Jessica Monologue

A is for ACCIDENT- On her way home from a track meet a truck smashed into the bus causing injuries and death. B is for BRAVE- Jessica was very brave about going back to school and wearing the track uniform even though the uniform showed her leg. C is for CRUSHED- Jessica thought that her future was crushed because she couldn’t run anymore.

I ran to Rhonda’s room first. It looked like a struggle had ended badly. Hannah and Seamus’ room didn’t look much different. A scream came from the kitchen.

I was writing you today just to give you some encouraging words. Our mutual friend Jessica, was telling me your story and I just had to reach out to you. I just want you to know that now that you are trying to change your life for the better. The devil is really about to try to throw everything to stop you from reaching your goals. I know you have already been through a lot Jessica was telling me that the devil been trying to take you out since birth. I just wanted you to know that you can do it don’t give up because that’s what the devil want.

In 1983, Raymond Carver introduced his short story “Cathedral” to the public. The first-person narrative takes place within the narrator’s home, where his wife is waiting upon the arrival of her blind friend Robert. The narrator, however, becomes more concerned about how Robert’s visit will affect him rather than enjoy the situation. Once Robert arrives, the narrator tries to understand the blind man, but he is unaware of what tasks Robert is capable of performing due to the narrator’s inability to “see”. In time, Robert shows the narrator the difference between looking and seeing through illustrations of a cathedral, drawn by the narrator with his eyes closed. “Cathedral’s” narrator exposes readers to anti-heroic views

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands- one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” – Audrey Hepburn.

There is enough discrimination against us, and feeling alienated leads to recidivism. I served my sentence. I paid my debt to society. Why am I still doing time?" - Perry Hopkins, convicted felon and current community organizer for Communities United, talking about voting rights in Maryland.

Pulling her hand away from the doorknob, she turned around and addressed Sylvia. “You got five seconds to me what the source of that noise was, before I open the closet door.”

Michael Jordan once stated, “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb over it, go through it, or walk around it.” This inspirational quote motivated many to overcome adversity when challenged by it. The texts, Speak by Laurie Anderson, “Third and Final Continent” by Lahiri Lahiri, and “The Art of Resilience” by Hara Marano, all have themes similar to Jordan’s quotation. All three articles support this through symbolism, foreshadowing, and character interactions. A common theme that one must stay resilient in order to overcome challenges while also staying level-headed during the positive and negatives is shown in Speak, “The Third and Final Continent,” and “The Art of Resilience.”

She nodded and backed away from the house. I turned back towards the eerie entrance and slowly walked inside, “ Daisy? Tom?” I shouted throughout the house. There was no response.

With NFL Players kneeling everywhere and soldiers feeling unappreciated, our country is in shock. It all started by a player named Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, in 2016. This event persuaded numerous NFL players to continue this process. One by one, players all over the league began to protest to call attention to the issues of "racial inequalities and police brutality". With mixed reviews of this protest, I believe that kneeling during the National Anthem of the United States of America is disrespectful because it is abrasive, selfish, and hurtful. Also, I am not sure that all of those protesting in this manner know the true meaning of our national anthem or the flag that represents our freedom.

Many people in our society have been cast away and looked down upon because they are different from us. Others convey these messages including Harper Lee , in To Kill a Mockingbird , and "What , of this Goldfish , Would You Wish ? ",by Etgar Keret. We can accept others in many ways including ending discrimination , disregards people past action or choice , and being able to see stuff from others people's point of view. Humans need to always accept those who are different for the greater good of our society .

Why spend money that is really needed for other things? Why live uncomfortably? Why be trapped in this hole called a home that belongs to another person? Why not live free and peacefully? When a person rents he or she usually throws away money that could be used to purchase something that belongs to them. Money is not easy to come by so why pay out hundreds toward something that is not benefit to the person paying it out. There is no good explanation for making a decision like this. The best option in a situation like this is to buy a house. Buying a house is a better option than renting an apartment.

“Your assignment is to write a persuasive essay and present it to the class in a week. You will be graded based on how convincing it is. Today we will be choosing topics,” announced Mr. Bowerbank, my 7th grade English teacher and ruler of classroom 110. My class simultaneously groaned at the prospect of work. I simply lifted my head with intrigue as it was already May and about time we had our first essay. He then proceeded to give examples of topics we could choose and gave us some time to think before we had to tell him our topic. My classmates were already rushing to tell the teacher their idea lest someone else steal it. That meant the usual abortion, death penalty, or drug use topics were out. I really couldn't think of anything and the teacher was slowly making his way through the remaining students like an executioner beheading criminals in a line. I have always thought that he would make a marvelous supervillain if he had a curly mustache, a tophat, and a cape. Eventually my name was called. I slowly dragged myself over to his desk. Even sitting down, he still seemed to tower over me. “What is your topic Cindy?” As usual in such desperate times, my mind turned to food. “Waffles are better than pancakes.” I figured that a waffle was just a differently shaped pancake with a nicer texture. “Hmm. Excellent topic. I look forward to your essay!” I survived to live yet another day.

It was my last memory from my class at Meadowbrook, the school’s right of passage at the end of the 8th grade year: ziplining in Costa Rica. I felt my stomach tighten as I took a step up to the first platform, took one last deep breath, and jumped. The violent, Costa Rican air whipped around me, spinning my body in a circle like a helicopter blade. I tirelessly squeezed the handlebar with the rough, sandpaper gloves like my life depended on it. Ironically, at the time, I thought it did. I was mortified. After helplessly spinning around for about a minute, I crashed into the end of the line and nervously unhooked my harness. One down, seven to go. The next line began similarly to the first one. I leaped off the platform hesitantly, but the wind had died down and I was able to relax. I gazed across the seemingly endless lush, green landscapes of the Costa Rican mountain ranges in awe. Still choke holding the handlebar, I was not comfortable in the slightest. I left the third platform just a second quicker feeling slightly more secure in the harness. This time, I released the handlebar, leaving my doubts and worries behind. I was about as content as I could possibly be given the circumstances, dangling thousands of feet up in the air in the mountains, supported by a jaded wooden rope an inch in diameter.

Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Health, United States, 2002. Flegal et. al. JAMA. 2002;288:1723-7. NIH, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, 1998.