A deal is a deal, someone helps you and you do something for them in return, easy. Not always... sometimes a deal isn’t what it seems, especially when you’re dealing with death. In “Godfather Death” by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm this is very much the case as a poor man deals with Death to get his newborn son a godfather. Death doesn’t discriminate and may seem fair, but he can be as evil as the devil, he will only keep you alive as long as he sees necessary, and you never know what will come next.
Grimm’s fabulous story would be nothing if not for its plotline in reference to the ironic mode of literature. A chaotic world is obvious as the poor man searches for a godfather; not the Lord God, not the Devil, but Death, yes, someone who he believes to be fair. But wait the boy will soon be seen struggling as Death makes him a deal: the boy will become a doctor and get a herb that can cure all diseases, but whenever Death is seen at the feet of a patient, he must die no matter who it is or Death will come to our dear boy.
All is well as our boy takes his burden and saves those who will live and leaves those who must die; until he finds the king on his table, with Death at his feet. Our poor boy suddenly found himself struggling for life as he second guesses his mission and thought, “If I cheat Death this onetime he will be angry, but since I am his godson, he will turn a blind eye.”(pg.11). And turn a blind eye death did as he spared our boy, but he warned him never to cross him again. But cross him our boy did as he saved the king’s daughter came onto the boy’s table with Death at her feet. A horrible mistake indeed as Death showed no mercy as he knocked down our boy’s candle
and as the flame went out so did the life in our dear boy, ending the story on death.
After looking at the mode, you have to look at the very small details that make up the few symbols in the story. We will first look at the king’s daughter, why would he save her if our dear boy knew that his life lay in his decision? The answer lays in what drives all men, greed; if he saved the princess he would undoubtedly be rewarded with a vast sum of money. Also he may have ended up marrying the princess and becoming king where he would have everything that he could possibly imagine. But by taking that temptation he found himself in a room full of candles lit with a glowing flame. An obvious symbol of how long to live, a representation of a clock winding down to your last sunrise.
Dealing with Death may seem wise due to his fairness and lack of discrimination, however with the fairness of Death comes the question of what its next move will be and who he will take next. Deals can be murder if every aspect is not carefully examined as we saw throughout “Godfather Death” as our boy struggled for life and then fell to his sticky death; let this be an example to you as your life progresses and you find yourself in the same sticky situation.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Reason Free From Passion
“’The law is reason free from passion,’ or so says Aristotle,” she said. “During the next three years I am going to teach you everything from the most extreme elements of litigation to the simplest methods of legal contracts; and while I do so, I want you to prove Aristotle wrong,” my professor paused and seemed to look straight at me, “I want you to put the most passion you possible can into the study of law and when you leave Harvard, I want you to practice a passion filled law.”
I remembered it as though it were yesterday, as I sat in the conference room; my first day of law school had been one of the most memorable days of my life. My life as a litigator was changed from the moment my professor spoke those unforgettable words. I had always taken my morals and self preservation above anything else, until now.
“This job could change your life forever,” they told me. I couldn’t stop to object as I thought of what my life could be like: a big house on the north shore, a few Mercedes parked in the garage, expensive Italian clothes, and a country club for relaxing.
I suddenly thought of my early case as a prosecutor for the Chicago DA’s office. I had to put away a man accused of premeditated murder; as I sat in that Illinois court room listening to the defense plead insanity before the grand jury, I looked into his eyes and saw the sanity and thought that there wasn’t enough money in the world to get me to represent that cold blooded killer. Next I was sitting in the office of one of the most reputable attorneys in the state as he tried to negotiate a plea bargain for a man charged with fraud who had ruined the life of an innocent old lady; my second chair did most of the talking because I was so disgusted by what the man had done.
“Are you with us?” I heard someone ask.
“Oh, yes; umm I don’t know how to put this but… I just can’t take this job.”
“What??? This could change your life forever.”
“Trust me, I know; I just can’t do this.”
“So what then?”
“You know what they say, as one door closes, another opens.” As I said that I got out of my seat and walked out the open door and thought to myself, Reason free from passion.
Yeah right Aristotle.
I remembered it as though it were yesterday, as I sat in the conference room; my first day of law school had been one of the most memorable days of my life. My life as a litigator was changed from the moment my professor spoke those unforgettable words. I had always taken my morals and self preservation above anything else, until now.
“This job could change your life forever,” they told me. I couldn’t stop to object as I thought of what my life could be like: a big house on the north shore, a few Mercedes parked in the garage, expensive Italian clothes, and a country club for relaxing.
I suddenly thought of my early case as a prosecutor for the Chicago DA’s office. I had to put away a man accused of premeditated murder; as I sat in that Illinois court room listening to the defense plead insanity before the grand jury, I looked into his eyes and saw the sanity and thought that there wasn’t enough money in the world to get me to represent that cold blooded killer. Next I was sitting in the office of one of the most reputable attorneys in the state as he tried to negotiate a plea bargain for a man charged with fraud who had ruined the life of an innocent old lady; my second chair did most of the talking because I was so disgusted by what the man had done.
“Are you with us?” I heard someone ask.
“Oh, yes; umm I don’t know how to put this but… I just can’t take this job.”
“What??? This could change your life forever.”
“Trust me, I know; I just can’t do this.”
“So what then?”
“You know what they say, as one door closes, another opens.” As I said that I got out of my seat and walked out the open door and thought to myself, Reason free from passion.
Yeah right Aristotle.
"The Masque of the Red Death"
Imagine a party with a thousand people all dressed in costumes, an orchestra playing in the background, everyone dancing with laughter, it’s a grand masquerade. But all through the night you cannot help to think that something isn’t right, something or someone is out of place. This is the case exactly in “The Masque of the Red Death”, by Edgar Allen Poe, as Prince Prospero gathers 1,000 of his subjects and attempts to escape the dreaded Red Death. Poe’s magnificent placement of symbols and exemplary details seen as the ironic mode is portrayed truly makes this story come alive.
The most stunning aspect of Poe’s brilliant irony is without question his outstanding placement of his many symbols. Almost immediately we meet Poe’s first symbolic reference, Prince Prospero; our lovely prince’s name should instantly give you some foreshadow to his personality as you see it look much like the word prosperity. And foreshadow it does as you see the prince in all of his arrogance display his richness and wealth as he attempts to delay the inevitable, the Red Death. Perhaps the only glimpse of hope or light comes next as you read of Prospero’s castled abbey, the location of his grand escape. But the thought of an abbey may be a chance given to the people to repent before their sticky end comes and they will face their judgment day.
Only within that castled abbey shall we see the best of the best, Poe’s prized jewel of symbolism. This room is different from all the rest in Prospero’s castled abbey, it is covered in black velvet cloth and trimmed with the scarlet red color of blood; the way Poe has designed this room has brought us to think of the deepest layers of hell and to feel the cold reality of death. But wait there’s more, if you noticed before I mentioned that this seventh room was also known as the west room. West, the direction of which the sun sets; an obvious symbol of downward, darkness, and even death. At last we come to the last element of the western room, the clock of ebony; a mysterious symbol of darkness as it represents the time winding down until the death of the people shall come, a most vivid reminder of death.
These wonderful symbols would not be quite so vivid if not for the carefully planned events in the plot of the ironic mode of literature. Chaos is the obvious state of the world as the dreaded Red Death spreads through the land causing misery and death to whomever it touches. As the 1,000 people try to evade the inevitable by hiding in Prospero’s safe house you see them figuratively struggle for life as the ebony clock winds down to their untimely death. And the end comes as the Red Death in human form is de-masked and the devastating power touches all and swiftly takes the life of each of the 1,000 and as the ebony clock rang for the last time, the last of the partiers fell to their horrible death.
The vivid symbols and brilliant plot line portrayed by Poe makes this grand masquerade of a story truly take flight. Prince Prospero attempted to evade the inevitable, the Red Death; but he has failed to learn that death has no limits and reigns in every crevice and every inch of the world; he has failed to learn that “the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all”(pg.390).
The most stunning aspect of Poe’s brilliant irony is without question his outstanding placement of his many symbols. Almost immediately we meet Poe’s first symbolic reference, Prince Prospero; our lovely prince’s name should instantly give you some foreshadow to his personality as you see it look much like the word prosperity. And foreshadow it does as you see the prince in all of his arrogance display his richness and wealth as he attempts to delay the inevitable, the Red Death. Perhaps the only glimpse of hope or light comes next as you read of Prospero’s castled abbey, the location of his grand escape. But the thought of an abbey may be a chance given to the people to repent before their sticky end comes and they will face their judgment day.
Only within that castled abbey shall we see the best of the best, Poe’s prized jewel of symbolism. This room is different from all the rest in Prospero’s castled abbey, it is covered in black velvet cloth and trimmed with the scarlet red color of blood; the way Poe has designed this room has brought us to think of the deepest layers of hell and to feel the cold reality of death. But wait there’s more, if you noticed before I mentioned that this seventh room was also known as the west room. West, the direction of which the sun sets; an obvious symbol of downward, darkness, and even death. At last we come to the last element of the western room, the clock of ebony; a mysterious symbol of darkness as it represents the time winding down until the death of the people shall come, a most vivid reminder of death.
These wonderful symbols would not be quite so vivid if not for the carefully planned events in the plot of the ironic mode of literature. Chaos is the obvious state of the world as the dreaded Red Death spreads through the land causing misery and death to whomever it touches. As the 1,000 people try to evade the inevitable by hiding in Prospero’s safe house you see them figuratively struggle for life as the ebony clock winds down to their untimely death. And the end comes as the Red Death in human form is de-masked and the devastating power touches all and swiftly takes the life of each of the 1,000 and as the ebony clock rang for the last time, the last of the partiers fell to their horrible death.
The vivid symbols and brilliant plot line portrayed by Poe makes this grand masquerade of a story truly take flight. Prince Prospero attempted to evade the inevitable, the Red Death; but he has failed to learn that death has no limits and reigns in every crevice and every inch of the world; he has failed to learn that “the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all”(pg.390).
Thursday, January 21, 2010
"The Tell Tale Heart"
Imagine the perfect crime, nothing is out of place, no sign of a struggle, and not a single scrap of forensic evidence. Your criminal is seemingly brilliant and very sane to have perfectly executed such a crime. This is very much the case in “The Tell Tale Heart”, by Edgar Allen Poe, as the narrator goes about telling his epic testimony. The absolute reality and authenticity that Poe added, along with the complexity and the sanity struggle of the narrator truly make the tragic mode come alive.
To fully understand Poe’s tragedy, “The Tell Tale Heart”, you must carefully examine the plot line in correlation to the tragic mode of literature. A conflicted world for our lovely narrator is the clear starting point of this tragedy, as he was constantly being haunted by the “vulture eye” of the old man, and when convinces himself to take very drastic action to save his sanity. Our narrator has made a decision that he will undoubtedly regret in his near future as his rise to power comes while he carefully takes the life of the old man and dismembers the remains. At this point, you are most certainly thinking that our narrator is most definitely mad, but wait there is more to our narrator’s epic tale.
While his ethics and performance may bring you to question the sanity of the narrator, his great precision and confidence may bring you some second thoughts. As this tragic story continues, you will see our extremely confidant narrator graciously take in some police detectives and sit them right above the dismembered remains under the floor as his confidence overwhelms him as his rise to power comes to its sticky end as the tragic flaw appears through his gulity conscience. As the detectives sit there his heart starts to beat louder and louder; he however believes it to be that of the old man, he starts to have a tantrum and screams out confessing to all of his horrible crime, which is his tragic fall and death symbolism.
The tragic mode is perfectly captured from the astounding complexity and detail of both the narrator and plot line created by Poe. Many crimes are committed daily, some are committed by those who are very sane, others by those who have no sanity what so ever; “The Tell Tale Heart” is one that can go either way. So I ask you, was his confession subject of guilt or subject of insanity?
To fully understand Poe’s tragedy, “The Tell Tale Heart”, you must carefully examine the plot line in correlation to the tragic mode of literature. A conflicted world for our lovely narrator is the clear starting point of this tragedy, as he was constantly being haunted by the “vulture eye” of the old man, and when convinces himself to take very drastic action to save his sanity. Our narrator has made a decision that he will undoubtedly regret in his near future as his rise to power comes while he carefully takes the life of the old man and dismembers the remains. At this point, you are most certainly thinking that our narrator is most definitely mad, but wait there is more to our narrator’s epic tale.
While his ethics and performance may bring you to question the sanity of the narrator, his great precision and confidence may bring you some second thoughts. As this tragic story continues, you will see our extremely confidant narrator graciously take in some police detectives and sit them right above the dismembered remains under the floor as his confidence overwhelms him as his rise to power comes to its sticky end as the tragic flaw appears through his gulity conscience. As the detectives sit there his heart starts to beat louder and louder; he however believes it to be that of the old man, he starts to have a tantrum and screams out confessing to all of his horrible crime, which is his tragic fall and death symbolism.
The tragic mode is perfectly captured from the astounding complexity and detail of both the narrator and plot line created by Poe. Many crimes are committed daily, some are committed by those who are very sane, others by those who have no sanity what so ever; “The Tell Tale Heart” is one that can go either way. So I ask you, was his confession subject of guilt or subject of insanity?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Creative Writing
“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.”
“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 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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