out the way that it does.
Conclusion
Sum up and make connections to modern world.

Reading Response

I recently started reading the book "The Wednesday Wars," by Gary D. Schmidt. It is about a seventh grade boy named Holling Hoodhood who belives that his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him and is always plotting something against him. He thinks that she hates him because he is presbyterian, and he attend temple or church. In the very beginning of the story, Mrs. Baker was a little bit mean to Holling. She always made him clap erasers on Wednesdays after school when half of the class was at Hebrew school and the other half was at Catholic school. Now, she is actually being pretty nice to him, and rewards him with cream puffs on Wednesday afternoons if he does a good job on his chore. For some strange reason, Holling thinks that this is just a weird, twisted method that Mrs. Baker is using to munipulate him and that she is plotting something against him. I don't think that this is true.
I think that Mrs. Baker didn't like Holling at first because she didn't understand him and she thought that it was strange that he had no religion.  I think that now that she's gotten to know him better, she likes him more. Why else would she give him a cream puff, but not the other thirty students in the class? I don't understand why Holling is so uptight about Mrs. Baker not liking him. She's his teacher! Not his best friend or his family who kind-of have to like him.
I conclusion, this is a very good book so far. I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking for a good book to read.

Non-Fiction Reading Response

  I just read the article called "To Save a Life, a Tug of War With the Earth," by Mark Santora and Matt Flegenheimer. It is about a group of heroic New York City firefighters who rescued a construction worker who fell into a gaping hole while building a new subway line. After he fell, he wasn't able to get out. He was stuck there for many hours while the firefighters and other construction workers dug him out.
  The man was waist-deep in muck about 100 feet below the streets. It took a backhoe, a lot of firefighters, a lot of rope, and a giant griphoist machine to remove the man from the ground.
  " 'It was a hell hole,' said Lt. Rafael Goyenechea, a paramedic who quickly reached the worker and stayed by his side for more than four hours. 'I was definitely worried throughout about possible drowning.' "
  I think that it's really good that they were able to get the construction worker out of the hole. It was also great that nobody was hurt throughout the process.

Reading Response

I am currently reading the book A Corner of the Universe, by Ann Martin. This book is about a twelve year old girl named Hattie who's entire life changes when her uncle Adam comes to town. But Adam isn't like other people. Despite the fact thats he's 21, he has mental problems and cannot control himself. Hattie has never met Adam before, and she didn't even know that he existed. The first time that she even heard his name was when her parents told her that his special school was closing and that he was moving into town to live with her grandparents.
When Adam moves into the small town of Millerton, people don't want to deal with him and his mental problems.
What I think will happen later on in the book is that people in Millerton will eventually learn to accept him for who he is.
\In conclusion, this book is about a girl named Hattie whos life changes drastically when her uncle with mental problems moves to town and I think that eventually people will learn to accept him.