What was YOUR definition?

Author's Note: This piece was originally for the Patriot's Pen Essay contest but I lengthened it so that it could be the essay to be scored instead and that I am happy with.

The flag with broad stripes. The flag with bright stars. The flag whose body billows in the wind. The flag with red stripes. The flag with a blue square. The flag with 50 stars. The flag with white stripes. The flag that is hung from a flag pole. The flag that represents The United States of America.

“Whose broad stripes and bright stars…”  This is part of our National anthem. The root word of National is nation. Our nation. “one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”  One nation as a whole. We are one nation joined together. But it didn’t just happen that way. Our founding fathers didn’t just set us up and we were good to carry on for the next thousands of years. We had to put a lot of work into it and fix up what went wrong when our founding fathers first took control.

Our founding fathers really should have thought long and hard about the choices they make and the consequences that we will have in the future of America. Everything has changed since our founding fathers had started this country. For example, even something as simple as the Pledge of Allegiance has been changed multiple times. It started out as… “"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The main outline of the Pledge of Allegiance was stating that you were making a pledge to both the flag and the Republic. And not only to the flag, but to my flag. This is our flag that they are talking about. Also, notice how the original pledge did not have the words, “under God.” Originally, they were not having us pledge that this nation is one of which stands under God. Although, the thing that they did state was that there was liberty and justice for all.

Liberty: When everyone is free within the set laws of authorities (our government). Justice: Being just or fair, so everyone is treated equally. There were slaves in America! Hello!? Did our founding fathers not know what liberty and justice meant? Was Martin Luther King Jr. free? Because if he did have liberty and justice, then I don’t see why he went and wrote I have a dream. One would only write that, if they actually had a dream and he did. It was to be free. So he didn’t have that clearly stated so called liberty  and justice. But if the pledge states that everyone has liberty and justice, then that’s the only thing you can do right? I mean it says it right there so according to government, he was free except for some minor exceptions that they decide to leave out. No! He wasn’t free! Another example, Rosa Parks. She was free because it says so right there in the pledge that everyone says before school starts in the morning. So because she had liberty and justice, she had to give up her seat for a white man? If you didn’t have white skin, you were either stuck way in the back of the bus or you were off. That isn’t how liberty works. That does not sound just or fair to me so I don’t know what was going through the heads of our founding fathers.

If somebody is a citizen of America, they shouldn’t be treated any less because of their skin color. There is no difference in people. Everyone is equal. What happened to justice, founding fathers!? What was your definition? I know my definition is when EVERYONE (I cannot stress that enough) is treated with equal fairness and equal rights. I don’t think Rosa Parks was being treated fair when she was kicked out of her seat! It’s a bus for crying out loud! Everyone should be treated equally for other things but it all comes down to something as silly as riding a bus from one place to another, that Rosa Parks would have to give up her seat for a white man.

I would really like to know their definition and understanding of our pledge. It doesn’t compare to what it means now. I personally think that it is pretty sad that people would come over to America to be free, and find themselves having to run away from being sold into slavery and having to find only certain states to be free in. We are The United States of America. One nation  as a whole. Together, fighting for what is right. But our founding fathers? They didn’t give us what was right.

Rumor Has It

Author's note: This is my conflict resolution piece showing the main conflict, and how to or how it gets resolved.


When you first meet someone, do you care right away if they like you or not? Most people don’t care if they don’t even know the person, but it was much different for Audrey. She first met Mailee and instantly wanted to know what Mailee thought of her. Actually she didn’t even meet Mailee, she just saw her at the bus stop. Audrey definitely formed an opinion about her right away.

In order to find out what Mailee thinks of Audrey, she starts a slam book. A slam book that reveals a bunch of secrets. A slam book that you can ask your own questions in. A slam book that everyone reads and passes around. A slam book that reveals everyone’s likes and dislikes. A slam book that hurts people’s feelings. A slam book that isn’t allowed.

Once Audrey reads what Mailee wrote, she isn’t very happy with the outcome. This has been the only thing that Audrey was worried about and now she feels hurt by it. She was so consumed by it that she hadn’t been treating Carmen like best friends should be treating each other. It wasn’t worth it because it was all for nothing. Mailee doesn’t like her, doesn’t want to be friends with her, and so Audrey won’t even try to be a friend to Mailee either. She decides to take another look at the slam book with the hurtful words enclosed.

She looks at the faint pen in writing. The answer to the question, Audrey Jones is…? There on line 37, (Mailee’s line) it says, “A lousy friend and a terrible volleyball player.” Audrey felt as if she were bleeding inside. She looks at line 37 in the back of the book where it is supposed to say Mailee’s name. But all that is on the line is one big question mark. Once she examines it closer, she recognizes the small curl on the end of the question mark. The same one that Carmen makes.

Calling Carmen, she feels a little bit of hope as if Carmen will hopefully forgive her. Carmen’s brother picks up the phone and Audrey asks to speak with her friend. After a few moments of silence, Audrey hears Carmen’s voice on the line but her brother then picks up the phone and says, “Sorry not here.” Then all goes silent as the call ended. Obviously Audrey knows that she is mad and she knows she has to fix things between them.

This reminds me of one time with my friend Brooklyn. The main conflict between me and Brooklyn was that she didn’t want to hang out with me or talk to me because I was so consumed with other things. She was sick of it and after talking about it with her, I realized that I was wrong and we fixed the problem between us. This is the same situation that Audrey is in. The main conflict was person vs person. Audrey vs Mailee and then it completely changed to person vs person but between Audrey vs Carmen.

After Audrey finally got to talk to Carmen, she apologized and they made things right again between them. That was there way to resolve the conflict between them which allows that to be the book's resolution. This is what happens when you drift away from one of your best friends. Audrey was wrong and she realized that. They were in a fight because Audrey decided to obsess over something nobody else would. It was because of the slam book. The slam book that hurts people’s feelings. The slam book that isn’t allowed.

Into the mirror

Author's note: This is a fictional cause and effect piece. It shows the causes and effects of a girl's decision to become an anorexic and it shows the consequences of that decision.


If I didn’t look in that mirror, nothing would have happened. I wouldn’t be where I am today. If I didn’t look in that mirror, I wouldn’t be in the situation that I am in. If I didn’t look in that mirror, I wouldn’t be such a disgrace to look at. If I didn’t look in that mirror, my life wouldn’t be the same.

These TV shows are such lies that everyone watches. Barbie appears across the screen.I am thinking, stuck in deep thought; Pacing, stopped in mid tracks; Listening, my ears glued to the sound; Watching, my eyes not blinking… Everyone in the world is so concerned with looks. Without even thinking about it they just want to look perfect. Barbie is just a piece of plastic perfectly shaped, and flawless. Everyone thinks of her as their role model. Who looks like her? What person has her slender body shape? Who has her perfectly conditioned hair that falls flawlessly down her back? Nobody.

Nobody has her flawless looks. Well except maybe for my beautiful friends, celebrities, and models, but not me. I’m not even close. I continue watching TV with all of the Barbie and get skinny commercials. If only I could look like all of those people. Those “Barbie” people. The only thing wrong is that I am not skinny enough. Not skinny enough to be a “Barbie.” I go over to the mirror and peer into it.

 I just want to be skinny. How and why did I ever have to look like this?  What makes my stomach expand so much? Food. When I eat food I look less skinny but when you don’t eat food, your stomach will remain the same size. I want it to remain skinny. I just won’t eat food.

Every night once I get home, I tell my mom that I am going to eat upstairs and then I feed it to my dog. Already, I can tell the difference in my looks. At first, I started to get really hungry, but now my stomach just gets used to the feeling. Pretty soon, I will look just like a Barbie. Until my mom finds out from one of my friends.

I got taken to the doctor as soon as she found out. People would start to glare at me from how terrible I looked. I had to explain everything to the doctors and nurses. They ran multiple tests. The doctors came to tell us the results. Anorexia.

I was a complete wreck. I had to drop out of school so that I could get treatment every day for 4 hours. Food would be grinded up and fed to me through a tube. It was disappointing that I couldn’t even eat food by myself, that’s how ill I became. All day I would sit there getting needles poked into my skin that would leave a piercing feeling. In the hospital every day. That was my life. I could have had a much better life if I was thinking and didn’t make such an ignorant decision.

 People need to except who they are and how they look. That’s exactly   what I was saying, but I needed to understand it about myself first before others. If I really was concerned, I would have eaten healthier and made sure that I was exercising. God made you the way you were for a reason. One little decision, can lead to something much bigger.

If I didn’t look in that mirror, I would have never been in the hospital. If I didn’t look in that mirror I wouldn’t have learned how to except myself. If I didn’t look in that mirror, I would have never stayed strong in my character. If I didn’t look in that mirror, people never would have told me how beautiful I can be just the way I am. If I didn’t look in that mirror I would have never felt so good about myself. Nobody is  a “Barbie.”

Broken

There were fifteen seconds left while playing basketball in gym class. Taking control of the ball, I promptly started dribbling down the court. Just about to shoot a three-pointer, I extended my arm into the air; the ball was just about to leave my fingertips. I jumped and landed right on my ankle.

I stumbled, trying to get up but I just couldn't. Starting to cry buckets by the tons, I couldn't feel my ankle at all. Anyone in this situation would have just wanted the pain to go away and go straight to the nurse. Ms. Emmer came rushing over and told Chloe to take me there. I couldn't stand on my ankle so I was told to sit in the rolling office chair and my friend would push me down to the health room.

I sat down on the chair as Chloe started pushing me through the gym. Once we got to the door, there was another class waiting to enter. I felt so embarrassed getting pushed around on this little chair with wheels so I got up and started to hobble on my one uninjured foot. Chloe helped me walk down as I was still in tears.

Once I sat down, the nurse took off my socks and shoes and my ankle was harshly swollen. It was black and blue, and the size of a tennis ball. Sheer pain would surface through my leg. Every two seconds there was always somebody different coming into the health room to see if I was okay. I began to feel extremely annoyed and overwhelmed by so many people.

My aunt finally got to the school and we began to drive to the hospital. Once we got there, my mom met us in the lobby and I got wheeled into the back room. I was sitting in the wheelchair with my leg propped up.

I got taken back into the exam room to get ex-rays done. I found that I fractured the bottom of my bone in my leg that is known as the tibia. The nurse gave me a black boot and it hurt remarkably bad the first day because my ankle was so swollen.

Having my boot on brought me a lot of attention. It was not that bad at all, in fact I enjoyed it.  If only I were back in those last fifteen seconds. Being back in those last fifteen seconds, I would have still taken that shot. In those fifteen seconds, I would have let myself fall. Being back in those fifteen seconds, I would have my ankle broken.

Retelling Tuck Everlasting

Author's note: This was meant to be a very short and small retelling of Tuck Everlasting that summarizes the book in a quick way. It is supposed to capture and hook you so that you may want to read the book.

In the woods a girl waits, destined to become part of the world and feel as if she belongs. Now, she has a chance for that by discovering the deepest secret kept by the a strange family in the woods about a magic spring of water. Decisions can be the hardest things in life especially at such a young age. Once you make a decision all shoots high, or all goes wrong. After all, actions have their consequences.