Ajax, the little kid

Author's note: This short piece is about comparing Ajax in the play to a little kid and how in-mature he was acting.

I think that Ajax changed from the old version to the newer version by acting more like a child. An example of his un-maturity is on page 12 when he is agring with the guard. The guard acts like he never heard of Sparta just to mess with Ajax.  Ajax knew that he knew about Sparta and started to say "So, so, so," when the guard said "Not, not, not." Like a little kid arguing with another kid, try to see who is right.

On page 13 Ajax got so mad at the Trojans that Oydussus gave him a squeeze ball and sent him to the back of the Spartans. Ajax is real life did not have a squeeze ball, because they where not invented yet. It was like a child being grounded and sent to sit in the corner. Also on page 15, Ajax fought Hector for a little, then Hector pulled down his pants to show silly underwear and retreated in Troy. Hector did fight Ajax twice in real life, but never pulled down Ajax's pants. Also, Ajax never wore silly underwear, and silly underwear is something little kids wear

The Trojan Horse

The Trojan war was fought between Greece and Troy over one woman, Helen. Helen was the most beautiful woman in the world and she was married to King Menelaus, but kidnapped and taken to Troy. When the Trojan refused to give her back, Menelaus got some of Greece's best warriors, Ajax, Achilles, and Odysseus to fight for him.

After 10 years of war, and many of the greatest soldiers dead, Odysseus hatched a plan to take Troy. He left only a small group of soldiers inside of a huge wooden horse. He then moved the rest of the Greek fleet to the other side of the island, waiting. When the citizens of Troy found the wooden horse, they did not know what to do, burn it or worship it. They decide to keep it when the city old priest was eaten by a sea monster, and that very night, the soldiers inside the horse came out, opened the gate, and the larger Greek force came and sacked the city.

"The Lost Hero"

Authors note: This piece is about the effect of one event in The Lost Hero, and how it plays out in the book.

In The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, Leo volunteered to go on a quest to save Hera, Queen of the gods. The first problem they encountered was that they needed transportation to start their quest. After ducking out of a camp meeting early, he went into the woods to look for the bronze dragon that was terrorizing campers. Without taming the dragon, Leo and his friends never would have been able to save Hera, and the world.

Before Leo tamed the dragon, it was killing campers that dared to go out into the woods. Cabin nine was trying to capture the dragon before Leo came to camp. Leo was one of the newest people at the camp, not knowing anything about the gods. But, he did have one secret power; he was fire proof and could summon fire in his hands. He knew that he could find the dragon and tame it.

After taming the bronze dragon, Leo, Jason, and Piper were able to actually start the quest. Because of the transportation, they fought Cyclopes, wolves, killed the giant, Enceladus, and saved Hera and Piper’s dad, on their quest. If it was not for Leo finding the dragon, the world would have been destroyed.

If Leo did not find and tame the bronze dragon, they would have never gone on the quest to save Hera. In turn, Hera would have been consumed by Gaea, the gods would have started wars on each-other, Piper’s dad would have been killed, and Porphyrion and the other giants would have been victorious.

Leo and his friends would have never finished the quest if Leo had not tamed the bronze dragon as transportation on their journey. 

"Ribbons"

The reason why Paw-paw did not want Stacy wearing the ribbons on her shoes, was because of past experiences. When Paw-paw was younger, she wore shoes with ribbons. What the ribbon would do is cut criualtion to the toes, not making them grow, only hurt. Another factor to her hatred for ribbon shoes, is when she took stacy's  mom all the way from China to Hong Kong. Messing up her feet even more.

Stacy only wanted to wear the shoes because, she loved to dance. It just happened that the style for dance shoes have ribbons on them. When Paw-paw saw the dance shoes, she thought that Stacy will end up with the same kind of feet. Out of fear and love for Stacy, she tried to take the dance shoes. 

DWA

In The last Olympian by Rick Riordan, Percy and all of the camp-half blood campers defend Olympus from Kronos’ army. At one point only Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Grover and Chiron stood against Kronos. In a nick of time Nico, and his father Hades, come to fight Kronos and protect Olympus. With Hades’ arrival, it threw a wrench in Kronos’ plans.

Over thousands of years ago the gods over threw Kronos and the titans. Since then, Kronos has been plotting to take over Olympus and regain control. So, while the gods were away fighting Typhoon, he planed an attack to destroy Olympus, not knowing of the demi-gods protecting it. After days of fighting, finally the demi-god forces were diminished, and Kronos though he had won. Then, when all hope was lost, Nico and Hades came to the aid of the protectors of Olympus.

Once Nico and Hades arrived, they summoned a dead army from the underworld to fight the titan’s army. They were able to stop Kronos’ army from sacking Olympus, even though they let Kronos and his assistant, Ethan, through. Because of Hades actions, the other gods congratulated him. But, if Hades and Nico would have not aided in Olympus’ defense, the outcome of the battle could have been very different.

Hades and Nico were the game-changers in the battle, because they would have not stopped Kronos’ army. Olympus surely would have fallen with hundreds of rogue soldiers tearing the place apart. Only five people would have been able to fight, which against an army, they did not have very good odds.

Without Hades’ arriving, the outcome of the battle would have resulted in Kronos’ victory. 

"After You My Dear, Alphonse"

In “After You My Dear Alphonse,” one mother takes the stereotypical approach to one of her son’s friends.  But, due to the children’s young age, they do not pick up on any of it.  Stereotyping is not always right.

One stereotypical thing that Boyd and Johnny do not pick up on is when Mrs. Wilson says “Boyd will eat anything.”  She thought that Boyd was poor and does not eat much. Which was not true, because Boyd did not follow that stereotype.

Stereotyping is a huge problem in society back in the 40’s, and still is today. We need to work on over look stereotypes, and focus on the person, not race.

"A clean, well-lighted place"

“A clean, well-lighted place” by Ernest Hemingway, has two waiters staying up late for an old customer. There is also a remake into a movie, in which there are similarities and differences. One difference was the scenery, because in the book the old man was drink outside. In the movie the old man was in the corner, sitting at a booth. Also, at the start of the movie there was creepy music, and when the old man was kicked out of café, the creepy music changed to sad music. Music is one way that the viewers vision is enhanced by.

Some similarities were that the younger waiter was impatience, self-centered, and selfish. He only though about himself when the old man stayed late for a few drinks. An example of that selfishness is when he says to the old man, “You should of killed yourself.” Even though the old man was deaf. The middle aged man was understanding, knowing of the background of the old man. He knew that drinking at home and drinking out are two different things, and defended the old man from the younger waiter. The old man was sad, and had nowhere to go. With his past troubles, he restores to drinking for comfort. 

A clean, well-lighted review

The three phrases I picked were about how the younger waiter’s impatience affect the writing. “You should have killed yourself last week," the young waiter said that to the old man knowing that he wouldn’t hear it. He only said that because he wanted to go home, for it was closing time. "He's lonely. I'm not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me,” with that saying, it shows that the young waiter want to go home to his wife and bed. This is because it is late and he is tired, but is unable to leave due to the old man. "I want to go home and into bed,” Showing the younger waiter tiredness and impatience.

Red Chief

Bill and Sam needed some quick cash to pull off a scheme in western Illinois. Since they were in Alabama at the time, they came up with the idea of kidnapping. Looking at a small local town, they came up with one suspect, a son of a rich man. What they later found out was, that kid was more then what they bargained for.

The kid called himself Red chief, because he loves to play Indian with his kidnappers. Sam asked him if he ever wanted to go home, which Red chief responded “I don't have any fun at home. I hate to go to school. I like to camp out. You won't take me back home again, Snake-eye, will you ?” This is an example of Stockholm syndrome, where the hostage likes their kidnapper. It is a perfect model of irony, but that is not the largest irony yet.

The biggest irony of all is when Bill and Sam return red chief and pay his father two hundred-fifty dollars. Bill and Sam where the kidnappers and they had to pay the father to give the kid back! Somehow, the father knew that Red chief would annoy the kidnappers to the point, where they just want to give him back. Using that knowledge to his advantage, he countered their ransom with  his own deal. Bring   the kid home  and make the kidnappers pay two hundred-fifty dollars for returning the child.

At the end Bill and Sam lost two hundred-fifty dollars, their temper, and got a couple bruises. If Bill and Sam  truly knew who Red chief was, they probably would of not kidnapped him, because he was such  a nuisance. 

Titan's curse foreshadowing

In ancient Greek mythology, there is the Oracle. It can answer any question and tell ones future, but the answers in riddles.  In “The Titan’s Curse” by Rick Riordan, Percy and his friends encounter the Oracle and it informs them of this riddle, “Five shall go west to the goddess in chains, One shall be lost in the land without rain, The bane of Olympus shows the trail, Campers and Hunters combined prevail, The Titan’s cruse must one stand, And one shall perish by a parent’s hand.”  This riddle foreshadows the coming events they will encounter on their mission.

“Shall go west to the goddess in chains, One shall be lost in the land without rain” These lines tell of the quest to save one of the Greek goddess, Artemis, out in the western part of the U.S.A. It also reveals one person will be lost in the land without rain. It becomes true when Bianca was killed fighting Talos in the desert.

“The bane of Olympus shows the trail, Campers and Hunters combined prevail” The Bane of Olympus, was a homeless guy who showed the adventurers a train that was heading west. Hunters are the followers of Artemis, while campers are the sons and daughters of the gods. Two Hunters, Zoe and Bianca, go with three campers, Grover, Thalia, and Percy fulfilling this portion of the riddle.

“The Titan’s cruse must one stand, and one shall perish by a parent’s hand.”  The Titan’s Cruse is the cruse that was placed upon the titan Atlas; he was Kronsos’s general in the war against the gods. Atlas’s role was to hold up the sky so it wouldn’t touch the earth. Percy stepped in to hold up the sky, while the Greek goddess, Artemis and Zoe fought Atlas. Zoe’s farther was Atlas, and when fighting him, she was mortally wounded and later died, completing the last line in this riddle.

The riddle gave the adventures the insight they needed to direct them on the correct path.  Despite having some of them die throughout the book; the riddle proved to be accurate. They persisted on their quest to save the goddess Artemis

Cookie craving figurative language

“Cookie craving,” By Eric Rogowski uses all different types of figurative. Some examples are; two similes, two metaphors, three onomatopoeias, one hyperbole, and one allusion. In this piece I will analyze the figurative language, and how it affects the reader and tone of the poem.

“If I don’t get my cookies, I definitely will die.” The hyperbole in this line creates the image of how much this person wants cookies. Obviously this person won’t actually die if don’t get their cookies, but it tells you how much they desire cookies. It impacts the tone of the piece by showing the great craving for cookies.

“With milk as cold as Antarctica, and cookies as fresh as newly-picked fruit.” These two metaphors produce a vivid impression of the milk and cookies. To give the reader a better idea of the milk and cookies, how delectable they are together. It changes the tone by, describing the cookies, making the reader understand why the author wants the cookies so bad.

The figurative language gives the reader a better understanding of the author’s craving for cookies. It brings the writing on the paper to life, appealing to their sense of taste.

The figurative language affected the reader and tone in “Cookie Craving,” in many ways. They were able to get a better understanding of the craving, by tempting their senses.

Cookie craving

I crave cookies more than the cookie monster

If I don’t get my cookies, I definitely will die.

With milk as cold as Antarctica, and cookies as fresh as newly-picked fruit.

Having them together is like a match made in heaven.

Cookies are crunchy like Doritos Locos Tacos.

The taste is mouth watering, sure to bring delight to me.

I can’t stop eating my cookies; crunch, crunch, crunch!

Sea of monsters

In “The Sea of monsters,” by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson goes on an adventure for the fabled Golden Fleece. Accompanied by Annabeth, and Percy’s newly found cyclops half-brother, Tyson. During the quest they run into many obstacles, a few notables are; Percy’s cousin, Luke, and another one of Percy’s half-brother, Polyphemus. The story is written in Percy’s point of view, but from Tyson’s perspective, a lot of events and characters are described in a way that creates a view of such an innocent character in the reader.

One way that Tyson’s point of view influences the reader's interpretation is how this perspective shows when Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson run away from camp-half blood. In Percy’s mind they were being chased by harpies, which are flying man-eating creatures. Then, in a nick of time hippocampi, came to the rescue and saved them. From Percy’s point of view, there was a sense of urgency to get away from the harpies. That urgency created a great amount of suspense to the reader, wondering if they would get away alive. Percy’s view of that event greatly differed, to that of Tyson’s.

The reader would feel a lot different about what happened if the book if it was written in the point of view of Tyson. In that one event, Tyson didn’t know that they were being chased man-eating creatures. So, when the hippocampi came, it was a pleasant surprise to him. He called the hippocampi, “fish ponies,” making the reading think that Tyson wasn’t a very bright person. Also, with Tyson being unaware of the harpies would also make the reader think that Tyson wasn’t a very observant Cyclops.

As you can see, the point of view of a story forces the reader to see just one side of the event. So, even though Percy and Tyson are characters in the same book, their view of events can change the readers understanding of the book.

2020 Olympic wrestling

Ever since there were the Olympics, there was wrestling. A true tough man sport, which not many people can endure. But, about one month ago, the International Olympic Committee dropped wrestling from the 2020 Olympics. That infuriated many supporters, including me. I believe that wrestling should be put back in the Olympics, because no sport offers the hardship and rewards of wrestling.

Wrestling was one of the first sports in the Olympics, dating back to 776 B.C. But wrestling is older than that, showing up in Egyptian and Sumerian writing, suggesting that wrestling is over 7,000 years old. During the Middle Ages wrestling was so popular that royalty did it like, King Henry the eight of England. Then in 1896 wrestling was introduced to the modern Olympics, which featured Greco-Roman style wrestling. Also in the 1904 Olympics, they introduced freestyle. Wrestling has been historically popular, and its popularity grows each year.

Wrestling is one of the most popular sports in the world, being especially large in countries like; Russia, Iran, and the U.S. In the U.S., wrestling is a way of life for some, training each and every day. Were as, in Iran and Russia, kids wrestle to get away from their poverty. Also in the 2012 Olympics in London, wrestling sold 113,851 tickets out of 116,854 available. With almost a full house every time, how could they cut a sport like that from the Olympics? The popularity of wrestling is huge, probably due to all the hard work needed to be in the sport.

Lots of hard work is needed to wrestle, people dedicated their lives to wrestle. Without the draw to wrestle in the Olympics, the sport will start to die. Many people choose  to wrestle because they have dreams of an Olympic medal. Without that, some might lean towards different sports.

The Olympics without wrestling is like a football game without scoring. Not worth your time to watch. So, I hope that in the very near future, that they will put wrestling back in the Olympics.

Peeta's view

The Third book in the “Hunger Game series: Mockingjay” written by Suzanne Collins, the character Peeta has his perspective of Katniss has been changed by the capital. After his kidnapping from the third quarter quell, he was tortured by the capital. After the torturing, every time he saw Katniss he relived his pain.  This changed his view of Katniss, as a monster. His opinion of katniss changed again, later in the book.  

When Peeta first came to district thirteen, he attempted to choke Katniss to death, which failed. In Peeta’s view, all the torturing was because of her. For everything Katniss said, they punished Peeta for it. Making Peeta wanting revenge for all the beatings, when he knew nothing.

When Peeta, Katniss, Gale, and other rebels were hiding in the inner capitol. Peeta’s relationship with Katniss changes from close friends to strangers. Rarely talking to each other, keeping distance, refusing to move, those are actions Peeta is having. He still does not fully trust the rebels, but he has no one to turn to.

Peeta and Katniss may still be strangers, but they went through a tragic common experience, which made them closer in the end. Peeta’s view of Katniss from, monster to loving her.

Adam's Conflict

In “April Morning” by Howard Fast, set in Lexington, Massachusetts during the American Revolutionary war. The main character, Adam Cooper, struggles with an internal conflict about shooting other people in battle.

As an average teenage boy, Adam was excited to fight the British. When the time came, the battle wasn’t what he fantasized war would be like. The reality was that his father was shot and killed, along with a multitude of other colonists. Frighten and alone, he hid in smokeshack under some bacon.

After hiding in the smokeshack, he decides to run away from Lexington and the British. Then he literally runs into Solomon Chandler, who escorts him to his cousin’s house. On the way to the cousin’s house, Solomon talks about how troops in the British are either felons or “poor, ignorant devils.” I think that makes Adam think that British are less than human, making them easier to shoot.  A little awhile later Adam and his cousin Joshua Dover, in a fight with the British. Joshua talks to Adam about his father and tells him nothing can replace him. I think that helped Adam to be at peace with his father death. During the battle of Concord, Adam overcomes his fears and shoots at the British soldiers; although he did not kill any of them.

Adam over came his fear of shooting someone during the bloody battle of Concord. After the battle of Concord, Adam goes home and gets a hero’s welcome.

Underdog

An underdog is a person or team who is expected to lose in a contest or conflict. Though they are expected to lose, some time they will pull off the upset. In all three of the books I just read, there is a common theme of an underdogs being successful because they are determined to win.

In the book “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis, the theme of being an underdog is really demonstrated. The Oakland A’s had baseball’s second lowest payroll in the league, compared to the New York Yankee’s having the highest payroll in 2001. However, the A’s had 102 wins and 60 loses in contrast to the Yankee’s 95 wins and 65 loses. They were able to do this by signing up-coming rookies and under rated older players. That way the A’s were able to manage their payroll without having a superstar. The A’s payroll to wins ratio was half a million dollars, which is lower than any other team in major league baseball, and proved that with good money management you can win lots of games on a budget.

The “Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins is another underdog story. The Series tells the story of Katniss, Peeta, and the thirteen districts fighting against the capital for their freedom.  The capital has better trained men, more money, and the position of power. Katniss and company are fighting with a poorly trained and lesser equipped district. What the districts do have is the will to fight for freedom, like the colonist in the American Revolutionary War.

“April Morning” by Howard Fast, is a novel about the American Revolutionary War. The main character is a teenager named Adam Cooper who lived in Lexington, Massachusetts. When the British wanted to destroy supplies and stop the training of militia in concord. They marched though Lexington, until they met armed resistance. Adam cooper fought on the side of the militia against the British. The militias were the clear underdog in conflict, fighting with few supplies and lacking military training.

                                                                   

“April Morning” is just like the “Hunger Games” series and “Moneyball”, in that the underdog can defeat a wealthier, well equipped, and better trained opponent. What the underdogs do have in common is the determination to succeed. 

Monster vs. Black and White

African Americans are seven times more likely to commit crimes than any other race, and eight times more likely to commit robbery per New century Foundation. This is a shocking fact! In the books “Monster” by Walter Dean Myers and “Black and White” by Mike Volponi, main teenage characters commit crimes that lead to deadly shooting and change their lives forever. 

There are many similarities between the books main characters, “Black and White’s” Marcus and “Monster’s” Steve. Like, both live in the New York City area. They both commit robberies that led to fatal shootings. “Eddie gave me a nod, and I nodded right back. I didn’t even know the man was black until we walked up to him, and Eddie told him it was a stickup.” They both have loving families that were involved in their lives. That one choice of committing the robberies altered their lives forever.

Even though there are numerous similarities, there are differences too. Marcus from “Black and White” had very promising futures, was a division one college basketball prospect. Steve from “Monster” was in a gang, without a bright future. Their motives were different too, Steve was asked to commit robbery by the gang “I’ll withdraw the question as framed. Mr. Harmon, do you remember Osvaldo saying that he understood you to be the lookout?” Were as, Marcus needed money for a senior trip to six flags.

Although Marcus and Steve had different motives, their choice to commit robbery, has ended up with  both of  them going to jail. By not stopping and thinking, the teenage boys have altered their live forever.