“Drive faster!” shouted Kevin.
“I’m already going ten over the limit,” replied Alex as he accelerated down an empty stretch of highway in a black Mercedes sedan. “You in a hurry Kev?”
“No, it’s only the day before Christmas and my flight leaves Dulles in three hours, nope no hurry.”
“Kevin’s right, drive faster Alex,” replied Natalie, “I want to get home too.”
“Alright, but if we get pulled over you guys are taking the blame.”
“Oh great, it’s starting to snow,” announced Alex.
“You want me to drive, Alex?” ask Kevin.
“No way, you’ll get us all killed!”
“I’m bored,” explained Kevin.
“Well than update your Facebook or text someone and tell them that you’re gonna be late for Christmas because Alex is driving so slow!” Replied Natalie.
“I heard that,” shouted Alex.
“I wasn’t trying not to be heard.”
“Crap!” shouted Kevin, “I have no bars.”
“Neither do I,” replied Natalie.
“What about you McKill Joy?” Asked Kevin.
“Nope.”
“Since we have no way of calling someone when the car dies, can we please drive faster so we can get out of here!” Shouted Kevin.
“As intriguing as that sounds, am gonna have to pass,” replied Alex.
“Why?”
“So we don’t slip on a patch of ice and die!”
“The likely hood of that actually happening is…” started Kevin.
“Watch the road!” Natalie shouted, but it was too late; the sedan run over a patch of ice and rolled down a hill into a deep bank if snow.
“Agh”
“Ouch”
“Everyone okay?” Asked Natalie.
“Yup”
“What about you Alex?”
“Yea, I’m fine.”
“I should’ve been driving,” said Kevin.
“ If you were driving we would be stranded in the middle of nowhere,” explained Alex.
“Look who’s calling the pot black,” replied Kevin.
“News flash Alex, we are stranded in the middle of nowhere,” said Natalie, “anybody have any bars?”
“Nope.”
“Still, none.”
“Great, we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with no way of contacting anyone on Christmas Eve,” shouted Kevin, “could this day get any worse?”
“We could be dead Kev,” replied Natalie.
“Good point.”
“Why don’t you two go up by the road and try to flag someone down,” Kevin explained, “I’ll go walk around and try to get a signal.”
“Why should we go stand by the road, why can’t you,” questioned Alex, “You might rip your designer jeans on something?”
“Hahaha, very funny,” replied Kevin, “I’m stronger, senior, and more superior, now go.”
“Come on Alex,” said Natalie, “There’s no use in arguing, we’re in this for better or for worse.”
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Speak
A Literary Analysis of Speak
Think back to your freshman year of high school; you were starting to become more independent and you friends were most valuable to you. They’re who you turned to when you didn’t know what to do; they give you advice when you don’t know which way to turn, or which road to take. What if all your friends suddenly hated you? You would feel alone and become depressed. This is very much the case for Melinda Sardino, the main character in the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Melinda called the cops at an end of summer party when she was attacked and now everyone hates her although no one knows what really happened. Melinda became depressed and the fact that her parents couldn’t care less about what’s happening to her didn’t help. Anderson’s comedy shows the reader the effect that depression and bad parenting have on everyday life.
To understand the role that depression and bad parenting plays, you have to look at the sequence of events in correlation to the mode of literature. Starting the book out was Melinda’s first day of high school and Melinda is just as nervous as everyone else as she walks on the bus thinking “where to sit?”(pg.1) It’s normal life, the first indication of a comedy; yet the sense of normalcy dissipated rather quickly when everyone remembers Melinda Sordino called the cops at the end of summer party. Now Melinda’s best friend hates her, the entire school knows her name, and to top that off, her parents couldn’t care less about what’s happening to her, her conflict had arisen.
Melinda keeps on getting more and more depressed because of the fact that everyone hates her, but when finally she takes the bull by the horns and ends her misery once and for all, she takes control of her life again. The fact that no one knows about what happened at the party drove Melinda to a breaking point; she finally had to tell someone what about what happened when Andy Evans attacked her at the party, and she told the one person who she had once trusted the most, ex-best friend Rachel. Shortly after that Andy Evans holds Melinda in a closet against her will and Melinda yells, “NNNOOO!!!” (pg.194). It was the best decision she had ever made, she was in control once more, it was resolution of all her conflicts . Melinda was forgiven by everyone who had held a grudge against her, she was free to be herself once more.
With the mode in mind, you can see the effects that Melinda's depression has on her everyday life. Melinda showed many signs of depression throughout the book from staying in small dark places to cutting wrists. She started out simply avoiding mirrors at school and taking them out of her room, but shortly after that she started hanging out in an old deserted closet. When Melinda was a assigned trees for her art project she drew ugly black dead trees. But the worst came later when she cut her wrists with a paper clip, an obvious cry for help. All this is not simply your every day case of a depressed teenager, but it is much more it could even be PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), a result of when she was attacked at the party.
To any good parent all these symptoms would be seen as a desperate cry for help, but Melinda's parents are anything but good parents. To communicate with one another they use a system of sticky notes; I mean yeah if you’re going to be late go ahead and put a note on the counter, but every day is going way overboard. They're severing any family communications that they ever had. As time goes on, the parenting only gets worse when Melinda’s grades keep slipping and her parents think she’s just trying to make a point, “Mom: (creepy smile) Thought you could put one over on us, did you, Melinda? Big high school student now, don’t need to show your homework to your parents. Dad: Cut the crap.”(pg.35). But the worst comes later after Melinda cuts her wrists, “Mom: I don’t have time for this, Melinda.
Me:
She says suicide is for is for cowards. This is an uglynasty Momside.
She bought a book about it. Tough love. Sour sugar. Barbed velvet.
Silent talk.” (pg. 88)
Honestly? Who buys a book about suicide for your kid who just cut their wrists?!?! These parents should have never gotten married let alone had a child.
The effects of depression and bad parenting on a teen's life can be catastrophic if they are not handled properly. If Melinda had friends and family that loved and cared about her, she could have overcome her fear and depression and became a normal kid just like you and me.
Think back to your freshman year of high school; you were starting to become more independent and you friends were most valuable to you. They’re who you turned to when you didn’t know what to do; they give you advice when you don’t know which way to turn, or which road to take. What if all your friends suddenly hated you? You would feel alone and become depressed. This is very much the case for Melinda Sardino, the main character in the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Melinda called the cops at an end of summer party when she was attacked and now everyone hates her although no one knows what really happened. Melinda became depressed and the fact that her parents couldn’t care less about what’s happening to her didn’t help. Anderson’s comedy shows the reader the effect that depression and bad parenting have on everyday life.
To understand the role that depression and bad parenting plays, you have to look at the sequence of events in correlation to the mode of literature. Starting the book out was Melinda’s first day of high school and Melinda is just as nervous as everyone else as she walks on the bus thinking “where to sit?”(pg.1) It’s normal life, the first indication of a comedy; yet the sense of normalcy dissipated rather quickly when everyone remembers Melinda Sordino called the cops at the end of summer party. Now Melinda’s best friend hates her, the entire school knows her name, and to top that off, her parents couldn’t care less about what’s happening to her, her conflict had arisen.
Melinda keeps on getting more and more depressed because of the fact that everyone hates her, but when finally she takes the bull by the horns and ends her misery once and for all, she takes control of her life again. The fact that no one knows about what happened at the party drove Melinda to a breaking point; she finally had to tell someone what about what happened when Andy Evans attacked her at the party, and she told the one person who she had once trusted the most, ex-best friend Rachel. Shortly after that Andy Evans holds Melinda in a closet against her will and Melinda yells, “NNNOOO!!!” (pg.194). It was the best decision she had ever made, she was in control once more, it was resolution of all her conflicts . Melinda was forgiven by everyone who had held a grudge against her, she was free to be herself once more.
With the mode in mind, you can see the effects that Melinda's depression has on her everyday life. Melinda showed many signs of depression throughout the book from staying in small dark places to cutting wrists. She started out simply avoiding mirrors at school and taking them out of her room, but shortly after that she started hanging out in an old deserted closet. When Melinda was a assigned trees for her art project she drew ugly black dead trees. But the worst came later when she cut her wrists with a paper clip, an obvious cry for help. All this is not simply your every day case of a depressed teenager, but it is much more it could even be PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), a result of when she was attacked at the party.
To any good parent all these symptoms would be seen as a desperate cry for help, but Melinda's parents are anything but good parents. To communicate with one another they use a system of sticky notes; I mean yeah if you’re going to be late go ahead and put a note on the counter, but every day is going way overboard. They're severing any family communications that they ever had. As time goes on, the parenting only gets worse when Melinda’s grades keep slipping and her parents think she’s just trying to make a point, “Mom: (creepy smile) Thought you could put one over on us, did you, Melinda? Big high school student now, don’t need to show your homework to your parents. Dad: Cut the crap.”(pg.35). But the worst comes later after Melinda cuts her wrists, “Mom: I don’t have time for this, Melinda.
Me:
She says suicide is for is for cowards. This is an uglynasty Momside.
She bought a book about it. Tough love. Sour sugar. Barbed velvet.
Silent talk.” (pg. 88)
Honestly? Who buys a book about suicide for your kid who just cut their wrists?!?! These parents should have never gotten married let alone had a child.
The effects of depression and bad parenting on a teen's life can be catastrophic if they are not handled properly. If Melinda had friends and family that loved and cared about her, she could have overcome her fear and depression and became a normal kid just like you and me.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Concorde
At 60,000 feet above the Atlantic, flying at a stunning 1,355mph, you are sitting in a roomy leather seat sipping an expensive glass of champagne. As you look out your window, the streaming white and blue of the sky reminds you that you are flying faster than the speed of sound, on Concorde, the fastest commercial airplane ever to fly. Going from London Heathrow to JFK in an astonishing three and a half hours. Although in its time, Concorde was a technological marvel, Concorde has plummeted to its end.
This technological marvel’s research began in 1956 in multiple European countries. After six years of failed tests, British Aerospace and Aerospatiale of France started a joint operation in 1962. Creating such an aircraft that will fly faster than the speed of sound required a lot of time and money. Finally in March 1969, a sleek aerodynamic prototype arrived, Concorde was here, the supersonic dream was now reality. Five short months later in October, the prototype flew for the first time, a mere glimpse of what was yet to come (World Book Advanced).
One of the most important aspects that British Aerospace and Aerospatiale France had to consider when constructing Concorde was the layout. Concorde was 9½ foot wide and a 204 foot long aircraft that could seat 100 passengers in spacious leather seats. It was a delta winged air craft with a wingspan of 84 feet. One of the most unique characteristics about the aircraft was its nose, Concorde had a drop nose that would point down during takeoff and landing, and straight while flying. Concorde carried its many passengers at a breath taking 1,355mph, twice the speed of sound. The aircraft also had a shocking cruising altitude of 60,000 feet, twice that of a 747's 30,000 foot cursing altitude (World Book Advanced).
Once the prototypes layout was perfected, it was time for Concorde's first commercial flight. Taking place on January 21st 1976, Concorde flew its first ever commercial flight. There were two "kick-off" flights in January 1976, with the first ever commercial flight on the 21st via British Airways from London Heathrow to Bahrain and a second flight shortly after that via Air-France from Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport to Rio de Janiero (World Book Advanced). One month after the first flight, in February 1976, British Prime Minister James Callaghan and French President Giscard d'Estaing requested landing rights for the Concorde at JFK. President Carter allowed a 16 month trial run before giving full landing rights (Carter). By the year 2000, almost all of Concorde's supersonic flights were between New York, London, and Paris (World Book Advanced).
After Concorde's first flight, it served 24 years of safe service, until July 25, 2000. On the 25th of July 2000, an Air-France Concorde plummeted down from the sky and crashed into a hotel sending shrapnel in every direction killing 113 people. This Air-France Concorde's left engines had failed a mere two minutes after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle Airport. Failing first was the number two engine, which had allegedly been repaired shortly before takeoff. Shortly after that, the number one engine failed causing the aircraft to go plummeting down where it crashed into a French hotel near Charles de Gaulle Airport (Rubin). Immediately after the crash, Concorde was grounded. The certification of the aircraft was revoked and "Worlds Favorite Airline" British Airways flew a little slower (Ford).
Concorde came back with its certification after a few months, but only to fly a little longer. The ending came for Concorde on October 24, 2003, only three short years after the Air-France crash. Flying at supersonic speed wasn't the only thing that mattered anymore. Concorde's had quite a bit of pollution, and with an unstable economy it was time for Concorde to go. Retiring the world's only supersonic commercial aircraft was a day that will remain in infamy. "Heathrow, England, Oct. 24--Concorde took to the skies Friday for its last ever flight, sending world's only supersonic airliner flying into the history books after 27 year” (Walker). Three Concorde's cruised the Atlantic that afternoon all landing at the British Airways terminal at London Heathrow International Airport (Walker).
Concorde has gone from a masterpiece that no one thought could have failed, to a display in the museums and a page in the history books. It only goes to show that something that has taken years of time to create can so easily be ended.
This technological marvel’s research began in 1956 in multiple European countries. After six years of failed tests, British Aerospace and Aerospatiale of France started a joint operation in 1962. Creating such an aircraft that will fly faster than the speed of sound required a lot of time and money. Finally in March 1969, a sleek aerodynamic prototype arrived, Concorde was here, the supersonic dream was now reality. Five short months later in October, the prototype flew for the first time, a mere glimpse of what was yet to come (World Book Advanced).
One of the most important aspects that British Aerospace and Aerospatiale France had to consider when constructing Concorde was the layout. Concorde was 9½ foot wide and a 204 foot long aircraft that could seat 100 passengers in spacious leather seats. It was a delta winged air craft with a wingspan of 84 feet. One of the most unique characteristics about the aircraft was its nose, Concorde had a drop nose that would point down during takeoff and landing, and straight while flying. Concorde carried its many passengers at a breath taking 1,355mph, twice the speed of sound. The aircraft also had a shocking cruising altitude of 60,000 feet, twice that of a 747's 30,000 foot cursing altitude (World Book Advanced).
Once the prototypes layout was perfected, it was time for Concorde's first commercial flight. Taking place on January 21st 1976, Concorde flew its first ever commercial flight. There were two "kick-off" flights in January 1976, with the first ever commercial flight on the 21st via British Airways from London Heathrow to Bahrain and a second flight shortly after that via Air-France from Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport to Rio de Janiero (World Book Advanced). One month after the first flight, in February 1976, British Prime Minister James Callaghan and French President Giscard d'Estaing requested landing rights for the Concorde at JFK. President Carter allowed a 16 month trial run before giving full landing rights (Carter). By the year 2000, almost all of Concorde's supersonic flights were between New York, London, and Paris (World Book Advanced).
After Concorde's first flight, it served 24 years of safe service, until July 25, 2000. On the 25th of July 2000, an Air-France Concorde plummeted down from the sky and crashed into a hotel sending shrapnel in every direction killing 113 people. This Air-France Concorde's left engines had failed a mere two minutes after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle Airport. Failing first was the number two engine, which had allegedly been repaired shortly before takeoff. Shortly after that, the number one engine failed causing the aircraft to go plummeting down where it crashed into a French hotel near Charles de Gaulle Airport (Rubin). Immediately after the crash, Concorde was grounded. The certification of the aircraft was revoked and "Worlds Favorite Airline" British Airways flew a little slower (Ford).
Concorde came back with its certification after a few months, but only to fly a little longer. The ending came for Concorde on October 24, 2003, only three short years after the Air-France crash. Flying at supersonic speed wasn't the only thing that mattered anymore. Concorde's had quite a bit of pollution, and with an unstable economy it was time for Concorde to go. Retiring the world's only supersonic commercial aircraft was a day that will remain in infamy. "Heathrow, England, Oct. 24--Concorde took to the skies Friday for its last ever flight, sending world's only supersonic airliner flying into the history books after 27 year” (Walker). Three Concorde's cruised the Atlantic that afternoon all landing at the British Airways terminal at London Heathrow International Airport (Walker).
Concorde has gone from a masterpiece that no one thought could have failed, to a display in the museums and a page in the history books. It only goes to show that something that has taken years of time to create can so easily be ended.
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