Freedom

They are coming again. The only thing I have left to live for is my baby girl. It feels like every 3 minutes they keep coming. How long will I be able to protect us? Over 10,000 of them and 1 of me and a 11 month old girl. But let’s be realistic, she’s only 11 months, she stands no chance against an army of vicious brain suckers. All we have is my 1994 Ford 150, a shotgun with about a hundred shot’s left, and a  couple of leftover Twinkies in the back seat. What are the odds we beat this out? Just as I am thinking about what to do she yells. I fear for the worst,  but it’s even worse than I anticipated.  They attack in packs. All wanting our flesh.  Knowing if they kill us it will be over and they can take over North America. Shelter is  are our only hope. We sprint to the car as we get in. I slam the peddle crushing 20 zombies. We realize we still need food and gas just to get through the night.

We drive for roughly 30 miles until we reach Pennsylvania,  that’s when we find a actual working gas station and food inside. We are ecstatic to refuel and get a bite to eat.  But then I feared the zombies come down the street. Without hesitation I slam my foot down on the peddle. Our final destination is Newark, New Jersey: that’s where my  great uncle has a airplane locked up and if we can reach that we will be able to fly to Europe were there hasn’t been any zombie attacks.  

We drove for 5 hours before running out of gas. We were about 30 minutes from Philly. The journey won’t be at all  easy. We have to go through New York which has approximately 300,000 zombies throughout the whole city. After refueling, we take off and plan to stop about 10 miles before New York in Brooklyn.

“NO!” I scream in sheer terror. As we cross the Brooklyn bridge about 200 zombies are charging. I am now going about 100 MPH as we cross threw the first herd of zombies. But that was easy. Then the worst thing possible happens. Our only thing between us and the zombie is our car and it starts burning out of its fuel. 

We come to a stop in the middle of the street, I keep my hand on the lock button preparing for an attack.  Suddenly, they break through my back seat window and start packing themselves inside. I now realize what little hope we have left. They now have my daughter, my little baby girl, my prized possession, my reason to live. They carry her out and one of the zombies jumps off the bridge and into the rushing water of the bridge below while holding her in his grasps. I dodge all the zombies in my way and run off the bridge with little hope that I will actually save her.  In mid air, I start crying and realize that this is my last chance I have  to save her.  As I hit the water I feel a burning sensation in my limbs: the water is ice cold and makes all my muscles stiffen.  I push through the pain and swim with all my might. Finally, after 40 yds I catch up to the zombie who has my baby. I get closer and slam into him into the rocks near the shore. Jessica squeals and wiggles out of the zombies grasp and I swim over to her. I get there just in time and check on her.  Thankfully she is breathing, but she doesn’t have much time.

We hop onto the boat. The moment of truth. I attempt to start it and thankfully the keys are in the ignition and the engine roars to life. We get all the way to the river by Newark. When we get there I was trying to find were I should park and get out. But I wasn’t sure were the shed with the plan was. Then I hear a splash. My heart drops as I look for Jessica. She is gone I look around. Then I see a head bobbing by shore I leap. Once I reach the head it’s Jessica. I pray she is breathing I swim to shore. I check her she isn’t breathing. My heart sinks. I begin to panic. I start CPR I have never done it before. I trying blowing air in her mouth she starts gasping. I don’t know what to do. I hold tight and run. Trying to find the way.  I eventually  find it the garage. We hop on the plane it has plenty of gas and I have my pilots license. I finally sigh in relief the horror is over. Once we land it Europe, we are free from all craziness at least for now.

Speak (Text Analysis)

In the section spotlight and sanctuary. A great figurative language is "art follows gym like a dream follows a nightmare". this basically describes how bad lunch was. This was the beginning of all bad thing. like when they were throwing a ho-ho it was because she got raped and the word hoe i think this is kind of a symbol.

A Battle Within

According to PTSD.ne.gov 7.8% Americans suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. Sadly Chris Patton is part of that 7.8% in the book The Rebounder by Thomas Dygard.  He had a tragic accident when he was on the basketball team at his old school. If he can overcome his past, he can achieve great things. This is the main theme of the novel.

He started with everything. The best basketball player, the most popular and the one who all the girls liked. Until all happened on one rebound. The shot went up and Chris leaped for the rebound he got it and came down. But then a sudden “Boom “ the opposing player laying on the ground holding his eye grimacing in pain. Later Chris found out that he permanently blinded the poor kid. After that accident he was traumatized and he said “I never want to play again”

Suddenly though at his new school he goes to Coach Fulton’s office and says “I want to play coach” (40). This was a shock to all his family and Coach. But it was the first step to returning to the normal Chris Patton. Coach Fulton even said “He’s the best player I have seen in five years” (53). Considering that he hasn't played in a year is even more remarkable.

Sadly this wasn't the end of Chris Patton’s problems. 3-4 games after his return to the floor he was playing like a star until one rebound. It was almost the same play both jiving for position in the post and yet another “BOOM” the player hits the floor again. This time no injuries but it brought back to many memories for Chris to handle. “No!”(107) that’s all Chris Patton said. But it pretty much summed up everything.  After the game Chris decided to quit. This was a major setback in returning to his normal self. Everyone believed that that was the end of the Hamilton High Panther’s season losing their best player.

“At halftime the panthers down 22-27” (168) the announcer said in a dull voice. Yes they were only down by 5 to a really good team. But they all knew they couldn’t win the league without their big man Chris Patton. As they walked into the locker room there was a shadow nobody knew what it could be. As they turned the corner they saw Chris Patton in uniform. They were ecstatic. “I got it all figured out” (170)  he told Coach Fulton. This was finally the day that Chris overcame his fears and returned to the guy he used to be. All his teammates ran and hugged him. But they knew they still had business to finish on the court. They came out firing on all cylinders after . They ended up winning by 7 points.

This just shows if you stay hungry and determined you can achieve anything no matter what happened in your past put it behind you and do what you want to do especially if you good at it. Just ask Chris Patton in the book The Rebounder by Thomas Dygard he overcame his past and now he is a great basketball player and he is probably a lot happier having not to worry about his past.

Choke Artist

Dead Silence…..as Shabazz Muhammad steps up to the line. “No pressure 32” Says Kyle Anderson his teammate. Shabazz knew there was actually a boat load of pressure all on his shoulders. He was the number 2 recruit in the entire country and if he makes both free throws his team will win the state championship. As the ref threw him the ball the student section for Findlay Prep started chatting “You Suck…You Suck” When Shabazz got the ball he inhaled and then exhaled. As he released the ball out of his sweaty, oily hands he knew it was in. “Swish” Was the sounds as he made the first. Now with the game tied he stepped back to the line to try to win it. And once again he inhaled and then exhaled. As he was about release the ball it was silence but then….Out of nowhere a Findlay Prep fan yelled “Hey Shabazz you are going to choke” Then the shot went up and it was short. Bishop Gorman fans were stunned such a magnificent player would choke.

At the start of the overtime all of the momentum was on Findlay Prep’s side. They ended the 4^th quarter on a 10-1 run. Shabazz was playing dreadfully in the overtime period. He went 0-3 shooting with four turnovers. As his coach said “Shabazz really let us down out there” “I was chucking up bricks out there” Shabazz  said himself. With a performance like that Shabazz can’t be happy with himself.  Later that week Shabazz Signed with the UCLA Bruins (University of California Los Angeles).

Mom or Dad.....Who's Better

According to www.bblocks.samhsa.gov, 40% parents are divorced or split up in America. Sadly the Boone family was a part of that 40%; out of that 40%, 80% picked a favorite parent. In the story The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, Christopher has autism and his parents split up. He lives with his dad. But in the end he decides to live with his mom. Even though in the end he ends up living with his mom, I still believe his father is the better parent.

 “I felt sick” was the reaction from Christopher when he realized his mother was not dead but his father was hiding that she was still alive. Most people would read this and right away judge Mr. Boone (Christopher’s dad) and say how he is horrible for doing that. But if you actually think about in Mr. Boone’s shoes you might have done the same. “I did it for your good, Christopher…Honestly I did. I never meant to lie. I just thought…I just thought it was better if you didn't know” (00). This I believe was very sincere. I think that with Christopher having autism and everything he was going through this was the right thing to do.

Another reason why people might judge Mr. Boone is because he freaks out a lot on Christopher. “Holy F****** Jesus, Christopher, how stupid are you.” This is just one of the many examples in the book where he freaks out at Christopher. Why does he freak out you might wonder? Well in my opinion he does this because he is stressed out from his wife leaving and his son having autism; it’s not a easy task being a single dad with an autistic son. “It's exhausting, and there's no end in sight.” As one parent said on www.dallasnews.com.

In conclusion Mr. Boone is a better parent. He just wanted to protect his son and do the right thing. Maybe it wasn't the right decision but at least he was trying to protect him. Because of this I don’t blame Mr. Boone; at least he wasn't the parent that ran away from her problems like Christopher’s mother did.

Why is Gym Important?

                             
According to cdc.gov 18.4 percent of 12-19 year olds are obese. Do you want to be in that 18.4 percent? I know that I wouldn’t. That is why gym is so important to me. Not only does it help you be healthy it also provides many other things. For me the biggest two things are Health and Enjoyment/social interaction. These are very important to be healthy and spend time with my friends. But most importantly don’t you want to live longer.

First of all is health. Like I said being healthy is really important. Why is it so important? Because if you are not healthy you might get bullied or not be able to do things you want to. But if you are healthy that great and nothing is bad about being healthy. Just think about say you wanted to play a sport but weren’t healthy you probably wouldn’t be able to play that sport. Also not just playing a sport. But you can die much earlier if you are not healthy. If you are not healthy you have a higher risk of cancer, stroke, high blood pressure and many more things. I don’t know about you but I want to live a long time and still play sports and play with my grandkids when I’m 50 or 60.

Lastly the last reason is enjoyment/social interaction. I love playing sports and being with my friends because it’s what I like to do. Playing basketball is my favorite thing to do and I love playing it. But it’s not only playing it I basically live around basketball 50% of what  read and write about is about basketball. I’m not a person who likes to sit around. 

Mario Miracle

10.8 seconds left…...

The 2008 NCAA men’s basketball championship all in the hands of Memphis’s best player. The future NBA MVP, The future rookie of the year and  The future 1^st overall pick in  the 2008 NBA draft. 2 free throws if he makes 2 it’s over. He steps up to the line. In and out....he misses! The crowd of 43,000 people all gasp. As they can sense Kansas stealing the momentum from Memphis. Rose Back to the line with more poise. He swishes it. A clutch free throw. But still only a three point game. After the free throw Darrel Arthur inbounds the ball to Freshman guard Sheron Collins . He takes the ball up the court, and gives a little hand off to Chalmers who almost lost it. Then fading away with 2.1 seconds Chalmers throws up a desperation three with 2.1 left and it goes in. The stadium ecstatic with fans cheering. But its not over yet Memphis inbounds the ball 2.1 and Robert Dozier throws a half court shot up at the buzzer.....and its off the backboard. We are going to overtime. 

This game was as great as the 1982 NCAA championship game when Michael Jordan hit the Game winner. That was the game that the Jordan legacy was born.  Maybe this is the game everyone notices Derrick Rose the star for Memphis. 

 Now in overtime. Kansas has all the momentum in the game. Coming back from being down by 9 points. Then Memphis started off overtime were they left off shooting the ball as cold as ice. Kansas went on a 6-0 run and they ended up winning the game in convincing fashion. The MVP of the game was Mario Chalmers which was well deserved with his astounding numbers in the championship game. Chalmers shot is referred to as the “Mario Miracle” for Kansas fans now.

Fired

Author’s Note: I wrote this because I just recently read this book and I wanted to show the point of view of different characters.

WHAT….. Just because I am not the most attractive person ever and I’m not some famous person why am I getting fired. I am a great person on the inside I have a great voice and I can be a star on TV I don’t need the looks and fame to be good.  This is what Stevie Thomas’s point of view in the book Cover-Up by John Feinstein. The story would be a lot different if Tal Vincent the USTV producer told the story. In this piece it will show both Tal and Stevie’s point of view.

First, this is the point of view of on Stevie Thomas. Stevie thought everything was perfect in his life he was a 14 year old kid on TV as a sports reporter for USTV the second most popular TV channel. Not only that but he was working along with a beautiful girl who was his girlfriend. But then one day that great life came to a screeching halt. When the USTV producer Tal Vincent made a stop by his house. Why he was there Stevie and his parents did not know. But when Tal gave Stevie the news that he was going to be fired, Stevie immediately thought about his girlfriend and who was going to work with her instead of him. After that he thought about the money he was getting. Lastly why was he getting fired in the first place.  Some of those questions were answered and some were not. Jamie Whitsitt a sandy-blond haired, blue eyed six-footer a singer from California who replaced Stevie. The thing that made Stevie mad was how Whitsitt didn’t know anything about sports. The only thing he had was the looks.

Although Stevie perspective is the one that is most clearly seen in this story there is also many other perspectives. Such as Tal Vincent the USTV producer who had to fire Stevie. This is what I think Tal’s point of view is. “Its Show Business my friend I’m Sorry” That’s exactly what Tal said when he fired Stevie. Tal didn’t intend to hurt Stevie but he just was doing what was right for the company. If Tal would have told the story it would be a lot different he wouldn’t have looked like such a bad guy instead Stevie would look like a whinny brat and the bad guy.

Even though Tal and Stevie have completely different point of views it is still the same story. That’s why in life I think you have to look at everyone’s point of view and not just your because maybe they didn’t mean to do something or you took it the wrong way like Stevie did in the book Cover-Up by John Feinstein. This was a great example of that because Stevie took Tal the wrong way.

Run!

Author's Note: I wrote this piece to Compare and Contrast the movie The Patriot and The book The Fighting Ground.

According to 1800runway.org over  50% of kids runaway. Some for good reasons and some for no reason at all. But for Jonathan in The Fighting Ground   By Avi it’s a different reason he ran away not because he hates his parents, not because he gets bullied. But instead to fight for his country the country he loves, the country he lives in, but also the country that he want to be independent. Through this story I will show you the comparisons between Jonathan and Gabriel in the movie The Patriot

Don’t go…..The first similarity I found was the both decided to runaway to war. In Jonathan scenario he was only thirteen and his father didn’t want him to go at all but he took his father’s  gun and ran. Although it wasn’t much different when Gabriel decided to run he was much older. But more importantly than that but Gabriel’s father Benjamin was a part of the French and Indian  war.  But still Benjamin still did not want Gabriel to go, because he knew how bad the war actually was.

Since Gabriel decided to run the father Benjamin decided to join the war too. The only reason he joined the war was to be by his son. This is different than Jonathan because Jonathan’s father never tried to catch him. We don’t really know why but he never did.  But when Benjamin met up with each other they ended up fighting together for the rest of the war. Things ended sadly though when Colonel William Tavington Stabbed Gabriel. Not only did he stab Gabriel but he also shot Gabriel’s brother Thomas and also burned down the church that Gabriel’s wife Anne was inside.

Lastly another crucial part to the two young men was how both of their families had to be split during the war and especially Gabriel’s family because their mother already had died. Then when their father left for war and their brother things were though. They went and lived with their mom’s sister. When Jonathan ran away the family was still together but it was hard for them as well because they knew that Jonathan might not come back alive.

In conclusion to all of the similarities and differences I have listed there are many more that I didn’t mention. I believe that what each one of these young men went through took a lot of courage and toughness. But thanks to people like Jonathan and Gabriel. Our country is now independent and free from the British. 

A Decision of a Lifetime

Author's Note: I wrote this piece because i wanted to show the reader the conflict and resolution of the story the Last Shot.

Over 75,000 people come to one of the greatest sporting events there is. The Final Four. To have somebody throw the Final Four game would be terrible. But that’s what almost happened in the book Last Shot By John Feinstien. The main conflict in this story is the star player of Minnesota State’s team Chip Graber is getting blackmailed  and told to throw the game (Person vs. Person). If he doesn’t throw the game his two 14 year old reporter friends will be kidnapped and held.

The conflict gets resolved by the kids who got kidnapped getting free. After they got free they went to Chip’s game. When they got there they found out that he was losing. He was only losing though because the wanted his friends to be back and free. When Chip saw the kids he started trying again. The game ended by Chip Graber hitting a game winning shot.  After the game they found out that Dean Wojenski who is  Chip’s dads friend was the person that was doing all the blackmailing.