Short Story2

I read " When I Lay Down My Burden" by Maya Angelou. This short story was based in the segregated days. Maya was three years old when her parents divorced. She moved with her grandmother Annie Henderson and her uncle. They worked at a store. Maya didn’t like it. She didn’t like her grandmother and uncle having to listen to what "the white people" said. She didn’t understand why.

One day while Maya and Annie was sitting in the front of the store admiring Maya’s rake job that she had just completed, a group of girls came down to the store. Mind you, these girls are white. They stop and stand in front of Annie, mocking her, humming, the way she pocked her lips out, the way she stood, and they made faces at her. Throughout the disturbing behavior, Annie just stood there as if they weren’t bothering her. When the girls left they all told Annie bye. Her response was "Bye, Miz Helen, ‘bye Miz Ruth, ‘bye Miz Eloise." This made Maya extremely mad. She was confused; she wanted to know why her grandmother was calling them Miz after the way they treated her.

I think that in this story Maya is showing the difference in today and back then. Then, black people weren’t treated with much respect. She also shows you how ignorant people can be. She shows a better way to handle the worst situations. Her grandmother ignoring those girls was a good thing because if she would’ve responded, who knows what might’ve happened. I believe what she wanted readers to get out of this story was appreciation of freedom and showing that you don’t always have to react to negativity.

What I think Maya is also teaching her readers is that you will run into some things sometimes that you may or may not know how to handle. The best way to handle it may be "holding your tongue." In the story Maya said, "Whatever the contest had been at the store, I knew Momma had won." I agree with her. I agree with that, because she didn’t let the girls get the best of her. Ignoring someone’s ignorance may be the best response.

People's autobiographies are important to read because you can relate to some of the things they have lived through. Seeing how they handled their problem may give you an idea of a way to handle yours. You can also learn very much from others. Knowing their accomplishments sometimes influence you to want to do more with your life. Reading about some things that might have hurt them can be helpful. Sometimes it may be you who is hurting someone. Knowing or reading how it makes someone else feel might change the way you view your own opinions. Sometimes you don’t realize the things you do are wrong.

I read " Poker: A harmless activity for teens? Wanna Bet? It's pretty interesting. I didn't think that many teens were gambling underage these days. I didn't think the percentage would be that much. Gambling has never been one of my habits and I don't plan on doing it either. First of all, you lose unexpected amount of money not realizing that you are doing so. Even though there is chance of winning, it doesn't always come so easily.

I think what stuck out to me the most is when it said something about teens' parents letting them do it in their homes because they think it's safe or because they think it's better than them doing it on the outside. Either way it goes, gambling is wrong. It leads to violence sometimes. When you get to the point where you owe people money, they come looking for you for comfrontation about their money, and that sometimes lead to physical fights. Parents are not always around when their child is gambling. If they get caught by the police it's a possibility that they can go to jail. Who's responsible?

The main idea that the writer wanted readers to see is poker isn't all what it's made out to be. Getting addicted to poker can cause other addictions. The writer included that boys and girls who gamble before they legally can, are likely to become addicted to gambling as those who didn't start until after they were twenty-one. Teens who become addicted to gambling, fifty percent are likely to drink alcohol, and seventy-five percent smoke marijuana. The point is poker is like a gateway addiction, meaning it's the first addiction leading to others.

"Kids are gambling with their health (when they play poker), because for some people this can get very serious indeed," says Keith Whyte. I think this is true because as I said before, when it gets to the point where someone owes another person money, that causes trouble. People die over these silly things everyday.
Scott Magerer, a father of a thirteen year old says,"You can't stop them, right? Time-outs don't exactly work. At least this is a controlled envirnment." I don't agree with this father. His child is only thirteen, meaning he still has rules to obey, and his father still has authority but isn't using it properly. If his father doesn't allow him to do it at home then that sometimes can influence what he does outside his home. His father making him think that gambling is okay is what's not okay.

I want to know why parents think it's okay to let their children gamble inside their homes. If they gamble at home there's no telling what they do when they leave. Gambling is just one addiction, the other addictions may not be approved by the parents, gambling is not a children game, sport, or hobby. If you are under twenty-one I don't think you should be allowed by anyone to gamble knowing it's against the law. Another thing I want to know is, if you let your child gamble underage inside your home, what if he wants a beer, would you let him drink one? Parents are riduculous with stretching rules. Gambling should not be one of those rules you let your child break.

Writing#1

Turing eighteen and deciding not to return to school last year made me grow up. When I turned eighteen I got a job as soon as possible. I had a part time job working at Haband. It was a telecommuting job. Usually older people would call in to make orders from their Haband catalog. Having a job made me more responsible because my parents weren’t giving me money anymore. That meant I had to save a lot, so my money would last throughout the next two weeks before I got paid again. I think that made me grow up because it made me mature with handling money.

I think people take advantage of you when you have a job. They get comfortable with you having money and being nice with it like paying for their food here and there or putting a little gas in their car. They try to be nice to you all the time so you won’t stop doing things for them because they know you’re just too nice to say no. When I quit my job the people who once used to look for me were gone. Where are they now? You get treated differently when you don’t have a job and no money. To me, that told me that they thought being around me was now a waste of time. When I didn’t have a job that taught me who my real friends were and how to choose them in the future. Of course my parents were still on my side.

After quitting my job, I soon started searching for another one. It was fun having a job and not being told what to do with my own money. I soon realized that one thing was missing from the applications I had been filing out. I don’t have a high school diploma. Today, that is one of the biggest problems with getting a job. With no diploma or G.E.D. you’re not guaranteed to get a phone call offering a position. Now my next goal was going to school. School would further my education as well as helping me get a job. I was intending to get this done.

When registration came around for school I made a decision that I would go to Classic City Performance Learning Center to finish. I went to the school to see what procedures needed to be followed in order for me to attend. I would have to take a test and the principal checks the results. I’m not sure what percentage is needed to get you a spot at the school. The principal said I did pretty well and that I was accepted. I was happy now that I was on a positive road. What made me happier was that I had decided this on my own and no one had to keep telling me or encouraging me. I felt good inside to know I made this good decision on my own.

I thought about transportation. My family and I live on the other side of town. My mom said that she didn’t want to get up every morning but she would because I was doing the right thing. My great aunt has a Mitsubishi Gallant in her backyard that she used to drive before she got her new car. She told me that I could have the car but only thing is the car needs a motor. It’ll be a while before I can get one though, because I have to get a job first and pay for it myself. I’m going to school to get a better job so I could have the money to afford a car. The other bad part about this was I only had a learner’s license and my aunt would only give me the car with a license to my name. So this was my next goal.

I made my appointment to go to the State Patrol office to get a license. My appointment was in two weeks. Time came to go to the State Patrol Office. I was a little nervous because the people there look so serious. I had never tried the test before and could only go by hearsay about how it really was. I took the test and passed. It was pretty easy. I was really proud of myself for accomplishing these things like this. I’m really trying to do something with my life.
This past year, and some, have been the best of my life. It has made me grow, responsible, and made me have confidence. Knowing that you can accomplish something is the first step to a goal. It helps you to relax to just picture yourself doing these things and knowing that you can do it. That way you won’t be nervous or doubt yourself. This past year also helped me realize loyalty and people who are trustworthy. I would say I have really bettered myself by getting through these things and knowing that I always would. Maybe that good job I’ve been waiting is the next best thing. Who knows?

Short Story 1

The grandmother didn't want to go Florida. Maybe they shouldv'e listened to her. The title of the story I read was "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" by Flannery O'Connor. It was a short story about a family taking a vacation to Florida. This time the grandmother didn't want to go because she said they always go to Florida, and it was time for them to visit a new place. She also had read the newspaper that morning, reading some disturbing things happening in Florida. It was a killer on the loose by the name of "The Misfit" and she wondered why on earth did they want to be in same town as a murderer. She tried her best to talk them into going to Tennessee, including telling stories to the children about Tennessee until they would ask their parents. Her plan didn't work, they end up packing, and going to Florida.

The family consists of a six people. The grandmother as you already know. She is the one who talks most of the time and she likes to tell stories of "back in her days." She's kind of a nasty, tricky old lady who tries to talk you out or into something without being too obvious about it. Like when the family said they were going to visit Florida. The grandmother would rather go to Tennessee so she told the children fun stories about Tennessee so they would give in and ask their father to go there instead. There's the grandmother's son, Bailey, who doesn't say much. He just sort of brushes his mother away whenever she's speaking as if he's not listening. He would only answer questions with simple answer like "yes" or "no" Then, there's the three children and their mother. The mother and the baby doesn't play a big role in this story. The son, John Wesley, is a very curious character. He wants to experience and know more about his grandmother stories. He would always ask the "why, when, where, and how" questions
The daughter, June Star, is the smart mouth little girl who always has a comment or smart response to whatever someone is saying. When the grandmother was saying that she didn't want to go to Florida June Star told her "Well, why don't you stay at home then?"

On the way to Florida the grandmother would tell stories about things they passed by to keep the children entertained. They made a stop at a restaurant called The Tower to get some barbequed food.She played an old tune named "The Tennessee Waltz" on the jukebox, she said that it always made her want to dance, but it wasn't excatly the others type of genre so the mother decided to change it to a faster tempo song so June Star could have something to tap her feet to. At the restaurant the grandmother was telling the owner and his wife about what she read about "The Misfit" in the paper that morning and warned them to be on the lookout. Soon after they ate, they got back in the car and was on their way to Florida.


As they were cruising along the road the grandmother begin to think about this old plantation that she visited once when she was younger. She described the house to the children, making them want to see it. This was her way of getting the kids to come out and ask Bailey could they go visit the house knowing that she was the one who wanted to see it. The children really wanted to see the house after listening to their grandmother babble on and on about the house and how lovely it was. They asked their father Bailey could he stop just this one time for them to see the house. At first the father said no but he finally gave in and said yes but only this one time. The grandmother was happy. She told Bailey he had just passed the dirt road a couple miles back so he would have to turn the car around.

Riding down the dirt road the grandmother realized that the house was not where they were, but the house was in Tennessee where she was really dying to go. She had just forgotten because she so deep in thought about the house that she thought it was near. When she was about to tell her son about her mistake the car begin to flip around uncontrollably throwing everyone in the car every which of way. When the car finally stopped, the children and the grandmother, which was the only ones left in the car, removed themselves from the car in shock that they was still alive. They went to see if their father, mother, and the baby was okay. They all had survived with a few minor injuries. They soon saw a car coming their way hoping it would stop.

The car came to their rescue. The car was occupied with three men. The men had guns. They got out to talk to the family. They made them all sit on the ground where they could see them all at one time. The children begin to ask questions immediately. The grandmother realized one of the men as "The Misfit" from the paper. She told him she recognized him. That was a big mistkae. She then begin to go on about God saying "Pray, God will help you " and "I know you're a good man, you wouldn't kill a lady". Little did she know she was wasting her time on these particular guys because now that he was recognized, they had other things planned. The Misfit instructed Bailey and John Wesley to follow the other two guys because he said they had something to tell him. I guess it didn't bother them that they were headed toward the woods just to be told something, so they did as they were told and followed the men. Next thing you know the grandmother, the mother, and June Star heard two gun shots. The grandmother calls out to her sons. No answer. The two men came back dragging Bailey's clothing. Then, he asked June Star and her mother if they wanted to go be with Bailey and John Wesley. Not knowing too well what was about to happen they followed the men to the woods. There were three gun shots. All the while the grandmother was still talking about God and trying to bond with The Misfit thinking that it would result to letting her off the hook. When the men had returned they saw that The Misfit did them a favor, so they didn't have to kill her because he did it for them. " She was a bit of a talker", one of the guys said. The Misfit said "she would have been a good woman, if there was someone there to shoot her every time of her life."


I think "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" is a pretty interesting story. The grandmother keeps you wondering because she's always talking about how things used to be in the old days. She was also rather clever in her own little way. In the begining of the story when she was reading the newspaper that said The Misfit was in Florida and that's where they were headed, I knew that they would somehow run into him. The end was very shocking I would have to say. It was shocking because I didn't think he would kill them all. The author did a good job with describing these people's characteristics. In every situation they would react just like you thought they would because you would get used to their personalities early in the story.

In this story the author pretty much shows you how every character is. The father is the quiet type who doesn't say much and doesn't pay attention to his mother because he knows that she tries to get over on people by saying certain things to make them give in to her wishes. The mother and the baby doesn't play a big role in this story. John Wesley is the son who is oh so curious to know about everything his grandmother feeds to thier little brains but his sister, June Star, on the other hand has all the questions. She wants to know what she's getting into before it happens and she also has a smart way of asking questions and responding to them.

The author used an example of a simile when he said the mother's face was as broad and innocent as a cabbage. Another example of a simile is when he said "she had her big black valise that looked like the head of a hippopotamus. An example of allusion was also used in the story. John Wesley asked about the plantation his grandmother was talking about. He wanted to know where it was and the grandmother told him "Gone With the Wind." When the author said that John Wesley kicked the back of his father's seat so hard he could feel the blows in his kidney this was an example of an exaggeration. You can't kick someone's kidney from the back seat of a car kicking the seat.