A Day in the Life of Jordan Burch

Bolshevik Revolution

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Cry, the Beloved Country

                Stephen Kumalo, overall, is a very religious and charismatic father and priest. Growing up in a god-related family, his thoughts of becoming a preacher developed and soon became his job the following years. Growing up in a religious household teaches you the morality of right and wrong which lead him to be a caring and understanding man. Throughout his journey he is forced to make a hard decision that leaves you to question, how far would you go to protect your family? He has a kind heart and loves his family, and he would do just about anything for them. Kumalo reflects the stereotypical small town, religious boy that was forever sheltered by his parents.

                “My friend, I am a Christian. It is not in my heart to hate a white man,” (55) said Kumalo as he explained a point of common decency amongst all human races. White men, children, and women were not meant to get along or even like the blacks, but, as Kumalo says, it is not his business to hate a white man. Growing up a Christian will teach you the more important lessons of life rather than discriminating against one type of man. Paton was trying to show how white and black men can get along if they learn to accept that they really are not different; everyone is their greater sides. Kumalo rests beside his sister, and “They knelt down, and he prayed, quietly so that the neighbors might not hear, and she punctuated his petitions with Amens” (61). His sister, Gertrude, left and never wrote to the family. Despite that fact, Kumalo sought out help for his sister through God and is willing to help her and her son. This shows that Kumalo, in any situations, always finds love in his heart and answers from God.

                Absalom, Kumalo’s only son, commits the worst crime possible, and “They (Kumalo and Absalom) shake hands, indeed the old man takes his son’s hand in both his own, and the hot tears fall fast upon them” (130). “The old man,” referring to Kumalo, shows the stressed, worn out father figure that wants to do nothing more than to help his son. Patron uses this technique to show that Kumalo is willing to do what it takes to morally get his son out of trouble, even when he is completely worn out both physically and mentally. Before Kumalo reaches his son, he gets to his sister and asks “Would you like to come back?” (61). Despite her not writing to the family, Kumalo is loving and wants her and her son to come back with him. This is a great example of how family sticks together no matter what, and a family is the most important factor to life.

                Witnessing his first native crime, Kumalo speaks to a lady beside him and she tells him, “You have been cheated Umfundisi. Can you see the young man? No, you will not see him again.” Because Kumalo was so sheltered growing up, he does not know to be aware of crime around him. The author uses this point to show that being so sheltered is not that great, while growing up in a religious home can be. Crime is all around, religion still allows you to see the bad in the world, but being sheltered means you never witness anything of the unkind.  Being sheltered means you do not see anything corrupt, you never go around something dangerous, and you never know just how bad the world is until you are on your own with no guidance. Kumalo is stuck is the mind of his child self that was hidden from everything so he does not realize that there are things that can hurt him.
            In conclusion, Kumalo developed his sense of morality and his caring heart through his God-developed family. He reflects a religious family by going to church, praying, and forgiving his family members when they abandoned him and did wrongful actions. Kumalo shows a perfect example of just how far to go for your family. Overall, Kumalo is a loving and caring man with a religious background who wants the best for his family. 

               

Music Speaks

Music Speaks

Music, much like poetry, gets you thinking. It digs you down deep in thought and makes you question everything. I personally believe that music has the personified ability to speak to people. Like everyone, I have a happy place that floats me away from reality for a while, and my tunnel to that place is through music. Jamming out in my room, lively dancing and singing along to my favorite band, I feel unstoppable.

            Alex Gaskarth, lead singer of All Time Low, once said, “This goes out to anyone who feels alone, anybody who feels betrayed, anybody who doesn't feel comfortable in their own skin because of people around them. Be who you are no matter what.” I strongly believe that music has the power to move people. For three years I was depressed and on the verge of becoming suicidal. No matter what, something always went wrong. I had no one to hang on to and no reason to live. The I found music, and it trasnformed me. Now, to this day, I am six months “sober” from depression. Thank you, music.

            Today, like me, there are so many other teens out there that abuse substances, self-harm, and eventually attempt suicide. That is why so many bands in genres like pop punk, punk rock, deathcore, metalcore, etc. have clashed together to sing children into the sense of Niravana. The members grab their hands and hold them tight. They may look scary with their tattoos and gauges, but not all superheroes wear capes. Also, their sense of individuality persuades young teens to be themselves.

            Like Alex Gaskarth said, people should be who they are, and they should be comfortable doing so. My bands’ members’ style may seem bizarre to others, but it is a sign of uniqueness and what they have overcome. Once I started listening to music, I became more happy with myself. You can, too. You can let your freak flag fly, and be yourself because we are all beautiful. If you have not noticed, many people dress like their genre of music. Music is just that influential.

            Life is precious. It is too precious to waste it on covering up yourself and being scared. Listen to music, take day, and feel complete happiness. Have fun and be experimental. Let your music influence you to release your inner freak. Do not hurt yourself or abuse that bottle. Chill out in your room and have a one-man dance party. Take advantage of the feeling you get from music.

Grandma's Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:

· Whole chicken

· 2c raw spaghetti noodles

· 2 cans cream of mushroom soup

· onion

· green pepper

· pimentos

· 3c sharp cheddar cheese

· Lawry's Seasonal salt

· Layenne pepper 1/8 tablespoon

· salt

· pepper

Preparation:

To begin preparing the meal, fill a large pot full of water, and bring it to a boil. In order to reduce the risk of poisoning, rinse your chicken thoroughly. Once you are poison- free, allow the chicken to boil, creating a chicken broth, for 30-40 minutes.

"Mama, I want to play Transformers! Not the old one, but the new one with Optimus!" Happy but outright annoying, you could hear my little brother's screeches of joy over our television set about his Transformers. Traditionally, we would play National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while my mother cooked chicken spaghetti on Christmas Eve; once while she is cooking and again when she finishes. Giving up on the movie, I made my way into the kitchen, only to be kicked out by my mother.

“Get out, and go help your brother! I am busy!”

            To not be grossed out, dicing all of the ironically flavorful vegetables in something highly recommended. Dice the green peppers, onions, and pimentos. Because it is obvious that some people have problems eating long noodles, the recipe requires you to fill two and a half cups of 2-inch spaghetti noodles. Spill the noodles into the pot to allow them to cook; but not all of the way. The most fun part out of the whole recipe is cleaning the bones of chicken meat. Two cups of pulled chicken meat is necessary to make this dinner. Apply cooked noodles, chicken, onions, peppers, pimentos, and cream of mushroom soup into a bowl. Add everything else into the bowl.

            By this time my mom is tired of being in the kitchen and is ready to enjoy the best Christmas movie ever. Because my brother was so high- demanding, she never really got to watch the movie with us that night. In fact, I cannot remember a time where she got to fully watch the movie and not be interrupted by my brother’s cries of demand.

            Finally, her hard work was almost complete. Place the mixture in a pan, and place it in the oven for 35-45 minutes on 350 degrees. Add additional cheese before the mixture goes in the oven.

            On my mom’s little break, she enjoyed the rest of the movie with me. My step dad had run off the silence my brother. Even though she is exhausted and does not even want to even look at the food anymore, she still had to get up when the alarm sounds. When the oven opened, the most heavenly smell of cheese and chicken roamed throughout the whole house. Because of this wonderful meal my mother prepared, I remember our house being the happiest on the block.

 

thINK

thINK

A Man with Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children is a short story about a fallen angel. The short story shows someone remaining calm and patient through terrible events and eventually leaving to find a better place. This angel is an old man who is near death with parasites in his wings. Because this man does not have all the angel-like qualities, Father Gonzaga questions if he is really an angel or not. What is the meaning or lesson behind this story? What qualities of the old angel help support the meaning or lesson of the short story? There is a major comparison in how the family reacted and how the old angel reacted to these unfortunate events. Ironically, the angel has to live in unhealthy, horrendous conditions to become healthy and strong enough to fly away.

Through all the bad events one man can go through, there is always a good ending to come.. The bad events include the following: the way the family and the town treated him, the conditions he had to live in, and the eating habits he had to learn. The family treated him like he was a burden even though they were the ones who held him captive. All of the people of the town treated him like he was a circus animal or a freak attraction. He had to live in a chicken coop where chickens pecked at him to get the parasites out of his wings. That coop was also rarely cleaned. The food he got to eat were table scraps from the family and whatever the people of the town had to throw at him. At the end, the old angel grew stronger. He grew his wings and his strength back. Clumsily, he flew away to find a better place.

This old angel had many qualities to him that helped him become stronger to find his way out of that situation. The angel never did try to harm anyone who was mean to him or tossed things at him. That shows that he was kind and could keep himself under control. He also had patience. People threw stones at him. Chickens pecked at him and pulled his feathers. Not once did the man move or make a single gesture towards the birds. At first the man was weak and could barely move or fly, but at the end he became a little stronger and could fly again. The old angel was found laying face down in mud because he could not lift himself back up with his weak attempts. He was able to fly away at the end. This shows kindness, patience, and strength.

It is easy to compare how to family reacted to the angel and how the angel reacted to the family. Because the family took advantage of him and made money because of him, that proves how selfish they are. They fenced in their yard and charged people money to see the new attraction. The angel patiently sat in his chicken coop and waited for the torture to be over. The family saw the angel as a burden, but they kept him hostage anyways. “She kept watching him even when she was through cutting the onions and she kept on watching until it was no longer possible for her to see him, because then he was no longer an annoyance in her life but an imaginary dot on the horizon of the sea.” Although the family was an annoyance to the angel, he never would have stayed there if he had a choice. The family kept him there.

The angel, who was a burden to the family, stayed in a chicken coop and continued to annoy the family as he patiently stayed there until he could fly away from them. There is always a happy ending. There is also always a way to escape the bad things in life. Father questioned him of what he really was, taken advantage of, and beaten down to nothing. There was an end for him. He was eventually able to fly away from it all.

thINK

     On April 9th CNN News wrote the article "A Pro Athlete's Announcement." This article was all about professional basketball player Jason Collins admitting that he was gay. What does this mean to the world today? This text means a number of things. This can possibly change the fight in the courts about gay marriage; should it be illegal? Agreeing with this, it is safe to say that Jason has absolutely helped himself and other people struggling with their sexuality. Jason just might be some people's hero or idol.
      What exactly does this mean to other people and their struggles?  To some people, this man could be their absolute hero. Jason Collins has probably given hope and courage to so many people around the world. Of course because the world is as self-centered as it is today, he might have lost many of his followers. To others this is only the beginning to a friendship. Does this discovery have any impact on the court's decision on its new law it is trying to pass? Because the world is the way it is, it probably has affected and changed many of members of the court's decisions, but it probably is not enough to make a major change in their decision. Majority rules! This quite possibly could have changed something about their law.
    The fight against gay marriage is growing more and more everyday. There is always protests on each side battling for the "right" side. Personally, gay marriage needs to be legal, and if it bothers people then they do not have to look or associate among them. Some day there will be no gay or straight marriage; there will only be marriage. No one will have to fear to come out of their homes because of their sexuality. Because of the basketball player, this could have taken the world to a larger leap in the right direction. He might have started something to a beautiful creation. To some people there is no hope for gay right, but for Jason Collins's followers, it is just the beginning.
     Jason Collins is a very brave ball player. His Announcement could have hurt he severely. Today the media is so focused on people's sexuality it is not even funny. He might have lost a lot of his basketball fans, but he gained a lot more than that. He, Jason, shows courage and bravery. How many people have been known to openly say they were gay to the media? His announcement shows that he is brave. There was a bundle of things put at risk. His coach, family, friends, and teammates could have started treating him differently. To most people, there is now hope for man-kind.
     "A Pro-Athlete's Announcement," was heard fairly quickly through the media. Jason Collins admitted that he was gay and gave hope to many of his old fans and his new fans. If this was something about religion the paparazzi would not have made a big mess about it, but because it was his sexuality, it was all over the internet in hours. The word was around, and there was no turning back. Could this have changed something about the court's final decision about gay marriage? What does this mean to many of his fans and followers or to the world as we know it today? From what Jason Collins announced, many things can be changed.