Essay #20

Jade

Mr.Salsich

English 8

4/20/10

Family is something we all need. Family teaches us how to learn from one another as well as teach those who are willing to learn. It demonstrates strength and the ability to put aside all that may seem important to help the ones you love. Without family we would be selfish beings with no sense of value when it comes to the important things in life. We learn everything from our family, things that will stick with us for the rest of our lives.

TS To me, the strength it takes for a family to stay united is one of the most amazing powers in our world. SD Take my family for example. From an outsiders eye we might look like a family alienated(Thesaurus Word) by distance. CM My brother lives with his father in New York, though it's no more than 3 hours away from where I live, we only see him about four times a year. CM Even with this being true, every time we come together we seem to pick up from where we left off; the intensity of our relationship only grows stronger with absence. SD There have been times when I feared that the potency of our connection might have weakened over time. CM As we learn more, as we become more, as we grow more, we drift in different directions(Parallelism). CM My fears are soon reassured when I realize that our strong point is the ability to over look and, in most cases, completely forget the six year age difference between us and be able to focus on the positive points in our sometimes precarious lives(Alliteration). SD This makes me realize that it's distance and the absence of time together that either forces or demolishes a relationship. CM There have been many instances in my life time where a friendship has been weakened and even ended by distance, each time worst than the last. CM Sometimes not having the daily routine that you usually have with someone can shatter all confidence that you can make it through this hard time. CS Though this can be heartbreaking, it has also made me realize that the friendships, and in this case, bonds that has survived distance and the absence of time together can stand strong through the toughest of times.

TS In my opinion, having the ability to stay united no matter what in a family can be the foundation of of every memory you have and will earn as time passes. SD In the book Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet stayed together until the very end, even though both their families wanted anything but. CM When families, or in this case lovers, are overwhelmed with stress, it really shows how much they care and love each other if they stick together. CM Even though Romeo and Juliet made the decision to end both of their lives it was for the sole reason of staying together. SD It was important for Romeo and Juliet to stay amalgamated(Thesaurus Word) throughout their tough times, just like it is for a family to come together in a time of need. CM When someone needs support from the ones they love, everyone will put their own priorities aside and help in any way possible. CM Romeo and Juliet shared a bond this strong, something that helped keep them united through out their short lived lives. CS Though it can be easy to describe, it is often hard to keep a family together as one when the time calls for it. When one is able to do so, the bond they share only becomes stronger; to be able to say they grew closer because of a hard time is an extraordinary accomplishment.

Families can be one of the hardest things to be apart of. You have to help out and sacrifice when someone needs it. You have to pull together in times of need, even if you have more important things to do. Our family is something of great power. Whether divided by differences or distance, we are always able to unite when help is needed. We should stop taking for granted what our family really means. Even though our little brother may be extremely annoying or our parents very uncool, our family is something that we will always have. After all, our family is our family, and we only get one.

Loneliness

Jade, Cassy, Sam

Mr.Salsich

English 8

4/20/10

TS With out friends and family we are forced to embrace loneliness, whether willingly or unwillingly. In many situations those who lose the company of friends and family start to neglect their own needs, endangering their health. The consequences of being alone can be disastrous, disease, drugs usage, mental health conditions, and in severe cases, death. SD Losing someone close to you can have a major effect on your mental status. More often than not the person who lost someone is left by themself and feel alone in the world. CM Those who feel this way often spend most of their time trying to distract themselves from facing the fact that their loved one is gone, but by doing this they end up neglecting the proper steps they should be taking to cope with the recent tradegy that has taken place in their lives. CM These steps are there to ensure mental stability. Therapy, for example, can be a good way to deal with some emotions they might not know how to control, such as loneliness

Creatures of the Concrete Jungle #1

The Concrete Jungle holds creatures beyond our wildest imagination. Creatures so amazing they seem to blend with the Sea of Tar and the Jungle of Concrete. Creatures that roam the grid, make their homes from the cold, hard, terrain. Yellow speed demons that roll through the Jungle, serving the dominant species. Massive trees of steel and glass, their gods the creators of the rest of our world. Slinking iron snakes that move beneath the the surface of our Jungle, transporting those who need it, asking nothing in return. Majestic fish of steel trudge through the the Sea of Tar on command, pulling more than their own weight. The Concrete Jungle lives by it's own set of rules, rules that keep it a constant struggle for control. Anything with blood pumping through it's veins is fighting for a spot at the top, everything else is taken hostage, controlled by force, and made a slave for all those who can use it. Even trees, natural, organic, living trees are controlled, brought to the only green area left. An area, almost like a graveyard, that holds every helpless defenseless living thing left. There is a clash here, green to grey, natural to unnatural, life to stone. The Concrete Jungle has it's own set of rules. Everyone and everything that is still there knows it. But to all those who lay beyond the Sea of Tar that surrounds the Concrete Jungle, we are savage beasts. Though we stand tall, proud of the fact that we are known for the best and nothing less, we are our own murders. As we conquer more, control more, make more, we defeat all but us, and soon will be left with nothing that anyone else finds of value. The best suddenly doesn't matter. But until the day the Concrete Jungle, and the rest of the world, comes crumbling to our feet, we live by our own set of rules, and everyone and everything knows it.

Essay #19

The Power of Music
An Essay on how Music has Changed my Life

Music is something we make from the heart, that is why each song is different. Whatever we are feeling at the time comes out in a jumble of notes and words and we mix them around until we are satisfied with the results. With out music our world would be a dark one, people would not be able to express what they were feeling to the world. Luckily, we live in a world with plenty of music to go around, and we use that music for everything from recreational purposes to a way to cheer us up.

(TS)Though it may not seem like it, music is one of the most essential parts to healthy mental development. We need music to help us express ourselves when we feel incapable of doing so on our own. (SD)One of my favorite songs is "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. In this song Barkley is talking about a time when he truly though he had lost his mind. He sings "I remember when, I remember I remember when I lost my mind. There was something so pleasant about that place. Even your emotions have an echo, in so much space.".(CM)He talks about how pleasant it was to loose his mind, not having to worry about anything, almost as if he had literally lost his mind.(CM)Stress often enters my life and often I feel as if I can't take it anymore. When I listen to Barkley's lyrics, I almost laugh at my self for being so stressed because the tone of the song truly lifts my perspective on life. (SD)The thought of my emotions having an echo because I have absolutely nothing to think about makes me realize that although I might not be able to reach that level of serenity, I will be able to get through whatever is slowing me down. (SD)Barkley talks about having lost his mind not because he didn't know enough, but because he knew to much. (CM)He sings "And when your out there, with out care, yeah I was out of touch. But it wasn't because I didn't know enough, I just knew to much". This makes me think that Barkley must have lived through some traumatic events in his life if he lost his mind because of all the things he had learned and saw. He goes on to sing "My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on a limb and all I remember is thinking, I want to be like them. Ever since I was little ever since I was little it looked like fun and it's no coincidence I've come and I can die when I'm done."(CM)Barkley must have dreamed of being a soldier when he was a child, and now that he as it he doesn't want anything else. These lyrics make me realize that whatever problems I might have in my life, if I just keep going towards one thing I want, one goal, then I can get through the hard times.(TS)Many people don't realize that the lyrics in even the most strange songs can have a powerful message. Sometimes you actually have to "hear" the words in order to fully appreciate the beauty in the song, not just the music.

(TS)The irony in how music can relate to your life can be extraordinary. (SD)Through out the book, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo life is torn apart because of love. In the song "One" by Lamb, a story of love unwinds it's self. They sing " Here’s a story, of lover’s finding union so deep, there is no unwinding... love so strong whatever the weather even apart our souls are together." (CM)These lyrics speak of a love that is so strong, nothing can tear it apart, not even death. Romeo and Juliet both felt this way, as if they were united as one. (SD)They felt that not even death could break them apart.(SD)Both Romeo and Juliet's family were probably trying to get them to stay away from each other. (CM)It came to the point where Romeo and Juliet both killed themselves because they wanted to be together. (CM)If their parents had known what was going to happen they probably would have stopped what they were doing and try to support their child. In the song "How to Save a Live" by the Fray, they sing "Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness and I would have stayed up with you all night had I known how to save a life." (SD)If Romeo and Juliet's families had known how to save their children's life, then they probably would have put aside their differences and helped save their children.(CS)Everyone is capable of feeling the same emotions, that is why there are songs that enrapture everything from happiness to jealousy and everything in between. No matter what the emotion, there's a song for it.

Music can show our deepest emotions, our deepest fears as well as joys. Music helps us cope with what we are going through so we don't feel alone. It shows us that we all have the same feelings, even if their not about the same things. We are all united by one common thing, the ability to feel emotion, music just helps us show that.