What Really Happened On April 3rd, 1778

(Authors's note: This piece is comparing the book The Fighting Ground by Avi to the time in history it was set in)

The book “The Fighting Ground” by Avi is about a young boy who wanted to be a soldier. He found his chance when the Hessians were invading his town. He was excited to join, despite his age of 13. When he got to the actual battle, his attitude changed. He was deathly afraid when his colonel told him to lineup in the front. Many people in this time period were afraid of fighting the British, but they did it anyway because fighting for freedom was a more then worthy cause. This book is obviously fiction, but some qualities about it describe how it was in the late 1770’s.

The Hessians were the best soldiers money could buy. They were hired mercenaries that were loyal to King George III. The Hessians were German and the king was from Germany. They were highly trained and ready to kill. They were like this in both the book, and real life. The Hessians were brave and determined because they were being paid and they fought for a career. Some Hessians were highly paid, but others just got their daily bread. It seems that in the book, the oldest Hessian was the commander and he seemed the most determined of the bunch, so he probably got paid the most. The youngest one though, wasn’t very sure of what he was doing, so he must have been the lowest ranked, receiving the lowest pay.

The Hessians were dedicated, but so were the Americans. The Americans weren’t getting paid, but they were fighting for freedom of Britain’s tyranny. Jonathan is a perfect example of this dedication. His greatest wish was to help fight along with the rest of the patriots. Without people like him, America wouldn’t have won the war. It was the heart and spirit of the Americans that drove them to victory. This is a major point that the book got right.

Along with the similarities, there were differences too. One big reason was that this battle never happened in history. On April 3^rd, 1778, there were no battles in the setting of a New Jersey town. Clearly, Jonathan never existed, but there wasn’t another kid out fighting in the revolution. The youngest soldier recorded to ever enlist in the continental army was 17 years old, much older than Jonathan. Also, the hugest difference was that the Hessians didn’t capture soldiers. Where would they take them? They didn’t have a ship ready to take all prisoners of war to Germany. They didn’t have any use for them either. They didn’t have any prison camps for them to send them to.

In conclusion, I believe that this book is more similar to real life than not. Some differences of this story to real life make this book hard to believe, but it is still accounting on what the time looked like through the eyes of a patriot. Jonathan’s character is far-fetched, but he is the picture of the bravery and courage that it took to make this country what it is today.

Choices

(Author's note: This is a text structure piece about the cause and effect of the Book "The Fighting Ground")

Jonathan was a boy who just wanted to prove himself. He didn't have to though, he could have just stayed at home while the adults went to fight. By responding to the call of arms, Jonathon plunged himself into a predicament, he was captured by the enemy. He eventually escaped, and was forced by his corporal to lead a troop of men to the place where they held him. The climax to the story is when Jonathan walked into the house where the Hessians were and warned them about the Americans outside. Instead of surrendering, they accepted sure defeat and were killed. This is the climax, because this is the peak of the book and the resolution follows.

Jonathon could have done many things differently. He fled into the woods when the other Americans stayed and fought. The Hessians captured him because he gave himself away. He should have stayed in his hiding spot and caught up with the other Americans later. After he was captured, he had the opportunity to kill his captors  in their sleep, but decided against it. He just wanted to go home, and the only way to do that at this point was to run away. It was an extreme stroke of luck that he found the American soldiers. They thought that he was dead, and gave up looking for him. Everyone was happy to see him, but instead of going home immediately, he was given an assignment by his corporal to lead them to the Hessians.

Jonathon's actions in the book did not go unpunished. It was a terrible mistake by him for answering the call of duty, but running away was his worst fault. He committed to the Americans Army and shouldn't  have back down from his promise. If he wouldn't have ran away, he never would have been captured. He could have just stayed with the Americans and been home before he knew it. Instead, he wimped out and eventually had to lead a mission to kill three people. If he would have just stayed at home, he wouldn't have had three deaths on his conscience.

Jonathan's Situation

(Author's note: This piece describes the point of view of the protagonist of the book "The Fighting Ground")

Jonathan can’t resist the call of the tavern bell, despite his parents’ warnings. He enlisted as a Minute Man the first chance he got. At this time, he had no idea how much this decision would impact him. He got himself way over his head. He was expected to kill or be killed. When he couldn’t take getting shot at anymore, he ran into the woods and got himself captured. He was so afraid and wished he was back in his loving parents’ arms.

The book is told from the view point of Jonathan. He tells it like a scared kid who wants to be brave. He wishes that he could do his country good, but always seems to chicken out at times he is needed. As the book goes on, he tries to kill his captors, but then questions if they care about him or not. He believes that they are his friends and ends up warning them about the Americans surrounding the house they were in. He believed that since he ran away from the rest of the Americans, they were his only friends left.

His captors, the three Hessians, didn’t feel the same way. The oldest one thought him more as a prize to bring to his commander. The only Hessian who even interacted with Jonathan was the youngest one. He tried to teach him a little German. The last one completely ignored him altogether. The Hessians weren’t afraid to be in war. If the book was in their point of view, it would be much less exciting. The story would be more focused on getting paid, not fighting for what is right. The Hessians were fighting for money.

Jonathon’s decision to fight was influenced by his pride in his country, not money. His outlook on the war is that he is afraid of it, but deep in his heart he knows it is necessary. In the war, he didn't kill anybody. He escaped with his life, and his innocence. He is one of the lucky ones. I'm sure that he will never enlist into the army ever again

Gold

(Author's Note: This is my final essay on The Outsiders. I wrote about the theme of loss of innocence.)

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

                This poem by Robert Frost was the backbone of the main idea of this story. The author incorporates these famous lines into the story to set the theme of the loss of innocence. As it states in the poem, nothing gold can stay. Gold is referencing to innocence, and dawn and Eden represent the paradise before we lose it. Most of the rest of the poem describe on how easy innocence is lost. The last line is the most meaningful. Innocence does not last forever.

                In the book, Johnny lost his innocence when he killed that soc, but that isn’t always the case with most people. Innocence is like when we are newborn, the whole world looks bright. As we get older, we find out that there is a lot of hate and suffering in this world. Our outlook on life changes and that is when we lose our innocence. It is like in Harry Potter, when he first goes to Hogwarts he is amazed on how the magical world is so bright. After a few books, his entire purpose changes. He finds out that the magical world is dark because of a certain wizard. He has lost his innocence to protect the world.

                Not all of us have to lose our innocence. We sometimes regret the day for the rest of our life. Johnny didn’t have to kill that soc. I’m sure they weren’t going to kill Ponyboy, they were just cruelly scaring him. The only thing they succeeded at was scaring Johnny to the point of retaliation. After the fight was over, Johnny deeply regretted his actions. Ponyboy even quoted, “Johnny is like a puppy that has been kicked too many times.” Also he said that Johnny wouldn’t hurt a fly. Now he has killed someone. Johnny regretted that moment for the rest of his short life.

                When Johnny was on his deathbed, he uttered his famous last words, “Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold.” He was referencing to the poem. He wants Ponyboy to stay innocent, and not hate the world like Dally. Dally lost his innocence when he was in the gangs in New York. Johnny was the only thing in the world he loved, so when he died, he had no will to live. Johnny wants Ponyboy to go on with life without him. He knows that Ponyboy has a future and he doesn’t want his death to mess that up.

                We all will inevitably lose our innocence one day, but we can cherish it while it lasts. The time we have innocence may be the best time of our lives. We are young, and all we care about is having fun. When we grow older and problems begin to surface, we shouldn’t hate the world like Dally. Life is full of nice things we can enjoy. We must cherish life too, because like innocence, it can be lost in a moment.

The main idea of The Outsiders

(Author’s Note: This piece is about what I think the main idea is in this book)

            The Outsiders is about a kid who grows up in a gang, but as the reader goes on, he realizes that this book is more than that. It proves that innocence can be lost in an instant. We can never keep it forever, we all lose it someday. The book sets this tone by reciting a poem by Robert Frost.

“Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay,”

            This poem is the key part to this story. Gold represents the innocence that Johnny lost. The first and second lines state that everyone is born with innocence, but it is difficult to keep it. The third line compares early innocence to a flower, but in the fourth line, it tells that its time is limited. The fourth, fifth, and sixth lines show how after you lose your innocence, paradise is lost. The last line is the most memorable. “Nothing gold can stay.” It summarizes the entire book. Innocence isn’t forever.

            Johnny, on his deathbed told Ponyboy to stay gold. He means to tell him to keep his innocence. Johnny lost his the moment he killed the soc. He’s begging Ponyboy to never surrender his purity, even when times are tough. Most of the characters in the story already lost theirs. Dally on one hand, lost his on the streets in New York. Ponyboy, however needs to grant Johnny his last wish, to be innocent.

Outsiders Piece

Johnny Cade isn’t a killer, but he was caught in a bad situation. He has a history with the Socs. He was jumped and beaten by the same person he killed. Johnny is the kind of person who wouldn’t hurt a fly, but now, he took the life of another human being. Johnny is in with the Greaser gang and their main enemy is the Socs. The Socs are the kids with the money and nice clothes and nice houses. The Greasers are the kids who do not have many nice things. Johnny was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Johnny panicked because the Socs were drowning Ponyboy.  He took out his switch blade and drove it through the back of the leader of the Socs. The rest went running, but I’m sure they will never forgive him. The fact that Johnny killed their leader puts a big target on his head.

            Johnny is mostly defenseless, other than the fact that he carries a switchblade. There is no reason why the Socs wouldn’t jump him again. The next time though, Ponyboy won’t be the focus. They will focus all of their hate of Greasers on Johnny. Johnny is now the number one enemy of the Socs.

Johnny has been beaten many times, by his father and other people including the socs. One instance, he was beaten to near death by them for just being a greaser. What do you think they will do to him now that they have a reason to hurt him? They will want revenge for their lost friend. They could kill him.
         

By killing that boy, Johnny sparked a flame in the everlasting war between the Socs and the Greasers. I feel that his actions will lead up to a confrontation between both sides. The Socs are ruthless. I doubt that they will forgive Johnny before the final showdown. Maybe after, if they realize that fighting doesn’t solve anything, they will learn to understand each other better. Both sides have good people on them. They are more alike than they seem.

Catching Fire

(Author's Note: This piece is a report on the book Catching Fire)

How would you feel if you had no say in your life? Would you just live with it, or would you fight back? That is the main conflict Katniss Everdeen faces in this book. This book takes place in the future, where the United States is Separated into 12 districts with one Capitol to rule them all. There is no democracy, and to show that the Capitol is in power, they hold a Hunger games every year. The Hunger Games is a cruel game where each district sends two kids to fight in. It is a free-for-all bloodbath, where there can only be one victor. Except in Peeta and Katniss case, they both won last year, so they both go onto the victory tour around the districts.

Before they depart, Katniss is visited by the President of the Capitol. He tells Katniss that the act of defiance she and Peeta did at the end of last years games sparked a uprising in some districts. Katniss and Peeta were the last two contestents in the arena, and were about to commit suicide to escape killing eachother. He tells her to make sure that she sets things straight. Her only excuse was that she was madly in love with him.

On the tour, Katniss and Peeta stop at district 11, former home of a girl named Rue, who had died in the arena, and Katniss' only ally. After the pre-made speach, Katniss felt like she needed to say something more to Rue's family. She went on and on on how grateful she was for her and couldn't contain herself. She got the crowd going, and after her speech, she left. Upon, leaving, she heard three gunshots that silenced the crazy crowd. This was the exact thing she was trying to prevent. She decided that the only chance of saving her was to marry Peeta, but after he proposed on live television, President Snow told her that it wasn't enough.

After the tour, she felt grateful to be home, but some changes had been made since she was gone. The security around the district has increased substantially, and Katniss witnessed her best friend Gale be whipped nearly to death. Also, the black market was burned down. This place is where most people in the district get their food. The entire district wasn't big enough to rebel, so they had to cope with the law for a while. Katniss' life was filled with misery, until the she watched the mandatory televised event of president snow picking the theme of this years hunger games. She was horrified when he described that the victors of the past hunger games would have to fight each other. Katniss was going back into the arena. After all the prefight ceremonies were completed, she was ready to go back into the games. She made some alliances during the training, so it wasn't just her and Peeta. This year was the fastest games yet. Three fourths of the victors were dead after just a few days. It was just her, Peeta, and three other allies vs. two other people. Katniss and her alliance tried to set up a trap by harnessing the power of lightning to a saltwater lake in the center of the arena. While she was setting up the wire, she was jumped my one of her allies, right when the two enemies came. They deemed that she was finished, so they left her alone. With the lightning about to strike, she tied the wire to an arrow and shot it at the arena wall. The energy was too much, and sent the arena crumbling down.

At the end of the book, she and her allies were rescued by a hovercraft from district 13, a supposedly extinct district. Everybody except for Peeta, who was captured by the capitol. It turns out that there was a plan all along to get her and Peeta out safely. She and Peeta are the most important part of the uprising in the districts. The plan was set up by the head gamemaker of the games. He design the arena so they could figure out how to escape. I feel like the next book will be all about the revolution. It will be on how Katniss and Peeta shape the new world, and to begin a life of freedom. I think this is because in the book, it tells you how the capitol can't get the commodities that the districts usually supply them with, therefore most are rebelling. I also predict that the rebels are going to defeat the capitol because district 13 was known for it's nuclear weapons production, so they will have access to powerful tools of destruction. I will now start to read the third book in the series 'Mocking Jay'.

Patriot Pen

Pride refers to a satisfied sense of attachment toward a group of people and is a product of praise, reflection or feeling of belonging. I am proud of my country because America is still the land of opportunity. If you come from a poor background, if you work hard you can still get an education and a job. Work ethic and willingness to sacrifice is the backbone of our strength as a country. Americans have fought in many wars and fought through many hardships in the short time the United States has been around. America rose from a mysterious land that was fought over, to become one of the world’s most powerful countries in a little over 200 years. I am immensely proud of my country, because it has proved itself to me, and to all.

The pledge of allegiance isn’t just something we say every first hour, it pledges our loyalty to the American flag, the symbol of freedom in our country. We may overlook it sometimes, but we are lucky to have the right to speak our mind, or write our opinion, or practice whatever religion we believe in. America is one of the few countries who give people the rights they deserve.

The government of America takes a lot of heat from the world, but America is a democracy created by the people, for the people, of the people. Democracy works, unlike communism, or dictatorship, Americans can vote for their leaders. If someone isn’t doing their job, America can kick them out. America is ruled by no one except itself.

In a dictatorship, one person controls the government and the military and he is feared. In America, the military is run by skilled, trained officers, who are appointed and work together to determine best practices. Our military is like the MIM-104 Patriot Missile. It is designed not to start wars, but to help eliminate them. The Patriot Missile was developed to use radar to track down attacking missiles, and destroy them. It is meant to discourage other countries from attacking us.

America is my country, and no matter where I go, it always will be. I will do my part to keep America great by contributing with my skills and work ethic.

Joseph McCarthy

(Authors note: This is a biography on a man who abused his power in congress)

"Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you no sense of decency?" Were the famous words that Joseph Nye Welsh replied, after one of his lawyers was attacked with the accusations of Joseph McCarthy.

Joseph McCarthy was born on November 15, 1908, and grew up in a small town near Appleton. He dropped out of high school, but went back a few years later and graduated in 9 months. Due to his exceptional grades, he was accepted into Marquette University School of Law. After college, he became a judge near his home town. He took a leave to fight in World War II, but when he returned, he had his sights on a senator position.

He was deemed to have little chance against his opponent Robert M. La Follette, surprisingly though, with a good campaign, he won. In his years as a senator, the biggest issue was the suspicion of communist infiltration in the United States. He followed this issue, and accused Secretary of State Dean Acheson of knowing of 205 communists in the U.S. government, thus sparking an event similar to the Salem Witch trials.

McCarthy's accusations were throughout the early fifties,making him the second most famous political figure, next to the president. McCarthy faced much criticism, but he kept going. The government found no conclusive evidence that McCarthy's accusations were valid, and his peers kept bringing him down, so the senate committee censured McCarthy. They called his behavior "inexcusable" and "vulgar"

Although McCarthy remained in congress, he was ignored by everyone. After his censorship, Joseph McCarthy became a dangerously heavy drinker. He died from acute hepatitis on May 2, 1957. Joseph McCarthy was bound to fail, because he relied on accusation and illusion, again much like the salem witch trials. He was paranoid man, and still is considered to be an embarrassment to the government.

Poaching

                (Authors Note: This is a persuasive piece on why the government should help end poaching)

Poaching is the unlawful act of stealing game from the wild. It is wrong, and I think the government should do more about it. It is sad, because many people poach, for varied reasons. Unfortunately, the most common reason if for money. People poach for pelts, tusks, furs, and for many other things, driving numerous species to extinction. The government needs to do something about this because when we are old, we don’t want to explain all the great animals that used to be around to our kids.

The government needs to increase security for poaching because little poachers are actually caught. There isn’t much security for the tiger in the jungles of Asia, or for the great elephants of Africa, but what about here in the United States? Many poachers here kill animals illegally, or out of season, leaving their orphaned young to die. We can’t have poachers just walk in and think that the right to take any life in the forest.

                Secondly, there are thousands of species on the endangered species list, and most are on there because of humans. Humans have been poaching animals for years, and finally problems in the environment came up. We have been doing a good job in the past few years getting back on track with nature, but that still isn’t enough. People are still poaching, and animals are still dying. We have to protect the animals from going extinct.

                Even with some animals climbing back out of the endangered species list, what is to say that they won’t sink back into it again? Kids today may grow up to be the poachers of tomorrow. The government needs to keep kids informed about the dangers of poaching. Kids need to be informed about the correct way to hunt and fish, and how to confront a person who does poach. Kids today will have a great impact in the future.

                There may be other pressing topics the government needs to worry about, but the government needs to pay more attention to poaching. I feel like poaching is a topic worthy enough to get some attention from the government. Poaching is a huge problem in the world recently and we need the government’s help to put a stop to it.

Cookie

(Authors note: This is a story from the perspective of a dog named cookie)

            Who in their right mind would want to be named cookie? Well that is just the name my owners picked out when I was adopted five weeks ago. I’m not even allowed to have any cookies! My owners at dinner time give me food that looks and tastes like meat cereal, while they get to eat amazing foods like steak, or smoked salmon, or pork roast. They aren’t even there all the time. They leave me alone from about 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and what do they do to me for those eight hours? Leave me outside, even when it is raining! I hear them say that they will build me a dog house, but who knows how long that can take. My only pleasure during the day is sneaking off through a crack in the fence to see my friend Whiskers the Cat across the neighborhood. We always talk about how our owners are treating us, and how they should be.

            “I really think I’m going to do it Whiskers.” I exclaimed

            “You can’t run away! The humans are our source of food!”

            “The food they give me is garbage, besides; I just can imagine what fresh wild duck tastes like.”

            “How are you going to catch it?” Whiskers argued

            “Come on, it is in my blood. How hard can it be?”

            “Well I guess I can’t stop you, but, Cookie, be careful.”

            “Thanks, I’ll always remember you Whiskers.”

            After my conversation, I devised a plan. After dark, when I am let out to do my business, I ran out through the crack in the fence and into the forest behind my Masters’ house. I ran through the forest, adrenaline pumping, I felt like I was finally free. Free from the animal shelter, free from my tyrant masters, free from the world. I felt like I was a wild dog now. I ran across a road, avoiding traffic and into the deep woods. As I entered, I felt like this would be my home for the rest of my life.

            Soon after, I found a cave to spend the night in. In the morning I felt my belly rumble, so I went out to hunt. After a little bit of searching, I spotted a rabbit, and chased it around for a little bit. I then cornered it, and pinned it against the side of a large tree stump. Then I leapt and caught it. The rabbit meat tasted very good, especially because I was amazingly hungry. I felt like I actually was a wolf who just got a kill. I thought I was completely prepared for the rest of my life. Things were going great, until dusk.

            My stomach started growling again, so I went to hunt for dinner. I looked around, trying to find another rabbit, but none were to be found. I tried for another hour, and I found one. While I was chasing it, I tripped over a branch, and my dinner got away. I was getting less confident every minute after that. Now it was total darkness and no food was to be found. I started panicking. I realized that a meal on time every day was a blessing, not an expectation. I started missing Whiskers, and my family. “My family” I thought. Then that is when I had no doubt in my mind. “I need to go back”

            It is hard enough navigating through a pitch black forest at night by yourself, but it is even harder when you doing it on an empty stomach. Every tree looked the same, every stump, every scent, and every fallen branch. I was completely lost. I was searching desperately for the road I crossed. Then, I saw a light moving fast through the tree line. I finally found the road. I sprinted to it, but right as I was crossing a bright light came screeching behind me. Then, I blacked out.

            I woke up to the rumble of an engine, I felt faint, but I don’t seem to be hurt. I was in the back seat of a car. At this moment, all I could think about is my family.

            “Hey sleepy head.” The man in the front seat said. “I thought I clipped you.”

            I looked out the window and everything looked familiar. I saw Whisker’s house and I knew this man was taking me home. I was excited but if you were there, you couldn’t tell. I was cold, hungry, and tired, but I was going home.

            “There’s your house, Cookie.”

             

The man walked me up to the doorstep, rang the bell, and about a minute later, my master opened the door.

            “I believe this dog is yours.” The man said

            “Cookie!”

My master ran up to me, picked me up, and gave me a big hug.

“Everybody, Cookie has come home!”

Everyone in my house got out of their beds, and ran downstairs like Christmas morning. I never had so much love in my life. And that is why I never will run away from home again.