Circles

An essay on reoccurring themes in my like and TKAM

English class, grade 8

January 31, 2011

Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, I have noticed many themes that go around in “circles”. Throughout the book a theme I have often noticed is curiosity. While reading the book, I haven’t noticed a single character that hasn’t been curios about at least one issue. Dill, Scout and Jem have always been curious about Boo or Mr. Nathan Radley, Atticus was curios as to why people could be so cruel just because of skin color, Aunt Alexandra has always been interested in other people’s life and gossip and Mr. Dolphus Raymond was curious why people didn’t accept him for who he was. Another big theme I have noticed that repeatedly comes up in To Kill a Mockingbird is treasures. Throughout out the book many characters, I believe, own treasures, something that’s important to them and they kind of guard over. Dill, Scout and Jem had the small gifts and trinkets that appeared in the knothole of the tree near the Radley place, Miss Maudie has her flowers and various other plants, Aunt Alexandria has a certain set of values she feels all girls, especially Scout, should fallow. Another theme in To Kill a Mockingbird, which I feel is the biggest theme in the entire book, is determination. Everyone in To Kill a Mockingbird, whether it’s good or bad, seems to have a goal. Dill, Scout and Jem tried time and time again to get Boo Radley to come out of the house and even when it didn’t work or they got in trouble they didn’t give up, Atticus stayed up all night and worked all day to try and prove Tom Robinson innocent, Aunt Alexandra constantly tried to change scout from a tom boy to a proper lady and Misses Dubose was constantly going out of her way to try annoy or get under the kids skin by insulting their father.

Throughout everybody’s life there are also themes or patterns that come around in a circle. A big thing I have noticed throughout my life is that nothing is easy. If you want to achieve something it just doesn’t magically happen, if you want it you have to work hard and make it happen yourself. When I was younger I had to work hard to learn how to talk, walk, read and write, recently I have been having to work hard with grades because I know I don’t just get an A by asking for one, and I know that as an adult I will have to work hard when I have a job so I can by food and pay taxes. Another “circle” theme in my life is disappointment. Whether you like it or not, some time in your life you will be disappointed. As a young child I was always disappointed when I had to start doing homework or when I was told I couldn’t watch TV, Now I am often disappointed when I have things to do so I cant hang out with my friends, an as I grow older I know everything’s not going to be perfect and I will have to deal with many disappointments, some small and some huge. Pain is also a big theme that keeps appearing in my life. Throughout my life I have felt a lot of pain, some of it has been emotional and some of it has been physical. Throughout my entire life I have always been interested in skateboarding and other freestyle sports and I have a great time with it, but sometimes I fall down and hurt myself. I have also dealt with a lot of emotional pain, i have had pets die, such as my cat max, and I have also had girlfriends that have broken up with me, both hurt me, but not in a physical way.

outline-essay 10

TS. Throughout TKAM there are many “circles” themes that often occur
SD. Curiosity is a theme that is often seen in TKAM
CM1. Everyone in TKAM has curiosity, Atticus, Scout, Jem, Dill etc.
CM2. Jem, Scout and Dill - Boo Radley Atticus - why are people raciest, tom Robinson case etc.
SD. Treasures is another theme that is often found in TKAMCM1. Many characters have their own treasures- may not be much but is a lot to them.
CM2. Scout and Jem-trinkets in the knothole of tree Miss Maudie-flowers
SD. Determination is the biggest theme I have noticedCM1. Every character in the book has been determined to reach a goal, good or bad
CM2. Jem, Scout and Dill-seeing Boo Atticus-winning court case Mrs. Dubose-annoying the children　　
TS. In life there are also many themes that occur often.SD. Hard work/effort is a common them in life
CM1. Everything in life is not easy to get to-have to work hard
CM2. As a baby-learning to walk middle/ high school-good grades, making friends adult-job, taxesSD. Disappointment is another theme
CM1. You are often disappointed in life, whether you like it or not
CM2. Kid-not getting fed or able to play videogame etc. adult-getting layer off, having to pay taxes, dealing with a mean bossSD. Pain is another big theme that comes up in life
CM1. Different pains, physical and emotional
CM2. Girlfriend breaking up with you, breaking a bone, hitting yourself with a hammer, losing a friend etc.

assesment visit #4

Today I made my fourth visit to the WARM shelter, and it was much different than my first few visits. When I was serving almost no one was there. I believe there was almost no one there because it’s so close to Christmas and lots of family members are helping people out by giving people a place to stay and providing food to people that don’t have it. I also believe that there were so little people coming for food at the WARM shelter because many rugulars at the WARM shelter were participating in or watching the penguin plunge, an event where people jump into freezing cold water. Another thing I noticed was that there was a lot more food than usual. I believe that there was so much food because of donations because of people trying to be generous around the holidays. When I looked inside the fridge I was astounded with how much food they had fit into that one refrigerator. I was happy when I saw how much food had been donated. Although people had been very generous I was a little sad that food was mostly donated during the holidays though. I believe that people should be generous all of the time, not only during the holidays.

Visit #3

Today I made my third visit, and I have finally started to settle in. Much different than my first couple of visits, I didn’t feel nervous at all. I knew everyone that came in would be nice, polite and appreciative and that I had nothing to worry about. I was even starting to learn some of the “regulars” names and had a conversation with a couple people. One thing that struck me today was how many kids came in for food. I found it very sad that kids had to come in because they or their parents didn’t have enough money for food. I don’t know how I would manage if I had to go to the WARM shelter everyday for food if I was only thirteen. Another thing that made me feel sad was when people came in with heavy winter coats panting. This made me sad because they were probably forced to walk to the WARM shelter because they didn’t have a car. I don’t think its fair that a whole bunch of people have to walk miles to get food because they don’t have a car and can’t afford food themselves when some families are living in huge houses eating, eating amazing meals and watching TV on big flat screens.

visit #2

During my second visit to the warm shelter I was much less worried than the first time I went. I think I wasn’t as worried because I kind of knew what to expect. When I arrived I knew the people didn’t look poor and they were all polite. In a way I was very relieved that it was very unlikely for me to deal with any psychotic people that might pull a gun on me. While I was serving I got a chance to talk to some people who came in for lunch, which was a great experience. One woman, who wore jeans, a blue sweater and had short grayish hair and appeared to be in her sixties told us about how she was layed off the day before Christmas and only had a week until her insurance ended. I felt very bad for her, but was amazed at how she approached the whole situation, she only thought of the best and seemed positive that better times would come. Jut like the first time I noticed that people didn’t appear to be homeless or poor at all. Again they all had nice clothes, cell phones and more. One new thing I found surprising though was the fact that around winter the WARM shelter had less people, I would think in the winter there would be more people who needed help. Maybe more people will come in later months as I continue to make visits to the WARM shelter.

First time volunteering for the service learning project! As I was arriving I was actually very nervous. So many thoughts were in my head, what would the people be like, how many people would there be, what would be served for lunch etc. I was worried that people would be in rags and begging for more food, but that was not the case at all. When I arrived at the WARM shelter I was surprised at the normality of the people I was serving lunch to. Every last person that came in for food had normal, nice clothes, clothes you wouldn’t expect poor or homeless people to own, and they almost all had phones. People there were also very polite and didn’t beg for more food even though they couldn’t afford food themselves, they took what was given to them, and when seconds were aloud, only about three people came up for more. A big thing I noticed was that everyone that came in for lunch seemed to “trust” WARM. Everyone seemed to know WARM could provide them food for their next meal. Also, the residents that lived in WARM’s homeless shelter knew they had a bed to sleep in at night, they knew WARM wouldn’t kick them out on the streets. In many ways WARM seemed to be like a best friend to almost all of the people at WARM.

Just Normal Heroes

An essay on "quiet" heroes

By: Jake Delapp

8AX english

January 2011

       (TS)   If you think about the word “hero” you probably think about a man in a tight suit with a big emblem on his chest and a cape flying around town and saving the day, but that is not what most heroes are like, many heroes often just go about their own business and live a relatively normal life. (SD) In the book To Kill a Mockingbird I believe Atticus is someone you would consider to be a “quiet hero”. (CM1) When Tom Robinson was accused of rape, Atticus was decreed to be his judge and, unlike most judges would do, he worked incredibly hard to prove Tom was innocent because he knew it was the right thing to. (CM2) Atticus also saved the town from Tim Johnson the “mad” dog with his amazing marksmanship. (SD) What Atticus has done, I believe, makes him a hero, but the fact that he keeps to himself and does not boast is what makes him a “quiet hero“. (CM1) When Atticus was defending Tom, a colored man, he kept it quite, well as quiet as defending a colored man can be. (CM2) Atticus didn’t even tell his own children that he was an incredible marksman, the kids found out for themselves when they saw Atticus take out Tim Johnson the “mad” dog. (SD) Even though Atticus is, in a sense, a superhero he doesn’t get the praise that movie and cartoon heroes receive. (CM1) I believe people respect him and know he’s a good person, but they don’t get down on their knees and pray to him. (CM2) I believe Atticus likes the mellow sort of praise he receives more than having people worship him because he seems to be a quiet man who doesn’t want to be the center of attention, but at the same time I think he amours to be thanked and congratulated. (CS)

       

         (TS) In my life I know many people who I consider heroes, but they don’t fly around wearing a cape, they are what I would call “silent” heroes. (SD) I think my mom would be classified as a hero to me. (CM1) During my entire life she has always been there for me, driven me to friends houses, made me food to eat, helped me with hw and much more. (CM2) Although these things may seem miniscule, I really appreciate them and think that the things that she does make her a hero. (SD) I would also call my dog Oakley a soundless hero. (CM1) I know it seems silly for me to be calling my pet dog a hero I really do deem it to be true. (CM2) Oakley will play fetch, tug of war or a variety of other games with me when I’m bored, fallow me and make me feel special, just sit down with me and lots of other things animals or pets can do that humans can’t. (SD) Another hero in my life would have to be Harry. (CM1) Harry has been my friend for a long time and is someone I feel I can trust, he always has my back and he always knows how to cheer me up by just being Harry. (CM2) Although all the qualities I have always listed about Harry are great I think the biggest thing to like about Harry is his sense of humor, he can ALWAYS make you laugh no matter what. (CS)
　






SELF ASSESMENT
If I were to give myself a grade for this assignment I would give myself an B-. In this essay I think I used good use of descriptions and fallowed directions well. One thing I still need to work on is making my opening and closing sentences for my body paragraphs more interesting. I could do this by reviewing what makes a good opening or closing sentence and apply it to my next essay.