Monday, November 3, 2008

43 barbara padilla begingin of year work

Language Arts - 8

1. Persuasive Essay (art in schools)


Barbara Padilla
September 11, 2008

School Improvements


We live in a country where we pride ourselves on freedom and the right to be an individual, school should be the place where that starts. We as students believe that we should have more creative arts classes, more community field trips and better physical education. These classes would help expand our learning past what we have been taught for many years.

One thing we would like to improve in schools would be more community field trips. By going on community field trips we would be able to take advantage of the learning opportunities in our community. Not only will students be able to be out in the community but they will also be having hands on learning experiences that will get students more interested in learning. Going out into our neighborhoods will open our minds to the education around us. By witnessing the education around us students will also be able to witness our environment and ways to improve it.

Speaking of improvements, obesity has become the number one cause of death in the U.S. and now more than ever physical education has become just as important as mental education. In order for all students to be able to participate in physical activities we need to improve the equipment to fit the capabilities of all students. In order to make this happen we need a comfortable facility to fit the different capabilities of each student in order to create a safe environment. Improving out physical education programs and facilities will result in healthy and ready to learn students.

The perfect example of a ready to learn individual is Leonardo Da Vinci he is the perfect example of how art and drama bring out the strongest intelligences within us. Bringing in more creative arts classes will expand students learning past Basic English and arithmetic. Drama and art classes help to teach most students about geometry, literature, culture and social skills. Studies show that most students learn better when they get to be hands on and physical. So adding more creative arts classes would improve students’ abilities to learn. They also absorb more knowledge working with their peers rather than just their teachers, and while in these arts classes they will be able to experience that. Think of these creative arts classes as the first flower of spring, the symbol of more flowering opportunities ahead.

Please know that as students we will go to great lengths to have these goals met weather that takes fundraisers or any type of event to raise money. Keep in mind we cannot do this on our own. The educational goals and improvements that we have mentioned, such as more community field trips, better physical education and more creative arts classes, will certainly exceed the learning methods that have been used to for such a long period of time. We have learned that there are a variety of different intelligences and we doubt you want to allow yourself to feel like you have been apart of depriving us from finding ours. So we ask you please consider our ideas and help us to transform them into reality.



2. Plot Diagram (save as a .jpeg and post)




Barbara Padilla
1 October 2008
English

Plot Diagram for “The Circuit”






























I decided to choose the story “The Circuit” to do a plot diagram on this story. I chose “The Circuit” because I believed that I understood this story better than the other two. I believe I was able to understand and do a good job on this plot diagram. On the other two stories I had bit more difficulties, and I did not think that I actually understood them that well, but since I wanted to show my best work I decided to stick with the story that I understood the best.

Even though “The Circuit” was a sad story I really enjoyed it, it left me wanting more. Since it ended right at the climax, I felt the need to know more. I think that it was a very well written story. I believe I was able to easily do a plot diagram on that story because it was simpler for me to understand. Its not that I don’t want to be challenged its just that I don’t want to show work that I did not do correctly because I feel I have better work to show. And these were the reasons why I chose “The Circuit” rather than the other stories.








3. Response to Literature

Barbara Padilla
November 3.2008
Mr. Rachlin; English

Response to Literature
To Kill a Mockingbird

In life people come across many other people they do not know or understand. Just like in most high schools or middles schools, people end up declaring false statements or rumors about those other people. This has been going on for hundreds of years. When someone does not like another someone, they end up saying things that may or may not be true. This is what happens in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Many things are said and people end up having to make their own decisions in order to decipher right from wrong and true from false.

Sometimes when hearing things about people, it is difficult to really know if what you hear is true or not. In this book, the towns people always hearsay about the different people. For example, Boo Radley is a resident at the Radley house, but no one had ever really met him. Some would say he was a “malevolent phantom” or others might say, “Wouldn’t you stay in the house if you didn’t want to come out?” So sometimes it might be difficult to know who was right. With other people, like Burris Ewells, they say things like, “He’s a real mean one.” and they just might be right about that. This proves that no matter what people may say it is difficult to really know the truth unless you find out for yourself. This is why you should never assume, not only because it does not get you quite far, but because it is better to get the facts from the source. When Scout and Jem saw the tree by the Radley’s they found many interesting items in it. They could have assumed a great deal of ideas, but they did not. This asserts that there are some things that can not be easily explained, and it takes time to figure things out.

Most people try to convince others of their opinions by spreading mean or false statements. The towns people did this with Atticus when they called him a “Nigger-lover”. They believed that defending a black person was wrong. There is also a lady, Ms. Dubose, who some had said, “Was the meanest old women who ever lived.” Some could say that was true, but the real truth that people did not know was that there was a reason for some of her actions. Unfortunately no one bothered to listen or care. The truth is that there usually is a reason for almost everything in life, but if it does not appeal to someone’s interests then they just do not bother to care. People also have a problem with judging others too quickly which results in false thoughts and accusations. Everyone accused Boo of being this mean fellow, but from the information given in the story he does not seem that bad [to me]. He gave a blanket to Jem and Scout when it was cold out and he was the eligible one that was thought to be placing the ‘toys’ in the tree trunk. Sometimes when people judge automatically, they end up heading in the wrong direction of the truth.

In most cases no mater what people end up saying, others are able to find out the truth for themselves in the end. Scout ends up seeing that Boo Radley is not a cruel specter. He saved her and her brother and only a hero would risk his life for another. Also, Scout and Jem figure out for themselves that black people are also people. They see that the black people are no different then anybody else and that the judgment of them just might be considered, “innocent slaughter of a song bird”. Some might actually prefer the company of the black people rather than the white. For example, Mr. Raymond is supposedly a drunk, but Scout and Dill find out that he just pretends. He explains that it gives the town people something to grasp onto. He says, “Its mighty helpful to folks… it helps folks if they can latch onto a reason.” He basically says that he pretends to be drunk so that the people think that that is his reason for associating with the black people. This shows how sometimes people just try to assume to try to make things more understandable. Usually towards the end people finally are able to fit the pieces together and see people for what they are and not what others think them to be. When Scout and Jem have their unfortunate incident with Bob Ewells, they see that he was truly an ‘evil man’. Scout finally sees things as they are meant to be seen and she has a realization at the end of the book. She says, “There wasn’t much else left for us [Scout and Jem] to learn, except possibly algebra.” Life is like a puzzle, once all the pieces are there the picture is more obvious. You just have to make sure that you are given the right pieces to fit in the right place.

I believe that this story was a great example of how it is better to think for yourself before you try to judge and you to try to find the truth for yourself. Scout was explaining to Atticus that she was listening while he read. She was mentioning a character from the story and she said, “He was real nice…” Atticus than replied, “most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” I thought that this was a great way to end the story. It is the ideal way to conclude the idea that you have to find things out for yourself because when you judge, the results are much different from the facts

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4. Autobiographical Incident (problem that you confronted)
Barbara Padilla
23 September 2008
Mr. R – English

¿Friends for Life, or Not?

When I was ten I did not have any friends, my only friend was a girl named Lizette. I considered her my best friend even though she was not that kind to me. She was my only and best friend. She lived just around the corner from my house, so I got to hang put with her a lot. I had a feeling we would be friends for quite some time. That all changed when I noticed that I was getting new neighbors.

One day when layette and I were playing outside we noticed a girl who seemed to be our age, outside her house right across the street. Of course Lizette and I wanted to introduce ourselves, but we were too shy and fearful of what she might say or do. Lizette and I would always go outside and try so hard to get the girl’s attention, but it never worked. So we just continued just being with each other and waiting for that time that she might come over and talk to us.

Finally in fifth grade the girl that lived across the street from me went to the same school as Lizette. We found out her name was Desiree, her and Lizette started becoming friends. Lizette thought that since Desiree live right across the street from me it would be a smart idea for us to become friends. We decided to all hang out together one day and since we were getting along Desiree and Lizette decided to spend the night at my house. That night Desiree and I became really close. We automatically ‘clicked’, even my mom noticed. I thought we would become really close friends, until about a week later I heard that she did not like me.

Soon after I met Desiree, Lizette starts telling me that she was just ‘pretending’ to like me and that she actually did not think we got along at all. Lizette said Desiree had been telling people false statements about me at school. I was really irritated by this, so I decided to not talk to her. This went on for a long time. I did not talk to Desiree for a couple of moths. My mom noticed something was strange so she asked me what was going on, so I told her everything. When she found out what had happened she decided to go and talk with Desiree’s parents about the situation just so she could get things straight. My mom did not believe what Lizette had said about Desiree.

My mom really liked Desiree from the moment she met her. Even though my mom barely knew her, my mom had a hard time believing what Lizette had said. My mom would tell me that Desiree reminded her of me, and she did not think that I [or Desiree] would do something like that. So when she went over to Desiree’s house, her parents were not home so she just talked to her. My mom found out that Lizette was actually lying and had even told Desiree the same thing but switched it so it made sense. Desiree said that she never said anything bad about me, she actually really like me and was confused when I stopped talking to her. She handled this problem better than I did because I got really upset and took it to the heart; she was still upset but did not take it as seriously. After this incident I realized who my real and true friends were.

Desiree and I started hanging out after this. I went to see fireworks with her on July 4th and from then on I knew that she would turn out to be a really great friend. I stopped talking to Lizette after this incident, I just could not get over the fact that she lied to me. Desiree was still good friends with her, but I did not mind. Lizette was O.K. in her own ways, and if it was not for her than I would not have became such awesome friends with Desiree. I am glad to say that I have a friend for life. I can trust her and she can trust me. Even though I had to go through some bad times, I am glad I was able to turn the frowns upside down to be able to find a real friendship. This is one experience that I am grateful for.



History - 8th Grade:

Declaration of Independence Project,




Declaration of Independence :
Translated in my own words:



it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

This means that if the people are not happy with the government then they should be able to change it to their likings.





it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

People should be able to get rid of the government and get a new and improved government.



The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

The king has been a totally a jerk and has only caused problems. He has been a trader to all of the states, and they will give the facts to fair world.





A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

A person that acts like a dictator is unfit to rule.

They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity.

People have not been listening to the voice of the people and have ignored them.





That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;

The colonies should be separated and considered their own state, and completely rid of the British’s.



American Revolution Project (word & excel parts), Mr smith has graph


Summary and Reason for Scoring

Proclamation of 1763:
It was the act that forbids the colonist to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. We gave this act a three because it seemed that people would get a bit mad over moving to a different location but since this was the first act that was put to them, it would seem that they would not get really mad.

Sugar Act of 1764:
This was the act that put a tax on molasses, even though it was already quite expansive. We gave it a two because they avoided the tax and were able to buy off the tax collectors. Even though they were getting into more trouble for this, it still did not get them that mad.

Stamp Act of 1765:
This placed a new tax on legal documents like, marriage, divorce and wills. We gave this a two because just like the sugar act, it was not that bad of a tax but they were still somewhat upset about the new taxes.

Townshend Act of 1767:
This was that put unfair taxes on goods. Solders were also going through there homes and personal property to make sure they were not smuggling the goods without paying the taxes. We gave this a four because their rights were violated and they were very mad.

Boston Massacre of 1770:
This was when the Boston insulted the solders and they started to through snowballs and ice. The instant reaction of the solders was to shoot; they ended up killing five people. We gave this a four because not many were killed but the solders till did not have the right to shoot the people.

Teas Act of 1773:
This was the tax that sold tea directly to the colonist, they simply skipped the merchants. This was given a one because the merchants were the ones that got mad because they were not getting paid.

Boston Tea Party of 1773:
This was when the colonist threw the tea and other goods off the British boats and threw them into the harbor. We gave this act a five because they must have been extremely mad to go against the big country and destroy their goods.

Intolerable Acts of 1774:
This was when the British Parliaments added these five acts: the Boston port Act that closed the port of Boston; the Massachusetts Government Act which did not allow town meetings; the Administration of Justice Act which allowed the royal officers trails to move to England; and the Quartering Act that wanted to make better houses for the British solders in America. We gave this a four because they were already fed up with these other unfair acts and this made them even more upset.


First Continental Congress of 1775:
This was a meeting discussing the relationship between the British and the Americans. We gave this a one because they were not allowed to attend but it still did not get them that upset.

The Battle Of Bunker Hill of 1775:
This was the battle between the colonist and the British, because the Americans wanted to be independent. We gave this a four because of course it made them mad that they were being killed and they lost the battle, but the British also lost many solders.

GRAPHS: The line graph is a better visual because it shows how their anger goes up and down in a swift line movement. It seems more ‘smart’ to me.
















Constitution


Barbara Padilla
Oct 20, 2008
Constitution



In order to create a stable safe environment, to create an equal balanced government and in order to maintain peace and keep this government from becoming a dictatorship we have created this constitution which is hopefully a guide to an everlasting peacefulness.

These are the basic foundations for life and these foundations are what the leaders should keep in mind and what the laws should be based around, in order to help improve any of these categories mentioned. Foundations for better life: improving life, liberty, happiness, human rights, equal ness, fairness, safety and the function of the government.

The first on our agenda is leadership, it is a matter of great importance without the right guidelines to creating and keeping a leader, we may be overruled and that one leader may be able to turn this democracy into a dictatorship which is not what we want. We must create different sections and layers of leadership and ranks in order to create a divided power between the different leaders in order to prevent the abuse of power. There should be different branches in order to monitor and watch each other. The three basic branches of government should be the judiciary branch, the legislative branch and the executive branch. Each branch should be in charge of a different section of the government, but all three together create the government. Judiciary branch is responsible for interpreting the law and applying the law in certain cases; legislative is responsible for endorsing the law; and the executive branch is responsible for enforcing the law. Every action that one does must come with a reason, they should always explain what they do, laws and decisions in all. This will be done so that people know that the reason for the different laws, and the different decisions made, are only made to better improve life and government and are based around the foundations for a better life.

If a leader is not liked and the decision that they have made are appalling and do not help to improve any aspects of the foundations for better life, than the people should vote in order to remove and replace that leader and any followers in his/her footsteps.

There should also be a difference between the federal and state leaders. The federal leaders are of higher rank than the state leaders, but still at the same time they are of the same value. Federal leaders can not take over the roles of the states, but are allowed to step in if the job is not being done. Federal leaders monitor the states and the president monitors the federal and all other aspects of the laws and other leaders.

The president over sees all, he is the one that does not make the laws but he is the one that will approve of them. The president is a part of the legislative branch of the government. He is also aloud to have his say in the countries and can step in at any time, but not aloud to intervene. The president is the one that the government goes to in order to make a snappy decision. He should be the public face. He’s the one that the people know. So if something is wrong the people will be able to blame it on him. The people should not interfere with the government because they might get tangled up in something far too big for them to understand. That’s why the president is there to tell the people what goes on, but in terms that they understand.


The people should vote on the president and that branch of the government. And everything that is done is done with the consent of the people. The president can be of any gender or of any race, but he or she must have been born in the country in order to have some knowledge of the states. He or she must also have a college education and no criminal record. If a leader is to be replaced and dismissed than it should be done with the consent and knowledge of the people.

We must monitor each movement that the leaders make, in order to make sure there will be no dictatorship and no overpowering. Decision should be made anonymous in order to help protect the safety of the leaders. We shall try to avoid blackmail as much as possible in order to assure that decisions are made based on what that person should want, not what others want them to do. The representatives of the people will be given there chances to say what the people want the state leaders to hear. The local representatives will be the ones that the people go to, to tell there concerns and complaints. Every large community will be given a representative then the locals will go to the main states representatives and when the states representatives go to council they are able to give their word and decisions.

Laws are entirely a different matter, in order to create laws we must have a main idea in mind that will allow us to base all laws around that main idea. That is where the foundations for better life come in. The foundations for better life are the basic structures that all laws should be based around. There should be basic laws such as no killing, no rape and things that fall under that category, but there should also be laws that are needed to keep peace. The people should be the ones that make the decision on the different laws. Of course there will be mandatory laws but there should also be votes on some law that the government is either not sure about or believe that the people should chose rather than them. There should be more severe punishments for federal laws that are broken, because those are of a different matter. Federals laws are far more serious than local or state laws. There should be no exceptions to the laws and every person should be innocent until proven guilty. Every person must be given a fair trail from the judiciary branch of the government. There must also be an equal balance between punishment and law. But the punishments should not extend beyond death or torture. But if one does not chose to change and has continues outflow of anger and continually takes life of others or hurts others than a unanimous decision should be made to give them a lethal injection and killed after the law enforces have given him a fair trial.

The law enforcers’ are apart of the executive branch. The only one person aloud to enforce the laws are the law enforcers such as officers, or if the matter was of such importance than the F.B.I. or people of that rank. And there will be different levels of law enforcers: state, federal and local. There should be different categories such as; people to enforce laws, people to make the laws and approve of them, and people to make decision on the punishments and weather they deserve them or not.

Since states may have different opinions on different laws and different decisions made, than I believe that there should be state elections and state laws. So that the states still have some of their own power. But the states laws will still be monitored by the federal government and the president. The people should be able to say what laws they would like to have and the government should take them into consideration and vote upon them to see if they would be of any use.

School should be a mandatory subject, by the age of 6 kids should be in school and they should at least finish there high school years at school. But for the people that are not able to afford school than there should be welfare in order to help the people that need help. But you must make only a certain amount of income, in order to be able to get welfare. There should also be things that help people buy food. People should make up for these helpful programs by paying a percent of them in their taxes, but the poor do not have much of a tax rate, in order to make sure they are able to pay necessities rather than all there money going to the government.

The poor should get a tax rate of 4%and the rich would get a tax rate of 10%. The work tax would be 1% and 4%. The middle class will get a 7% tax rate and a 2% work cut. The different classes of citizens should be based on their yearly income. Everything that they buy will come with a tax rate of .7%, luxury items should be given a tax rate of .8% and food will have no tax. The people are able to vote to rid of some taxes if they are disliked and no new tax should be given without the consent of the people.

When people are not able to pay taxes than they should be given 3 notices and then after the third notice then there should be given 2 more notices that will give the idea that they have a month to pay or else. Then after those 2 are given and a couple of phone calls are made than the people should be punished because taxes are a mandatory thing and they have to be done at least once a year by every individual adult. The people should first loose all there luxury items and there items will be sold by the bank in order to pay there taxes. After they are not able to come up with the rest of the money then the people would lose there land and be put in jail. After you got to jail for a certain amount of time than there dept would be considered paid.
Even though people do not like the idea of taxes they are a mandatory thing and they must be done. Taxes are the way that the government is able to pay for things such as the army or for welfare and stuff in those categories. Taxes are the way that the government gets money in order to be able to pay for the programs that help special needs people and people that need some help in health care. Even though taxes are not wanted they are very much needed. Just like an army.

Even though people do not like the idea of war or conflict it is something that happens often in society, but in order to prevent another country from trying to take over, we must have some sort of defense. So an army is the one thing that will strike fear into the eyes of the countries that try to take over our newly developed states. The president is the one that is mostly in charge of the army and military. If immediate action is needed and we are under attack than the president is the one that will call on military forces to go to action. Just like the government there will be different ranks in charge in the military.

So in order to create a well functioned government than these guidelines and this constitution should be followed. It is of great importance and was very well planned out. The government must try to build a foundation were the people are able to trust the government and not fear it. This way it will be easier to do what we need to do and improve what we need to improve. We live in a democracy so choices must be given, opinions must be considered and voices must be heard. The government has to work with the people rather than against it. We must try our bets to improve the foundations of a better life and this is why we have created this constitution. To create an ever-lasting peacefulness! ☺♥☺ !





English-8
summary: due 11-21-2008

1] Non-Fiction:


A Long Hard Journey
After the civil war in 1860 ex-slaves had difficulties finding work. Those that were lucky enough were given the opportunity to become porters on Pullman trains. Pullman trains were luxury cars that traveled across country and porters were the ones that helped the passengers. They were respected by most because they were able to see sights that some could only dream of. Because of this porters were able to create a brotherly bond with their neighbors.

Though porters were considered the true potential that African Americans could become, some would mistreat them because they were required to follow strict guidelines. Passengers would enquire the porters to perform humiliating acts. Once they would have humored the passengers they would receive a big tip. Porters were dependent on tips because their paychecks were deliberately kept low. Some African Americans would have quit after such conduct, but others had no where else to go. A porter was the best job that an ex-slave would be able to achieve, it was much better than picking cotton all day.

Though most marveled over the Pullman trains and the exquisite porters, the owner George Pullman, was one that some would call a megalomaniac. His philosophy was “my rule or your ruin”. In 1880 he created a company owned village. All white workers were required to live on the land. In 1894 the white workers protested against the Pullman trains. They were tired of the ways they were being treated and they were tired of low paychecks. African Americans were not permitted to participate in the protest, but even thought they did not participate some were still laid off. Though the times were rough and the pay may not have been the greatest, a porter was the one job that most ex-slaves hoped for. No matter the work conditions and the strict guidelines, they were respected among each other and that’s what kept them moving forward.



Plastic Munching Microbes
Recycled bottles tend to be made out of PET. This substance is the reason why recycled bottles become a lower-quality plastic. Scientist have been looking for ways to convert PET into a more reusable plastic but it was the Europeans that have had the lead in studies equipping them with the knowledge of turning PET into PHA. PHA is a higher quality plastic. This is so because PHA is considered biodegradable. So that means that it would be able to be used in medical devices such as stitches that will over time, brake down into the body.

Scientist knew that some bacteria feed on TA, a chemical produced during the heating of PET, and others produced the plastic PHA, but no one has witnessed a form of bacteria that feed on TA and produce PHA. To see if this hypothesis was reliable, scientists studied soil near a plastic bottle factory in Ireland. They found bacteria on particles of PET that had answered their ideas on a TA feeding bacteria that also produce PHA. With this information and studies, scientists will soon be able to easily recycle bottles into a more usable and higher-quality type of plastic.



Lighting Goes Digital
LED lights are digit lights that are longer lasting and more efficient than the basic light bulbs. OLED are just as similar but they are organically made and much cheaper than LED. Scientists have thought about updating our century old light bulbs with a more up-to-date technology. Scientists have many different new ideas but they will take time and money to be able to make those ideas a reality. Hopefully in our near future, scientists will find ways to equip homes with these ‘futuristic’ lights.



Algal Blooms
Algal bloom is the extraneous growth of algae. This happens when there is an increase of temperature or nutrients in the water. Algal blooms are more commonly referred to as red tides. Though not all algal blooms are red, the color varies on the different species that bloom. These red tides may become dangerous because of there over production of toxins that they release. When fish or shell fish eat these algae and store there toxin, and larger organism eat these fish and shell fish, then those larger organisms can get seriously ill or even die. These red tides can cause many misfortunes. One day in Massachusetts, 14 humpback whales were found dead. They were all in good health, scientists could find no reason for their death, and then they realized that it was there meals which had caused such happenings.

Because of the dangers that red tide can cause, scientists have tried to find ways to predict the tides and their occurrences. They have not been very successful in their studies. Though they are not able to predict the happenings of these red tides, scientists have had satellites in space that watch the patterns of movements. They also have satellites that inform scientists of ocean temperatures increasing. Scientists are trying many different ways of trying to keep the people and ocean animals safe by watching out for the dangerous occurrences of algal bloom.



Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier [1988]
In 1988 a school newspaper published their usual 6 page paper, but the principal took two of those pages out because of two articles that were published. The first article was about a divorce and it criticized the girl’s father very brutally, the principal said that the girl did not give the father a chance to respond so he took it out. The second article talked about the student’s sex experiences and birth control, the principal believed this was inappropriate for younger students and violated the privacy of the ones mentioned in the story. The editors of the newspaper filed a law suit saying that this violated their 1st amendment, freedom of press. The school argued that the principle should be allowed to omit articles that could disrupt the school. Kuhlmeier replied by saying that it would not have disrupted the school. The school said that they had paid for the paper and should have the final say of what’s published. The principal even mentioned that he was not trying to limit the student’s private expression, because he did allow the omitted articles to be distributed on school campus. The court sided with the students because they did realize that it was true; their first amendment was truly offended.





2] Fiction:


Thank You Ma’m
A woman by the name of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, who was just about to get mugged, ends up doing the complete opposite of what is expected. Instead of sending the boy to jail or beating the wits out of him, she takes him home and cleans him up. She gives him dinner and talks to him, not like a criminal but as a human being. She teaches him a valuable lesson. He learns to be respectful and honest. He changes form the beginning of the story to the end. During the story she leaves the room with her purse left on her bed, the boy knows that she trusts him, so he sits on the opposite end of the room because he does not want to ruin that trust. At the end of the night he is so grateful for her kind simple acts that he is speechless, he wants to say something to her but “Thank You Ma’m” does not seem to fit. The boy was so grateful for her kind acts that even though he was a rebel he had the urge to say something more, but that was all he could think of on such short notice. As he turned to see her at her door, he just barley got the words, “thank you” out before she shut the door. After that night they did not cross paths again, but she taught that boy a lesson he was sure not to forget. This story has been a grate influence for many years. It is a great story with a wonderful meaning behind it. Even the simplest of gestures, will get the most stirring results.

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