english project

english project

English

Kristin Noschese

I Believe…

            I believe that no one ever dies.  Physically yes, but their spirit and the memories of them will always remain.  Your memory just can’t erase a person who influenced you; they still live through those happy memories and sad ones too.  I believe that dead people can bring joy to your life.  Whether it is an old joke they told you when they were alive and you finally just got it, or a home video of a Christmas seven years ago. 

I believe that when a person is gone, they will leave some kind of unfinished project or symbol behind, and you will find it one day.  It could be a song, or a number, or even an unfamiliar looking key and you will always be on the look out for it.  It will drive you crazy.  I believe that these symbols won’t lead you to anything hidden treasure but will always keep the spirit of the person alive.

I believe that life is harder than dying.  Dying is peaceful; your spirit goes to a pure and glorious place.  I believe that there is a heaven and hell.  But my theory is that hell is Earth because evil does exist on Earth and usually conquers the good because everyone sins.  Heaven is the place where there’s only good.  And that’s where I believe my beloved ones go.  I believe that I will see my family and friends again when it’s my time to go. 

             I believe that the mourning and sadness of a beloved one’s death never goes away.  The pain sticks with you everyday.  Every happy moment, accomplishment, heart-break, and birthday; you would give anything just to have them their with you for five minutes.  The sadness is inevitable.  It will just linger with you daily. 

I believe in fate.  Every little event that happens in your life is all for a reason. The people you meet, the people you lose, is all part of your journey.  One thing just leads to the next.  Your lowest point may also be your strongest point.  It’s a rollercoaster.  All to test and strengthen you for what’s to come.  The mistakes you make happen so that you learn from them and become a better person.

I believe in fear.  I believe that fear has the power take over you.  It can keep you from doing things you are destined to do and it can also hide you away from the person you love.  Fear is a terrible thing that people, including myself, need to conquer because you never know when death will come.  I believe that fear leads to regrets.  The reason you don’t do something you want to do is because of fear.  Majority of the time you’ll have regrets about things that you didn’t do or didn’t say.

I believe that everything happens for a reason.  It’s all how you handle what comes your way and what you’ll turn it into to.  I believe that life is a roller coaster.  Fear might make you hesitate going on the ride but when you do, you’ll experience it’s thrilling twist and surprises and scary sudden drops.  But when it’s all over, hopefully you’ll look back and be glad that you did board.

My Sonnet

Lone Hostage

As the shore recedes back it pulls you in

Taken under by force, you splash and scream.

Ripped of your dreams, transformation begins

Spit out as a prisoner to the sea.

 

Beaten down, still trying to stay afloat,

The current takes an unexpected turn.

Gasps from waves in surprise, there comes a boat.

The expectations and standards all burn.

 

Suddenly the chains break, the ocean cheers

The waves surrender, the tide becomes calm.

The captives break free; cast away their fears

Those demons fled away and now are gone.

 

You can’t pretend to be someone you’re not

An individual, not a robot.

Paper #2: Theme to my Free Choice Book

English

Kristin Noschese

Theme to “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”

            “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” is a story about a nine-year-old boy named Oskar Schell, whose father died in the World Trade Centers on 9/11.  Throughout the book, there are also stories about Oskar’s grandparents that are told through letters to Oskar’s father and Oskar.  They also lost someone dear to them and found one another as they were coping with the loss.  The whole story basically reveals how each character copes and wanders through life without their beloved one.  From what I have read, I have concluded that one of the themes to this book is Loss. 

            Oskar handles the death of his father by being curious.  By curious, I mean he starts searching through his father’s things instead of just leaving them alone and replays the four messages his father left him on that day that he still hasn’t told anyone about. In the book, I’ve learned that Oskar and his dad used to play these detective games where the dad would randomly hide clues for Oskar to find and Oskar would connect the clues to solve the puzzle.   I infer that Oskar feels that his father isn’t really gone and that he’s just waiting for Oskar to find the clues that lead him to where he is.  Then one day, while he was sifting through his dad’s closest, Oskar finds this mysterious key in an envelope with the name Black written on it.  All of a sudden he embarks on a journey to find the lock that belongs to the key.  I also infer that this key symbolizes the truth that Oskar is searching for what happened to his father.

Oskar’s Grandfather lost the love of his life, Anna, who also happens to be the grandmother’s sister.  When the Grandfather loss Anna, he also lost part of himself and handled his loss by becoming mute.  The only way he communicated to people was by writing in composition books.  Although loss is never a happy thing, one must learn to overcome it and continue with life, but for the Grandfather, he never moved on.  He allowed that emptiness and deprivation of the loss to overtake him and he could never feel the way he once felt.  When the Grandfather met Oskar’s Grandmother, he didn’t want to replace Anna, but wanted to feel that happiness again.  When he realized that nothing could ever bring that back, he left the grandmother and his unborn son only leaving letters addressed to his unborn son.  The Grandfather did not handle his loss healthy and let it take over him and his life, leaving him empty inside.

Oskar’s Grandmother also shared her losses, which is how she and the Grandfather were able to connect, but when he left, she was able to continue living life but was always sad.  I learned about the Grandmother’s life through letters wrote back in 1960’s that were addressed to Oskar explaining how she met the Grandfather.  I do feel sympathetic toward the Grandmother though because not only did her husband leave her, but also her son “supposedly” died in the World Trade Centers.  Basically, all she has left is Oskar.  She handled loss by grieving for a little while, and then continues living life.

            What I have discovered from my readings is that the pain you feel with the death of a person never disappears.  You can either choose to have it ruin your whole life, or you can rise from the ashes and find the things that make you happy.   But is there a correct way to come to terms with loss? No, there isn’t one response because everyone has a different way to deal with loss.  For example: Oskar, embarks on this adventure, the Grandmother remains alone and sad but lives, Oskar’s mom has a new relationship with Ron to replace the pain, and the Grandfather is silent and empty. 

            As I continue reading this book, I wonder what will Oskar find as he looks for the lock that belongs to the key, and read more of the letters that explain why the Grandfather left and how both Grandparents feel.  Oskar still needs to let some of that sadness out and talk to his mom, as well as find out how his Grandfather left his Grandmother.  Most of all, I wonder if the father is still alive or what kind of secret he is hiding.  Lastly, I will look for more evidence and clues about the theme of Loss, and how each person continues to handle loss and come to terms with it.

COMIC LIFE

The story that inspired me

Chain Reaction

How can one person change your life forever? How can one person have such a selfless lifetime goal and fulfill it, only to be killed the next day? Is that when people die after they help someone? It’s been a little over a year since Ashley came into my life and a little less than a year since she was taken away from it.
It was the first day back to school. I was a senior, nobody special, just your average girl waiting for high school to be over. I had a habit of making terrible first judgments about people and not giving second chances. But this all changed when I arrived in English class.
“Hi, I’m Ashley.”
I took one look at this girl wearing ripped jeans and a dirt-stained shirt and wanted nothing to do with her. It’s not my fault she can’t brush her brown-knotted locks or buy new school shoes that don’t have holes in it. Then during the second week of school, Ms. Harrison announced a project we had to do with a partner. The assignment was to find out everything we could about the other person and write a five-page biography about them. When the teacher read the names of our partners, I was annoyed to find out my partner was Ashley. To top it all off, we had to get to know each other on our own time, which meant that on Saturday I had to meet up with Ashley at her house.
When I arrived at her house I was surprised to see that it was larger than mine. Her family welcomed me into their home with open arms. I was confused. If she lived in a house like this, then why did she dress so poorly? As the night went on, I learned a lot about Ashley and found out that we had tons in common. We liked the same kind of music, had the same hobbies, and she was the middle child of an older brother and a younger sister, just like I was. I felt terrible for judging her so quickly. I looked at the questions we were supposed to ask our partner and found out we had only one more left to go.
“What’s your biggest lifetime goal?” I asked. She gave me an answer that left me speechless.
“I want to start a chain reaction of kindness. My goal is to make people in the world feel good about themselves and I want people to stop making fun of those who are less fortunate than they are. I think that once someone shows some kindness, it will rub off on everyone else and start a chain reaction.” She explained.
I felt so ashamed of myself. It felt as if she was directing that towards me. After that, Ashley and I became best friends. She showed me a lot about life and taught me to be a better person. Her kindness rubbed off on me and I found myself giving people the second chances they deserved. Ashley was an inspiration to me and always worried about helping others first before herself. I felt so thankful that she came into my life.
With graduation weeks away, my car broke down. My job was greater than walking distance and if I missed one more day of work, I would be fired. Ashley being the person she is, insisted that I borrow her car because her job was within walking distance. She saved me again and I got to work on time.
I was waiting outside her house that night after work, so that I could return her car. She left work at around 9:00 P.M. and was supposed to arrive home within five minutes. She didn’t. Ashley never made it home…
On her way home, Ashley was murdered. A witness said that the she was mugged and told that if she gave up her wallet, she would be okay. But he lied and shot her instead. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think of Ashley and what would have happened if I hadn’t taken her car, she would still be alive. Her mother helped me understand that Ashley was just doing what she did best, helping others with her kindness.
Ashley’s goal was to start a chain reaction of kindness, and I vowed to continue that chain. Whenever I could, I shared her kindness on to others in need and asked them to do the same so that her name and ambition of a chain reaction would not be forgotten.

This is a true story that I read and it touched my heart. It inspired me to start my own chain of kindness. When I re-wrote this story, I used the same plot but also incorporated more detailing that would allow the readers to visualize the story in their mind. I admire Ashley’s selfless demeanor and try to be more like her. Just like Megan – who is the narrator in the story – Ashley is an inspiration and she shouldn’t be forgotten. Therefore, whenever I can I will start my own chain reaction of kindness. Hopefully I can help someone in need.