Circle

Harper Lee and Harry Lee

An essay by: Harry Staley

8^th grade English

Pine Point School

January 31, 2011

I think my life is like the book To Kill A Mockingbird because the book and my life always seem to go in a circle. Over the course of my short life, I have found that each time I take a shortcut or do not do as good a job as I could, it always seems to come back to haunt me.  Like in the book when Jem and Scout do not tell Atticus that they spoke to Boo Radley through the big tree and later regret not talking to him more.  I like it when characters in a book and I have similar experiences.

(TS) I think To kill A Mockingbird is like a big circle because things and people come back into the story at strategic points. (SD) A lot of old things are starting to come back around into the story. (CM) A lot of characters from earlier in the story reappear, like Dr. Reynolds, who came back “after ten forever’s”  to help Jem when he got hurt. (CM) Also, in the last few chapters I noticed how Harper Lee started to bring back old styles of writing. (SD) A lot of places that were very popular earlier in the book are beginning to loop back into the story. (CM) For instance, early in the book there was a tree with a hole that was used for communication between Boo Radley and Jem and Scout. (CM) That tree was a great place for Jem and Scout before it was ruined by Mr. Radley who did not want them communicating with Boo. (SD) In the last couple of chapters, Atticus’ job is revolving back to becoming something that is rarely discussed. (CM) At the beginning of the book, we did not hear much about Atticus’ job. (CM) In the middle of the book all we read about his trials and about Tom Robinson, but  towards the end of the book we have not heard much about his job. (CS) I think that the whole structure  of To Kill A Mockingbird has been circular.

(TS) Like how To Kill A Mockingbird is structured, the older I get , the more I find my days  becoming  round. (SD) While all of my days are becoming more continuous, they each seem to be the same old boring day. (CM)My Day consists of three things: waking up; going to school;  and doing homework, which doesn’t make for a very exciting day. (SD) The older I get, the more I realize that my days and weeks are becoming too consistent and boring. (CM) As the year progresses, I notice how boring and routine it is. (CM) The weird thing about all of this is that it feels like they go by really fast. (SD) Now that I have lived in a few places and met a lot of people,  some of them are coming back into my life like a circle. (CM) A lot Of old friends who I knew when I lived in Stamford are finding me on Facebook and we reconnect. (CM) I know it probably sounds strange, but it seems to be happening more and more. (CS) Boring as it is, life is short and within that short period of time many circles start to form and that is the circle of life.

After reading my essay on circles I hope you agree  that my life and the book To Kill A Mockingbird are very similar. Once in a while things don’t go the way we want it to, but eventually it all comes back around and you can work at it again like a circle. I hope my life starts creating more interesting circles.  The boredom of my current circles is killing me.

On issue that I faced while writing this essay was trying as hard as I could o connect the book to my life.

One strong point I see in this writing is that I really tried to complete all of the bell words and echoes.

On weak point I see is that before I read through my writing half of the stuff I wrote didn’t make sense.

Self-grade: B

Visit # 4

By: Harry Staley

                In this visit I started off by grabbing all of the food and water dishes for the birds upstairs and went downstairs with them and cleaned them out. After I cleaned them, I started feeding other animals. I fed Crow, as everyone calls him, and all of the other animals. Some of the feeding was kind of gross. When I had to feed the box turtle, I had to give it fruits, veggies, and two mealy worms. Before I gave the turtle its food, I had to maim the mealy worms, which was not cool, because i had to pinch each worm until I heard it crunch and could no longer move. When I was about half way through my time, I met two people in there late forty’s who loved to volunteer at the nature center. I thought this was cool because they werent being forced to be there but they wanted to be there, and i thought that was a really nice thing to do. During the last visit I learned, I learned more about feeding and where everything in the nature center is, and that some people like to volunteer there time for the nature center when they need help. I am slowly beginning to like the nature center more and more and I can’t wait to go again.

Visit #3
By: Harry Staley
In this visit a lot happened. When I got there I went inside and I waited for my partner to come up and tell me what to do. That took a few minutes because downstairs there was a blue heron which was starving to death and it chances of survival were 25%. It probably wasn’t going to make it because it was so hungry but thanks to a person who didn’t want this animal to die he might live. While a lady was feeding the heron and giving it water I watched her kids and they were both very small and there hair was as orange as the sun. They were both filled with energy and all they did was walk around a gaze at all of the exhibits in the nature center. I finally brought them in to see the heron, and they were both fascinated in it… until they ran away. I had to track them down and then there mom watched them while I made a little bed for the heron. To make the bed I had to get a electric blanket and put it over the cage and then put big blankets inside so it would stay warm. After we put the heron into the cage we cleaned Tommy’s cage. Tommy is a huge owl which is 80% blind and which has 1 wing. It is a very messy bird. I had to scrub off the perches and then I had to take out all the half eaten rats and make it look as good as new. Once I finished that I went down stairs and we gave him a few rats. I didn’t see him eat the rats but I heard its really cool. I am really enjoying the nature center and I cant wait to go again.

Outline for 11- or 8-sentence Paragraph

TS (Main Idea, Topic, or Thesis) in the book to Kill a mockingbird it is like a circle.

Bell word- circle

SD In the book TKAM everything keeps coming back around.

Echo word to be used-around

CM Some of the old characters come back.

CM som old styles that the writer used are coming back.

SD In the book TKAMmore place start to loop back into the story.

Echo word to be used-loop

CM the tree that used to be used to communicate with boo is brought back.

CM That tree was a great place that Jem and Scout loved before it was ruined.

SD Atticus’s job is revolving around again to.

Echo word to be used revolving

CM At the beginning you didn’t hear much about his job and no you don’t again.

CM Atticus is becoming quieter in general.

CS I think that the farther we get in the book the more circular it becomes

Outline for 11- or 8-sentence Paragraph

TS (Main Idea, Topic, or Thesis) My life is becoming to be more like round

Bell word-round

SD My days are beginning to be more continuous

Echo word to be used- continuous

CM every day I find myself doing the same thing.

CMI wake up and go to school and come home and do homework

SD My weeks are becoming consistent

Echo word to be used consistent

CM Every week seems to be the same.

CM They always seem to go by fast and nothing new happens.

SD more people from the past are coming back into my life.

Echo word to be used- coming

CM More people who I used to know start emailing me.

CM More people who I used to talk to begin talking to me again.

CS Life is a very short time but in that short time a lot of things happen and it all ends up like a circle.

Quiet hero

Body paragraph # 2

An essay by Harry Staley

8th grade English

Pine Point School

January, 10, 2011

                A quiet hero is someone who always knows what to do, or someone who is just a role model for you. I have two quiet heroes, one is my Dad, and one is Atticus Finch from the book To Kill a Mockingbird. These two people are people who I think are very smart people who always know what the right thing to do is in tough situations. I hope you enjoy reading my essay on quiet heroes.

(TS) Have you ever thought of old Atticus Finch, from the book To Kill a Mockingbird, to be a quiet hero? (SD) I think Atticus is a great quiet hero because when he is put into tough spots in life, like when Tom Robinson died, he always knows the perfect thing to do. (CM)  Back in the beginning of the book, there was an old dog named Tim Johnson, and he was so old he was becoming sick and he needed to be put out. (CM) Know body in the town knew what to do except Atticus, and he came with the gun and he shot Tim to stop another problem that could have happened. (SD) Atticus was also known in the town of Macomb for being a very hard worker. (CM) I the small town of Maycomb, Atticus was a lawyer and most cases were nothing of great excitement but he works vigorously. (CM) His two kids Jem and scout sometimes get curious about what he is doing when he is working so they go into town to see him but for the most part he is just sitting at his desk hard at work. (SD) Atticus always knows what to say in bad predicaments. (CM) When Tom Robinson was killed he always knew the right thing to say. (CM) Just like every situation, “it depends on how you look at it” and that is basically how Atticus thought all of the time. (CS) Atticus was a really great man but to me it think he was a great quiet hero.

                 (TS)I think a great quiet hero would be my Dad. (SD)I think my Dad is an outstanding worker, because he does it all of the time. (CM)I compare my Dad to Atticus because Atticus is always functioning a lot and so does my dad. (CM)He always does his work on time and he almost never complains about it. (SD)My dad is also a hardworking man because he knows that you won’t go far in life if you don’t make the best out of what you have. (CM)My Dad is a super hard wage earner and he is not all about doing his work. (CM)Outside of stressing himself out about work he is a very funny man. (SD)He also does the unthinkable; he goes out of his way to make someone laugh. (CM)One time when I had a friend over my dad thought it would be funny to hit me with a soft bat… (CM)Trust me there was nothing soft about that bat. (SD)My dad is all about his family and he will do anything for his family. (CM)Joe is one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met because he loves to work but work for his family. (CM) If he was just working to work the point would be a lot less meaningful for him when he works now he has something to work for. I think my dad is a super cool guy and I love him to death and he is my quiet hero.

                Know that you have read my essay I hope that you understand why I chose these people to be my quiet hero. They are both great smart people who never give up in hard times. I know that my dad is a very hard worker, and Atticus sounds like he is a very hard worker. I think both of these people are great quiet heroes.

Self-assessment:

One issue I am trying to keep focused on is to keep myself on task, and to stick to the full assignment.

One strong thing I see in this essay is that I really tried to focus on punctuation.

One week point in my writing is making myself do everything that is required.

Self-grade: B-

Visit#2

By: Harry Staley

                My second visit was a very different type of visit and I was disgusted in some of the things I saw. From now on most of my visits will be a different type of visit. I am now going to be feeding the animals. I need to feed the turtles crickets and feed the snakes’ rats and I need to feed the birds mice. When I go into these big bird cages I need to go with someone in my family and I must bring a rake with me to protect myself. I am not looking forward to defrosting the mice in warm water. It will be a very weird feeling because I will be holding dead animals and letting other animal’s slurp it guts out. When I went into the bird cage for the first time I saw mice that were hanging over limbs like a plastic bag in a tree. I am actually not looking forward to doing this little job. I think it is disgusting and I don’t want to do it… but I have to.

Visit # 1

By Harry Staley

                The first visit at the Denison Pequot Nature Center went really well. I especially liked the nature center because they didn’t want to keep the kids in on small space or have them do one activity the whole time. At the Nature center we started off by making snake sculptures out of salty dough, and whenever a new kid came into the room I would teach them how to make it. After they made their basic shape of their snake I distributed out the different colors of paint and that’s when they got messy. When the kids finished there snake sculptures we had a delicious domino’s pizza with juice. After the kids finished eating we took the out on a night hike which seemed to take hours. The night hike was very eventful and all of the kids loved it. The entire group was excited for the biggest part of the night. The biggest and best part of the night was when the instructors went to the back and got snakes! The excitement level in the room was unbelievable and all of the kids wanted to hold the snakes and touch them… not me. I was amazed when the head instructor pulled a snake out of his pocket. The entire group of kids start screaming can I see it, can I see it. The snakes finally got put away and then we rapped up the night with some smores in the fire we built inside. Overall I thought the nature center was an awesome place and working with the kids was definitely a good choice for my assessment

Quiet hero

Body paragraph # 2

An essay by Harry Staley

8^th grade English

Pine Point School

January, 10, 2011

                (TS)I think a great quiet hero would be my Dad. (SD)I think my Dad is an outstanding worker, because he does it all of the time. (CM)I compare my Dad to Atticus because Atticus is always functioning a lot and so does my dad. (CM)He always does his work on time and he almost never complains about it. (SD)My dad is also a hardworking man because he knows that you won’t go far in life if you don’t make the best out of what you have. (CM)My Dad is a super hard wage earner and he is not all about doing his work. (CM)Outside of stressing himself out about work he is a very funny man. (SD)He also does the unthinkable; he goes out of his way to make someone laugh. (CM)One time when I had a friend over my dad thought it would be funny to hit me with a soft bat… (CM)Trust me there was nothing soft about that bat. (SD)My dad is all about his family and he will do anything for his family. (CM)Joe is one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met because he loves to work but work for his family. (CM) IF he was just working to work the point would be a lot less meaningful for him when he works now he has something to work for. I think my dad is a super cool guy and I love him to death and he is my quiet hero.

Body paragraph #1 for essay 9

By: harry Staley

1/5/11

                (TS) Have you ever thought of old Atticus Finch, from the book To Kill a Mockingbird, to be a quiet hero? (SD) I think Atticus is a great quiet hero because when he is put into tough spots in life, like when Tom Robinson died, he always knows the perfect thing to do.(CM)  Back in the beginning of the book, there was an old dog named Tim Johnson, and he was so old and he was becoming sick and he needed to be put out. (CM) Know body in the town knew what to do except Atticus, and he came with the gun and he shot Tim to stop another problem that could have happened. (SD) Atticus was also known in the town of Macomb for being a very hard worker. (CM) I the small town of Maycomb, Atticus was a lawyer and most cases were nothing of great excitement but he works vigorously. (CM) His two kids Jem and scout sometimes get curious about what he is doing when he is working so they go into town to see him but for the most part he is just sitting at his desk hard at work. (SD) Atticus always knows what to say in bad predicaments. (CM) When Tom Robinson was killed he always knew the right thing to say. (CM) Just like every situation, “it depends on how you look at it” and that is basically how Atticus thought all of the time. (CS) Atticus was a really great man but to me it think he was a great quiet hero.