Change

            Roger was a thug before he met one woman who changed his life. He felt like the only way he could get what he wanted was to steal it. He wanted some new shoes, so he thought that if he stole a purse, he would get the money. He found a good victim, so he tried to snatch the purse and take off running. When things went wrong, he tripped and was caught in a headlock. He did not know at the time that this woman would help him find his way in life.

            It was by chance he found this influential person on the street. She brought him to her home and gave him dinner. Roger found out that she did things when she was young, and found that he could relate to her. By setting the example of a once-criminal staying out of trouble, it showed Roger that he could have a chance by staying out of a life of crime. In the end, he even got money for his shoes. This shows that staying out of crime can pay dividends.

            Although doing the right thing doesn’t always get you what you want, it still shows that you didn’t take the easy way out. Roger left Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones’ house with a different goal in life in mind, therefore he is a dynamic character. Roger never intended to change his ways before he met this character. Sometimes it is funny how life works out.

S.O.P.A.

As you probably already know, there is a bill currently being reviewed by the U.S. Congress called the S.O.P.A. bill. It stands for the Stop-Online-Piracy-Act, and was created by large movie corporations that are losing money from piracy. Piracy is when you illegally take information like movies and music to use without paying for it. While Piracy is an issue, the S.O.P.A. bill is not the solution. This bill will change the internet. It will give large companies the power to shut down websites and videos that aren’t actually causing any harm. Many internet companies such as Google, Facebook, and Wikipedia realize this and are leading the public with a charge against this bill.

On January 18^th, 2012, these companies led an internet wide black-out, protesting against S.O.P.A. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, was one of the supporters. He wrote on his Facebook page that S.O.P.A. was “Poorly thought out” and encouraged readers to contact their local representatives. He said that “The internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world. We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development.”

The internet companies believe that this bill will cause censorship throughout the internet. Much of the public agrees with this. If a small video uses a little bit of music, the recording company has the right to shut it down. I don’t believe this is right. Internet video watching sites like YouTube already have a top notch security system against copyright infringement. This bill will obviously do more harm than good. If it is passed, entire sites can be shut down from just a single copyright violation.

I believe that the bill should be rejected in congress. It breaks the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” S.O.P.A. would threaten our rights as Americans. We should have the authority to use the information we want as long as it is in fair use. Obviously, S.O.P.A. is a terrible idea, and I urge everyone reading this to take action immediately by contacting your local representative.

Superbowl

Predicting the outcomes of sporting events comes with the uncertainty. People who gamble use investing-like strategies to do it for an occupation. In the NFL playoffs, there are four teams still standing. Two will fall this weekend. Each team deserves to be there, and all have a chance to win the eternal glory that is the Lombardi Trophy. There are enough statistics available to find out who has the best chance. This information is very valuable when it comes to gambling.

            The Ravens, Patriots, Giants, and 49’ers all have great teams, but the most valuable player in the Superbowl is almost always the quarterback. The quarterback is the captain of the offense and is the most influential player on the team. If the quarterback is doing well, then the offense is doing well. The Patriots and the Giants both have solid players at the position. Tom Brady practically carried his team to the playoffs, the Patriots had an ineffective running game and a less than stellar defense. Eli Manning is also a great quarterback with almost 5000 passing yards this season. Alex Smith on the 49’ers is a good player, but he is a rookie and  isn’t as experienced. Joe Flacco is an average player and just that. He is inconsistent and not the best clutch player. The main reason why he got to the playoffs was because of his team’s exceptional defense.

            “Offense wins games, defense wins championships.” Nobody knows the origin of this quote, but it is one of the truest statements ever proclaimed about football. If the other team doesn’t score points, you can’t lose. A defense isn’t the most glamorous part of the game, but it is half the battle. The Ravens and the 49’ers have the best defenses in the league, and the Giants have a pretty good one too. The Patriots, however have one of the worst defense against the pass. The Patriots have a high powered offense, but the opposing team just plows them over. It is hard to win without a respectable defense.

            Each of the four teams is there for a reason. For the Ravens, it is their rock solid defense that stops the opponents from scoring more than them. The 49’ers have their great defense and a talented young quarterback to propel them to victory. The Giants have a well rounded team with a proven quarterback, a great rushing game, and a solid defense. The Patriots are an offensive powerhouse with one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. All are great teams, but who is the best of them? Three games will soon decide that.

            Based on the stats, I can make a logical conclusion on what I think will occur in the playoffs. In the AFC championship game between the Ravens and the Patriots, I believe that the Ravens defense will slow down Tom Brady, and the game will turn to Joe Flacco. I don’t think he can handle with the game on the line, so I think that the Patriots will win. In the NFC championship, I expect Eli Manning to have a pretty good game, considering he is on a hot streak. The game will be decided on whether or not the Giants defense can hold against the exceptional 49’ers running game. In the Superbowl game, I predict that it will be a rematch of 2007’s, Giants versus Patriots. I feel this match-up would result in a shoot-out. In the end however, I believe that Tom Brady will put the Giants in a deficit that they can’t overcome. Based on my research, there is a lot of evidence stating that the Patriots will win the Superbowl.

Hawks and Eagles

Michael Obi is a young man excited about his new position as head master of Ndume Central School. He wants to revolutionize the grounds, so he and his wife decorate it with colorful flowers and bushes. Soon, it looked like an oasis of beauty in a run down village of Africa. He raised the standards of teaching, and it became a successful school. One day, Michael saw a old woman hobble through his bushes and right across the compound. Upon farther investigation, he found an old path that connects the school to the village's place of burial. He puts heavy stakes and barbed wire to cut off the path where it enters and leaves the school grounds. A few days later, the head priest of the village visits Michael and explains that the path is sacred to the religion of the village. Michael ignores him, and in two days, a tragedy occurs when a woman died in childbirth. Michael woke up next morning to the ruins of his school. It was later shut down because of the tribal war situation between the school, and the village.

Michael couldn't have prevented the tragedy, but he could have prevented the village blaming it on him. He could have compromised with the priest better then he did. He could have told the priest that the path was off limits to people outside of school, but kept it open for the so-called spirits. Michael's overconfidence fully blinded to everyone else's.  "Let the  hawk perch and let the eagle perch."  

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