"The Declaration of Independence" -Soapst

     Thomas Jefferson, the writer of "The Declaration of Independence" had three main purposes. Thomas Jefferson was trying to persuade Kind George III to grant the American colonists freedom. It was written to explain why the colonists had a right to revolt against England. He was trying to prove that the England was unfair towards the colonists. "The Declaration of Independence" was written in order for the Americans to become independent, away from England. Laws were being passed that did not benefit the colonists. The English did not allow representation from the colonists, in order for them to voice their opinion. Colonists had no rights or benefits. Thomas Jefferson wanted to inspire the American colonists to get up and fight for their rights. Their pride and dignity had been taken away. And it was time to do something. The document intended to give support to the colonists in order for them not to be scared; to revolt and gain their independence. Thomas Jefferson tone started off as demanding because hr was speaking to King George III on behalf of all American colonists. He was demanding because all colonists’ voices had been put on mute. Kind George III had been unfair and brutal towards the colonists. They had petitioned and sent letters countless amount of times, but their concerns were ignored and it was time to demand freedom. Thomas Jefferson’s tone shifted as he began to send a message to the colonists. His voice became inspiring and conclusive. He wanted to convince the colonists to fight for the their rights and not do as the English say. He wants to colonists to fight for all that has been taken away, their fortunes, their pride, and their lives. He concludes that the Americans have the right to have their own independent state.

Expect the Unexpected

     In The Los Angeles Times, Rick Rojas posts an article called, “O.C. priest will spend year in jail for molesting boy in 1990s” about a retired Roman Catholic priest in Orange County was arrested and put in jail for a year. The article was published on August 24, 2012. He was mandatory registered as a sex offender, and he was obligated to complete 400 hours of community service. Denis Lyons, a 78 year old retired Roman Catholic priest, admit to sexually assaulting a child under fourteen years old at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Costa Mesa. The molestation took place when the boy was between seven to nine years old, between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 1995. The priest molested the boy four times in the church, which is supposed to be a holy room. The victim filed a report in September 2008 and Denis Lyons got arrested in July 2009 while playing cards.” Today is the day I finally have closure. I have spent 16 years living in pain, living in shame. He took away my innocence as a child. This man has ruined my life and many others besides me. He has changed my perception of religion, life, and right and wrong. Him pleading guilty not only gives me closure but gives other victims closure as well. He is a bad person, a bad man." Lyons had been charged in 2003 for molesting another boy during the times of 1978-1981, but the accusations never led to anything because a lot of time had passed between the event and the complaint. It is very upsetting how one can do such an act. This article should send a message to all that think nothing can happen to their child at a “trusted” place. A priest, who preached to others about doing the honorable, molested a child which is one of the most dishonorable sins. Priests expect everyone to attend the holy church and accomplish what they preach, but how can one not lose faith after being sexually assaulted by a priest?

Chief Executive Cheats His Way Through

In The Los Angeles Times, Howard Blume posts an article called "Charter school groups chief blamed for 2010 cheating scandal" about chief executive of charter schools in Crescendo, John Allen. The article was published on August 17, 2012. John Allen had asked Crescendo principals to display the state standardized test to the teachers. He had told all the principals to do as they were told or else they it would leave them jobless. Teachers were given copies of the standardized tests and they had to study them and teach the kids. The Crescendo principals were dragged into cheating and they could not believe that they had agreed on such an act. Reviews state that John Allen sincerely cared about the students and the education. Teachers announced that John Allen was a strict chief executive, and also very competitive. L.A. unified fired him and decided to close all campuses in Crescendo, South Los Angeles. The teachers were fired and 1,400 students had no choice but to find another school. Teachers began to report Allen on May 3, 2010. La Motte, member of the L.A Board of Education protected Allen because he was a friend of hers. La Unified announced that Allen would be suspended for 6 months then return to a low administrative job. Most principals were suspended for 10 days. Two of Crescendo’s schools were renewed. “In October 2011, Allen sued for wrongful dismissal.” Former Crescendo principals established new charter schools in the place of Crescendo’s campuses. This article represents the unprofessional side of the people who are in charge of providing education for children. Competitiveness drove a chief executive to disobey the rules and cheat his way through to have his school be on top. The scores should not matter as much as the amount of information a student has absorbed.

"Graduation" Soapst

      “Graduation” was written by an African American women, Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou aimed her story at high school students. The occasion of this essay is Maya Angelou’s graduation in Stamps, Arkansas, in 1940. Maya Angelou was twelve years old when she graduated high school. “Graduation” is about the feelings Maya Angelou had as she was about to graduate. The subject of “Graduation” is Maya’s pre-graduation and graduation experience. Maya Angelou felt as if she was going to be free as soon as she graduated. The tone of this essay has many shifts. In the beginning Maya Angelou predicts what is going to happen because she has an idea of how seniors act and how the ceremony takes place. Maya gets excited because she is finally going to graduate and this shows that Maya wants to leave school more than anything and start a new life. The tone changes as soon as the graduation ceremony begins. Maya Angelou becomes confused because instead of singing the national anthem, a white man began to speak about the blue collar jobs waiting for the African Americans, as if they had no future. The priest began to talk about people committing crimes, as if he was connecting it to the graduating class. Maya’s confusion turned into anger. Maya’s hopes and dreams were crushed as well as all African American’s dreams. As soon as the class valedictorian sang the National Anthem, Maya’s mood went right back up. This shows how strongly she believed. Maya Angelou’s purpose was to inform the reader and inspire the African American’s that they too can thrive and pursue their dreams regardless of their color. Maya Angelou wanted people to know that African American’s are not only known for their physical abilities but also for their intellectual abilities. Maya Angelou’s epiphany at the end of the essay “Graduation”, provides hope and encouragement to the African Americans in order to go out of their way and prove to themselves that they have the ability to be as productive as everybody else.

My Favorite Book

     Everyone has a favorite book that they cannot stop thinking about after they are done reading it, and my favorite book is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner was written during the time when Russia was bombing Afghanistan. the story takes place in Afghanistan. It is about a young boys experience as a child during those times. Amir was part of a rich family, and he grew up without a mother. Amir did not have a close relationship with his father because his father wanted Amir to be athletic but he was interested in writing, unfortunately his father was not interested in reading. Amir never stood up for himself. Amir and his dad had servants who had lived with them since Amir was born. Hassan was the servants son, who was loved by Amir’s dad because he was the opposite of Amir; he was athletic, and he stood up for himself. Amir was envious of Hassan. He was too embarrassed to play with him in public but yet Hassan was a loyal friend to him. Hassan protected Amir from the town bully. Amir destroyed Hassans and his friendship, by accusing him of stealing in order to get Hassan and his father out of the house. Amir and Hassan ended up being half brothers. In order to gain forgiveness, Amir saved Hassan’s son from the Taliban and adopted him. The Kite Runner is my favorite book because I could not wait to go on to the next chapter, I was drawn into the book. it is a story based on humanity, friendship, evil, good, and sacrifice which are all universal themes that apply to all of us. Kite Runner had me thinking about the importance of friendship when Hassan sacrificed his pride and got raped in order to save Amir’s kite, yet Amir did not even try to protect Hassan as he watched him get raped. Hassan did not say a word when Amir accused him of stealing in order to get rid of Hassan. After all that Amir did, Hassan stayed loyal and sacrificed his life in order to protect Amir’s and his dads home from the Taliban this book made me realize that there are people who are so evil towards someone who does nothing but good to them till the end. There are friends who are willing to ruin their friend’s life out of jealousy and there are friends who are willing to sacrifice their life for a friend. Kite Runner had great suspense. It was a page turner because it contained life and death situations, for example when Amir and his dad were leaving Afghanistan during the war, or when Amir was trying to save Hassan’s son from the Taliban since Hassan was dead. Kite Runner touched the surface of every emotion we humans go through. One could not even predict what was going to happen next, and that is why it was my favorite.