The TAO of Heroes

“It is more important to see the simplicity, to realize one’s true nature.”

(TAO TE CHING Nineteen)

Many times in life, people are not happy with who they are. They wish they were different, they wish they were special, important. These people have the desire to make an impact in the world, to change people’s lives. But they think the only way to achieve this is by being someone else. This desire blinds them from seeing the truth. That it is better to make an impact in the world by being who you really are. Not by trying to be someone different. Accepting yourself is the step you should always take no matter what. If you are confident in yourself and you believe in what you do, you will accomplish great things.

People are their own private prisons. Each person wants what they can’t have. Each person suffers because they have a very difficult time being who they are. People care too much on what others think about them and this is why acceptance becomes harder.

PETER: “It happened two more times. Sometimes I'm falling. Sometimes I'm flying. Sometimes you're in 'em.”

NATHAN: “I don't have time for this now.”

PETER: “They're not just dreams, Nathan. I thought they'd go away, but they're not. This morning, when I got out of bed, my foot hovered before it hit the ground. Hovered for a split second. Like I was -- like I was floating. I'm telling you, buddy, I think I can fly.”

NATHAN: “Tell you what, you think you can fly, why don't you jump off the Brooklyn Bridge? See what happens.”

PETER: “Maybe I ought to start with something a little lower first. It's like learning to walk.”

NATHAN: “You're serious?”

PETER: “Oh, I'm serious.”

NATHAN: “You need to snap out of it, Peter. See a doctor. Get some drugs. But do not pull a Roger Clinton on me, man. I'm eight points down in the polls.”

PETER: “This isn't about you, all right? Something is happening to me, and I have this feeling that you're the only person that's gonna understand this.”NATHAN: “Why the hell would I understand that you think you can fly?”

PETER: “Because you're my brother.”
PETER: “Let me ask you something, Nathan. Do you ever ... get the feeling like you were meant to do something extraordinary?”

NATHAN: “Like, becoming a senator?”

PETER: “No, I'm not talking about what you do. I'm talking about who you are. I'm talking about ... being special.”

NATHAN: “Yes Peter, we are all special.”
PETER: “Nathan, you know that’s not what I mean. You know what I’m talking about; you know we’re meant for something more than just this. Why can’t you accept that we are special? Why can’t you accept who you really are?
NATHAN: “Because…”
PETER: “Because you’re afraid.”
NATHAN: “Afraid? Of been special? Why would I be afraid of being special?
PETER: “You’re not afraid of being special Nathan, you’re afraid of what people will think of you if you’re special. You’re afraid they won’t accept you and that’s why you can’t accept who you really are.”
NATHAN: “So what if I don’t want to be special? What does that mean?”
PETER: “It means that you are not accepting who you are, it means you are losing your path.”
NATHAN: “What does not accepting who I am have to do with losing my path?
PETER: “Once you accept yourself, you’ll be able to achieve your true destiny, your true path.”
NATHAN: “My true path?”
PETER: “Yes Nathan, your true path, the right path for you to follow. Your destiny, what you’re meant to be, what you’re meant to do.”
NATHAN: “And, I will achieve that if I accept who I am?”
PETER: “Yes you will, by accepting who you are, you become a better person, you become more confident on yourself and you believe in everything that you do.”
NATHAN: “I see, but I still wonder…How can something so complicated look like something so simple?”
PETER: “What do you mean?”
NATHAN: “Been yourself, accepting who you are, is…should be something very simple in life. Everyone should be born and accept who they are. But actually is not as easy or as simple as it sounds. Accepting who you are, is…is…very difficult, more than hard.”
PETER: “Yes, exactly, you are right.”
NATHAN: “But, I don’t understand, why is this?”
PETER: “Nathan, most people are not happy with who they are. Those who are normal wish they were special and those who are special wish they were normal. Unfortunately this is the reality.”
NATHAN: “Then, there are many people who are not following the right path.”
PETER: “Yes Nathan. There are many people losing their paths, not doing the right thing for them just because they don’t accept themselves.”
NATHAN: “When you accept yourself, you will be confident in everything you do because that’s when you realize that all it takes to be good, to make an impact in the world is being yourself. The only way to not be lost and follow the right path is by accepting your true self. Because when you know who you are and you are content with it, been good becomes easy. It becomes part of your personality, of your being, of your life. Once you accept who you are, you’ll do what you want to do, what you are meant to do. But, when you don’t accept who you are, following the right path, the path of good is not possible. You should never let what others think of you stand in the way of yourself.”
PETER: “Yes Nathan, you are right again. Accepting who you are, believing in yourself is the beginning of following your true path.”

When you realize who you are and you accept yourself, you realize that that’s all it takes to become good, to fulfill your destiny, to follow the right path.

TAO and GO!

As I was playing Go, I thought about the TAO. In Go, your objective is to surround and eliminate your opponent chips which can either be black or white. It may seem easy at first but after playing it gets very difficult. You have to think very carefully every move you make, because one mistake can make you lose. Even though you have to be very thoughtful with your moves, after playing for a while, you realize that the right moves are not always the most complicated. Sometimes the best way to go is the simplest way of all. I was able to relate this with the TAO because the TAO teaches us to don't let bad surround us and eliminate us. Also to be careful and thoughtful with the moves we make because one mistake can make us go on the wrong track. One bad action can lead us to something terrible. And the TAO also tells us that sometimes we are too complicated and that we look at the most complicated solution, when really just by keeping it simple we will make the right choice. In Go we kind of played by the TAO rules, the instructions and objectives were very similar to its teachings.

Keep it Simple

As I was reading the TAO, I read a passage which caught my eye:
"He who makes a show is not enlightned...
He who boasts achieves nothing.
He who brags will not endure.
According to the followers of the TAO, 'These are extra food and unnecessary luggage.'
They do not bring happiness." (Twenty-four)
When I read this, I began to realize how people now in society are so complicated and are always wanting to be the center of attention. Most people do good things just to be noticed, just to "be someone" important. People now don't care about the importance of their actions, they only care on being noticed. So after they do something good, they make sure their actions are known by everyone. All they do is show off and brag and all they want is "fame." Because they think that by being famous and important they're going to be happy and remembered.
But this is not true. Just as the TAO said: "He who makes a show is not enlightned." This is completely right, those people who are commiting good actions just to show off will not succeed. This is because those people will not achieve what they were looking for: happiness. After these people worked very hard in order to be recognized, they may get fame just like they wanted. But they are not happy. They realize that all attention they get is like the TAO followers said: " 'These are extra food and unnecessary luggage.' " All of these things just become an extra problem, an extra weight on the back. When they realize this, it is too late. They regret doing things just to get attention, just to be noticed. And learn that it is way better doing good actions just because they are good actions which will do good to someone. Even though they may not become important or famous, they will feel better. Just by keeping it simple.

Opposites

When I read chapter 2 of the Tao Te Ching, there was a phrase which got my attention: "Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness.
All can know good as good only because there is evil."(Chapter 2)
What this says is that the reason why something is what it is, is because of its opposite. For example there's evil because there's good. We know when someone looks ugly because we know when someone looks pretty. We know when something is hard because we know when something is easy. The reason why things are what they are is because of their opposites. It's because we have something to compare them with. If there weren't short people, then there wouldn't be tall people. We can tell when someone is tall because we know when someone is short. Opposites make things be what they are.
Things exist because they have opposites. Love exists because there's hate. There's knowledge because there's ignorance. There's intelligence because there's stupidity. There's light because there's darkness. If things didn't have opposites, then they wouldn't exist. Things are what they are because of their opposites. If there weren't opposites to compare things with, then there will be nothing. If it wasn't for the bad things that have happened to us in our lives, we wouldn't have great moments and memories. What makes those moments great are the bad things that have happened to us before. When something happens to us, we know if it is good by comparing it to past events. We know how something is by comparing it to its opposite.

Words that Sound Alike Practice

1. Where
2. Wear
3. We're
4. To
5. Two
6. Too
7. Conscious
8. Conscience
9. Led
10. Lead
11. Their
12. They're
13. There
14. Idea
15. Ideal
16. Than
17. Then
18. It's
19. Its
20. You're
21. Your
22. Advise
23. Advice

Quantity Terms with Count and Noncount Nouns

1. Quite a few students have trouble with economics.

2. It requires quite a little or quite a bit of* reading.

3. Few advisors spend as much time with their students.

4. He has little hope of passing his exams.

5. George's advisor spends quite a little or quite a bit of time with him.

6. He knows few people in the class.

7. Bill spends little money on clothes.

8. She spends quite a little or quite a bit of money on CDs.

9. He has few suits.

10. He understands little of the reading.

Noun and Noncount Nouns 3-5

Exercise 3:

Because diabetes can cause devastating damage to virtually all body systems, people with diabetes should not underrate the seriousness of their disease. Learning to live with a chronic illness such as diabetes must be an ongoing process.

The Hospital's Center for Family Life Education is sponsoring a five-part educational series on diabetes. The series will begin on April 30 and continue through May 29. The program will be held in the second floor classroom of the Education Center from 7-9 p.m.

The diabetes series is free and open to the public and will be of specific interest to people who have diabetes and their families and friends.

Exercise 4:

a table
these person X
this furniture
that assignment
a boy
the poetry
a difficulty
a research X
this eggs X
those argument X

Exercise 5:

The Computer Jungle

Though you can make the decision on purely economic grounds, buying a computer is often more like joining a religious cult. Buy an Apple, for example, and almost by default you join Apple chairman Steve Jobs in his crusade against IBM. Every machine has its "users' groups" and a band of loyal enthusiasts who tout its merits. That makes it all the more difficult for the uninitiated to decide what machine to buy. Students have a huge advantage, however. The computer companies are so eager for students' business (it builds "brand loyalty") that many offer huge discounts.
In the past six months, IBM, Apple, and others have brought out new computers, and the fierce competition has forced prices down. Also, time is on your side: next year at this time you'll have even more choice and more computing power and features for the same price. On the other hand, this will probably be true for many years. So for those who need or want a computer now, it's a great time to buy one.

Count and Noncount Nouns

Exercise 1:

world C
textbook C
acid D
smoking N
poetry N
applause N
thought D
banana C
conduct N
progress N
biology N
essay C
crystal D
shopping N

Exerecise 2:

defense X
beauty X
garbage
experience X
baggage
rain X
rug
nature
bag
emotion X

Always Try, Always Believe

"To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe."

-Anatole France

When I began to read Book 7 of Confucius, I thought about on how some people are always willing and wanting to learn and always trying to achieve what they want. But I also thought on those people who are very closed minded and they say they want to learn but they don't really try. There's two kind of people in the world, there are the those who are always seeking for more knowledge and are always willing to learn in order to achieve something. And there are those who just want to know for knowing without a reason. The difference between these people is that the first ones before learning, they are willing and already trying to learn. And the second ones, don't really want to learn, they are the people who don't even try.
There was a quote in Confucius which led me thinking of this:
"I will not open the door for a mind that is not already striving to understand, nor will I provide words to a tongue that is not already struggling to speak. If I hold up one corner of a problem, and the student cannot come back to me with the other three, I will not attempt to instruct him again." (Book 7, pg. 20). What this says is that in order to learn, you need to want to learn. You need to be willing to do the thing you want to do in order to achieve it. Because in order to achieve something you have to always want it and always try. You can't never stop trying or stop believeing in something because then, you won't be able to accomplish your goal.

What is Goodness?

When I began to read Confucius I thought that he was a very smart and clever person who had many great things to teach. Lessons that we all have to learn about. Books 4, 5 and 6 have something very important which is the definition of goodness. Since I was little, I have always asked myself and others: What is goodness? What makes a good person good? I have always got the same answer. Everyone has told me that goodness are the actions a good person commits, and that a good person is someone who is always doing the right thing, basically someone who is perfect. That's what everyone has always told me. But after I read these Books, I realized that goodness was something more besides the acts a good person commits. And a good person was something more than just someone who always does the right thing.
Book 4, 5 and 6 of Confucius talks about goodness. It talks on what goodness is, and what people are good and which are not. According to Confucius, a good person is someone who not only does always the right thing for oneself but the right thing for everyone. Also, a good person is always learning from others and their own mistakes and this way, they won't fall to committing them. And something very important good people have is that they are not good in order to receive something, but they are good because they know that's the right thing to do. "One who is Good sees as his first priority the hardship of self-cultivation, and only after thinks about results or rewards. Yes, this is what we might call Goodness."(Book 6 pg 17).
This shows that good people are the ones who are not seeking for a reward for what they do, they just do the right thing because they know it will make them better people. After knowing what Confucius says about a good person, I was kind of able to realize that in a way we are all good. Because being good doesn't means being perfect, it means caring for others and trying to always act the best for your own personal development without caring about the results or what you will receive by acting good.

The New President

When I saw Barack Obama's speech I thought on how an amazing speaker he is. He speaks with such confidence and authority that I was convinced that he was the best candidate for the United States Presidency. He also used his hands and tone of voice to emphasize the important things. Obama's eye contact with the audience shows his confidence on what he was saying, he was sure of all of his words. All of his gestures were very well used, it helped increase his credibility without being to exagertated.
Throughout his speech, Obama used rhetoric. He used Ethos and Pathos to show the Americans that the United States is a great country, and that he with their help is going to make it even better. "So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers — in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people."
He also uses deliberative and demonstrative talking about the present and future of the United States. "We are and always will be the United States of America."

Always Belief

After I finished reading Night, I was shocked by its content. I was shocked by the inhumanity of the Nazis, by the great horror and sufferment they caused. But mostly, I was amazed my the faith the Jew people had in God. All of those people went through literaly "hell." But many of them managed to keep their faith in God during the harder moments. Many of them were close to losing their trust in God due to the terrible things they were going through. They had to view the people they love, their friends and family go under tortures and watch them die in the most horrible ways! But still, they kept their faith in God, which at the end, when some of them were free, it helped them.
When reading Night, I was able to see that Ellie was very similar to Job. They both were put through very hard and difficult situations in which they suffered very much. Both of them were very strong believers, they absolutely believed in God, but they both doubted His justice. "How I sympathized with Job! I did not deny God's existence, but I doubted His absolute justice" (Night, pg. 42). Both of them lost their families. And both of them were very good people, and were very faithful to God. But, they were very unfortunate. They probrably thought that because they were very good and faithful people nothing bad was going to happen to them. So when they lived these terrible situations of course they had to doubt God's justice. How could something terrible happen to good people?
I completely agree with Job's and Ellie's point of view respecting to God. In the situations in which they lived God's justice was very doubtful. But then, when I finished reading I was able to open my mind. I realize that even though in a moment they had doubted God's fairness, they were able to later keep their faith. And this faith they had helped them overcome these obstacles. Ellie and some of the Jewish people in the concentration camps were able to maintain their faith. And at the end, when they were free, they saw that their constant faith, and their always belief in God helped them through their worst nightmare.

Real Faith

As I was reading Chapter 38 of Job, I was able to see that God was very mad because he was judged by Job. His actions were being questioned and criticized. And becasue God is said to be the only "perfect being," he felt probrably felt indignied when he was judged for his own choices. "3)Who is it that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" (Job Chapter 38: 3) . Also something that impressed me was that Job was the one who was criticizing and judging God. Job who was God's most faithful man, Job who believed unconditionanly on Him. How was it possible that he was judging God?
But then, I remebered something very important that I have learned while reading the bible, nobody's perfect, everyone makes mistakes, everyone sins, everyone doubts, even Job. Even though Job was very faithful, he, just like all humans go under temptation. He was tempted to see that God was not all good, that God commited terrible things. After all, it was God who made him lose his family and suffer greatly. It was God who challenged Job's faith by causing him great devastation. Job was tempted to almost lose all of his faith in Him. But Job was lucky to have real friends such as Elihu who helped him believe in God again. To see that was good, and that He did this things to prove his faith.
After Job realized his mistake, he was very sorry. He had doubted his faith and he had almost lost his trust on Him. But God saw that Job was just like the others (Moses, David, Abraham), he was a human, a NOT perfect being. Job committed mistakes just like anyone, and God accepted it. That is why after God saw that Job was very sorry for doubting Him, and that his faith and trust were back, he decided to reward him. “The Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.”(Job Chapter 42:10). At the end, Job proved God that no matter what happened, he will always trust Him. And God learned that there will be humans that will go through great and devastating obstacles, but will still have faith in Him. But he also learned that no matter what, there will never be a perfect human.

Fallacies

"I think everybody knows now we are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. And a lot of you I think are worried about your jobs, your pensions, your retirement accounts, your ability to send your child or your grandchild to college." (Obama)

"Is it expensive? Yes. But we all know, my friends, until we stabilize home values in America, we're never going to start turning around and creating jobs and fixing our economy. And we've got to give some trust and confidence back to America." (McCain)

"And I believe this is a final verdict on the failed economic policies of the last eight years, strongly promoted by President Bush and supported by Sen. McCain, that essentially said that we should strip away regulations, consumer protections, let the market run wild, and prosperity would rain down on all of us. " (Obama)

"Well, thank you, Oliver, and that's an excellent question, because as you just described it, bailout, when I believe that it's rescue, because -- because of the greed and excess in Washington and Wall Street, Main Street was paying a very heavy price, and we know that." (McCain)

Being Faithful, Is It Worth It?

As I began to read Job, I was amazed by the perfect person he was. Even God admitted he was perfect. "8)...Hast you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 1: 8). Job was a very good man, everything he did was good and he never disobeyed God or dared to criticize him. He was said to be very faithful, he had lots of faith in God. Even when very bad things happened to him, he didn't dare to say something bad about God even though it was His fault. Job always defended God no matter what, and he lived his life according to His teachings. Supposely, this is said to be good, if you do what God says, everything in your life will be perfefct. But, is this really true?
I kept on reading Job, and I found out something that amazed me. God was convinced by Satan (who is said to be his worst enemy) to act against Job. Even though Job was one of God's most faithful man, who was always good and perfect, Got allowed Satan to do terrible things to him, to act against him. "12) And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand" (Job 1:12). I thought to myself: How is it possible that God allows such thing to happen to his most faithful people? According to religions if one is faithful, God will always help him and take care of him. But, after reading this, how can we make sure that what religions say is true? Job was a faithful man, but still God allowed Satan to do bad things to him. So, what this kind of says is that if you are faithful, God will do terrible things to you in order to prove your faith. So, at the end I asked myself: Is being faithful really worth it?

Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech

When I heard Barack Obama's acceptance speech, I was able to identify many rhetoric devices such as: logos, ethos, and pathos. After hearing his speech I was able to conclude that Barack Obama is a great speaker. He uses these three devices in an amazing away. He first uses Ethos so the people who are listening to him begin to know him more and see the kind of person he is. This way they'll get to see what kind of person is addressing to them. Second, he uses Logos in order to tell the people about what's happening in the country under Bush's government. And saying how change can be better. Saying if he wins, he'll improve the United States. And for last, he uses pathos were he kinds of concludes everything he has said by touching the Americans feelings. By getting to their hearts and make them see that he will be the best next president for the United States.

Logos:

"Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but, really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time?"
"The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives -- on health care, and education, and the economy -- Senator McCain has been anything but independent.""Next week in Minnesota the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Shany will ask this country for a third."

Ethos:

"Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to."
"When I -- when I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed."

Pathos:

"In the face of that young student, who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree, who once turned to food stamps, but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships."
"Instead, it is that American spirit, that American promise, that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend."

After reading the speech, I was able to conclude that Barack Obama IS an amazing speaker. He uses rhetoric and its devices in an incredible way. His speech definetly touched my heart and I'm sure many people's also. If I was old enough to vote, I will vote for Obama. He is someone who will make a difference.

Nobody's Perfect

As I read the second book of Samuel, I started to see David with different eyes. I used to think that because he was chosen by God and had his support, he was a perfect being. Or at least someone that was almost all good and that follow the Ten Commandments. But when I read the second book of Samuel, this began to change. I was able to see that David was just like any human being, he made terrible mistakes and committed horrible sins. He was not any more perfect than I am. "4) And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came into him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house." (2 Samuel 11: 4).
When I read this, it was when I first thought that David was DEFINETLY NOT perfect. He committed adultery, something that according to religion is one of the worst sins someone can make. Something that is said not do by the Ten Commandments. But David was seduced by temptation. Just like we all are everyday of our lives. Everyday we all face temptation and almost everytime we face this, we are sdeuced by it. The reason why we all sin is because as humans we go under temptation. Many times we are not strong enough to fight against it. None of us is perfect, no matter what.
Even God's chosen people (Abraham, Moses, David) commit mistakes. And this made me ask myself: Why does God chooses sinners as his chosen ones? Why doesn't he just pick perfect people? After thinking about these two questions, I got my answers. The reason why God chooses sinners and not perfect people is because there is not a perfect person in the world. Everyone makes mistakes because we are all humans. We all are seduced by temptations, therefore we are all sinners. This made me realize that God didn't choose these people because they are perfect or because we should be just like them. God chose these people because they show us that even though we are all sinners and we make mistakes, we can still to something good for humanity. We don't need to be perfect (because we can't), but we can help others and make the best of ourselves.

Jealousy, Our Greatest Curse

"The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves."

-William Penn

When I began to read the first book of Samuel, I started to think about jealousy. Jealousy is one of the worst feelings people have. It is the feeling of wanting others possessions. The feeling of envy towards others. And because of this, we want the worse for those people who posses what we want but can't have. Jealousy leads people to committing terrible acts towards the people they feel envy of. This terrible feeling has always existed and it has caused terrible conflicts, killed many, and cause greast devastations. It has lead groups or nations to make wars and create conflicts among each other.
For example, in the First Book of Samuel, I was able to see that Saul was jealous of David. "12) And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul." (1 Samuel 18: 12). Saul felt a huge envy towards David because David had God's support, so that made him more powerful than Saul. And because of this, Saul felt that he had to overcome David, that he had to be stronger and better than him. So this lead Saul to make wars and cause many deaths, and at the end, his own's. Jealousy leads people to doing terrible things due to their hate towards someone. And because they are so focused on their hate due to their envy, they are not aware of the consequences of their actions. Every person in the world suffers of this unfortunetly, and it is the cause of many problems. It will be great if we could all be happy and proud for each other, but unfortunetly due to our great envy, this is not possible.

The Ten Commandments

As I was reading the Chapter 20 of the Exodus, I read about the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the ten basic rules all people should follow in order to go to heaven. This rules were given by God to Moses. So Moses told the people the Ten Commandments (there were only 9 shown):
1. "3) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. 7)Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
3. 8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
4. 12) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
5. 13) Thou shalt not kill.
6. 14) Thou shalt not commit adultery.
7. 15) Thou shalt not steal.
8. 16) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
9. 17) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. " (Exodus Chapter 20)
These rules were used before and are still used now. But they are applied differently. Before, all of these rules were the law. If anyone broke any of these rules, he or she will have been punished severly. They used to be very strict about every single Commandment. "24) Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25)Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." (Exodus Chapter 21). They used take God and his commandments very seriously. But this has changed.
Now, some of these rules are still part of the law, but only a few of them. For example if you kill, you'll go to jail for a very long time, or you'll stay in jail forever, and sometimes depending were you are, you'll be killed. Also, if you steal or commit perjury (16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.), you'll go to prison. You still get punished for breaking this rules but not as severly as before. I believe that if the punishments were still as they used to, most of the world's population will be dead or without body parts. The punishments before were very harsh, and this is why it is good that now they have changed.
Something else I thought about when I read, was that now, the other commandments are not so important. Because people now see them more as moral ethics instead of rules. Many people don't really care about them because they don't see them as something bad because they are not part of the law. And if they brake any of those rules, no one is going to punish them. Before, if a wife cheated on her husband it was terrible. Adultery was one of the worst things, people saw it as something terrible, and the wife and her lover will be put to death because of it. But now if a wife cheats on her husband, they just get divorced and that's pretty much it. None of them gets punished by the law or anything. I think it is good that now people don't get punished so severly for breaking the law or commiting moral mistakes. But I still think that even though these commandments don't apply to the law, people should take them more seriously.

Is God What We Think He Is?

As I read chapters 8-15 from the Exodus,I began to think on how God was punishing the Egyptians. I thought on how some of the nine plagues were so unfair. For example one of the plagues that impacted me the most was the tenth plague. The plague in which God was punishing all the Egyptians firstborns. "5)And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his thrown, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts." (Exodus 11 verse 5).
After I read this passage all I could think about was on how unfair God had been. This tenth plague was definetly NOT just. God punished many innocent Egyptians with this plague. Many of the firstborns were children and babies, innocents, who had nothing to do or could do nothing about gving freedom to the Jewish people. And God decided to punish them, to kill them. Religions always say that God wants good for all and fairness to everyone. But after reading this how can we be sure that this is what God wants? And, is God really a perfect figure to imitate, or is it just that this is the way people want to see him as?
Something else I found interesting on Chapter 11 of the Exodus was: "7)But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel." (Exodus 11 verse 7). When I read this I thought on how unfair God is again. This is a perfect example of discrimination. God here devided the Israelites from the Egyptians putting preference to the Jewish people. He discriminated the Egyptian children even though they were innocent children just like the Isrealites. God sentenced them to death just because they were Egyptians. If this is not discrimination then what is it? Religions always say that we should treat everyone equally, that we should not treat anyone worse no matter what. But, isn't it kind of hypocritical for them to say this when God also discriminates?
After reading this part from the Exodus, I was able to see that God isn't as perfect, as just, or as good as we think he is. And this made me ask myself: Is God really what we think he is? Or, is this just the way people want to see him as?

What God Says The Lord Does

By reading the Exodus, I thought about something we talked and discussed in class about one week ago. We talked about the difference between God and the Lord God. There are many theories about them. Some say they are two different ideas (or believes) but some say they are the same one. The real truth we'll never know. But I believe that they are both the same idea, but we use the terms God or Lord God depending on what we are referring to. For example, if we are talking about more general ideas like what to do, we use the term God. But if we talk about more specific things like how to do something, we use the term Lord God.
When I read the first seven chapters of the Exodus, I was able to see this. When God told Moses to go to Egypt to let the Hebrews (Israelites) out and give them freedom, I noticed that it was God the one who first talked to him. "5) And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." (Exodus Chapter 3, verse 5) And after the God talked to him, the Lord did. "7)And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt,....8)And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey;..." (Exodus Chapter 3, verses 7 and 8).
After I read to this passages I was able to conclude that my theory was right. That God and the Lord God are the same idea. But each of the terms are used depending on the context. First, the text refers to God when He told Moses, that he needed to do something with the Hebrews in Egypt. God told him what to do. But later, the text refers to the Lord. And the Lord tells Moses what he needs to do in order to take out the Hebrews from Egypt. God tells more in general what needs to be done, while the Lord tells how to do what God had said. What God says, the Lord does.

Too Good to be True

When I started to read chapters 17-24 from Genesis, I first thought on how lucky Abraham was. On what a good life he had because of his faith in God. Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. He was blessed with the two of them and he loved them very much specially Isaac, the son of his wife Sarah. In those times, having a son was one of the greatest blessings or things that could happen to a family. Then Abraham was considered to be a very lucky man. This was due to his close relationship with God. Thanks to this, God helped him whenever he needed him and this made things easier for Abraham. But as most things in the world, sometimes they are too good to be true.
After Abraham lived his very happy and lucky life, he was asked by God something he didn't expect. God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his favorite most loved son. "2] And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."(Genesis 22 verse 2). This was something Abraham did not expect, something that he didn't thought that God, the one who had helped him with his life, will do to that him. To take away his most beloved son. To ask him to sacrifice him! Things were just going to well, now something bad had to happen.
Even though at the end this was just a test of God to proof Abraham's faith and loyalty to him, Abraham suffered very much during the process. He had a great life and then, an event was about to put an end to it. I believe that this story kind of tells how many times in life, things are going very good. But something you always have to learn about this is that there can be an event which can change this, an event which can lead things to go badly. And even though this devastating events may turn out good, always there will be a lot of suffering during the process.

The Beginning of Separation

When I began to read chapter 11 of the King James Bible, I read about a story I had heard a long time ago. I read about the Babel Tower. This story was about when some humans decided to build a very tall and powerful tower. But God found this construction as a threat from the humans. God began to see the humans as a threat, as a challenge. So he decided that they needed to be punished. Humans used to speak one language, they all used to comunicate, they used to be one. But Lord God's punishment changed this. "[7] Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." (Genesis 11, verse 7).
After God decided to punish the human kind, all of the humans were very confused. They couldn't comunicate with anyone and no one could understand them. There were misunderstandings and great confusions. Unfourtunetly, this is something that has happened throughout time and hasn't change. Still, in the world now, in our "modern" societies we kind of live very separetly. We don't understand anyone but our own people, people from our own culture. But with people from different parts of the world, from other religions, cultures or societies, we really don't understand them. We say we do, but we don't.
For example all the fights, wars and conflicts between countries are due to misunderstandings. Because we are separated due to different believes and ways we see things, there are many problems in the world. If we weren't separated because of our believes, the world will be a better place, a peaceful one. After I finished reading this story I asked myself: If God hadn't seen humans as a threat, will we still be one whole?

Impossible Love

Even though we seem to be for each other,
There's no way we can be,
You are my impossible lover,
Which is wish I could see,
But life is tearing us apart,
Now all I have left is my heart

Curiosity

When I began to read the third chapter of the Genesis, I started to think about how we, humans, have a great thirst of curiosity. As humans, we have the tendecy to want to know everything. Even if it means doing something we are not supposed to. We always have curiosity, when someone tells us to not do something, the first thing we think about is doing what they just told us to not do. And doing what we were told not to, becomes our desire, our anxiety. For example in Genesis, at the beginning of chapter 3, there was a passage which shows how curious humans are.
"[3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
[4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
[5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
[6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."- (Genesis 3)
When I read this, I was able to see that it is true that humans like to do what they are not supposed to. And when someone prohibits something to another person, that something is more tempting, and it is more likey that that person will commit the act he/she is not supposed to commit. For example, in this passage, Eve, the woman was told by God not to eat nor touch the fruits from one tree. She and Adam could eat from any tree except that one. But one day, Eve was seduced by a serpent to eat the fruit from that tree. Eve was tempted, so she ate from the tree and led Adam to eat from it too. I believe that the snake represents the curiosity humans have. The tempting desire of doing the prohibited. The emotion which leads us to making huge mistakes that we'll later regret.

Truth Lies in the Eye of the Beholder

When I read Chapter 10 of God Secretaries, there was something that began to pervade my mind. There was a passage, a phrase which got my attention: "How can one of the most pacific moments in English history be the source of something which in retrospect, looks like one of its greatest ruptures? It is in part, a question of scale and of perspective. From the point of view of the English establishment, the events in the small agricultural communities around Scrooby and Gainsborough, on the borders of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, were no more than a minor irritations at the outer edge of their concerns." (Gods Secretaries pg. 174-175)
After I finished reading this passage I began to think about a very famous phrase that my dad once told me: "Truth lies in they eye of the beholder." I had never really analyzed or thought about what this quote meant. But when I read the passage above, I started to think on how stories and history changes depending on who tells them. And that the point of view of the person or people who are telling a story is not always the only truth. Because people can live the same event, but they each tell it differently because of their point of view. None of the different parts of the story is a lie, the story is just told from different perspectives.
For example in God Secretaries, the English people saw the famous voyage of the Mayflower as a small, not that important moment in English history. They saw that event as kind of "pathetic," they didn't really care about it. While the Americans and the people who were in the Mayflower, saw that moment as kind of tragic. What they saw was that the Separatists suffered very much in England because the English didn't respect their religious believes. And that they really had a hard time. So by reading this I began to see that in every story, there are many truths. This is because in every story there are many witnesses, and each of them see the story with their own point of view, with their own perspective. Truth lies in the eye of the beholder.

Intolerance

When I began to read Chapter 6 of Gods Secreatries: The danger never dreamt of, that is the danger, there was a passage which made me think about how things seem to have changed, but they really haven't. "November 1605: the attempt by a group of desperate and marginalised Catholic renegades and romantics-terrorists is the word we would now use-to blow up the king, queen, princes, peers and other members of parliament at its opening on 5 November. It would come to define Jacobean England as much as Septemer 11 2001 would shape the attitudes, fears and methods of revenge of the western world in the first decade of the twenty-first century."(pg. 105). After I finish reading this, I began to think about how even though we think that now we are more tolerant, we really are still as intolerant as we used to be.
For example in the 5th of November in the 17th century, there was a great dispute between two different realigions. And this lead to a terrorist attack. The intolerance between the two religoins, between two different ideals lead to terrible actions. And even though we think we now are better, that now we are more tolerant, we really are the same. An example of this is the event in New York City, September 11, 2001 when the muslims destroyed the World Trade Center killing a lot of people. We thought that in the twenty-first century the whole world was going to be more open-minded, more tolerant to cultures and better.
But really what we were able to see after this event was that we still need to learn to be more tolerant. And also that some people just take it too far with their religion, they take things to literally instead of analyzing its real meaning so they cause a great devastation. I began to ask myself: How is it possible that thousands of people die just because of religious believes? And isn't religion supposed to be opposed to killing?

Spelling-Exercises

Incorrect:

In deeling with students on the hih-school level - that is, the second, third, and forth year of high school - we must bare in mind that to some degree they are at a dificult sychological stage, generaly called adolesence. Students at this level are likely to be confused mentaly, to be subject to involuntery distractions and romantic dreamines. They are basicaly timid or self-consious, they lack frankness and are usualy very sensitive but hate to admit it. They are motivated iether by great ambition, probably out of all proportion to their capabiltys, or by extreme lazines caused by the fear of not suceeding or ataining their objectives. Fundamentaly they want to be kept busy but they refuse to admit it. They are frequently the victims of earlier poor training, and this makes evary effort doubly hard. They are usually wiling to work, but they hate to work without obtaining the results they think they shoud obtain. Their critical faculties are begining to develop and they are critical of their instructers and of the materiels they are given to laern. They are begining to feel the presher of time; and althouh they seldem say so, they really want to be consulted and given an oportunity to direct their own afairs, but they need considerable gidance.

Correct:

In dealing with students on the high-school level - that is, the second, third, and fourth year of high school - we must bear in mind that to some degree they are at a difficult psychological stage, generally called adolescence. Students at this level are likely to be confused mentally, to be subject to involuntary distractions and romantic dreaminess. They are basically timid or self-conscious, they lack frankness and are usually very sensitive but hate to admit it. They are motivated either by great ambition, probably out of all proportion to their capabilities, or by extreme laziness caused by the fear of not succeeding or attaining their objectives. Fundamentally they want to be kept busy but they refuse to admit it. They are frequently the victims of earlier poor training, and this makes every effort doubly hard. They are usually willing to work, but they hate to work without obtaining the results they think they should obtain. Their critical faculties are beginning to develop and they are critical of their instructors and of the materials they are given to learn. They are beginning to feel the pressure of time; and although they seldom say so, they really want to be consulted and given an opportunity to direct their own affairs, but they need considerable guidance.

Not Remembered, But Never Forgotten

When I began to read to read the Preface of God Secretaries: The Making of King James Bible I began to think on how people are forgotten through time. Right now we don't remember man important people who lived centuries ago who had a great impact in the world. But even though they were important, they weren't remembered. Those people weren't remembered, but what they did or what they said was remember. Still nowadays, we use things those people said and our common knowledge como from those people. For example in God Secretaries: The Making of King James Bilbe the men who made it are not remembered. But their sayings will never be forgotten.
"They have a ghost presence in our lives, invisible but constantly heard, enriching the language within the 'civility, learning and eloquence' of their translation, but nowadays only whispering the sentences into our ears." (Pg. xi)
This passage prooved what I had said before. It prooves that through time many people are not remembered. But their words, their presence, their actions will never be forgotten. Sometimes the only way to be remembered is by living a mark in life, doing something that will always have a presence in people's life.

Change, Not Always For Good

Change is phenomenon that always occurs. Is usually something unexpected. But sometimes, one can see it comming. Change can either be good or bad. Sometimes something positive comes out of it, but sometimes change is the worst thing that can happen. Many times, one's life can be pretty bad, miserable or just kind of boring. So when there's a change in one's life it is very good. But sometimes, someone can have a great life, someone can live very happy, so when something changes their lifes, is is very bad. And sometimes these changes are due because of one person. One person, depending on who they are or how important they are, can cause a great change for someone or many people. For example when a ruler of a country changes, it can either lead the country to be better, or the country to be worst. If the new ruler has very different ideas from the old ruler, many people will have their live changing drasticlly. This applied more a long time ago when the world was ruled by kings and queens who could decide a country's faith. For example in The Making of King James Bible, when James became the King of England, as Queen Elizabeth passed away.
"More than we can perhaps realize now, a change of monarch in an age of personal rule meant not only a change of government and policy but a change of culture, attitude and belief. A new king meant a new world." (The Making of King james Bible, page 3)
This passage made me realize that change is something that people had had to live with for a very long time. People had to get used to the fact that change was going to occur. People have to know that change is a phenomenon, an inevitable event. It is something that can be caused by someone or by many people. And it is something that people need to accept.

Clichés

Titles:
What Happens in Vegas
Boys Don't Cry
Mission Impossible
As Good as It Gets
Fool's Gold

Plot Lines:
Two people fall in love but can't be together because of family rivalry.
Aliens come to the Earth and try to destroy the human kind.
A man saves a woman from a bad man, they fall in love and live happily ever after.
A villain is destroying a city and causing horror, but a hero saves everyone at the end.
A normal girl falls in love with a popular guy, first they feel bad because of what people say about them, but then they don't care and live happily.
Two girls who hated each other become best friends.

Spelling Exercises

1. Where, wear, were
2. to, two, too
3. conscious, conscience
4. led, lead
5. their, they're, there
6. idea, ideal
7. than, then
8. it's, its
9. you're. your
10. advise, advice

Pre-AP English Contract

I, ____Daniela Cuellar____, hereby understand and will abide by the Pre-AP/AP
(Print your name)
Academy’s expectations, obligations, and admission/drop policy outlined below with respect to my
admission status and standing in the Pre-AP/AP Course, ___English___.
(Print the name of the Pre-AP/AP Course)
Pre-AP/AP Academy Expectations;
• Maintain Acceptable GPA,
• Motivated and Positive,
• Responsible and Dedicated Work Ethic,
• Attend Opportunity Day and/or Additional Review Classes,
• Complete AP College Board Exam,
• Sign Pre-AP/AP Student Contract. Pre-AP/AP

Academy Admission/Drop Policy;
• First Progress Report with Teacher’s Signed Approval…receive no course credit,
• End of First Semester with Teacher’s Signed Approval…receive only partial course credit for grade of 6.0+. No partial credit will be awarded for any grade below 6.0,
• Students who Drop Pre-AP/AP Courses or who Do Not take the College Board AP Exam will have the Pre-AP/AP Designation for that course removed from their transcript and they will not receive any grade or GPA enhancement awarded for taking that Pre-AP/AP course.

Please note that at any time during the school year if the teacher deems that you are not meeting the expectations above for any or all reasons, then that teacher will require that you sign an additional academic probation contract. Your admission status and/or removal from the above identified Pre-AP Course will then be re-assessed based on your abiding by the academic probation contract signed and agreed to by you and the respective Pre-AP/AP Teacher.

Student Signature of Agreement,
______Daniela Cuellar_______

Date:
September 25, 2008

The Price of Pride

Having pride is a good quality. People who have pride make others respect them, and they do things that are right for them. But, people who have too much pride, aren't as good. Because people who have too much pride are egocentric and have a very high eego. And they do things just to show off without caring if they are the right or wrong things. Many of these people after they make a mistake because of their high eego, they suffer great consequences. They realize that having too much pride is not very good. Because they make decisions without being aware of the consequences.
In the myth of Pegaus and Chimaera, I was able to see a case in which someone suffered because of having too much pride. Bellerophon was a great warrior, he could pretty much destroy any monster. But he was very aware of that. He knew that he was very powerful and strong. Also that the Gods liked him. Bellerophon had too much pride, and this led him to have a great eego. He began to consider himself as an equal with the gods.
"At last Bellerophon by his pride and presumption drew upon himself the anger of the gods; it is said he even attempted to fly up into heaven on his winged steed, but Jupiter sent a gadfly which stung Pegasus and made him throw his rider, who became lame and blind in consequence."
Bellerophon was punished by the gods because he had too much pride. He thought he was their equal due to his high eego. But then the gods decided that he had to stop being like that so they punished him. Having pride is good, but having too much pride leads to terrible consequences.

Destiny

Many people believe that by changing their ways of lives, they'll be able to avoid destiny. But the reality is that destiny can not be avoided. As much as someone tries to change something, it is impossible to interfere with destiny. People can change everything, they can go somewhere else, they can live a different life, but destiny will someway catch up. This is something which you can see in Greek Mythology. Many people or gods were told about something that was going to occur to them in the future, something that they didn't want to happen. So they changed their lives, but they couldn't avoid destiny, one way or the other, destiny catched up with them.
For example in the myth of Sphinx, King Laius of Thebes was told by an oracle that his new-born son was going to kill him and take his thrown. The king scared of this, gave the child to a herdsman in order to destroy him. But the herdsman full with pitty, didn't kill the child, but tied him by his feet to a tree. After, a peasant found him and gave him to his master who adopted the baby, he was named Edipus. Many years later, King Laius was in his charriot with one attendant, and he encountered a young man in the road. The king's attendant killed the man's horses, and the man in revenge killed both, the king and his attendant. The young man was Epidus. Then Epidus went to Thebes, were there was a monster called the Sphynx which dind't let anyone pass to the city, unless they answered a riddle. Epidus answered the riddle, and the Sphinx died. The people of Thebes were very thankful, so Edipus became the king and married Jocasta, the queen.
"The gratitude of the people for their deliverance was so great that they made œdipus their king, giving him in marriage their queen Jocasta. œdipus, ignorant of his parentage, had already become the slayer of his father; in marrying the queen he became the husband of his mother. "
This myth shows how can nobody avoid destiny. Destiny is a phenomenon which ocurs because it has to. And no one can do anithing about it. King Laius send his son away in order to avoid destiny, but then his son returned, killed him and took his thrown. Even though he tried to avoid destiny, destiny later catch up with him. Destiny is something which people have to live with, something thay have to accept because no matter what, it will never be avoided.

Unreachable Love

As I read the myth of Apollo and Daphne, I began to think about love. Love is a very powerful feeling which leads people to crazyness. It can either make someone feel like the best person ever, or like the worst one. Many people live very happy because of love, but many people live in misery because of it. This is a very strong feeling which can lead people to have a great life or have a terrible one. Love is one of the best emotions people can have. But it can also be the one of the worst ones. When someone loves someone that loves him or her back, is very good, because both of them feel very good, and love is great for them. But, when someone loves someone that doesn't love him or her back, the person who loves the other person suffers very much and love can become a terrible feeling.
In Apollo and Daphne, Cupid strikes Apollo with one of his arrows so he falls in love with the nymph Daphne. But Cupid struck Daphne with the arrow which repeled love. So Apollo loved Daphne very much, but Daphne didn't love him back.
"The former was of gold and sharp pointed, the latter blunt and tipped with lead. With the leaden shaft he struck the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus, and with the golden one Apollo, through the heart. Forthwith the god was seized with love for the maiden, and she abhorred the thought of loving. " (Chapter 3, letter a)
After I finished reading the myth I was able to conclude that love is very powerful. Love is a very strong feeling which can decide a person's life. Love is an emotion which everyone has, one of the best emotions as I mentioned before. But love should be used wisely, because with love, nothing is secure. Love can be either great or terrible.

Not Everything is as Good as it Sounds

Many people wish for things they think are the best. But after they have what they had wished for, they realize that what they thought they wanted, is not what they really wanted. Because not everything is as good as it sounds. While I read the myth of Midas, I began to think about people's desires. People always think that having lots of power and lots of wealth is the best thing. But when those people actually get power and wealth, what they had wished for, they realize that having all of those things is not as good as it sounds. That they have to be careful on what they wish for because what they had desired may not be as great as they had thought.
In the myth of Midas, one day Bacchus looking for his old school-master Silenus gets very drunk and some peasants get him. The peasants brought him to King Midas, who invited Bacchus to stay over and treated him very well. After a few days, the king found Silenus, and Bacchus was very thankful, so he decided to reward Midas by granting him any wish. Midas wished for everything that he touch will become gold. And his wish became true, everything he touched became gold, everything. When he try to eat, his food became gold, when he try to drink wine, as the wine went down his throat became gold. Midas realized that the wish he had made was not as good as he had thought. He regreted all the power and wealth he had obtain.
"In consternation at the unprecedented affliction, he strove to divest himself of his power; he hated the gift he had lately coveted."-chapter 6, letter a.
I've known this myth for a pretty long time. But it was until now that I realized its meaning and its importance. This myth describes how people always want more wealth and more power. How people are never satisfied with what they have. And they always have a desire for something more. But, as I mentioned before, when they get what they had wished for, they notice that not everything is as good as it sounds. That they should be careful with what they wish.

Class Rubric

1 2 3
Fluency/Clear Ideas:
1: The writer's ideas are hard to understand/ no sentence fluency.
2: The writer's ideas are easily understood/good sentence fluency
3: The writer's ideas are perfectly understood/ excellent sentence fluency.

Word Usage/Grammar
1: The writer has 5 or more mistakes in spelling, punctuation, and sentences.
2: The writer has no mistakes in spelling, punctuation, and sentences are clear.
3: The writer has master spelling, punctuation, and sentence lenght.

Answer the QUESTions:
1: The writer doesn't present a hero, and the QUESTions are not answered.
2: The wirter presents a notorious hero, and the QUESTions are clearly answered.
3: The writer presents a pleasant hero, and the QUESTions are properly answered.

Creativity:
1: The writer has a blunt title which has no relationship with content, and doesn't attract reader.
2: The writer has an appropiate title, and gets readers attention.
3: The writer has a creative title which gets readers attention.

A Daughter's Betrayal

When I read Nisus and Scylla, I couldn't stop thinking about betrayal. About the way some people betray their love ones for something or someone that doesn't really matters. I believe it is incredible how they make their love ones suffer just for them to obtain what they want. This people are egocentric and they do anything to obtain what they want, even if they have to sacrifice the people they love. And most of the times, they don't get what they want so the sacrifice they made was in vain. The people that suffered because of them suffered for nothing. Because at the end, those people didn't even obtained what they wanted.
In Nisus and Scylla, as I read, I was able to see this kind of betrayal. The King Minos of Crete, had made a war upon Megara were Nisus was the King, and Scylla was his daughter. But the war continued for a very long time because Megara couldn't be conquered as long a purple lock which was on King Nisus hair, remained on his head. But as the war continued, Scylla began to feel attracted and fell in love of King Minos. She wanted the war to stop and be conquered by him:
"Another woman, loving as I do, would remove with her own hands whatever stood in the way of her love. And can any other woman dare more than I? I would encounter fire and sword to gain my object; but here there is no need of fire and sword. I only need my father’s purple lock. More precious than gold to me, that will give me all I wish.”-Chapter 8, letter a.
When I read this passage I couldn't believe what I was reading. I couldn't believe that a daughter will betray her father that way. I thought to myself: How can Scylla do this to her father? How could she let the enemy conquer her city? Scylla was a perfect example on how someone could betray someone they loved for a person who doesn't care about them. Because when Menus found out what she did, he didn't want her:
"The gods destroy thee, infamous woman,” he exclaimed; “disgrace of our time! May neither earth nor sea yield thee a resting-place! Surely, my Crete, where Jove himself was cradled, shall not be polluted with such a monster!” -Chapter 8, letter a.
Scylla's betrayal was for nothing. Because even though she made her father suffer, she didn't obtain what she wanted. This myth represents how people can be selfish, and do things only for their benefit. Even if it means betraying someone they love.

The Memory of a Friend

As I read the myth of Apollo and Hyacinthus, the theme of Friendship went through my mind. I thought about how some people have incredible relations with their friends. And how their friendship is so strong that no matter what, it will last forever. Even if one of the friends dies, the memory of the friendship will never be forgotten. I consider amazing the people who have a very strong bond with their friends. This is because many people, when a friend dies, even though they miss that person very much, over time they begin losing the memory of their friend. They still remember him/her, but their friendship begins to vanish because one of them is not alive. Usually when a friend dies, the friendship dies with him/her. This is why the people who get to keep alive the memory of their friendship, the memory of their friend, are people who should be admired.
When I began to read Apollo and Hyacinthus, I was able to see this kind of friendship. Apollo and Hyacinthus had a very strong bond, they were very close friends. But when Hyacinthus died, Apollo grieved very much for his friend's death. He knew thay Hyacinthus couldn't be alive physically, but he also knew that their friendship could be alive in a memory. That he could have the memory of a friend, and this way always keep the friendship alive. Apollo decided to have Hyacinthus reminded by a song, and there was going to be a flower that was going to revive his memory.
"My song shall tell thy fate, and thou shalt become a flower inscribed with my regrets."-Chapter 8, letter D, page 1
"The flower bears the name of Hyacinthus, and with every returning spring revives the memory of his fate."-Chapter 8, letter d, page 1.
By reading these two passages, I was able to prove myself that real friendship did exist. And that more important than having that friend with you, is keeping alive the memory of the friendship. Having that great memory with you always no matter what happens.

Obsessions

This time when I began reading, I understood better what was going on. As I read Chapter 4, I started to think more about "obsessions." I began to see how it affects people. And in the case of the myths, the way it affected the Gods. For example in the beginning, on letter A in Chapter 4, the way Juno's jealousy of her husband's Jupiter mistress, Io, made her thirsty of revenge. She got obssesed with making her suffer, making her pay for what she had done. Juno decided to ask her husband to give his mistredd as a gift to her, so then Juno could decide what to do with her.
"He could not, without exciting suspicion; so he consented. The godess was not yet relieved of her suspicions; so she delivered the heifer to Argus , to be strictly watched."-pg. 1 of Chapter 4, letter A.
This passage got me thinking on how much Juno got obsessed. She couldn't just take the mistress. She had to make her suffer, by sending her to Argus, who made Io had a rough time.
Also, in Chapter 4, on letter D, I found another interesting thing that also made me think about obsession. When Phaëthon, son of the god Apollo and the nympth Clymene, got obsessed when someonle laughed at him for being the son of a god. This made Phaëton obsessed with proving that he was Apollo's son. After this, he decided to go to his mother in order to get to Apollo, so he could give him something that proved, that Phaëton was his son. Phaëton asked if he could use his chariot of the sun, but Apollo warned him that this was a dangerous request, he could cause great devastation in the world. But, Phaëton only cared about his obsession, about proving that he was the god's son. Phaëton careless, got the chariot and caused a great disaster:
"He wished he had never touched his father's horses, never learned this parentage, never prevailed in his request...He loses his self-command, and knows not what to do...He sees with terror the monstruos forms scattered over the surface of heaven...Great cities persihed, with their walls and towers; whole nations with their people were consumed in ashes!...Then Phaëton beheld the world on fire, and felt the heat intolerable...The Earth creacked open...The sea shrank up..." pg. 3 Chapter 4, Letter D.
After reading this passage, I was able to conclude that when people get obsessed with something, they make decisions with out been aware of the consequences. And by doing this, they cause great devastations.

The War for Honor

As I started to read chapter 22, I had a hard time understanding what was going on. But, as I kept reading, I began to understand more the myth. Chapters 22 and 23 were about Troy, The Trojan War, The Trojan Horse...etc. When I began reading, I thought of the story. About Paris and Helen, then how Menelaus got jealous, and went to Troy. About Aquelles, Ullises, and Hector, very important heroes in the story of Troy and in Greek Mythology. But, as I read I started to think about more things than just the story, I thought about jealousy, and unloyalty, which caused a war. Because of Helen's unloyalty to king Menelaus, she ran away with pronce Paris. And then Menelaus jealousy and anger due to Helen's unloyalty, made him askhis brother Agamenmon help to start a war with Troy. After reading this, I thought of how human emotions can lead people to do horrible things such as war. Many innocent people's life was taken away in the war, just because the rulers decided to fight.
"Paris, aided by Venus, persuaded her to elope with him, and carried her to Troy, whence arose the famous Trojan war,..."-chapter 22, letter a.
This quote made me think on how unfair it is for regular people in life sometimes. For example in Troy, many people died in the Trojan War. And the cause according to Greek Mythology of this war, was Helen's unloyalty to King Menelaus with Paris, and his jealousy and anger, his human feeling of revenge, made him go to Troy and start a war in which many innocent people were victims of. This also made me think about human feelings, the way the pervade someone's mind, and make that person make terrible decisions. After finishing reading both chapters, I realized that we humans have to control more our emotions. This is because without noticing, we can later cause great devastations, just by a making a decision using our emotions.

Hero: Scarlet

My values: Honesty, Responsibility, Caring, Trustworthy, Respectful, Positive, Wise

Scarlet

It was Scarlet the beautiful and brave,

Scarlet the one who knew,

Scarlet who saved the Earth,

She who had hope when nobody else did,

When the world began to destroy itself,

She was the one who taight the people,

The one who gave them hope;

Scarlet taught them how to plant,

She taight them how to take care of animals,

How to live peacefully with them,

How to take care of nature,

How to belong to the Earth,

It was she who saved the people,

It was she who gave them hope,

Scarlet the great,

The honest, the caring, the trustoworthy,

The wise;

Some call her the savior,

And some call her a heroe,

The beautiful Scarlet with her pale face and black hair,

She saved the world,

She saved humanity,

When it was dark, she saw the light,

She saved us all,

And she will always be remembered,

Scarlet, our savior, our hero

The End Has Come

When I began to read Table XII of Gilgamesh, I knew that the end was approaching. As I began reading, I kind of got confused by the fact the Enkidu was in the Tablet because I thought that he wasn't going to come back. But then as I kept reading, I realized that this Tablet has a very important thing, death. When Enkidu went to the hole to Nether World in order to get Giglamesh's drumsticks, Gilgamesh told him to go as a humble person, but Enkidu didn't listen to him. And because he didn't listen to his advice, he was trapped by the spritis in Nether World. Gilgamesh grieved his death, and begged to the God Ea to help Endiku. "The hole in the floor of the Upper World was open. The spirit of Enkidu, a puff of breath came forth from the Nether World into the Upper."-pg. 90
When Enkidu and Gilgamesh got together, Gilgamesh was very happy to see his companion. But also, he was very curious oof knowing how things were in Nether World, where the spirits of the dead went. As Gilgamesh asked Enkidu questions on page 91 and 92 about how people lived in Nether World, Enkidu's answers surprised me:
" 'Have you seen down there the man that has no sons?'
'I have seen the sonless man in the Nether World.'
'How is the man that has three sons?'
'He drinks from the waterskin his sons has brought.'
'How is with the man that has five sons?'
'They treat him in the Nether World as if he were a scribe of the court, dispenser of justice.'
'The one who goes the the Nether World without leaving behind any to mourn for him?'
'Garbage is what he eats in the Nether World. No dog would eat the food he has to eat?' "-pgs. 91 & 92
This las question got me thinking. I thought about family and its importance. Because in Nether World, those who have more family, those who have people who love them, when they die, they live better because in their lives, there were people who love them. And I thought that after Gilgamesh heard this, he thought of himself. He thought that when he was going to die he was going to end up like the man who goes to Nether World without anyone to mourn for him. He realized that he didn't had anyone that had loved him. He didn't had anyone that will mourn for him when he die.

Seeking for Eternal Life

In Table X, I began to see Gilgamesh as a more simple person. When he got to the sea, when the tavern keeper, Veiled Siduri, saw him, she thought he was a wild person, she didn't think he was the powerful ruler of the city of Uruk. Also, when he was with the boatman Urshanabi, he also thought of him as a wild man, not as the ruler he was. Both, of them asked him: "Your face is bitten by hinger or by sorrow. Why do you look like the one who has undergone a journey? Why do you look like the one who grieves? Why do you wear the skin of a beast? Why is that you roam the wilderness?"-pg. 59. After I read this, I remembered that Gilgamesh had began this journey after his friend and companion Endiku had died. Gilgamesh was still grieving his death. Endiku had been Gilgmaesh's friend, so now he was becoming more a nature person, now he apreciated nature more than before. Endiku had taught him its importance, and now he was a less self-centered person.
When Gilgamesh met Utnapishtim, there was something Utnapishtim said to him that impacted me: "You who were born the son of a goddess mother, why do you grieve for your mortal father?...How long is the eye able to look at the sun? From the very beginning nothing at all has lasted. ...There they established that there is life and death. The day of death is set, though not made known."-pg. 64. This passage made me think that the only thing we are sure of when we are born, is that one day we are going to die. Nothing is mean to last forever, and that's a destiny we all have to accept. And I strongly believe that Gilgamesh should be aware of this, because even though he is two-thirds God, he is still one-third human.
When Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh his story of how he achieved "Eternal Life," reminded me of the story of Noah's Ark. It was pretty much the same story, the world had suffered a flood, and a god told Utnapishtim to build a boat, and with his family and a pair of each type of animal, go in it, and safe themsleves. Because Utnapishtim's s story was so similar to Noah's Ark, I asked myself this question: Is Noahs Ark and Utnapishitm's story the same event?

More Like a Human

While I read Tablet VIII, I started to think about friendship. When Gilgamesh cried due to his friend Endiku's death, I realized that he took it very hard. When I started reading Gilgamesh, I thought he was a ver self-centered person who didn't care about anthing but himself. But when I read this Tablet, I noticed that even though he had a high eego and lots of power, he was a caring person. Gilgamesh cared a lot about his friend, and he was going to do what he could in order for him to be rembered: "You wore the garments suitable for a prince. You sat in the place of honor nearest the king. The great ones of the the earth bowed down before you. Gilgamesh was your friend and you companion. Gilgamesh the king has built a statue to celebrate the fame of Endiku. The grief of Gilgamesh for you has been the cause of woe and wailing in the city. Now you are gone, and Gilgamesh will wear ther skins of beasts and wander hairy-bodied grieving in the wilderness for you. "- pg. 47 When I read this, it was when I started to consider Gilgamesh a better person.
As I read Tablet IX, I thought of Gilgamesh as a kind of coward. When he decided that he didn't wanted to die like his friend Enkidu, he went to seek for the son of Urbatutu, Utnapishtim, the only men who knew how death could be avoided. I thought of him as someone who doesn't accept his destiny as it is, but he wants to be powerful and be great forever. When he said: " 'Enkidu has died. Must I die too? Must Gilgamesh be like that?' Gilgamesh felt the fear of it in his belly."-pg. 48. I felit when I read this that he was someone who felt superior to everyone and thought that he could decide what was going to happen to him.
But, as I kept reading Tablet IX, I saw that he wasn't much of a coward. He was a coward in the way that he wanted to avoid his destiny, but he was brave in the way, that he'll don anything to avoid death. There was something Gilgamesh said that kind of impacted me: "This is the way Gilgamesh must go, weeping and fearful, struggling to keep breathing, whether in heat or cold, companionless. Open the gate to the entrance into the mountain. "pg. 51. By reading these, I began to see Gilgamesh more like a human. Because humans are cowards, but they are brave whenever they have to do something in order to prevent the thing they were cowards about. This got me thinking: Is Gilgamesh really more god than a human? Or a human more than a god?

Using Commas

Exercise #1

1. He left the scene of the accident and tried to forget that it had happened.
2. Oil ,which is lighter than water,rises to the surface.
3.Madame de Stael was an attractive, gracious lady.
4. Nice is a word with many meanings ,and some of them are contradictory.
5. The contractor testified that the house was completed and that the work had been done properly.
6. Some people refuse to go to the zoo because of pity for creatures that must live in small cages.
7. Taxicabs that are dirty are illegal in some cities.
8. The closet contained worn clothes, old shoes, and dirty hats.
9. The uninvited guest wore a dark blue tweed suit.
10. After surviving this ordeal,the trapper felt relieved.
11. Mark Twain's early novels ,I believe,stand the test of time.
12. December 7, 1941,will never be forgotten.
13. The field was safe enough, wasn't it?
14. Write the editor of the Atlantic at 8 Arlington Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116.
15. He replied,"I have no idea what you mean."
16. After a good washing and grooming,the pup looked like a new dog.
17. Because of their opposition to institutions that force creatures to live in captivity,some people refuse to go to the zoo.
18. Vests ,which were once popular,have been out of vogue for several years.
19. As a celestial goddess, she regulated the course of the heavenly bodies and controlled the alternating seasons.
20. I hope that someday he will learn how to be polite.

Exercise #2:

1. There was no question that John's painting, a huge, colorful, and ugly mural, was the worst entry in the art exhibit.
2. Werner von Braun, Willy Ley, and Edward Teller, noted authorities in the field of rocket development, have done much to guide the missile program of the United States.
3. Mr. Cready's ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time is, I believe, amazing.
4. Running around the house, the dog was abruptly stopped by a fence.
5. If the opposition should win, our candidate would never have any political future.
6. Gracefully, lightly, and daintily, the ballerina moved across the stage.
7. Glamour, the woman's fashion magazine, recently incorporated with Charm another fashion journal.
8. Joe was born on May 7, 1955, and his best friend was born exactly two months later on July 7, 1955.
9. Mr. and Mrs. Kwon, my parents' best friends, sat in front of us at the football game.
10. November 11, 1918, the armistice ending World War I was signed.

The Revenge

As I read Tablet VI, I thought about revenge. After Gilgamesh told the godess Ishtar he didn't wanted to be with her because he knew that she will betray him, I began to see the godess reaction. The godess was mad at him because he had showed her foulness, he had "insulted" her. I started to watch the revenge when she went to her fater, the god Anu, and said to him; "Give me the Bull of Heaven that I may punish Gilgamesh the king, who has found out and told about the foulness of the godess. Give me the Bull of Heaven with which to kill him. Give me the Bull of Heaven or I will go to the Underworld and break its doors and let the come out to eat the living. How many are the dead compared to the living!"-pg. 32
When Ishtar said this, I thought about revenge, the way that she couldn't handle the truth so now she had to do something bad to Gilgamesh. The godess even threatened her own father just for revenge. But, even though she wanted to, her plan didn't work because Gilgamesh and Enkidu together defeated the Bull of Heaven. " 'Two people, companions, they can prevail together,' and Enkidu seized the bull by the reeking tail and Gilgamesh thrust hus sword with the skill of a butcher between the shoulders and horns, they kill the Bull."pg. 34. After reading this Tablet, I was able too see how wrong revenge is and that when people work together as a team (such as Gilgamesh and Enkidu), they are more powerful than anything.
When I began to read Tablet VII, I also began to see more revenge. At the beginning when Enkidu had a dream, I began to see it. "I dreamed that the gods were offended and held a council, and Anu said: 'They have killed the Bull of Heaven and killed Huwawa. One of them must die, the one of them who felled the tallest cellar.' Then Enlil said that Enkidu must die but Gilgamesh, the gifted, must not die. "- pg. 37. I saw how mad the gods were, and how they wanted to take revenge on someone, and they decided that Enkidu had to die.
Both Enkidu and Gilgamesh didn't like this destiny. They had become very close, closer than friends, brothers. And without Enkidu, Gilgamesh felt confused, he had finally found someone like him. "Why am i left to live while my brother dies? Why sould he die and I be spared to live?"-pg. 38. I thought it was kind of unfair that Enkidu going to die just because the gods prefered Gilgamesh. But then I realized that Gilgamesh kind of "loved" Enkidu, and he didn't want him to die. I noticed that they both each time became closer. Their relationship made me see how important friendship is. And I felt sorry for Gilgamesh as he saw his best friend die.

A Real Friendship

During Enkidu's and Gilgamesh's journey to the forest of Huwawa, Enkidu and Gilgamesh start to bond with each other. Every night, Gilgamesh has a dream which waked him up. The first night when the dreams began, he said: "I had a dream. I dreamed we were going through a mountain gorge and the huge mountain fell down on the two of us. We were as little as flies compared to the mountain."-pg. 22. And everytime he woke up, Enkidu interpretated his dream: "The dream you dream tonight is fortunate. The mountain that you dreamt about is Huwawa. Huwawa will fall down like a mountain and die. His dead body will lie on the plain like a mountain. "-pg. 22. The dreams Gilgamesh had, were always fortunate according to Enkidu. And they always relate or simbolize something that is going to happen to him.
When they arrived to Huwawa's forest, both Gilgamesh and Enkidu were very scared. As they passes through it, they kept seeing various faces of Huwawa. Then Gilgamesh prayed to Shamash: "Protecet us as we pass through fearfulness."pg. 27. And Shamash, by hearing the prayer, hepled them by sending storms to Huwawa, until the demon gave up. Huwawa tried to persuade Gilgamesh into not killing him, but letting him be his servant. "I will cut down the trees for you. Make me your servant. Shamash has send you úpon this errand against me. You are the child of lady Wildcow Ninsun. You are th eking of Uruk. I will be the guardian of the wood to build the gates of the cuty of Uruk. "-pg. 27. But Enkidu being loyal to him told Gilgamesh to not believe him, to kill him just like the gods had instructed. Then Gilgamesh and Enkidu slayed Huwawa, and killed him.
As I read Tablets IV & V, I started to notice that Enkidu and Gilgamesh were more than just partners. They were friends, they trsuted each other and backed each others back. For example with Gilgamesh dreams, I saw that Enkidu was there for him to interpretate his dreams, and help him with them. But when I began to see more clear their friendship, was at the end when Gilgamesh rejected the demon's proposal, and listened to Enkidu. Gilgamesh trusted his word, and knew that Enkidu was there to help him.

The Beginning of the Truth

As I began to read Tablet I, I realized that Gilgamesh is a very important, powerful character. He was created by the goddess, Auru, and he's the ruler of the city of Uruk. People considered him divine: "Two thirds a God, one third a man, the king." -pg.4. Besides people thinking of him this way, he also considers himself great. I kept reading Tablet I, and I saw something that I thought was important. I read about another character named Enkidu. Enkidu was created also by Auru because one day she heard a man say: "You made this man. Now create another."-pg.5. Then Auru made Enkidu, "The hairy-bodied wild man of the grasslands, powerful as Ninurta, the god of war. "-pg. 5.
Due to the fact that Enkidu was very powerful, one day when a hunter saw him, became speechless and told his father about him. His father told him to "Go to Uruk and there present yourself to Gilgamesh, the king, who is the strongest of all, the perfect the terror."-pg. 6. The father said to him, to tell Gilgamesh to send a harlot (a temple prostitute) with him in order to show Enkidu great pleasures. The son went to Uruk, and Gilgamesh send a harlot named Shamhat with him. She and the son went to the grasslands and found Enkidu, were Shamhat showed him great pleasures, and convinced him to go to Uruk with her.
While they were going back to Uruk, Gilgamesh had a strange dream: "A star fell from the heavens, a meteorite, and lay on the empty plain outside Uruk. The men and women came and wondered a it. I strove with it to lift it but could not. I was drawn to it as if it was a woman."-pg. 10. He told this dream to his mother, Rimat-Ninsun. She answered him back with ther interpretation of the dream, she said that the meteorite he couln't lift was "The strong companion, powerful as a star, the meteorite of the heavens, a gift from the gods. That you were drawn to it as if drawn to a woman means that this companion will not forsake you. He will protect and guard you with his life. This is the fortunate meaning of your dream."-pg. 10. This interpretation the mother made, got me thinking that the meteorite simbolizes Enkidu, because he was made strong as him, and he was going to protect and help Gilgamesh.
On their way to Uruk, Enkidu and Shamhat stopped at a camp were people thought of him as strong as Gilgamesh, there he began to act more like a human, he ate human food and drank wine. One day, a man came and told them about a wedding in Uruk, and Enkidu decided to go there to challenge Gilgamesh. Finally when Enkidu arrived to Uruk, he and Gilgamesh wrestled. But at the end they became friends, they hugged and kissed. What Rimat-Ninsun had told Gilgamesh was true, Enkidu wasn't here to forsake him, but to help him. Gilgamesh and Enkidu decided to go and defeat the demon Huwawa. "Huwawa's mouth is fire; his roar the floodwater; his breath is death."-pg. 16. At the end of this Tablet, Gilgamesh discovered that there was another person like him who could help him without takink him off his thrown.

Lesson Learned

When I read page 260, I couldn't believe what I was reading. I couldn't believe that Ishamael had died. It was very hard to believe that after everything he had taught his pupil. Specially, after everything I had learned. But, as I kept on reading, I found two passeges, one in page 262, and one in page 263:
"WITH MAN GONE, WILL THERE BE HOPE FOR GORRILLA?"-pg. 262
and
"WITH GORRILLA GONE, WILL THERE BE HOPE FOR MAN?"- pg. 263
These two passages got me thinking of everything I've learn while reading the book. At the begginning, I though that men controlled everything in the world. I used to think that without man, there will not be opportunity for any other creatures to survive. Just like it says in the first quote on page 262. As I kept reading the book, I realized that there are many things very important for survival that man don't know about. But, other animals do, for example Ishamel. He knew information that is vital for survival. So, the last quote tells that without animals, who know very important things that we don't know, we won't be able to live. In order for us humans to survive, and stop destroying the world, we need to learn from other creatures.

Fragment Sentence Exercises

Exercise #1:

1. F (dependent clause)
2. F (dependent clause)
3. C
4. F (no main verb)
5. C
6. C
7. F (dependent clause)
8. F (dependent clause)
9. F (dependent clause)
10. C
11. F (dependent clause)
12. F (dependent clause)
13. C
14. C
15. F (dependent clause)
16. F (dependent clause)

Exercise #2:
1.(dependent clause)
How can a person find patriotism in a local night club? Well, it did not take me too long. About four weeks ago in a little night club in Louisville, Kentucky, a couple of my friends, Rick and Lon, the duo who were providing the entertainment that night for the club, started off with a very funny joke.
2. (no main verb)
For the past twenty years, the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan has been measuring the level of Americans' trust and confidence in their politicians and quasi-political trust and confidence in their political institutions and their leaders. "Political" meaning all levels of government, and "quasi-political," for example churches, labor unions, large professional/business associations, educational institutions, and the like. The result is that a very sharp decline has taken place every year since 1964.
3. (dependent clause)
For 200 years Americans believed in better jobs, better homes, a better life for one's children. This confidence no longer exists. Polls now indicate that fewer Americans who feel they are better off today than they were five years ago. A public-opinion analysis group has found that large numbers of Americans, at some times and in some places, see themselves as lower on the ladder with worse living conditions and anticipation of further decline over the next five years.
4. (dependent clause)
Well, in looking at the picture at the left you see an old lady. She has a very funny look on her face, as if she's lonely and just wants to be left alone. She also looks as if she has seen a lot and experienced lots of things.
5. (no main verb & no subject)
A president is an appointed leader, someone who is a decision maker in the executive branch of our government. This doesn't necessarily mean that the person the people elect is capable. Just hopefully assumes that his past record as a politician, over the years is buildup of experience and handling situations.

Exercise #3:
My brother was always my best friend when I was a child, especially as we two were almost alone in the world. We lived with our old grandmother in a little house, almost a shack, in the country. Whenever I think of him now, I see a solemn, responsible boy, a boy too old for his years, who looked out for me no matter what once there was a bully, John Anson, who looked enormous to me, though he was probably an average twelve-year-old. John had it in for me because he liked Littice Grant, who liked me. He decided to beat me up right before her eyes. I was lucky my brother came by. He didn't interfere any, he just stood there. Somehow, though, his presence gave me confidence I licked the stuffing out of John Anson. If my brother hadn't been there, I don't think I could have done it.