Essay # 2 Secrets and Mysteries

Jade

9/22/10

Mr.Salsich

English 9

Secrets and Mysteries:

An Essay on People and their Secrets

Mysteries and secrets are inevitable. We are all human, and we all make choices as well as mistakes. However, it's these very choices and mistakes that make who we are and who we are not. Without them, we would all be rather interchangeable and dull. Our secrets and mysteries make us unique.

TS Everyone has a secret. Something that they can't or won't confess. In the book A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, secrets and mysteries play a dominant role. SD In the first paragraph of chapter four, Dickens states, "that every room and everyone of them encloses it's own secret" (Dickens, 15). CM By this I believe that Dickens is trying to stress the fact that everybody has at least one secret. CM That we all have something to hide -- something that ultimately brings us all together in a way none of us see (Appositive). SD Dickens goes on to say, “No more can I turn the leaves of this dear book that I loved, and vainly hope in time to read it all” (Dickens, 15). CM In other words, we can spend our entire lives reading someone, spending time with them, but in the end we will end up knowing nothing of them. CM No matter how many years we spend looking at a locked door, if we don't have the key, we will never get inside. CS In Dickens mind everybody has secrets, and if you look at the world from a realists point of view, he is absolutely right.

TS If Dickens is correct in saying everybody has secrets, then I believe people and their secrets are like an animal hiding in the shadows (Simile). SD Often, when you encounter an animal hiding, you automatically ask yourself, "What is it hiding from?". CM If you are so inclined to take the animal out from it's place of hiding, be cautious of the fact that it might not want to leave and someone might get hurt. CM But if you take the time to coax the animal out, reassuring it that it's safe, then you might find yourself in a completely different and more appealing situation. SD I find that people and their secrets are very similar. CM You can try to force a secret from someone, but if they are unwilling, then the odds are someone will get hurt. CM On the other hand, if you take the time to talk to someone, respecting their space, and supporting them when needed, they will most likely come out of the shadows. SD I myself have hidden secrets from those who wish to know them. CM At times I felt like I was being cornered with no where else to run. CM Other times people were kind, letting me know that I could tell them if I wish, but not pressuring me the slightest. CS Letting the "animal" come out of it's hiding place rather than forcing it out can often be the better decision, but you might just enjoy what mysteries pop out.

We have all had a secret at one point or another. We might have one right now, whether it be eating away at you or just at the back of your mind. Though secrets are usually described as unhealthy, they can sometimes be good. Not letting everybody know everything about you is usually best. We are, after all, entitled to our secrets and mysteries.

Essay #1 Back to School

9/17/10

Jade

Mr.Salsich

English 9

Coming back to school can seem like a fear to some, a prize to others. I admit, when I had to walk through the doors into the school teeming with children, I was not thrilled. But there can be advantages to every situation. During the summer I hardly talked to anyone from my class. Now, I have more friends that I spend time with. Though school can seem like a huge burden, we should learn to embrace what we have and make the best of it.

TS Even though most of us are unhappy about coming back to school, we are great full that our friends are there, making it bearable, and sometimes even fun. To me, the song "All the Right Moves" by One Republic is a good example of friends supporting us when we go back to school. SD This song states, "All the right friends in all the right places, so yeah, we're going down. They've got all the right moves in all the right faces so yeah, we're going down". CM To me, this means that when you have the right friends in the right places, things can seem much better. CM Also, when you don't have the proper mentality about coming back to school, you will end up making most people, including yourself, miserable. SD They go on to say "Between the noise you hear, and the sounds you like, are we just sinking the ocean of faces?". CM The first part of this line makes emphasizes how, even though we may not want to embrace the fact that we are back at school, we have to because we have to face reality. CM Even if we feel as if we are "drowning in an ocean of faces" we need to resurface and start swimming towards our goals. CS It is true that most of us would rather be in bed right now that be in school, but we need to remember the importance of why we do this everyday. We all need to come together in a tough situation and make the best of it. Who knows? We might just have a little fun.

TS Often, there are times in my life when I feel stranded in the dark, all alone. I found myself feeling this way the first few days of school. SD In the movie Pitch Black, several people find them selves stranded on what seems to be a dead desert planet. It isn't until the suns go down and the monsters come up that they realise they are in big trouble. CM School can often feel this way to. It's when the lights go down, when the work builds up, when the expectations raise, that we start to feel all alone in the dark (Parallelism). CM It is important, however, to remember that we don't have to be alone. there are teachers and parents and loved ones that are willing to help us through these difficult times. SD In the movie there is also a dangerous convict traveling on the ship when it crashes. Everyone is terrified of this man even though he has done nothing to harm any of them. CM I feel that this can easily be related to procrastination. CM When we are overloaded with work and stress, we tend to procrastinate. We run scenarios through our mind, over thinking whats ahead, trying to find an easy way out, feeling stress the entire time (Long Sentence) In the movie, many of the passengers were to busy focusing on the fact that there was prisoner traveling with them to realize that they were about to be swallowed into darkness. By the time they realized what was going to happen, it was too late. CS Though there are going to be many times when I am going to find myself in the dark, I know that if I relax and take a step back, everything will suddenly be in the light.

For many, summer is the best time of year. Spending time outside in the beautiful weather with your friends is heaven on Earth. But like it or not, we have to go back to school eventually. We look through the windows of our classrooms all day, look through the windows at home doing homework, never at peace. If we hold onto the depression of coming back to school, our life will be filled with misery. That is why its important to look on the bright side of things and go with the flow. If we do this, our days will suddenly not seem so bad.

Self Assessment

1. Something To Work On

One thing I need to work on is unity. Through I feel that my writing can usually stay on the right topic, I think it would be much better if everything was as united as it should be.

2. One Strong Point

To me, one strong point of my writing that I love having is my sense of word placing. I feel that my sentences have good words and are very rhythmical.

3. One Weak Point

One of my weak points is writing long sentences that the reader gets lost is. As much as I love to write both long and short sentences, I often write to much, making my point unclear.

4. The Grade I would Give Myself

For this essay I would give my self a B- because in the last paragraph I feel I didn't stay on topic very well at all.

9/9/10

Jade

Mr.Salsich

Freestyle Writing

English 9

Lies

I lie to you almost everyday, you just don't know it.

You ask me if I'm okay, and I say I'm fine.

And It's biggest lie I've ever told.

I know you can see it.

I know you can tell.

I know you only ask because you care, but you know I will never tell.

Not even you.

It's not because I don't trust you.

It's not because I don't like you.

I can't even tell you why I can't tell you.

I just can't.

And I know I will see you tomorrow.

And I know I will hurt you again.

Because I know I will tell you I'm fine.

And It's the biggest lie I've ever told.