Fly Away Home Literary Essay #1 By: B J & Quinn G V In the story Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting, Andrew lives a pretty tough life for a young boy because he and his dad live in an airport. I think Andrew is brave because he lives in a airport, has a job, and really does not worry about getting caught. Even though Andrew s father is trying to keep him safe and away from danger, it is against the law to sneak around in an airport and to pretty much live in one. Furthermore, I believe that Andrew s father really does love his son. I think this because if Andrew s father really did not love him, he would not be breaking the law to protect him and keep him away from danger. As can be expected, Andrew is always looking behind his back for security guards because he does not want to get kicked out of his home. Andrew and his father also have to change locations frequently just to be safe from the security guards. Andrew is not able to sleep much because that would make him look like he lives in the airport and that is not what Andrew and his father want. Furthermore it must be hard for Andrew and his dad to live in an airport because there is no privacy and there are always many people there. Additionally, Andrew is only a young boy and he has a job. People look at him weird because they think he should not have a job in an airport. People also give him little tips because they feel bad for him and they think his dad makes him work, but that is not the real reason he works. The real reason he works is so he can save as much money as possible to help his dad buy a house and so he can move out of the noisy airport. Andrew and his best friend have a deal, the agreement is whichever family gets a house first, the other family will be able to move in with them. While living in the airport Andrew does not worry about being caught because he knows his dad will come to the rescue if he ever gets caught. I think the reason Andrew is not afraid is because he looks up to his dad and his dad says don t be afraid. Andrew knows if he stays hidden he will not be found and he will be able to save enough money and move out of the airport one day, and maybe live a normal life. In the story Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting, Andrew is brave because he lives in an airport, has a job, and he really does not worry about getting caught. I think Andrew is like the bird in the story because the bird flew away home and one day, hopefully soon, Andrew will fly away home just like the bird did.
Fly Away Home Theme Based Literary Essay #2 By: B J In the story Fly Away Home, author Eve Bunting uses Andrew to teach us to fight through tough times and that everything will be okay. It is against the law to live in an airport. I think it is wrong to raise a child in an airport. I know Andrew s father is just trying to keep him off the streets, but it is still wrong to raise your child in an airport. Andrew is brave because he always seems to change the mood, he makes life as perfect as he can, and most of all he believes he will escape one day and live a normal life. To start off, Andrew seems to always change the mood. For example, when Andrew s father is down about money because he can t buy a house, Andrew always says, Dad, I believe in you. Don t stop trying now. Andrew is brave because he looks up to his father and his father says, don t be afraid. I believe Andrew and his father are going through a rough time and i'm sure are very scared! The reason I think Andrew and his father are scared is because they have no place to stay, and have to move from location to location. Andrew is trying to make life as perfect as he can, but in the position he is in it must be pretty hard. Living in an airport must be a challenge because you have no place to sleep, eat, or have any privacy. For example, Andrew collects money in his shoe. As it said in the story, I m saving money too, look! I think that it is pretty brave and mature of Andrew to save up the money he has earned. Andrew has stated in the story, Dad, I know we can make it out of here. Andrew is like the bird in the story. Andrew knew the bird was going through a rough time because the bird was trapped in the airport just like Andrew and his father are. Andrew knew someday the bird would escape from the airport, and maybe Andrew would escape too. Andrew stated in
the story, fly bird, fly away home! Maybe Andrew wasn t just talking about the bird flying away home. I believe Andrew was talking about himself and his father flying away home, just like the bird. In the story Fly Away Home, author Eve Bunting uses Andrew to teach us to fight through tough times, and that everything will be okay. Andrew is like the bird, maybe he will escape and live a normal life. Maybe the bird flew away home and and forgot about what happened in the airport. Let s hope Andrew and his father can Fly Away Home too.
Literary Essay #3 Compare and Contrast By: Blake Jones In the book Divergent by Veronica Roth, I think the theme is, make your own choices and don t look back on them. In the book the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins the theme is very similar, the theme is don t be afraid of any one and make your own choices. I think the positions both the girls are in are very bad. In Divergent the position Triss is in is she has to make the most important decision of her life because she has to choose to stay with her family or go live a different exciting life. In the Hunger Games I think the position Katniss is in is even worse. I think this because, Katniss is going to the capital to fight to the death against 24 other tributes. In Divergent the author shows us to make your own choices and don t look back on them. In the beginning and almost to the middle of the story Triss was regretting her decision about picking the Dauntless faction and moving away from her home. At the end of the story Triss realized that she was one of the strongest and smartest tributes in Dauntless and stopped regretting her decision and made the best of it. The Dauntless leaders have been trying to kill Triss because they have found out she is Divergent. The Dauntless leaders and her fellow tributes do not realize how tough Triss really is. Triss s fellow tributes underestimated her and didn t have enough time to kill her, that gave four enough time swoop in and save her life. In the Hunger Games, the author also shows us to not be afraid of any one and make your own choices. In the beginning of the story Katniss doesn t show any signs of being afraid of anything and she is nothing but tough. But when she volunteers as tribute that was very brave, but you could tell she was afraid and scared of not coming back home to district 12, I would be scared to death too. When the Hunger Games begin Katniss doesn t want any allies, until, she meets Rue. Katniss finally softens up when she meets Rue because Rue reminds her of her sister Prim. The lesson in the story is clear, don t be afraid of anyone, but don t be afraid of making friends or allies. Some people might interpret this differently. They might argue that this passage shows not to be afraid of anyone, but that to be afraid. Katniss doesn t really trust any one, ever since her father passed away. When Katniss made Rue her allie, Rue could have turned out to be awful and evil. Luckily for Katniss Rue was a nice little girl who reminded her of her sister. Rue even saved Katniss s life because she changed her leaves when Katniss encountered the tracker jackers.
Both of these books teach us to make your own choices and never look back at them. Divergent teaches us to make your own choices in an easier way then the Hunger Games. I think this because, Triss had to make the most important decision of her life to change factions from Abnegation to Dauntless, that almost never happens unless they are Divergent The Hunger Games teaches us to make our own choices in a little bit more of a complicated way. I think this because Katniss was almost heartless and as stubborn as a mule. But as the story went you could start to see her soften up. This is much harder to do then make a decision, yeah it s an important decision that could change Triss s life, but changing how you act and softening up to your friends, not being so closed is a much harder thing to do than making a decision. Softening up and acting maybe just a little bit different, that is tool we could all use.
Papa s Parrot by Cynthia Rylant By; B J I think the theme of Papa s Parrot by Cynthia Rylant is, family comes before friends. It stated in the text Harry stopped liking candy and nuts when he was around seven. I really don t believe Harry stopped liking candy. I believe he stopped going to the candy shop because he grew older and more mature and didn t want to look kid like in front of his friends. When Harry went into junior high school he started to go to a burger place and not the candy shop. I believe this made Mr. Tilian upset because he doesn t want to see his son grow up so fast. Mr. Tilian is lonely with out his son Harry, he loves his son, and most of all Mr. Tilian doesn t want to see his son grow up so fast. To start off, just because you grow older and more mature doesn t mean you have to stop doing the things you love. In Harry s case I believe that s exactly what he is trying to do. I believe Harry really does love his father but he really shows no signs of loving Mr. Tilian until Mr. Tilian has a heart attack. There is no doubt in my mind that Harry loves his father, but Harry was too blind to see that his father missed him and Mr. Tilian even bought a talking parrot to replace Harry until Harry could see that his father missed him. Maybe if Harry kept on going to the candy shop Mr. Tilian would not have had his heart attack. I m not blaming the whole thing on Harry but maybe just maybe that would have helped Mr. Tilian out. I believe Mr. Tilian is lonely without his son Harry. Secondly Mr. Tillion loves his son but that s a hard thing to do if you almost never see him during the day. Mr. Tilian got a parrot to try and replace the company of his son, but it s just not the same.the company of a real human is ten times better than a bird that just copies whatever you say. It stated in the text that Rocky is good company for Mr. Tilian. Do you really believe that, that a bird that copies whatever you say is good company. No way, i m almost positive that the company of Harry would be way better than Rocky. I think one of the reason s Mr. Tilian had a heart attack is because he was depressed about his son abandoning him so he could hang out with his friends at some burger place. Yeah Harry is growing up and entering junior high school but that gives him no excuse to just abandon his father like he did. As you grow older and more mature you probably won t like some of things you did when you were a little kid. But in Harry s case maybe he could have dropped by just a few times a week, but to never stop by is kind of mean to his father. And probably makes him feel pretty bad. Lastly Harry is growing up too fast I think this because Harry stopped going to the candy shop and almost every little kid loves candy, but apparently Harry doesn t care for candy anymore so that is a sign he is growing up way too fast. Another sign that he is growing up too fast is his parents are giving him more money because the text stated we go to a burger place. And buying a burger and meal costs quite a lot more money than buying penny candy from his
dad s candy shop. Harry is a nice boy that just got off the track for a while and kind of abandoned his father. But hopefully he won t do it again. When Harry went into junior high school he started to go to a burger place and not the candy shop. I believe this made Mr. Tilian upset because he doesn t want to see his son grow up so fast. Mr. Tilian is lonely with out his son Harry, he loves his son, and most of all Mr. Tilian doesn t want to see his son grow up so fast. Hopefully Harry and his father can make a compromise and Harry can come in to the shop two or three times a week to keep Mr. Tilian company. Maybe Harry will come in every day just like he used to, that would be nice of Harry. Being nice is really good thing, being nice and being a good person is a thing we could all use.
Grand Haven Tournament Narrative #1 By; My brothers are just getting hear from Ann Arbor to watch me play the semi final game in the Grand Haven tournament Whats up bud? My oldest brother Jordan says. Nothing. you better hit a bomb over the fence! My 16 year old brother Ryan says. Na just get base hits Jordan says. I will. Whats up boys? My dad says as he opens the creaky hotel door! Nothing. Says Ryan It felt like we were in that car for ever! says Jordan Yeah I bet! Well its about time to go says dad, Why don t you go get dressed for the game! Ok. I say disappointedly because I wanted to spend some time with my brothers! As I get dressed for the game I feel nervous because my brothers are hear and I want to do well for them but i m scared I won t! I feel fear in my stomach as I put the last piece of the uniform on I look in the mirror and smear some eye black under my eyes I blink a few times to get used to the rough material under my eyes. My palms are sweating, my knees are shaking,it feels like i m standing on a bunch of nails! Am I going to do well? Will I get a couple base hits or will I get a couple of strikeouts? It s the warm ups of the semi final game and i m really nervous about not doing well in the game I wasn't really hitting well so one of the kids on my team that I have never really bonded with came over and helped me with my swing. You're not keeping your head down says Jarrett! Ok ill try this time! BOOM I finally hit one and I knew that game I was going to hit well. And I got to hang out with a kid I never really talked to!! We jog over where Coach Jim hits fly balls as the ball smacks against there smooth leather gloves.the ump yells coin toss Coach Jim drops the bat and light jogs up to home plate to see whos going to be home, and whos going to be away. Heads or Tails asks the umpire? tails never fails right boys says coach Jim as we are walking into the dugout! The umpire flips the coin and it feels like time has stopped... The small coin smacks against the rough home plate dirt. Its heads The umpire asks the other teams coach and says do you want to hit first or play in the field first? We would like to defend the field! Says the other teams coach. Good we like hitting first! Says Coach Jim excitedly.
Its the sixth inning, my team is winning 16 to 1 it is a blowout game. There are 2 runners on and i'm up to bat. There is one strike on me and two balls the coach gives me the swing away sign that is he touches his nose and lifts his hat off. The pitcher winds up and throws the ball it looks like its coming just right! I swing as hard as I can and BOOM the ball flies over the left fielder s head and over the fence by 30 feet. All I can hear are my team mates cheering for me and the roar of the crowd! It s so loud I can t even hear my own laugh. I have a smile ear to ear when I see my dad jogging to the fence to retrieve my ball. It reminds me of last year when he did the same thing in Frankenmuth it was the fourth inning two runners on and I was up to bat... Two strikes and three balls full count the pitcher winds up and I could see the spin on the ball I knew what pitch it was a two seam fastball my favorite pitch to hit BOOM! I heard the clapping of the stands and that brought me back to the game, as I rounded first base my coach gave me a high five it felt like a bunch of bees stinging me over and over again it hurt my hand but I paid no attention to it! I rounded second base and the shortstop said, Nice hit it surprised me because he was on the other team and I never thought someone on the other team would say that! I rounded third base and headed for home sweet home!
Sand Dunes Narrative #2 by; After we won the Semi Final game in the Petoskey tournament my whole team and I went to the Petoskey State Park to swim in the lake and hike the sand dunes. We had a huge picnic with all the players and parents we all ate till are stomachs felt like they are going to explode! After all the boys and I where done feasting we decided to take a swim! I said to one of my friends. Race ya? Sure why not! Says Scoop. We sprint down to the water as the small rocks and sand crunch under our feet like sand paper! Once we get to the water Scoop beats by an inch and dives in to the water like a dolphin. Burrrr! Says Scoop he jumps out of the water and lays down in the warm sand the sun has been beating on! All my teammates jump in as well and just like Scoop jump out in about 5 seconds. A kid on my team Jarrett is the only one who stayed in the water because I guess he is used to cold water because he lives on a lake. Come on guys! Says Jarrett. Is it still cold? Says Josh. No not really. Says Jarrett We all jump in and its still really cold so we kind of have a panic attack. Well I know i m not going back in their! Same here! Says Scoop. Well why don t we all go for a hike? Yeah that sounds pretty fun I guess! Well lets do it! Our parents only let three of us go on a hike so the three where Josh, Scoop, and I. We hiked up to the top of the sand dune we decided to climb all the way to the top! The view was just spectacular! We got to the top and decided to just hang out on the top for a while because it is so beautiful! It was getting kind of dark so we had to start trudging our way down the huge dune! It is so dark we can t even see each other except Scoop because he was wearing a neon orange bathing suit! We were about halfway down the dune then Josh tripped over a huge rock and summer salted down the dune we started running towards him the sand felt like glass under our toes. Once we got there he said he had a headache but I think he was lying because he wanted a piggy back ride back to where the party was!!! Once we got back to the party it was pitch black so all the parents and coaches didn t see us coming. We brought Josh to his parents and told his parents what happened, his mom was worried but his dad just kind of laughed at him. Josh started laughing to, and I could tell I gave him a piggyback ride for nothing!