Gerald Haslem's Short Story 'The Horned Toad'

In “The Monster” by Walter Dean Myers, there are many things in prison that most affects Steve Harmon which can cause him to change. First, within the prison, is said that all they talk about is drugs and sex. This is important because it affects Steve because he has nothing to do with that and now knows what it is like which could change him to be like that. Also, in that terrible place they call jail there are many fights that occur in it. For example, Steve Harmon mentions in the story that someone was hit in the face with a tray during breakfast. This shows that Steve hates fights and does not want to be in any. This affects him because of he in jail with a bunch of grown men which start the fights. Finally, prison is a place where Steve

The mountain yellow-legged frog is declining due to the introduction of trout, contaminants, increased levels of ultraviolet radiation, and the fungal disease, chytridiomycosis. David Bradford, one of the first witnesses to the decline in the late seventies, noticed the species dropping because of the red-leg disease. Because this is a secondary infection, the frog’s immune system was weakened before the disease became existent. The chytrid fungus was first cited in the Sierra Nevada in 2001, brought here from African clawed frogs, but studies have suggested that the disease has been evident since the mid-‘70s. Nearly three decades later, the mountain yellow-legged frog is still declining. Currently, with a ninety-eight percent decline, there

Mopping unsanitary floors on hands and knees but looking out the window seeing joy-filled kids. Behind cold steel bars in a lonely cage, however able to relate to other prisoners who have faith for the future. The Monster masterpiece by Walter Dean Myers puts Steve Harmon—a sixteen year old black kid in jail—on the hot seat for the crime of robbery and felony murder of an innocent man named Mr. Nesbitt. On trial are two men--Steve Harmon and James King—that not only have a chance to be given a minimum sentence of 21 years and 3 months but a maximum sentence of life in jail. While being called a Monster by the prosecutor, Mrs. Petrocelli. this dark time for Harmon results in having no true place to escape where only doubt runs through his mind. However, the progression that Harmon makes, not only in jail but during the trial with his defense attorney, Miss O’Brien, allows us to understand that during many situations, doubt and hope intertwine.

‘The Secret Life of Frogs’ is a poem that delves into the childhood perception of war, in particular World War I, and the experiences of their fathers. ‘The Secret Life of Frogs’ deals with the idea of misunderstandings incurred when children attempt to understand adult concepts. This is evident through the use of punning. The term ‘Frog’, which is frequently used throughout the poem adds amusement to the text because to the readers, it not only translates literally to a frog, but also represents the rival French people in the war through a negative light. However, the narrator, who is also one of the children in the poem, does not understand this other meaning attached to the term ‘frog’. This can clearly be seen in the final sentence

For a long time their marriage had been held together by responsibility, after the chickens die their relationship changes. “My father puts his arms around my mother’s waist and he does not move it as I have always seen her do.”(p. ) In this story 2 different deaths cause 2 totally different impacts on people and relationships within the story.

War has the ability to change many things about the world. While most associate the changes of war with boundaries and governments, people often forgot the influence it has over society and culture. The United States experienced a change similar to this shortly after the Civil war. Citizens were shown the brutality and devastation of war which lead to them having a grim outlook on the world. This viewpoint inspired a new generation of artists and authors who ,with their combined works, created Realism. Writers like Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Abraham Cahan, Ambrose Bierce, and Henry James pushed the drastic shift from feelings to reality in the hopes of appealing to the more literate working class. Many stories, in order to capture reality, relied on similar techniques and themes such as: simplicity, truth, and criticism.

“The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story written by James Hurst that is a short story about adolescent born with a medical condition who is ultimately dead due to his brother’s lack of ability to accept the positive features and alternately focus on the negative features of his brother, William Armstrong, who he later renamed Doodle as he perceived that the fact that his parents “named him Armstrong...was like tying a big tail on a small kite”( Hurst NP). There are numerous subjects in the story such as pride, brotherhood and selfishness that can demonstrate a theme that states that pride and selfishness can interfere with brotherhood by convincing us to commit cruel things to the ones we love. In the beginning of the story,

Which amphibian has red eyes, yellow feet, and looks like a leaf? Red Eyed Tree Frogs of course! Because Frogs are amphibians, they spend most of their time in water or wet places. Interestingly, Female will lay their eggs in water, when these eggs hatch they become tadpoles. These baby frogs have many stages such as, developing back legs, growing front legs, becoming a juvenile frog, and finally losing its tail and becoming an adult. Red Eyed Tree Frogs Wake up at dusk and go on the prowl for insects and fruit, which are its main diet. Also, when red eyed tree frogs sleep, they curl their feet and shut their eyes, they look exactly like a leaf, this helps from camouflage from predators. These loveable leaping

Some people do not care or even notice killing a toad while mowing a lawn, but some do. In Richard Wilbur's poem, "The Death of a Toad", the speaker runs over and kills a toad while mowing his lawn and feels great distress for his action. The speaker shows sympathy for the amphibian as he describes the peaceful scene of the toad's fatal injury and his last minutes alive. Wilbur uses the formal elements of structure and syntax, diction, and imagery to help convey the speaker's sadness towards the death of a toad. From his "hobbling hop" (line 2) to his "antique eyes" (16), the speaker exemplifies his sympathetic feelings toward the creature's death.

Known in the scientific community as Bufo marinus, cane toads were introduced to Australia in the mid-1900’s t rate from their native home of South America. Sugarcane crops were at risk of destruction from the infestation of beetles, and these species were brought in to help counter the negative effect that the beetles were having on farms. These amphibians have the ability to grow up to 4.4 pounds, and were soon doing more harm than good. Not only were the cane toads eating the beetles that they were meant to, but they also started including native insect-eaters in their diets (Roach). This new addition to their food source helped the toads to thrive and expand their habitat region.

Death is final, sudden and yet eternal it yawns before and behind us all. In “The Death of

The poem ‘Birdfoot’s Grampa’ by Joseph Bruchac is the story of an old man's mission to save all the toads on the road that he is driving on during the night. The theme of “Birdfoot’s Grampa” is that through patience and selflessness we learn that all life is of value.

The parents’ different views and outlooks on the world influence their daughter’s decisions and alter how she reacts to Gaston throughout the story. One difference between the parents is their financial status. While on the phone with her mother, the mother said she was, “sending the chauffeur to pick her up…” This dialogue from the mother illustrates that she is wealthy. Earlier in the story, the girl was describing her dad saying, “He was at home. She was with him in his home in Paris, if you could call it a home.” The girl’s opinion demonstrates how different her life is at home. The opinion also shows how the dad’s house is not nearly as nice as her home. These quotes portray the differences in the financial aspects of the two parents’ lives. Another demonstration of the distinction between the parents is how they react to the bug. When the dad sees the bug, he proceeds to name it and defend it. The girl says, “Everybody hollers when a bug comes out of an apple, but you don’t holler or anything.” The dad replies by saying, “Of course not. How should we like it if somebody hollered every time we came out of our house?” This conversation implies that the dad is creative and accepting things that are odd. In contrast, when the mom sees the bug she immediately rejects it. The mom says, “Somebody gets a peach with a bug in it, and throws it away, but not him. He makes up a lot of foolishness about it.” These words

The short story “Greenleaf” by Flannery O’Connor tells of Mrs. May, an old, bitter, and selfish woman. She thinks badly of everyone around her, including her own two sons. It also compares her family to that of the Greenleaf family, who Mrs. May sees as inferior to her. O’Connor unveils the story of Mrs. May and her demise through the use of point of view, character, and symbolism. She uses the third person omniscient view to give the reader a sense of Mrs. May’s character, and the symbols of the bull, and the conflict between the bull and Mrs. May to show Mrs. May’s destruction as well as give the story a deeper meaning of God’s grace.

     Throughout the story the Protagonist demonstrates a very unbalanced relationship with her family members. She feels intimidated by the world around her and turns her lack of knowledge into knowledge by controlling and influencing her younger brother Laird. She does so by telling him stories and exposing him to experiences she claims to be familiar with. In her later years her relationship with her brother becomes strong as they both realize they can benefit from each other’s experiences and differences. As a child the Protagonist viewed her father as God-like because he had control and organization over the lives and deaths of the foxes. In essence he became her hero as she admired his control over the animals. In her future relationship with her father she came to see that he was simply a business man and she made a great attempt to form a deeper relationship with her father. As she began to understand he was simply human and was no longer fearful of him. Her relationship with