Agape Survival

Throughout history there have been many societies that have flourished and many that have failed. Agape, the transcendentalism island society would fall under the category of one of the societies that would not only flourish for a period of time but would also remain successful. Some people could think that Agape would not have the ability to survive in today's world but it has the potential for many reasons. Agape is filled with people with good morals, it is filled with good facilities that benefit the public, and the lack of rules would not be demanding, easy to follow, and still prove to still be effective.

            In reality Agape could not sustain life as a society in todays world. A strong and dependable government is what really holds a society together. In order to succeed the government needs to find a happy medium, this means that it cannot act as a dictatorship or be too feeble. Agape lacks a strong government.  The only form of government that Agape has is one mayor that gets elected by the citizens. Having a mayor is good but it is not enough to keep the island community of Agape together. It also only has five core rules because of this there were none that went into specifics on how to deal with certain situations.  For example, Agape is filled with transcendentalists and free thinkers. This means that they would all have their own thoughts and ideas on certain issues and it would not be surprising if many arguments occurred. Since there are only few rules no one would know how to deal with a situation like this. Chaos could outbreak on the island of Agape and could lead to the fall of the civilization. Aside from the weak government there are certain aspects that could actually have the potential to let Agape survive in today's world.

Focusing on good morals and strong beliefs is one of Agapes most prized accomplishments. Agape considers itself to be a transcendentalism society. The civilization supports every ones own individual thoughts and allows them to express themselves freely. They also only accept people with good morals. Since Agape focuses on good morals the town is filled with genuinely good individuals. Agape would never have to worry about corruption among people in high positions like the mayors, business owners, or educators. There is also virtually no crime on the island, and anyone that does break one of the five rules or participates in criminal activity will be punished and learn from their mistake. Crime and corruption is one thing that tears apart societies and ruins them but that is something that Agape would never have to experience.

Being a resident to Agape should be looked at as a privilege. It has many remarkable aspects that should make anyone desire to live in a place as genuine as this. It provides a very safe environment for its inhabitants. Agape is located on a remote island so not just anyone can live there, each citizens goes through a background check before they get approved to live there. The jail is found deep inside the woods so any criminal that does manage to live here is locked away far from the rest of the population. Aside from Agape being very safe it also offers a variety of schools and careers.  It has a school for kindergarten- ninth grade, tenth grade-twelfth grade, and a college. Agapes schooling program allows one to get the education that they deserve. Agape also has many different careers such as a writer, actor/actress, architect, fashion designer and many more. Agape offers a wide range of jobs that way everyone on the island could find something that would appeal to them. Agape is also a very healthy island community. There is a central hospital so all the ill citizens can be treated and cured. The fitness center, lakes, and wildlife preserves all allow for the general public to engage in physical activity. Agape also provides much of its own food naturally through farming and believes in no pollution to keep the environment as well as Agapes people to remain healthy.

The main reason people would come to Agape is because of the morals the society runs by. It is based on the idea of being an individual and allowing one to be their own person. This means that Agape doesn’t have a lot of rules that citizens must obey. It has a few rules that are all very reasonable. These rules include no monopolies, no pollution, no hazing, no conformity of large groups, and no vandalism. These five rules are very basic and would be simple for the citizens to live by. Many societies like dictatorships or communistic countries loose popularity quickly because the citizens are suffocated with a mass amount of rules. With a minimal amount of rules Agape would stay popular and have a fairly constant amount of people living there.

Agape would be a society that could survive in today's world. Even though there are some aspects of the civilization that are not ideal like the lack of government power there are many that make up for that. Agape is a positive society where the society is filled with good morals and beliefs, beneficial facilities, and a minimal amount of corruption among people in high work positions and criminal activity.

The Consequences of Nonconformity

     Being a nonconformist is encouraged by certain people. Although being an individual may sound like a good idea there are consequences that come with it just like anything else. The movie Dead Poets Society shows the many consequences that nonconformists are faced with. One consequence is that the nonconformist would be thought of as different and not accepted by others. An example of this was in the beginning of the movie how Mr.Keating  was first thought of by his students. Since he appeared to be different and more lively than the other teachers the boys didn't know what to make of him or think. It was easy to tell by their body language that they didn't accept Mr.Keating from the beginning. It took time for them to learn to like him and understand his teaching method.
    
     In addition to being thought of as differently another consequence of being a nonconformist is that issues could occur with family members or friends because of different beliefs or interests. Dead Poets Society expressed this issue as well. Neil Perry and his father Mr.Perry often got into arguments because Neil wanted to do something different than what Mr.Perry wanted for him. By Neil doing this he was being an individual. He decided to take the lead role in a play even though his father forbid it. By Neil doing that an argument between him and his father broke out. Another consequence to nonconformity is being reprimanded for not doing things the traditional way. Mr.Keating was often judged by the headmaster of the school. He would imply that Mr.Keating should teach his class differently in a more traditional way like other English teachers. Throughout the movie he would tell Mr.Keating that he shouldn't tell the boys to be their own person because it wouldn't lead to anything good. The way he ran the school was almost opposite to the way Mr.Keating ran his classroom. Mr.Keating was even fired from the school by the end of the movie. Nonconformity has many consequences and the Dead Poets Society displays a great amount of them.

Modern Day Transcendentalist

     Oprah  Winfrey could be considered a modern day transcendentalist. A simplified definition of a transcendentalist would be a person who is an individual who doesn't feel the need to take part in conformity and does what they want despite what  others may think of them. Oprah Winfrey could be considered one of these people.   

                                     http://www.mswritersandmusicians.com/writers/oprah-winfrey.html

     This picture is a picture of Oprah when she was a little girl living in Mississippi.Oprah Winfrey grew up a hard life as a child. She was sexually abused multiple times by both family friends and family members. It is hard enough for someone to remain their own individual person if they are influenced by others. It was even harder for Oprah to stay the same person she was because she was not only influenced by other people she was abused and had to learn to deal with it. For many people when they experience a tragic event such as sexual abuse it changes their personality when they are trying to cope. But Oprah took her experience and decided to help others. She went on to helping hundreds of people and giving many generous gifts and donations.

http://thephotographer4you.com/2010/09/30/cover-of-the-day-oprahs-next-act/

     This picture is a photo of Oprah and it shows how successful she has became throughout her life.  She has her own talk show, magazine, and now television network. Oprah hasnt done this becasue others had influenced her but becasue she herself wants to do it. She had the ability to accomplish all these things because she is a strong individual. Someone who was a conformist would probably would never be able to reach success of such high amounts as Oprah. The reason she is so popular today is because she has an individual personality, thinks in different inventive ways, and wants to help people. Besides Lady Gaga Oprah is a good example of a modern day transcendentalist she has delt with so much, acheived such high success, remained to be an individual, and has resisted influence form others.

Walden Post

     To many people, living in solitude for a complete two years would seem like a waste of time. Henry David Thoreau did exactly this but his time was very well spent. He accomplished all that he wished to do. The main reason some thought of it as a waste of time was because he was misunderstood. Many people like Henry for example still did great things even if they were misunderstood. After hearing Henry Thoreau’s story many would still think that living on Walden pond for two years was a waste of time, but it was not he completed his three main goals and  had a good reason for living there in the first place.

http://shelterseeker.blogspot.com/2008/02/thoreaus-little-house-at-walden-pond.html

     Henry Thoreau moved away from society to a little remote cabin on Walden pond and lived there for a total of two years, two months, and two days. Most wouldn’t consider the amount of what he accomplished to be of value. No one understood his purpose for being there either. "I did not wish to live what was not life,living is so dear"(Henry Thoreau, 383); Henry thought that if you were not enjoying your life then you were not truly living it. For his own personal interest and to fulfill his needs he decided to live at Walden Pond. He was content with his life and enjoyed living there so it shouldn’t be thought of as a waste of time. His family and friends thought that what he was doing was pointless but really it was just misunderstood. Generally, for most people when they have a hard time understanding something or are having trouble it is more common to give up and dismiss it as being unimportant rather than try to understand and think about it deeper. That was the case in Henry Thoreau’s situation. No one really understood the meaning behind him moving and living in isolation. They just thought of him as being odd instead of taking the time to think of the situation from his point of view. He lived there for a purpose, he was overwhelmed by the hectic city life and all the progress that was taking place around him. He just wanted a simple life again. Everyone just thought he was doing absolutely nothing but in reality he was getting to know him self and nature.

http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/OpenSpaces/Pages/ForestPreservation.aspx

     Henry had three main goals of living on Walden Pond. They were to escape the chaos of his home town, get to know himself better, and get acquainted with nature. He felt that the factories, roads, and homes were ruining the forests. To him everything about the city was chaotic and the progress being made was actually not as beneficial as most others thought. His way of escaping it and appreciating the beauty of nature was to live on Walden Pond. This way he got to live in peace and take in all the nature exposed to him. “Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life”(Henry Thoreau, 384)? This quote helps explain his feelings towards nature and life and how he thought that his time was much better spent enjoying life in nature instead of in a city where he didn’t want to be living. Living all on his own meant that he would be left alone with only his thoughts to keep him company. This allowed him to really get to know him self much better. He could work on writing in his journals and think deeply on matters he would not be able to if he lived in the city. By living on Walden Pond he accomplished all the things he went there to do. Since all his goals were accomplished and he had done exactly what he had set out to do there is no way his time living there could have been a waste.
    

http://sayiamgreen.com/blog/2009/09/the-10-most-polluted-cities-in-the-world/

     If Henry had never lived on Walden Pond he would not be known for his work today. His story is the reason his work got published and is part of our curriculum. Thousands of students across the U.S. now know Henry and are reading his works and using his quotes. He did all that he wanted to do at Walden Pond and it is the reason he is known today. His two years, two months, and two days spent on Walden Pond cannot be thought of as a waste of time.

Declaration

We the students of Grosse Pointe South High School believe that we have not been treated fairly and just. Our rights have been neglected and trampled over. Grosse Pointe South students all have specific rights and freedoms that are allowed. We are entitled to the best possible education, meaning that we have the freedom to get the extra help in school if needed.  We are also responsible for our own learning. We have the right to learn when we want to, and not learn when we want to, but we will be responsible for our actions and own up to them. Every GPS student is entitled to be respected and treated fairly along with everyone else. The students also are responsible for their own actions. We are told to be responsible for the choices we make and the things we do. But we in turn would like the same from our school and faculty. We the people of this 2^nd hour class in turn right down these complaints as an attempt to abolish the problems set forth in our mind.

10 Complaint

I. Staff should no longer lock the doors at 9 o’clock for school dances. People should be able to come and go as they please. If the students bought a ticket they should have the right to do what they want. Students spend a lot of time and money in preparation for dances if they get to the school after 9 o’clock then they should be allowed entrance. It is a silly rule and should be forgotten about.

II. All class rooms at South High School should be changed into green light classrooms. A green light room doesn’t mean you are texting or calling people the whole class period it just means students are allowed their phones for educational purposes. Phones today are equipped with so much technology that they are very helpful and give easy access to information one would not normally have in class. Most students have their phones in red light class rooms anyway they are just forced to be more sneaky about it witch actually causes them to pay even less attention. As long as they are not being disruptive or being distracting to other students there is no problem caused by having a phone in class.

III. Selling items should not be forbidden on school campus. As long as nothing illegal is being distributed or shared among the students there would be no issues. Selling things could actually make our school better. The students could hold bake sales to promote different clubs. School groups could sell whatever they wanted too. Or individuals could just hold sales. If everyone was allowed to then it wouldn’t become unfair it would just create healthy competition.

IV. The schools tardy policy should be eliminated. It states that each student is responsible for their own education. If that is true then students should be able to arrive when they want to for class. There should be no additional punishment after students have been late to class a certain number of times. Being late to class is already punishment enough because students miss part of the lesson and it is harder for them to catch up. No additional detention is necessary.

V. There should not be certain classes that are required for graduation. Some courses like English, mathematics, science, and history are reasonable classes to be required because those have basic information that one will need for college. Others like an art course and health should not be required. Not all students will go onto doing those things in college so they should be spending their time taking classes that will benefit them and help them in the long run. English, mathematics, science, and history are obvious classes that should be required but all other electives should be optional.

VI. Students are not allowed to eat in their cars at lunch or they can lose their parking rights.  This rule is pointless and students should not have to follow it.  If they are allowed to drive their cars at lunch and leave campus they should be able to eat in their cars too.  It is stupid to not allow them to inside their cars and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.  We declare that the rule should be abolished because it violates student rights.

VII. Most teachers will not accept work if it is turned in late and will give the student a zero for the assignment.  A zero on even a small assignment can greatly hurt an overall grade.  I do believe points should be taken off for not turning an assignment in on time but it should not result in a zero.  If effort is put into the homework and it is not too late the student should still get credit for his/her work.  Sometimes you forget or you are too overwhelmed with other classes to get it done on time and you should not be punished so severely for it.

VIII. Many students and staff at Grosse Pointe South are a legal age for smoking.  It is not against the law and it should be allowed.  Earlier generations actually had smoking lounges within the school.  It should at least be accepted on the campus.

IX   In Mr. Provensano’s class it is required for all students to post nearly all their assignments on the class blog.  This is a hassle for a lot of students and it is a waste of time.  Why is it necessary to post something online?  It is much easier to just print the assignment out and turn it in like we have been doing in all of our past years at school.  Also some kids may not want their work read by other classmates.  They might be afraid of getting made fun of or something else but either way they should not have to do it in the first place.

X. When in the course of a school year you are bound to lose your id at some point.  It does not happen as much anymore since we are not required to have them on us at all times but they are still missed placed.  If you lose your id you cannot get into dances and you would have to pay to get into football games.  It cost one dollar to buy a new id and another dollar for the lanyard.  We are living in tough economic times and should not have to pay this fine.

If our independence is not granted, in the fullest extent the students will boycott all incoming assignments and classwork. We need these to be granted in order for Grosse Pointe South students to be as effective and productive as possible. If these demands are met all students will have a more affective education in order for us to succeed.

Elizabeths life after John

Elizabeth Proctor decided she could simply not live like this anymore. Traumatic events had continuously been happening to her. She could not fathom why God would be placing all these burdens on her shoulders. She was a good Christian woman that loved the Lord. She couldn’t understand of all the people on Earth why he chose her to suffer. First off her beloved husband had committed adultery which was very difficult for her to deal with. Several months after that occurred Abigail Warren had accused her of witchcraft. She had almost lost her life but thankfully did not. As soon as she got the relief that she was safe she found out that John was going to be hanged. It was horrible to live alone with the children and no husband. Life was much harder for her. She longed for him. The house always felt empty without John’s presence. The only thing that kept her going every day was that she knew she would soon be given a new healthy baby.  She always believed that if one person went off of the earth then a new one would come in to take their place.

 The new baby would help Elizabeth fill the void of her husband. Since the thought of the new baby was so reassuring for her it made it even harder to hear from the doctor directly after she had given birth that it had passed away. The thought of her having a new beautiful baby in her arms kept her going ever day after Johns death. Elizabeth was so horrified with the news the doctor had given her she nearly fainted. She could not stay in town any longer. There were too many people in the town like Parris and Abigail she could just not deal with seeing anymore and the majority of her close friends had died in the Witch Trials. She felt in necessary to leave. Her and her younger sister had been keeping in touch through letters. She lived about 5 hours away from Elizabeth by buggy. Elizabeth had explained all the hardships that her and her children were going through. The two of them decided that it would be best if Elizabeth brought the children and moved in with Lillian. Lillian’s husband had a very good job so he could support them as well as Lillian and the two children of their own. Directly after the death of her baby she and the children packed up and left town. They hadn’t told anyone where they were going. Elizabeth knew they would never see these people again once they left so she didn’t think it was needed to let them know where she was going. Elizabeth and the children tied their two horses up to the buggy, brought all of their belongings and rode away from the town in the dead of night. It was a hard journey but she knew that a better life would be waiting for them with Lillian and her Family.

The trip was bitterly cold and seemed to go on forever. She knew it was worth it when they arrived to Lillian’s smug home at the break of dawn. As she unloaded all of their belongings from the buggy she just watched smoke puff up from the chimney and sensed the peacefulness of their new town. The sun was rising and she could tell that this would a new begging for them. From this point on she knew things would get better. She was determined to have a fresh start. She would leave all of her troubles and try to move on and be happy once again. She couldn’t remember the last time she had smiled. But at that moment when she was standing in front of her sister’s home with her children and taking in the serenity of the dawn breaking she couldn’t help but smile.

6 months later Elizabeth and her family were completely settled in. They had moved from Lillian’s home and gotten their very own. They had a wonderful time with them but Elizabeth felt she was back on her feet and could live alone again. They stayed in the town just a few houses away so that Lillian could help out Elizabeth with the children. Lillian’s husband Mathew gave Elizabeth a job on his farm. It was highly unusual to employee women but he made an exception since Elizabeth was his sister-in-law. The boys went to school and would go to their aunt Lillian’s to wait for their mom to come home every day.  She could support her family all on her own and they attended church every Sunday. Elizabeth and the boys finally had a daily routine now and things were finally in order. She was finally to the point that she had been waiting for. She didn’t have to cry herself to sleep anymore or wonder when things would be better. Elizabeth no longer needed to put on a happy face for her children because she actually was. She was finally genuinely happy. It had been a long and hard journey to get to this point but they had finally made it. Elizabeth was a stronger woman because of all the things that had happened to her in the last two years.  She had never given up and was ready for whatever else God had in store for her.

Crucible Essay

     The Salem Witch Trials was a very tragic event displayed in The Crucible. Many innocent people were accused of being witches and died as a result. Many people influenced the Salem Witch Trials. The three people that had the greatest impact on them were Abigail Williams,  Judge Danforth, and Mary Warren.

     Abigail Williams influenced the Salem Witch trials a great deal. She manipulated everyone in the town a great deal. If it weren't for her and the other girls dancing in the woods and conjuring spirits witch craft would have never even be mentioned in the town. Abigail took control very early on in the play. She made it very clear to all the girls that they were to say that they danced in the woods and nothing else. She felt it very necessary to lie since she did much more than dancing in the woods. "And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, and i will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy recognising that will shudder you" (20). She had control over the town through fear. She installed fear in the girls by threatening each of them with death. Not only did she intimidate only the girls but the town as well. They all feared she would accuse them of witchery and she would have their lives as a result. She would accuse innocent people in order to keep the blame away from herself. As soon as someone would doubt her she would take the focus away from her and project it onto  someone else. An example of this was in Act 3 in the court room when Mary Warren confessed that the devil never came to her and nobody was ever seen with him. As soon as the judges asked Abigail if this was true she quickly made a scene and made it look like Mary Warrens spirit was coming after her. She would lie and make it seem like she was doing this for God but in reality she was doing this to save herself. Abigail Williams had the largest impact of every one in the entire play.

      In addition to Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth played a big ole in the Salem Witch Trials. He had the power to stop Abigail  and take control in order to make the town normal again. But he chose not to. "They're gulling you, Mister"( 117)! Proctor tried to show Danforth multiple times that the girls were lying. Danforth didn't stop for a moment to doubt the girls. He believed every single word that Abigail told him. By doing this so many innocent  people were harmed. If he has only seen the truth in Abigail and the other girls lies the situation could have easily been resolved.

     Lastly, the third person that had a large impact on the Salem Witch Trials was Mary Warren. Through out the entire play her actions showed that she was a follower. But if someone who was a follower like Mary Warren was in that situation you would think that they would stand up and take charge to save innocent lives. For a moment in the court house she held the power. She confessed to the judges that it had all been a lie and they had never seen the Devil. She felt threat end though and quickly ran back to Abigail's side. "You're the Devil's man"(118)! She accused proctor of threatening her and coming to her in the night with the Devil. If she had only stayed truthful and exposed the girls the outcome of the play would have been completely different.

     The Witch Trials was an unnecessary event. It could have been avoided or at least the death tole could have been much lower. If certain people reacted differently then the outcome could have been altered. In conclusion, the three people who played the biggest role were Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Mary Warren.

Crucible Post 2

     To be willing to deny what you believe in or lie to protect yourself is a hard decision. Ideally what you should do is stand up for your beliefs and not let what anyone else says phase you. But often that is not what people do. Many people in life are cruel. Your first instinct is usually to protect yourself. If you arn't the same or think something different then people can tease you or make you feel like an outsider. Those are not things that one wants for themselves so they would obviously try to avoid those consequences at all costs. Some people will say they would stand up for what they think no matter what but if they were put into that situation it is most likely that they would lie.  If someone stands up to others to defend their beliefs they are very brave. Most people do not react the same way.
    
     Personally, I would probably lie to protect myself. I wish that I could say I would stand up for what I thought no matter how other people reacted to it but in reality I would probably not. The fear of being an outsider or being made fun of is very large. If I had control over myself being accepted by others I would obviously choose to be accepted rather than an outsider.  If it was something small that I would not be willing to put up a fight for I would  lie about it then. If I felt very strongly about something or if I was asked about my religon I wouldnt lie becuase things like that are important to me. And just becasue others would judge me about it I would still say what I thought. For the most part I would do everything in my power to protect myslef unless it was something I really cared about then I would just hope people accept me for my opinion.

Crucible Post 1

    Much of how people operated  during this time period and even now was and is based on power. Whoever held the most power basically determines who is in control. In the beginning of act one Parris mainly had all the power. He was the Reverend of the church so  many people respected him. He was the only one there who had any title in the church so he had the highest ranking. Reverend Parris obviously had a lot of power since he was so concerned about it and his ministry even more than his daughter that could be dying. You could also tell that Parris held most of the power by how he acted. He often gave orders. For example, when he wanted Tituba to leave the room in the begging he just yelled at her. He constantly questioned Abigail and she was obligated to answer to him. He defiantly tried to control the room.
    Towards the end of act one the power in the room changed. Before Reverend Parris held most of the power but when Reverend Hale arrived it quickly shifted to him. He was much more skilled in the field of witch craft then Reverend Parris was. Hale had killed a witch in Beverly so the people were eagerly awaiting for his arrival in hope that he could deal with the girls situation in a more productive way. Reverend Hale could determine if what was causing Betty’s illness was related to witch craft or not. Parris was not as experienced in witchcraft so he could be less of a help. For Hale to come see Betty and the other girls was necessary so they could deal with what had happened. Since they were all counting on him he held most of the power. In the beginning of act one the majority of the power was owned by Reverend Parris but by the end it had been handed over to Reverend Hale.

Sinners Follow Up Post

     If people today had been preached the same sermon that was given in 1741 the reaction could be different. People would still be very terrified after hearing Hell described to such an extent. And it would still be horrible to hear someone say that God held so much hatred toward all the people on Earth. One aspect of the sermon that would not change was how unsettling and troubling it was to everyone who herd it.One difference would be that the sermon would probably be taken a lot less seriously than it was taken in 1741. Today it would probably be dismissed by many and they would just assume it was some crazy minister. Many ministers and preachers deliver sermons by yelling so even though the message being given had great intensity and and disturbing content it would probably be not taken as seriously. Living in this time period the people have herd all sorts of different opinions and points of view to religion. They have also been educated enough to create their own opinions of religion. Back then they probably basically had the same view and there was only one small church in the whole town. So for their one and only minister to be telling them all these horrible things it would leave a big impact on them. If the same sermon was given in this time period it would still be very disturbing but it would not be as popular or taken as seriously.

"Sinners in the hands of an angry God" Post

  

     This video is about the sermon that terrified the people of New England. It was given by Jonathan Edwards on July 8^th, 1741. The sermon  he delivered is by far the most famous one that has ever been preached. The people who he preached it to were terrified. It left many people with new thoughts and changed the way of American life forever. The sermon created a lot of controversy.  After Jonathan Edwards gave the sermon many people were very intimidated by him. It changed many people’s view and forced them to look at Christianity in a new way.

      People were obviously very scared of this sermon and effected by it.  The video led me to believe that the sermon was about the intense wrath of God and what he was capable of. Jonathan probably spoke about all about the punishments that one could receive by not acting correctly.I also think he was describing Hell to such an extent that it frightened people a great amount. He was trying to awake the people and to show them that nothing should be taken for granite. Hell was a place that they did not want to end up in. By reading this sermon in his mind he believed he was doing everyone a large favor. I think that the sermon would also include a lecture about sinners and how they deserve to go to Hell. He was probably telling the people that by sinning it would send you to Hell so they had complete control on where they would up. The sermon given by Jonathan Edwards left a large impact on the people of New England.

Descriptive Post

http://www.infobarrel.com/Media/Christmas_Tree_and_Presents



    

     When Christmas comes to mind this the picture that most people think of. This is the perfect image of a traditional Christmas morning.There is the ideal Christmas tree standing tall and confident in the corner filled with a variety of decorative ornaments and lights. Resting on its peak is a bright golden star. The floor surrounding the tree is filled with beautifully wrapped gifts of all shapes and sizes. Right next to the tree is a fire place. There is a warm crisp fire crackling inside of it. On the mantle and draping down the side of it is holly. Two big red,white,and gold stockings are hanging from the mantle at opposite ends. Each one is stuffed to the point where there are gifts peaking out of the rim. The room is filled with Christmas lights and soft glowing candles. It has a luminescent glow to it. This is a beautiful image and can make you practically taste Christmas.

Expectations

     The expectations that Mr.Provenzano should have of his second hour American Lit students should be very high. Some of these should include good behavior in class, all homework and school work to be completed and turned in on time, and lastly full effort should be given by every student.
    
     Good behavior is very important for a successful class. If a class is full of student who fool around then it will not provide a good work environment. One should be quite when the teacher is talking or other students are focusing on work. When the teacher gives out an assignment or is giving directions to the class one should always follow them. Another aspect of good behavior is respect. Mr.Provenzano as well as the other students in the class deserve respect. Being polite and kind also fall under the category of good behavior. When a peer is reading a paper or speaking ones undivided attention should always be given. Good behavior should be expected.
    
     When a teacher assigns homework or a project they usually assume the student will complete it. An expectation of this class should be that all work is finished thoroughly. The teacher takes out time making up lesson plans and homework. If the teacher is doing their job and making lessons we should at least complete them. The whole reason we come to school is to learn. If we wish to learn we should be willing to do the work that is required. If someone does not do the work then they shouldn't be expecting a good grade. all the students should have both home and school work finished.
    
     All the students in American Lit second hour should be giving their full effort at all times. Everyone should always be striving for their best. This class should be no exception. If a sudden only finished half an assignment they are just showing bad work habits. Lazy students should not be tolerated. Everyone is capable of reaching a certain level of work. Therefore the students should be producing work of that level with everything they do. By not giving ones full effort then to some extent it is like disrespecting the teacher.
    
     The expectations of this class should include all work to be completed, good behavior during class, and full effort to be provided.

About Me

     My name is Grace Harper and I am currently in 10^th grade. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland and lived there for about a year. After living there I moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts. I lived there for 8 years and moved at the end of second grade. When my parents told me I had to leave and move to Michigan I was devastated. It was so upsetting that I had to leave all my friends behind. But when my family and I got to Grosse Pointe we all loved it.
     
     I am very fortunate to have a family as good as mine. I have two younger siblings. One is named Emme and she is 11 the other is named Charlotte and she just turned 6. My parents got divorced when I was in second grade so I live with my mom on weekdays and every other weekend I go stay at my dads house. My dad just got married this past November and has a new wife named Jean. She is very kindhearted and the two of us get along great. The two of them are also expecting a new baby boy that is due sometime next week. We are all very excited. My mom is getting married on November 12^th. Her fiancé Larry has three children named Lauren, Mikey, and Margoux. We all get along great and have a lot of fun together. I have known them for about 6 years already so its like were already family. I also have big families on both my mom and dads side. They are all crazy and chaotic but they just make my life more entertaining.
    
      I run on the cross country team for south. The sport takes up a lot of time and energy. To be a good runner you really have to be dedicated and want to do it. Most people probably think running is so boring and a waste of time but the feeling you get after you finish a race is amazing. You feel so accomplished and want to do it again. Its very challenging but its defiantly worth all the hard work. Its such a big team with great girls and everyone gets so close throughout the season its great. The team just feels like one big family.