Courage

Courage is a dog. 

It is a dog barking ferociously at the front door not knowing who or what is on the other side. 

Courage is a dog jumping into a dirk murky ocean to refresh himself no matter how cold it is. 

It's  a dog playing with its companions no matter how much bigger they might be. 

It is a dog watching a human hurting and being able to help him even in the littlest ways. 

Courage is when a dog is introduced to a new member of the family and even how threatening it seems being friendly towards it. 

It is a dog always putting its owner first and protecting them whenever they need it no matter what could happen to itself. 

Courage is a dog.

heart poem

Heart

Hearts don't only keep humans alive

they transform good to evil

they let you experience beauty 

they allow you to feel compassion

they turn meaningless scribble to meaningful thoughts

and they allow powerful perception forever.

Heroism

     In the story I am the Messenger I thought it was interesting to see the theme of heroism shown throughout the first part of the book. This theme was shown throughout all of Eddie's visits with the people he helps. First, him helping Milla, an old lady who just needed her husband who died in a war so long ago to come home. Eddie helped this lady by keeping her company and being a friend to her, and in her mind her husband. He is a hero in this scenario because he saved this old lady from loneliness and even though it may not seem like he did much what he did must have meant to world to this sweet woman. Next up Eddie helped Sophie, a young girl whom he watched run, by giving her the confidence and support she needed while running in competitions. He had seen her run before on her own and knew how amazing and naturally talented she was at it and he didn't get how she wasn't winning her competitions. He knew that she ran barefoot by her self and with old worn out tennis shoes in races so, he told her that she should not feel obligated to wear shoes and she should do what she feels comfortable in. By helping her make this descicion this she comes very close to winning and even though she still ends up loosing she was proud of herself, all because of Ed and the advice/help he gave her. Lastly Eddie displayed the theme of heroism by saving a wife and daughter from a dangerous life and sad, abusive situation. One of the places he visited was a house with a family whom the dad would every single night come home drunk and repeatedly rape his wife, while his daughter was home witnessing it all the while. Eddie helped by getting a gun, taking the man away from his family, and shooting him. Which although seems extreme and very violent, this was the only option Ed was given. By  doing this he saved a little girl and her mom and let them live the rest of their lives in peace. Overall Eddie displayed the theme of heroism in many ways throughout his visits with the three people he meets.

Charles Darnay

Charles Darnay, a young adult living in England or a French aristocratic? The answer is both, Charles Darnay is a important character from A Tale of Two Cities and also a well grounded, caring and honest man. "-I would abandon it and live otherwise and elsewhere. It is little to relinquish. What is it but a wilderness of misery and pain?(Dickens 95)". This first quote shows how he is well grounded and has good morals. The "it" in the quote is referring to wealth and money and he is saying how that is not important and he would rather live somewhere else and be happy and content, which you don't need money to be.  My next quote portrays Darney's caring side "I love your daughter fondly, dearly, disinterestly, devotedly.(Dickens 101). This shows how he cares very much for Lucie and how he is truly devoted and loyal to her. "I wish it, that I may the better deserve your confidence and have no secrets from you.(Dickens 104)" This last quote shows how Charles is honest and straight forward with wanting to tell lucie's father his secret and not keep anything from him. Also in this drawing the two objects I associated with him were money and a heart. The money and coins represented how he was an aristocratic and had a lot of money. The heart showed how he is looking for love, which he believes he has found with lucie. Both of these things, along with his characteristics I believe help to portray him as the man he is.

A Tale Of Two Cities Light vs. Dark

In a tale of two cities Charles Dickens uses darkness and light to the set the time of hopefulness in Dr.Manettes and Lucy's relationship. "... a little more light here. You can bear a little more?(Dickens 30)". In this quote Dr.Mannete is being asked if it is ok to let a little more light into the room he is in. Before he was sitting in darkness which in my opinion symbolizes his time in prison when he was depressed. The light they are letting in I think is a symbol of hope or in other words Lucy his daughter who is there to free her farther from his depressed state. In other words she is the light at the end of the tunnel. My next quote "darkness had fallen on him in its place (Dickens 32)" also uses darkness to represent Dr.Manettes past. This quote shows how bad his lonely years in jail were and how those were dark times for him. "On her fair young face that looked as though she passed like a moving light(Dickens 32). This last quote is describing Dr. Manettes savor, his daughter. Lucy is compared with light to show how he is looking to her even though he hardly knows her to help him  get out of the darkness which he seems sure to do. Throughout the first moments of their relationship light and darkness is being used to give the tone of hope.

The wine of war

     In a tale of two cities by Charles Dickens wine is dropped and spilled on a street outside a winery. This wine spilling though, is much more then that it is foreshadowing to the bloody French Revolution that is soon going to start. "All the people within reach had suspended their business, or their idleness to run to the spot and drink the wine."(Dickens 20). I think this first quote foreshadows to the war because as in this senario everyone's normal lives will be put on hold and the war will take over their lives, just like here when people ran to get to the wine and left their tasks behind them. My next quote shows how the war will never be forgotten and always leave a "stain" on those people affected by it. "The wine was red wine, and had stained the ground of the narrow street in the suburb of Saint Antoine where it had spilled. It had stained many hands, too, and many faces and many naked feet, and many wooden shoes"(Dickens 21). Here the wine left a red stain on the street, like the upcoming war will leave marks on the battle field in which it takes place, the family's which it ruins and the countries which it tears apart. "The time was to come, when the wine too would be spilled on the street stones"(Dickens 22). This last quote I think most directly foreshadows the war because I believe it is referring to the blood that will shed from this upcoming war. Although the wine and war may be completely different things I think that in this situation they are much alike eachother.

Importance of Family

Family, they are the most important thing anyone could have and some of the most influential people in your life. Your everyday life is shaped around them and they will always be there for you no matter what. Their function is simple, love each other, respect each other, and do anything you can to help each other if ever needed, no matter how big or small. Family is shown and discussed in two great pieces of literature, “Stone Soup” by Barbara Kingslover and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. “Stone Soup” talks about how there are many different types of families and it’s ok for them to be different than the steriotypical mom, dad, son, and daughter. And in A tree grows in brooklyn Betty Smith wrote about a family who was always there for eachother and showed what it is like to be a true family.

What is the importance of family? You could answer that question in a million different ways. “As long as I live, I will never have a woman for a friend. I will never trust any other woman again, except maybe mama and sometimes Aunt Evy and Aunt Sissy”(Smith, 238). I think this shows one reason why family is important, because even as this young girl says she will never trust one person from an entire gender ever again she still says how she will trust her family, which shows how family are always the ones you can trust no matter what. Another reason family is important because they help you through hard times and can stay strong for you, even if you can't. I also think family is important because it doesn’t have to be perfect “ to judge a family’s values by its tidy symmetry is to purchase a book by its cover”(kingslover,19). Families would be boring if they were all the same, there differences is what makes them special and important.

Families also have countless functions. Not just like how your mom is always there for you when you are sick or your brother is there for you when you need to laugh, family as a whole is always there for you when needed. ”His own cheering section of grown ups and kids all leap to their feet and hug each other, delirious with love for this boy. He’s andy, my best friends son. The cheering section includes his mother and her friends, his brother, his father and step-mother, a stepbrother and stepsister, and a grandparent.”(kingslover,1) . This is just one example of the function of a family, to be there to support your achievements, even if in the case of this family it may be difficult because of their past, they are strong for you. Family should also be there for you during your low days and mistakes. Another function of a family is to push and determine each other, for example when Neeley and Francie got a christmas tree together no one thought they could do it. But francie stood up for them and said “We’re not too little together”(smith, 202).And together they could do it and they won the christmas tree. There are many other family functions along with these.

So, overall my definition of family would be anyone who is always there for you loves you and supports you.Families are the most important people in you life and have the biggest function.