Dystopian World vs. Hell

Which is worse: a dystopian world which is basically a nightmare where you can escape or Hell, where you can never escape? Thinking about terrible, heart-breaking dystopian worlds reminds you of Hell. The heartache of unimaginable events in a dystopian world is just a grain of sand compared to Hell, but who said dystopian worlds weren't disastrous?

Dystopian world: a world where things are basically messed up. Some people may think our world is filled with tragic events which it is, but once they read all the books that have to deal with government control, society, fighting for freedom, and other unconceivable situations.  A book that sums up all of these problems and is an example of a dystopian is The Hunger Games.

Katniss doesn't like the world that she's living in. In fact, she hates it. "I never want to have kids." (Page 9) This shows that she doesn't want her kids to suffer the wrath of the Hunger Games. "Gale holds up a loaf of bread…it's real bakery bread" (Page 7) Panem, the Capital, starves others for their own good. Having food shows high class. You see, in the book, everyone else is poor but citizens of the Capital. They are wealthy and in need of entertainment. This book reminds us and gives us the reality check we need. One reality check we all need is the thought of a 50/50 chance of us going to Hell.

Hell: a place  all of us humans are frightened of. No one on this Earth knows what Hell is like, but we all imagine what it could be. What's the first image that comes up in your head when someone says Hell? Close our eyes. What do you see? Some imagine a fire-filled world: "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death."- Revelation 20:14. Others imagine darkness: "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgments."- 2 Peter 2:4. Both are correct.

These two "worlds" may seem alike to some, they do have similarities. Even in a dystopian world filled with hatred and heartless people and an indescribable, yet frightening place called Hell. Everyone is intimidated by Hell. The way it's described gives anyone the chills; darkness, unknown, death. While some are afraid of darkness and others are afraid of spiders, I for one am afraid of Hell. 

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Comparison

The piece "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" and the short film were very different from each other. There were many similarities, but then there are things that were changed from the piece to the film. Personally, I thought that the directors didn't capture the true meaning of the story. 

When a story sets a setting or a mood, it must be shown as a visual to capture the watcher's attention and inform them how the character feels. For an example, the old man wasn’t sitting in the shadow next to the window. I thought that this was important because it showed that he was in the darkness. It would have made the mood and setting more intense. Some tweaks from the story to the film are normal, but I don't think the directors caught the main idea and the true meaning of the story. 

Mildred

A dystopian world is a place where you could call nightmare world or maybe even Hell. Feelings are forbidden in a dystopian world. For an example, in Fahrenheit 451, no one is to have feelings. In other words, emotionless. In this world, books are banned. One book found in your house and the next thing is your house burning down into massive flames, heavy black smoke polluting in the air, and shreds of wood and paper flying in the sky. Guy Montag was a fire man who enjoyed his job, but you’re thinking about the wrong firefighter. At this time, firefighters start fires in which they find books in. Every night, Guy comes home to his wife Mildred who has got quite an interesting personality.

An ordinary night comes where Mildred takes a whole bottle of sleeping pills. This isn’t any big news to the community. They get as much as 9 calls a night about overdoses. “We get these cases nine or ten a night. Got so many starting a few years ago…” (page 15) a careless operator said. Montag describes this machine making it sound creepy. “They had this machine. They had two machines, really. One of them slid down into your stomach like a black cobra an echoing well looking for all the old water and the old time gathered there….It fed in silence with an occasional sound of inner suffocation and blind searching. It had an eye.” (page 14) This dreadful machine brings Mildred back to life.

The next morning, Mildred acts as if nothing had occurred the night before. Montag reminds her, “You took all the pills in your bottle last night.” but she denies. “Oh [she] wouldn’t do that.” (page 19) This just shows that she is unhappy, but is acting like everything is fine. No one can forget the event when you tried to commit suicide. During the day she acts duplicitous, but at night, the true Mildred comes out. She told on her own husband that he was reading books and ran away from him.

Mildred is clearly unhappy. She fears for being caught and tries to act emotionless. Therefore, Mildred is a very mysterious character. Exposing her true self is confidential and she will never show her true colors. Out of anything, that’s the last thing that she would do: be herself.

Mildred’s actions and personality is based off this dystopian world or in other words, Hell. Is a dystopian world worse than Hell? A dystopian world is frightening and unusual, but there’s nothing worse than Hell.  Not even a dystopian world. “Anyone whose name was not found in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”- Revelation 20:15 

Pony Express

Author's Note: Here's a little cheesy love story with some research in it. I also used this for both my language arts and social studies. 

We were two peas in a pod. We were two love birds. We were in love. I would have never thought of a better way to leave this world. I would have not rather spent the rest of my life with anyone else but him. He was the one. He was my soul mate. And the story started off like this.

My legs felt as if they were about to snap off. It seemed as if we were walking for a million years. A 13 year-old girl shouldn't be walking so many miles in a day. A 13 year-old girl should be outside with her friends and gossiping about all the latest drama, not walking millions and trillions of miles a day. Why are you walking so many miles a day you ask? All of this wasn't my decision. None of it was.

It all started when my parents found out that our neighbors, Bob and Jill, were moving westward. Since they thought that it would be a “good idea and a new experience!” “Moving west would help us start new, on a clean slate.” Sometimes I question my parents’ decisions. Like having another baby sister. Do they really think that I want to be a “role model”? She’s going to be so irritating when we leave tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a new day. New place. New life. As ma and pa start to pack our belongings, a young man knocks on our shaggy, ancient wooden door. He claims he’s a rider for the Pony Express, but he looks too young and good looking to be a rider. I mean, I thought he was pretty cute. Starting to lecture my parents, he’s convincing them to take him with us. Do I mind? No. Looks like I’m going to have a new friend.

It was departure day. All five of us were not ready to leave our small town, but my parents were ready to clean off the slate and start new. Was I ecstatic? Not at all. We walk and the raging, steaming hot sun was showering me with sweat while walking. The only thing my mind was set on was crossing the finish line.  Knowing that Tom, the rider, was with me made me feel much more better than what it would be like if he weren’t here and what it would be like without him being here.

Our first pit-stop had come. Tom and I were sharing a tent together. That was no surprise. As the night was falling and the moon was rising, Tom would tell me all of his stories being a rider. All starting from history. I know that history is boring, but it helps you understand things more when they are talked about.

The Pony Express began on April 3^rd 1860.[1] I started my duty as a rider on April 4^th. They were looking for a young looking lad, like me, to go and deliver mail for others. Only 200 of us were able to get the job.[2] Jake, my best friend, didn’t get the job. Although I felt bad at first, I had to take care of my family and myself. First, they weighed me because there was a weight limit for all riders: 120 pounds or under.[3] I barley made the cut by 5 pounds. I had to ride more than 180 miles in a day; 1800 in 10 days to be more accurate.[4] Each of us riders had to go 60-120 miles.[5]  My monthly salary was anywhere from $120-$125.[6] I’ve been in St. Joseph, MO all the way to Sacromento, CA.[7] That’s 1900 miles of riding on a horse to deliver mail.[8] I would always get complaints of how a customer’s mail would come late. I mean there’s nothing I can do about it. Sometimes it would take 3 weeks to several months.[9]

He told me all about his adventures being a rider; the pros and cons. A few more weeks came as we traveled west. As he told me more and more about being a rider and what is was like working for the Pony Express,  I felt a connection with Tom. I felt as if we were meant to be. That we were destined to be together. Maybe that’s why he entered my life. We were meant to be together.

Our final miles were ahead of us. Tom pulled me aside. I was anxious to know what he needed to tell me. “Samantha, I have a confession to make.” He said terrified.

“Yes Tom?” Questioning him.

“Well, ever since we started to talk, I felt a special connection with you. More than friends and I was wondering if you felt the same?” He said with the most fear as a little girl seeing a rat.

“Tom, ever since I met you, I have never set my eyes on another man but you.” I said with much love and full-heartedly. He ran towards me and gave me a big kiss. I had never gotten one before, but I knew that this was the best one. From that day on, every single day I was falling in love with him even more.

The Indians came to attack a few weeks later. Tom and I stook together. If one of us died, so would the other. It wasn’t long until we were safe. Chief of the tribe found us hiding in the near-by barn. Pleading for a second chance and another chance of living, he had enough of what we had to say. BOOM. He was dead. And there was nothing I could do about it.

“Kill me.” I shouted.

“What?” The chief questioned.

“Kill me. We both made a promise. If one dies so does the other.” I said with no doubt.

BOOM. As he shot with no care and no heart.

Sometimes I question that day. I question what would have happened if I were still alive without Tom. There’s nothing I regret. A promise is a promise. But everyday, Tom and I are together in heaven. In love. We were two peas in a pod. We were two love birds. We were in love.

Works Cited

Pony Express. (n.d.). Retrieved from Plains Humanities: http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.tra.024

Pony Express Debuts. (n.d.). Retrieved from History: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pony-express-debuts

Pony Express- History & Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved from Nationl Park Service: http://www.nps.gov/poex/historyculture/index.htm

Pony Express Trail National Back Country Byway. (n.d.). Retrieved from Utah: http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/pony_express.htm

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[1]  (Pony Express)

[2]  (Pony Express)

[3]  (Pony Express Trail National Back Country Byway)

[4]  (History & Culture)

[5]  (History & Culture)

[6]  (Pony Express Trail National Back Country Byway)

[7]  (Pony Express)

[8]  (Pony Express Trail National Back Country Byway)

[9]  (Pony Express Debuts)

Shimmering Shining Sunshine in the Summer

Author's Note: Summer, most enjoyed, fun-filled time of the year. Why not write about something you adore and are craving so much while adding some fancy word choice? Hope you enjoy :)

Summer: heat, water, swimming, sunset, sunglasses, and swimsuits. As the winter wind blows through my hair, I feel the summer breeze waking me up from hibernation. The adrenaline-pumping breeze whispers to me that summer is knocking on the door. It's almost as if I can hear the waves crashing. I look up and imagine the crystal blue sky and the cotton-filled clouds reminding me of the picture I see when I tan. Music bursting in the frigged air, gives me deja vu of all the long summer nights. As I look out my cloudy, ice-cold window, all my mind can wrap around is the thought of summer slowly approaching. The thought of staying up until 2:00 AM, sitting on the steaming hot sand at the beach all day, and friends coming over everyday doing the wildest things, makes me want to take summer with my hands and place it in Pewaukee. As I fall into dreamland, summer tags along with me. Tomorrow is a new day and another day closer to summer. Summer: long nights, dreams, risks, friends, tans, and summer flings. 

Belly vs. Conrad

In The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly falls head over heels for her brother's best friend, Conrad. As she starts to see the "bad boy" side of him, her attention draws her closer. They both eventually grow feelings for each other. The story is written in Belly's point of view. From this perspective, a lot of events and characters are described in a way that creates hatred towards Conrad. During the beginning of the book, it describes Conrad as a rebel. He does what he wants to do. After a while, his feelings towards Belly grow, but there is another person that gets in their way of their relationship: Jeremy. 

One way that Belly's point of view influences the reader's interpretation is how her perspective describes and shows you her relationship with Conrad. In the beginning of the book, it reveals Conrad a bit of a "brat" the way Belly describes him. While reading, this gives you an opinion of Conrad and not such a good one. When Belly and Conrad are at the fair, he ignores her and treats her as if she were his little sister. When I first read that, my first impression of him was not a pleasant one. I thought that he was going to be like any other teenage guy in high school: cocky and selfish, but as the book goes on and he dates Belly, you start to see the softer side of him. 

However, the reader would feel a lot differently about Conrad if the novel was written in the point of view of Conrad. You would understand how he feels and what he's going through more. His intentions might not have been what he was going for. For instance, the reader wouldn't think that Conrad was soft hearted before Belly stepped into his life. If the book were to be in his point of view, much would change because in a relationship, both people see things in different perspectives. 

As you can see, the point of view of the story forces the reader to see just one side of the book. In The Summer I Turned Pretty, you have to be patient with some characters. For an example, Conrad, he has an attitude in the beginning, but redeems himself. Belly's perspective makes the reader have strong opinions of each character, main or minor. When reading this novel, you have to understand the characters. Imagine what it's like to be in their shoes and situation. 

Roles In Family

Author's note: Here's a theme piece with three different types of books. The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and The Hunger Games. All have the same theme: roles in family. 

Family is the only group of people that will stay with you when you're going on the roller coaster of life. Whether you're going down or at the very top, you can always rely on your family. There are some members in our family who enjoy being leaders or obnoxious. Others may be protective, or maybe even shy. Roles in our families are quite important. Personally, my role in the family is to behave and not cause stress to my parents. However, my parents' role is to be protective and to watch out for their kids. The role of the parent is a very important theme in many novels.

In The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly's role in her family is to fit in. She has a brother, Steven, who she wants to always be with. Whenever Steven's friends would come over,  Belly wanted to play with them. Almost as if he were her teddy bear; she was clingy. Belly was so clingy because she looked at Steven as a fatherly figure. Since her father had died, she had no one to look up to as a fatherly figure. 

Another person who looks up to their father is Hugo Cabret. In The Invention of Hugo Cabret, his father runs the clocks at a local railway station. Hugo learns so much from his father; he teaches him to mechanic and how to invent robots and run clocks. He looked up to his father, but when a tragedy occurs to his father, he is left alone. While his father's duty is in his hands. 

Fatherly figures are important in everybody's life, but so are motherly figures. In The Hunger Games, Katniss acts as if Prim were her daughter and she is her mother. Katniss and Prim's mom is struggling with supporting two kids and being a single mom without a job,  she neglects her kids from all the stress she has in her life. Whenever Prim needs someone to talk to or to look up to, she can always rely on Katniss. 

Whether it's a fatherly figure or a motherly figure, everyone needs a role model in their life. For me, my parents are my role model. They taught me to never give up and dreams do come true. When you work hard, there is always something good coming out of it. We will all go through failures and accomplishments, but without these and our role models, we wouldn't be who we are today.