Significant Event

Christopher Choyce
Mr. De Vito, Sr.
English 2
9/13/12



     The most significant thing that ever happened to me was moving to Denmark. I had very few friends, culture shock and a new school! These are the reasons why moving to Denmark, was a significant event in my life.

When I first moved I only had made two friends. That summer was a sweltering one so we never really hung out. I was also too busy unpacking my boxes! In South Portland I had alot of friends and we hung out alot. During our move the computer broke and we didn't have any internet. So I wasn’t able to communicate the best with friends after I moved. I felt very alone and socially disconnected from the world.

In South Portland you could walk everywhere like the mall or a friends house. After we moved I either have to get a ride to wherever I want to go. There would be also always be some sort of ambience noise, like a lawnmower, sirens or people. When we first moved all I heard was crickets and the occasional bird! It was a big change from what I was used to. The only source of water now is a well and bottled water. In the city we had a endless amount so we could take long showers, but you would get a long water bill too! Now we have to be very careful with how much water we use.

Going to a new school and learning the layout on the first day was a very big challenge! I actually didn’t have a schedule till everyone went to the assembly the first real day for everyone. Waking up at 5:30 so I can catch the bus has been a big change. I'm used to waking up a hour later! The hour bus ride is fun because I can listen to music, do homework or read a book!

So from a lack of friends, new school and the culture shock that came along with it, moving to Denmark was a really significant event! At first I was disappointed I was moving but after a week(s) i'm really glad I moved. The academy is a good school and I was welcomed with open arms by everyone!

City from Country Speech

My speech is about how city life is better and more convenient than life in rural areas. I lived in the city for 15 years before moving to the town of Denmark and frankly it's boring. My three reasons are access to goods, jobs and transportation. I will use my old city that i used to live in (South Portland) to help back up my statements.

In the city you have shopping plazas and stores all around you. Within 1 mile of my house there were over 50 stores I had access to shop from.  Within 8 miles of my house I had more than 250 stores thanks to the Maine Mall and it’s nearby plaza’s. So I had a endless amount of restaurants to eat from and stores to shop from! So if you want something you can get it nearby and fast. In rural areas you have to travel farther distances to get what you want.

The city offers many more jobs than rural areas.The usual jobs in a typical rural area are farming and logging. In the city you have much more to choose from and more jobs. In South Portland on a job site I found 2,749 listings for job. I found 113 jobs for the Fryeburg/Bridgton area. South Portland offered enough jobs to hire everyone in Denmark and Brownfield. That’s a large difference between the two areas.

You don’t really need a car in the city because of the large amount of transportation opportunities. You could take a bus, taxi, train or even walk to reach your destination. South Portland offers over 15 different bus routes dropping you off at key places in the city. The city also offers 8.2 miles of walking trails going through the city and into Portland. The walkway was very helpful when I had to walk to middle school. In rural areas they usually don't offer a bus system, taxi or train.

So as you can see the city is a much more convenient way to live than rural areas. Cities have more to offer such as sights, culture and people. I lived in the city for 15 years so I know.

Only One Left

It all started on March 8th, 2032. It was a bright sunny morning with a brisk chill in the air. Like any normal morning the birds were chirping away and my cat meowing at me to get up. The only thing that wasn't normal was that there were no cars or human noises. I got out of my bed and went downstairs to get my breakfast. The floorboards were cold as I walked to get my milk, cereal, bowl ETC. I ate my breakfast out on the screen porch. Well that was only for a minute until the wind picked up. Coming back inside I was greeted by my cat scratching my leg to make me get him food.
"Ok Ginger just wait a second."
I finished my tasty bowl of Fruity Pebbles and gave Ginger his food. Then I heard a loud thump coming down the stairs. That was Madeline who is very clumsy and cranky when she gets up.
"Give me food critter."
Yep your probably wondering who critter is and that’s me. Well she calls me critter while everyone calls me Chris or Christopher.
"Alright then what do you want?"
"Hmmm maybe some Chocolate Poptarts."
Chocolate was one of her favorite foods. She must think i'm crazy enough to give her one! Our mom who was very strict would kill her or me and probably both if she found out Madeline had a poptart!
"No way Madeline and you know why! Mom would get so mad at us!"
"Yeah but mommy isn't hear or daddy or jecka."
Wait did she say know one was home!? Oh yeah and jecka is our older sister who attends the community collage down the street.
"Did you just say that know one except us is home?"
"Yeah I did now can I have the poptart?"
I was to shocked to think so I gave her the poptart anyway. She ran into the family room and watched Spongebob. I looked out the window and both cars were there safely in the garage. I decided I would call my grandparents to ask if they knew where my parents and sister were.
Ring Ring.. Ring Ring.. Ring Ring.. HELLO PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AFTER THE BEEP: BEEP
"Hey ummm is anyone home? Well if anyone is can you call me back? Oh yeah and where is our parents and Jessica? Ok ummm love yeah bye."
Ok know one answered so mine as well try later, so for now mine as well do the dishes. I was going to go and empty the dishwasher when Madeline came in.
"Aren't you gonna get me ready for school?"
Oh yeah I completely forgot that we had school! Wait what time was it anyway?
8:40 A.M.
"Wow Madeline we slept in because I'm late and your late for school. The weird thing is I didn't hear your bus go by."
"I didn't either so how we supposed to get to school now?"
"Stay right here and get your clothes on."
I started walking outside to my next door neighbors the Tiddbuns who had a daughter Madeline's age. I reached the front door and knocked. Knock Knock Knock... Knock Knock Knock...
"Hey anyone home around here?"
No Answer to my question. I raced over to the next and the same result. I did the same until I reached the gas station maybe half a mile up. By that time I thought of Madeline waiting for me. I raced back to her because we were the only ones left.


When I reached the house Madeline was waiting impatiently.
"Where did you go?"
"Madeline please get a nice warm jacket, gloves and scarf."
"Ok fine but I want to know where you were."
Madeline got her winter clothing on and so did I. I grabbed the house keys and my moms minivan keys.
"Now Madeline we have to go somewhere ok and just to let you know the school is closed."
"Wait a minute here did you say its closed?"
"Yes now come with me and get in the car."
We got into the car and Madeline knew by that time something was up If I was about to drive and for the first time. I turned around to face her in her seat.
"Madeline do you really want to know whats going on?"
"Yes because I don't like lies critter."
"Ok you may find this hard to believe but I went around door to door up to the Exon Station and know one answered and there were no cars anywhere on the road so I believe we are the last two humans on the planet."
"That’s silly critter we aren't the last two on earth! Now where are we going?"
"Well first were going to Walmart, Target, Gamestop, A.C. Moore and Shaws with a few other stops in mind." Now please buckle up and be quiet!"
I put the keys in the ignition and started the car. I cranked the heat up so we wouldn't be too cold. I slowly drove out of the garage into the street. On our way to the destinations everything felt eerie. Driving was hard for the first time but got the hang of it. I quickly made my way to Walmart in about 10 minutes because of no traffic. I turned around and told Madeline what we were going to do. Our main goal was to loot the store. We would find anything we want and put it in our cart. We had a maximum of two carts each. After that you would have to carry it. To get in we would smash a extra cart into the door breaking it.
"Ok are you ready to start the loot?"
"Yes I'm ready Critter."
We said goodbye and went our own paths. I started toward the LEGO Isle and took everything on the shelf that appealed to me. Next was the Trading Card Isle where I took every single pack there was. After that was the Electronic Section. That was going to be a minor challenge. I went down to the Hardware Isle and got a hammer and came back to the Electronics. I started with smashing the display cases. Carefully not to cut myself I grabbed each Ipod. Then I walked to the video games and systems and did the same thing. After I broke the display case of some cell phones. I already had one but I wanted a better one. I grabbed a few and headed to the movies and books. I didn't really care what the movie was but grabbed every single on on each shelf. For the books I did the same thing.
"Crittterrr?!?!?!"
I turned around to see Madeline entering a Aisle beside me with her two carts filed. I looked down at my cart and noticed it was filled as well.
"I’m right here Madeline!"
I heard a loud thump and scream. Then a loud crash as a shelf filled with CDs came crashing down crushing the CDs underneath.
"Critter why did you scare me? I was looking for you so we could pay now."
"Ummm I told you that know one is left but us. So we can basically take whatever we want."
"That's silly Critter cause I told you that we aren't the only ones left."
By that time I was getting angry for her not believing me! Why couldn't she just believe in the truth like me? How could she not notice that no cars were going by and that know one was outside and and AHHHHHHHHH!
"ALRIGHT MADELINE WHY CANT YOU EXCEPT THE TRUTH THAT WE ARE THE ONLY ONES LEFT?"
"Well because I don't like that thought and i’m always optimistic."
"Fine well just please don't ask me any questions that will make me answer "We are the only ones left" ok because then this will happen again now lets go!"
We went back to the entrance doors and made our way back to the car. Driving to Target took 3 minutes and we parked right in front of the doors to save time. It was almost lunch time which was hard to believe. I grabbed 5 carts and smashed the fifth into the door. The same rules applied that we only get two carts. Except that we couldn't get doubles of anything we had. We went a different way but I stuck to the same routes like last time. I got all the LEGO sets I didn't get at Walmart. I got any trading card packs I didn't get at Walmart and the same with the Ipods, Movies, Books and even some CDs. We meet at the food center to get our lunch. I cooked us up some Pizza and Hot Dogs. For a drink I got us Coke. We took our table and started eating. The first bite was nice and warm. The cheese was gooey and sauce drippy. It was very good and I gulped it down within 20 seconds while Madeline was just on her fourth bite. I made another Pizza and grabbed a bag of chips. When I got back Madeline was done with her food. I gave her my bag of chips and chowed down my pizza slice. When we finished we drove to A.C. Moore and got craft supplies and went to Gamestop and got carts full of games. By that time we had everything we wanted and the only store left was Shaws. I turned around to see if Madeline wanted to go to any other stores.
"Madeline any more stores you want to go to?"
"Well I want to go to Pet-Co and the Jewelry Store!"
"Alright fine we will go to those places."
I drove off to the first stop that she wanted. When we got there I took one empty cart and rammed it in the doors. I told her to find the animal and let me put it in the box. She raced toward the fishes/hamster aisle. A minute or two passed and she came running to me.
"Critter grab a few boxes and come with me!"
I followed her grabbing a few boxes passing where the employees store boxes for the animals. We reached the fishes first. Ok so I want that one, this one, of course that one and all those. She pointed out numerous fish.
"Hang on Madeline and let me grab a bag."
I went over and grabbed a bag and fish scooper.
"Alright let me see what I can do ok?"
"Alright Critter do your best."
I scooped all the fishes up and emptied them into the bag. There were probably 39 fishes in the bag. I grabbed 3 bottom feeders to clean the fish tank later on. I sealed them up and told Madeline to get a cart and meet me at the hamsters. We grabbed all the hamsters and any equipment that they would need later on. Next up was the Jewelry Store so we headed back to the car. The drive was filled with Madeline saying how cute her fish and hamsters were. As we pulled into the parking lot the silver columns shined us with the suns rays. The doors were a hard material that anything not even a bullet could break.
"Sorry Madeline looks like we cant get inside."
Looking at her was hard. She really wanted to get jewelry. I thought of how else we could get inside. Maybe we could climb onto of the roof and make a hole? It was to dangerous however because there was no medical help if someone got hurt. We turned back and went home but first we had to go to Shaws. That didn't take long because most of the what we wanted wasent there. Delivery day was tomorrow and they were almost empty of many items. Grabbing only some cerial, canned products and drinks we went home.  The house was as we left it. Inside it was colder then the morning because the heat was turned off. Madeline turned to me and started talking.
"Critter can we move since no ones left?"
I thought of that idea. It was a really good idea because she was right!
“Yeah I guess we can since like you said were the only two left. We could move to a island if you want.”
She had that thought expression on her face as she thinked. I thought it would be cool too! We could hijack a ferry and go to Peaks Island.
“That sounds cool to live on a Island. So I would love to move there!”
To move I would have to get some uhaul trucks. Nah that would never work.  Both of us would get all the stuff in the house and bring it to the ferry. Then we would sail off to Peaks. It was getting darker and darker so we started and did it fast. Anything that didn't go in would wait for the next trip. The porch was loaded with furniture and junk.  By 6:45 everything was on the ferry. I made us for dinner some leftovers in the freezer. After we got in the car and drove off to the ferry. As it came into view we could see our furniture and other things that were in our house. I boarded the ship first turning on lights and clearing a path of items that may have fallen over. Next to board was Madeline who sat down in a empty seat. I went up and above the deck to get to the control room. Inside there were surprisingly only a few controls. One for steering, throttle and buttons. I shut the door behind me and turned that light on. Finding a start up was hard but found it after a small manual fell on my head with the basics bookmarked. The boat was noisy once turned on, but once we got out of port there was barely any noise. I looked up and grabbed the intercom speaker.
“Hello everyone this is your captain speaking. We have left port and are slowly making are way to Peaks Island. When we dock please remain seated until told to get up. Thank you and have a nice trip.”
Peaks Island took only fifteen minutes to get to. Once we docked Madeline and I got in the car and drove off, looking for our new house. The island was small and it didn't take long before we found a brand new house that was up for sale. It had a garage for two cars and four bedrooms and two bathrooms excluding the master bathroom located next to the master bedroom. Downstairs it had a kitchen, dining room and a entertainment room with one of the two bathrooms. The attic had a indoor garden and outback a pool. I thought that would be a perfect place for a house.  We pulled into the garage and slept in the car that night. We would bring everything tomorrow to the house. Early in the morning while Madeline was still sleeping I drove down to the local mini mart on the island. I grabbed us some breakfast to eat once Madeline wakes up. Awhile later she woke up alone in the car. We were at the pier and I was in the ferry taking the smaller items and placing them next to the car so we could load them in. When she came for me we ate our breakfast consisting of poptarts and waffles. Not the best meal but something at least. I let her go down to the beach right next to the pier on both sides. I loaded up the car with everything I could fit. Before I left to bring the things to our new home I told Madeline to get everything she could and bring it where the opening of the ship was. I left and emptied everything into the garage. Coming back I found alot of stuff in the opening of the ferry. We both grabbed as many items and stuffed them in. They all fit and again went back to the house and dropped them off. Next up was the bigger items like beds, nightstands, couches, tables. We got as much as we could into the car and very very surprisingly we had half of the bigger and heavier stuff in our car! The garage was filled with items so we couldn't fit anything else in it. We left the big stuff on the front lawn. By the time we got back to the ferry it was 12:23 P.M. which meant lunch time. I told Madeline we would get lunch after we got the rest to our house. Madeline who cannot go without food quickly more then I ever could got all our food and put it inside the car. We left at 12:45 P.M. only fifteen or so minutes after arriving. Once home we got out and made ourselves lunch from scrounging the next house next to us. A normal peanut butter sandwich with soda. During lunch we talked about who would get what room. I would get the master bedroom with the master bathroom. Madeline would get the next biggest bedroom. There would be three empty rooms which would be a Library, Arts and Crafts room and a guest bedroom. We took all the big things and moved them inside to our rooms. That would fill a little or maybe half of our rooms. By that time it was 1:18 P.M. and we were slowly getting the small stuff upstairs.

Beatles Bibliography

Works Read

A hard day's night. Dir. Richard Lester. Perf. The Beatles. Miramax Home Entertainment :, 2002. DVD.

Authors, Numerous. "British Invasion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Invasion>.

Authors, Numerous . "The Beatles." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2013. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles>.

Authors, Numerous . "Songfacts - List of songs by The Beatles." Song Meanings at Songfacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013. <http://www.songfacts.com/artist-the_beatles.php>.

Cormack, Mike . "What themes are prevalent in the Beatles' songs?." Qoura. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. <www.quora.com/What-themes-are-prevalent-in-the-Beatles-songs>.

Costello, Elvis. "100 Greatest Beatles Songs | Rolling Stone." Rolling Stone | Music News, Politics, Reviews, Photos, Videos, Interviews and More. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2013. <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-beatles-songs-20110919>.

Davies, Hunter. The Beatles. 2nd rev. ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

Goodman, Bonnie. "Timeline of the Major Events of the 1960s." RonaldReaganWeb.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. <http://www.ronaldreaganweb.com/thesixties/timeline.htm>.

Polkow, Dennis. "The Beatles Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about The Beatles." Encyclopedia.com | Free Online Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2013. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/The_Beatles.aspx>.

Rance, Paul. "Why the Beatles Remain the Greatest of All Groups." Yahoo! Voices. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. <voices.yahoo.com/why-beatles-remain-greatest-all-groups-2681018.html>.

Spitz, Bob. The Beatles: the biography. New York: Little, Brown, 2005. Print.

Wentzel, Jim. The Beatles. New York: Rosen Central, 2002. Print.

"What did each member of the beatles play in the band? - Yahoo! Answers." Yahoo! Answers - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. <http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090601104146AATANJj>.

"the Beatles (British rock group) -- Encyclopedia Britannica." Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/57495/the-Beatles>.

Beatles

Chris Choyce

Mr. De Vito

English II - C

4/30/13

The Beatles

The Beatles were and still are one of the most popular bands of all time. The reasons for their popularity are the band members good looks and their apparent peaceful/calm behaviors. Their songs and albums that they produced portrayed themes and messages that fans loved because they helped bring the American culture to England. They were also popular because while all the news was filled with chaotic events, the Beatles offered good news of that decade to read in the paper or watch broadcasted on the television.

First lets start off with a little overview of what the Beatles were all about. They were an English rock band formed in 1960 and stayed together till early in the year 1970.  The Beatles were made up of four members. John Lennon played the guitar and sang. Paul McCartney played the bass and sang also (while at times played the piano). George Harrison played the lead guitar and sang. Ringo Starr played the drums and sang. They composed over 25 albums and over 200 songs while they were together! Many of them reaching the Billboards and 27 of them becoming #1 hits in America! The group also starred in three movies, all of them comedies. Now lets head onto why the ladies loved them.

The ladies loved the band for a few reasons. The first was that they usually all wore the same outfits and all had the same “moppy” hair. The outfits they wore would either be a simple black trench coat or suit. Or they would wear a more colorful and bizarre outfit. One example of a colorful or bizarre outfit would be while performing songs from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and even on the album cover.  They kept their opinions to themselves so their opinions wouldn't give any damage to the band. The members appeared to be peaceful, calm and humorous while in public. When they weren't in public they were known to get in arguments especially leading up to their breakup. The ladies loved their personalities, behaviors and appearances. A large crowd would always follow them wherever they go. Not many other bands have achieved such large crowds since then. The ladies just couldn't get enough of them!

The Beatles songs were influenced by the American music style. More specifically the style that influenced them was the American music style of rock and roll! There was a difference in music between the two countries and the British loved the new style of music introduced. The Beatles wrote and produced every song. The fact that they wrote their songs added extra meaning to the songs. Themes and messages found in the songs were of having fun, love and peace. Those messages gave hope and inspiration in a time of violence and hatred towards others. I borrowed some Beatle CD’s from a friend and listened to a few songs from each album. They do have good meanings and I could find the messages of peace, love and fun in them.

The Beatles formed in the year 1960 and disbanded in 1970. During that time period the world saw some scary events take place. Such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, segregation and riots, JFK assassination, RFK assassination, MLK assassination and the Vietnam War. These events were always on the front pages of the newspapers and on television screens. However the Beatles offered good news. Whether it was from collecting their 13 Grammy Awards to being spotted out in public they would give a nice break in the bad news. The so called “British Invasion” made the front headlines for a few weeks in America and their songs would continue to land them on the front pages regularly. Their popularity peaked in America at around 1965-67 as they added more tour dates and released more albums. During that time they were featured more and more in the news.

So concludes why the Beatles were and still are one of the most popular bands of all time. With their good looks, charming personalities and peaceful demeanor they always attracted large crowds and people loved them. They offered music that people enjoyed and could listen to again and again. When the news was full of gloom and despair the band offered good news. Even after the band broke up each member would go on to sing bestselling songs and attract large crowds. To leave you wondering, how many bands do you know that are still popular 53 years after they were formed?

UPDATE 7/13/13

All the formatting is done. I just need to change the about part when I get the chance. Ij the next coming days I shall post old essays and work done for my English class. Lots of great stuff! I promise!

UPDATE 7/10/13

Wow! Its been about 10 months still I last posted! Wow! I wasn't able to post at all because the teacher wanted everything handed in as an actual paper copy. In the next few  days I will start adding new things and renovating the blog.

- Chris C.

Summer Reading "The Body"

The main characters are Gordie Lachance, Chris Chambers, Teddy Duchamp and Vern Tessio. Supporting characters are Ace and his gang. The book starts out in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine during the summer of 1960. Its the weekend of  Labor Day and three of the boys are busy playing cards in the clubhouse. They are interrupted when Vern arrives with a question for the boys. Did they want to go out and see a dead body?

 

 

            While Vern was looking for a buried jar of pennies, he overheard his brother talking to a friend about Ray Brower a kid that had gone missing. They had stole a car and drove around the back roads near Castle Rock and Chamberlain. While walking on the railroad tracks beside a piece of road to find a place to pee, they stumbled upon his dead body.

 

            After hearing what happened the four boys agree to go out together and find the body. They think that after finding the body they would be famous. Before the trip begins we find that Gordie's older brother was killed in a car crash a few months ago. Everything on the trip goes well until they realize that no one brought food. They head to the town junkyard to rest a bit. When none of the boys want to go and get the supplies the flip coins to see who goes. Gordie ends up going and gets some Coke and hamburg. When he returned to the junkyard his friends were know where to be seen. He spots them climbing over a fence. When he goes to join them he finds the junkyard manger, Milo Pressman who is angry that Gordie is trespassing. Gordie runs for the fence after Milo sics his dog, Chopper on him.

 

            Gordie makes it over the fence and joins his friend. Teddy teases the dog which makes Milo livid. We learn that Teddy's dad stormed the beach at Normandy and when he returned was never the same. When Teddy was little he took his ear and placed it to a stove burning most of it off. Milo uses that to make Teddy go crazy. The three boys calm Teddy down and walk away. They walk until they reach a long railroad trestle. Everyone but Teddy is afraid to cross the trestle because if a train comes they would have know where to go. Teddy declares that they could either hang on the side of the trestle, or jump 100 feet down into the river below.  Vern thinks they could go five miles down the river and walk across another bridge but that would have taken a few hours. So they start walking across the track.

 

            Everything goes fine until there Gordie and Vern reach the halfway point. Chris and Teddy were almost across because they hadn’t been as slow. Gordie thinks he hears a train so he reaches down and touches the track. It's vibrating and when he looks up can see smoke above the treeline. Everyone starts to run with Chris and Teddy making it to safety first. Vern trips a few times slowing them down and the train starts to approach rapidly at this point. Before they reach the end of the bridge Gordie pushes Vern and himself down into a pit to avoid the train. When the train is gone they climb out of the pit with only a few scrapes and bruises.

 

            Walking until dark they set up camp alongside the railroad tracks. They eat there food and pass stories along and trivia. There awoken in the middle of the night by a creature(s) howling. Chris says that the four of them should take turns watching over them with the gun he stole from his dad. Teddy takes first watch then Vern, Chris and Gordie ends up taking the last watch.

 

            They awake and it turns out to be a really hot day. They eat some berries for breakfast and venture out hoping to find the body today and get home tomorrow. Before lunch they find a swamp to cool off and get clean. What they don’t know is that there are leeches in the water. Chris finds a leech on Vern and they all run out of the water. They take the leeches off one another, but before its over there is one more leech left. Gordie looks down in his underwear and realizes that there is one clinging onto his testicles. He freaks out and picks up the courage to remove it. When he does the leech bursts. He faints making everyone worry if they should turn back and get help. Gordie shortly awakes and they head back out onto the tracks.

 

            When they get near the road Vern's older brother stopped at they split up and look on the side of the tracks. Chris and Gordie on one side and Teddy and Vern on the other. Vern spots the body first and they scurry down the embankment to see it more clearly. Chris removes the branches that had fallen on the body and that’s when they get a full look. It's the first time the boys had seen a dead body. There interrupted when they hear footsteps behind them.

 

            They turn around and see a angry Ace and his gang. Vern runs into the woods when he sees his brother. Teddy taunts them and runs when some of the older boys approach him. Chris and Gordie stood there ground and when Ace lost his patience and pulled out a knife, Chris pulled out his dads gun. Ace steps back and so does all the other older kids. Chris orders them to leave but not without Ace telling them that they would regret this. Instead of removing the body and becoming famous they cover him up with some blankets and branches and leave. They don't stop not even to sleep until they reach the beginning of Castle Rock at around 5:00 on the morning of Labor Day. They split up and go home.

 

            We learn that Teddy and Vern became another face in the hall, and befriended younger kids and brought them to the clubhouse. Vern died in a apartment fire after a party when someone fell asleep with a cigarette still burning. Teddy was driving along the road where they found the body with a few of his friends, when he crashed his car. Unfortunately everyone died in the crash. Chris joined some smarter classes with Gordie and ended up becoming a lawyer. He died after trying to break up a argument and was stabbed in the neck. Gordie is now a writer and has a wife and kids and has published a few successful books, even some that he told on his adventure with Teddy, Vern and Chris.

 

            The main characters are Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman) and Vern (Jerry O'Connell). Richard Dreyfuss plays the adult Gordie and is the narrator of the film. It is 89 minutes long and in technicolor. It has been released on Blu-Ray for it's 25th anniversary

 

            While Stephen King claimed that this was one of his most successful book to film transitions, it still had some things that were left out in the film or things not in the book added in the film. The book took place in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine in 1960. The movie had it take place in Castle Rock, Oregon in 1959. In the book Vern has been looking for his jar of pennies for 4 years, while the film version has him looking for 9 months. Ace and his gang play mailbox baseball in the film while in the book they don't. The film also has more scenes with Ace and his gang, then the book which only had a few references to them. In the film Teddy tries dodging a train but is unsuccessful when Chris, grabs him off the track. In the book Gordie is the one who grabs him off the track. Also three of the boys die in the book version, while only one dies in the film.

 

            There are quite a few interesting facts or behind the scenes information that I found out. The leeches during the leech scene were real. Corey and Rob tried out 30 different laughs before choosing which one to use for Teddy. The cigarettes used in the movie are made out of cabbage and lettuce leaves. Michael Jackson was asked to cover the song Stand By Me but not used in the film. The song also was reintroduced to the billboards, and was back in the Top 10 when the movie was released.  While not filming the boys were rowdy at the hotel. They all drank beer and smoked pot. They also threw patio furniture from the balcony into the pool below! They even covered Kiefer Sutherland's car in mud, which made the young actors even more afraid of him on film! The last fact is it only took 60 days to film the whole movie.

 

Now on Mobile!

 You can now view this blog on your cellphone or other devices. This is what the view would be if you were on your iPod. I'm also working very busily on my summer reading assignment! 

New Changes

I haven't been on this for almost two months! Anyhow i'm going to change the blog so it will match up for next years 10th Grade English Class. The title, sidebar, background and layout will greatly change from all of this. It should be completed by tomorrow morning. 

Last Post

The post before this was my last post for the year. I wonder if it will ever be used again next year for english class? Oh yeah this is also my ninetieth post on the blog!

                                            Schools Out on Tuesday!

Romeo and Juliet: Tybalts Death

I think Juliet will be upset about Tybalts death. However its because hes a Capulet and Romeo killed him and hes a Montague. However Romeo was just banished from the kingdoms so she will be sad that he is gone. 

The Worlds Stage

Well I dont watch anything or read anything by him besides now in English and wont even after im done with this class. His works are the most reproduced playwrights and was voted as Briton of the Millennium. He also has had a lot of films created in the last few years. The first film (the one were watching now) started the rest of them to be made. 

Romeo and Juliet

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,


That must mean that there are two households and they take place in Verona...


From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.


Something long ago happened and the marriage or unity brought peace...

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;


The two lovers are on different sides of some kingdom that have a grudge...

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.


There adventures get them into trouble. When they die there parents anger goes away...


After this the passage goes on, but this is a example of what I could understand...

Custom Short Story

There once was a young lady and her fiance. The young lady was a singer and the fiance was a CIA agent but the lady didn't know that. They both needed a home so they bought a yacht. The couple went to the mall to buy furniture for the yacht. They went to the halloween store to look for some candy. They were passing by the costumes when the wife noticed one of the costumes looked to real. All of a sudden the costume which was of the killer in Scream jumped out and started attacking the lady. The fiance took out his gun and shot the killer. Both ran off with the mall security following them. That night they ordered all the furniture to be delivered to the shipyard the yacht was being built at. There was a arrest warrant on the news for the couple because of the shooting. They stayed inside there home until they received news that there yacht was done. The fiance bought airplane tickets and they both boarded the plane. Almost done with the flight a terrorist stood up screaming he was going to take down the plane. The CIA agent stood up and chased the terrorist into the cockpit where they fought. The terrorist was killed but the CIA agent was stabbed. They started descending toward a swamp in Florida near the shipyard. The couple escaped before the crocodiles started eating the passengers on the plane. The plane started to catch fire and blew up! The couple made it to the yacht where they found a bomb planted on the side. The fiance de-activated the bomb and the both started to sail away from land. They were sailing towards the Bermuda Triangle when they heard a strange noise. That strange noise was the killer from scream that had followed them. Both the lady and the fiance thought he was dead but he wasn't so when they found out it was him they tried to shoot him but they were out of ammo so he came on board and took off his costume and found out that is was there best friend they they have known forever when the lady found out she flipped out and called the police but they did not believe her so they had to go back to where it all started and try to talk to the police and say it was all a misunderstanding the friend said i never died i just waited for the mall cops to leave. The cops ended up believing them so before they left the cop asked the fiance your a CIA agent right? So his cover was blown and he was like "damn, I can't risk losing my job because then I would no longer be intitled to my lifelong supply of Fruit Loops. I have no choice but to kill all these people. So, he whipped a rubber duck out of his pocket and aimed it at the soon to be victims. He then squeezed it and yelled "Die evil doers! No one messes with my Fruit Loops!" Nothing happened.. Confused, the CIA agent scratched his head and stared at the duck. Everyone was silent. Then there was a sudden outburst of laughter from the mall cops followed by the wife and the friend and other police.  It was all a trick on the CIA. They thought it would be a funny prank to do on him. He took it more seriously than they thought he would. When he found this out he started to laugh with them. He couldn't believe he got tricked that easily. In the end the lady and her fiance got marries and they lived on the yacht together.

Community Service

Community Service is important to me because it takes work off of someones list of things to do. Were holding the Day of Caring to give back to the community. I think its a good thing were doing the Day of Caring, because it shows that we can give back to the community. I wish that there were more places to volunteer because it would offer more things to do. Im going to a graveyard and I don't see how I'm giving back since people pay for the lot to be cleaned. I also wish I wasn't going to the graveyard because I went there in 4th grade to give back and it also is gloomy to be in a place full of death.

William Shakespeare Facts

1. No one knows his exact birthday, so people guess near the time he was born
2. Shakespeare invented "assassination" the word
3. Shakespeare had 8 children in his lifetime
4. He lived through the "Black Death" or the plague 
5. He never attended a college or university 
6. In 1609 people took his literature and published it as there own without permission. 
7. Suicide occurs 13 times in books he has created
8. There are more then 80 versions to spell his last name
9. Some people believe that he Shakespeare was bisexual 
10. His Sonnets (love poems) were more gloomy and dark then nice and cheery

The Sniper (Short Story)

The story starts off with a Sniper on the roof getting ready to assassinate someone. A women spots him and he starts shooting at the women and a vehicle. The women is shot and the vehicle gets away. Across from him on a different rooftop a enemy fires and hits the sniper in the arm. The sniper treats his wound and plans on how to kill the enemy. He pretend to play dead after the enemy hit him and wait for the enemy to stand up. He kills his enemy and rushes across the street to see who the enemy is. It ends up being the snipers brother.

MaineCare Cuts

I don't use MaineCare so they can cut the money out of it. If I did use MaineCare then I would be against the cuts. As long as the elderly and children are taken care of then they can cut it. If they aren't going to be helped then they shouldn't cut it.

Of Mice and Men Essay (Banned)

Why would a piece of literature be banned in schools if it has been in the curriculum for years? Of Mice and Men has been banned in schools for a few reasons but here are three. One reason why it has been banned is because of the profanity used. Another reason why it has been banned, it has the killing of helpless animals. Finally it has violence in almost every chapter throughout the book. Now that we know more about the reasons why, lets look more in depth. 

Profanity is used constantly in the book especially the N word.  Some teachers believe that this is not acceptable, even though students already know this profanity. Some of the profanity is racist or isn’t acceptable in today’s culture. Such as this quote made by Curley’s Wife “Listen, nigger. You know what I can do to you if you open your trap.” Some parent’s disapprove of the language  and call the book “trash”. A teacher who was asked on his thoughts or memories of the book being banned said “One time a students parents came to me with a copy of the book with the profanity highlighted.”  

Throughout this book we see a countless number of animals that are killed. Lennie was given at a young age, a mouse from his Aunt Clara. We learn this when George throws away his dead mouse he found and talks about how Lennie shouldn't have any more mice or any pet. George says “That was your own Aunt Clara. An’ she stopped givin’ ‘em to ya. You always killed ‘em.” So first he would kill mice whenever he got them. One night in the bunkhouse a few of the workers offer to shoot Candy’s dog. Candy ends up letting the men shoot the dog but it left a great hole in his heart. Lennie also gets a puppy from Slim, which later on near the end is killed like all Lennie’s pets. Even though it’s read in high school, some students don’t like this. The reason they don’t like this is because they might have a pet and wouldn’t like this if it happened to there pet. 

Some scenes in Of Mice and Men range from violent to gruesome. Such as when Lennie and Curley get into a fight. The author describes the violence very good and how gruesome it would have been. In a quote by Slim he says “Looks to me like every bone in his han’ is bust” which describes the scene very well. Lennie killing Curly’s Wife was violent because he snapped her neck while suffocating her. In the sad ending George shoots Lennie in the back of the head. 

This is why Of Mice and Men has been banned in certain schools for years. From Profanity, Animal Cruelty and Violence it drove some parents over the edge and called it to be banned in schools.