Anything Can Happen (The Giver/Anthem Essay)

Cassi Mecham Mr. Gowans LA 12 12/11/2012 

Anything Can Happen 

Anything could change in just a short amount of time. Sometimes we take people and what they do for granted. In Anthem and The Giver that is exactly what happens. Jonas and Equality are different but the same. They both strive for change and want to do whatever they can to get it. No matter how scary and challenging it may be they still go through with it. They both have to leave and survive on their own. Without them leaving they would be stuck in a situation that is far worse than ever leaving. That is why they stand up and put in for change and getting ready to deal with the consequences. People think that one person isn’t capable of bringing change but little do they know that with courage and bravery anything can happen. 

Jonas is the main character from The Giver. He is smart, wise, curious, and intelligent. He sees and processes things differently from everyone else. His community hides and blocks a lot of feelings which Jonas doesn’t understand. “Jonas you have been selected the next receiver of memory” (Lowry 64). After being chosen for this particular job he finally understands the way his community works. But it doesn’t make sense to him why they hide so many things from everyone. What they hide and do are some things that Jonas absolutely does not agree with. Because the things he experiences being the receiver are some of the most amazing and the most terrifying things to him. “Jonas stood for a moment beside his bike startled. It happened again: the thing that he thought of now as seeing beyond” (Lowry 90). He has always had this different experience that let him see things other couldn’t. Before Jonas was selected he didn’t understand it. But after doing his training he began to understand what was happening and that he was the only one who had this ability. He knew that he had to get out, and find what real life is. 

Equality 7-2521 is the main character of Anthem. He is a lot like Jonas; he is very smart, wise, curious and brave. Where he lives is supposed to be a society of equality but it really is not.  They do not speak of the life and times before them. Their society is said that all men are equal and they act as one. But Equality 7-2521 knows he is the only one who worries and thinks about the unmentionable times unlike all of his brothers. Everyone is an individual that is why he really wants things to be different; he wants people to feel the way he does. “But we pulled the grill and it gave way. And we saw iron rings as steps leading down a shaft into a darkness without bottom” (Rand 31). He knew that there was something down there that he needed to see. No matter what the consequences were he took that risk and went down inside. He discovered light and how amazing it is while down there and he wanted others to know about it. He is ready to change his society forever. “We placed our glass box upon the table before them we spoke of it and of our long quest and of our tunnel” (Rand 70). It took a lot of courage for Equality to present this box in front of the scholars. He didn’t exactly know what to expect but happened was definitely not good. It was so bad that it drove him away, because he acted as an individual. He needed a fresh start; he wanted things to be different. The scholars didn’t want that, because it was not a collective effort.  

Jonas and Equality to me are two very similar characters. They are both extremely curious and aware of the things around them. Near the end of both of these books it is up to them to bring change, to make something extraordinary happen. I mean Equality didn’t have to go through the process of leaving his society with pain and suffering, all he did was leave and that was it. Jonas was the receiver and by him leaving his memories returned to those people and most likely devastated them. But they both escaped, they conquered their fears by leaving each community. Now it is up to them to see what they are able to accomplish next. “For the coming of that day shall I fight me and, my sons, and my chosen friends.  For the freedom of man. For his rights. For his life. For honor.” (Rand 75). Equality knows what he has to do to gain back the freedom of brothers. He will stop at nothing to get it. As for Jonas I believe he feels the same. “”He surprisingly felt not fear, nor any regret at leaving the community behind” (Lowry 179). Jonas knew what he did was right and so did the Giver. He had to do it; it was the only thing that mattered to him. 

If you have courage and bravery you are capable to bring change even if you stand as an individual. Jonas and Equality both share those traits equally. They knew what they were doing was right and it was time for somebody to step up and take the challenge to fix their society. Because in no way can we live in a society or community based off of being equal. It just will not be able to happen. These two courageous characters know that, that’s why they gave their all and made a big difference in their lives. One individual could do anything; especially of they put their heart to it. It catches a lot of other people off guard because they do not expect it. But if we had people in our world like Jonas or Equality maybe something bigger and better would happen. Maybe one person really could change the world. But people are just too afraid to put everything into one person’s hands. You never know what could happen until you try. 

    

  

 Works Cited 

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York, New York:  

Houghton Mifflin Company. 2012. Print. 

Rand, Ayn. Anthem. New York, New York: 

New American Library. 2012. Print. 

Consequences of Bad Decisions (Weekly Post 13)

Let me just get this started, this week I've learned about the consequences of bad decisions. It's not that I made a bad decision but someone else did. I mean if you know exactly what will come from making the decision why would you just go out of your way to do it anyway?! That is something that I just do not understand. Like if you already know your parents are going to FLIP out and ground you and yell at you why would you rebel against them. Sometimes I just feel like slapping someone in the face. It can not be that hard to be a good kid and to make very decent and good choices. People think that they have to rebel, but in reality you don't.

There are plenty of great things you could be doing then breaking the law and being stupid. It's just that to me I just never want to get caught up in all this crap because I don't want to turn out to be a bad kid. It's just not worth it to me. Bad choices are always followed with bad consequences. Sometimes I wish that kids brains functioned the same way mine does, but of course that's not going to happen. I just feel like my mind works differently and I really think things through before I do them. Not once have I ever had a problem with making the good, right decision. I have just always done it no matter what.

Snow Snow Snow (Weekly Post 12)

This weekend let me just tell you, I learned how to drive in the snow. I must say it was a very kind of terrifying experience. If you have never driven on the freeway in Salt Lake or the canyon between here and Spanish Fork in the snow then you are in for a big treat! My life was flashed before my eyes, no i'm totally kidding but it was definitely a scary experience. I was alone on my way home from Ogden, it seemed to be an absolute perfect day outside but oh no. When I made my way past Layton that's when everything turned to crap. The roads were suddenly soaking wet and I couldn't see a thing. I almost turned around and went back to Ogden but I decided not too.

If you know what I mean it is a very scary thing to experience! But it has also made me a better driver because now I know exactly what to expect next time I make my way up there! Although it kind of scares me to drive in it but it's totally worth it because my boyfriend lives up there. I guess driving in that has made me prepared for next year when I move up there. That should be a pretty interesting experience. But hey i'm still alive and going strong so I need to stop worrying so much about it. I should just be very proud of myself that I got the courage to just do it!

True Meaning of Friendship (Weekly Post 11)

This week I sort of learned what true friendship is. Well I guess you could say I realized what it means. To me it means that you always have someones back no matter what. Through thick and thin, you don't judge one another even if you don't completely agree on what they happen to say or do. You don't make rude remarks on mistakes they have made or make them feel worthless when they mess up. I just feel like a lot of people abuse friendship like extremely! No one should ever feel like they have no one to turn to when things get rough. It's kind of not a very wonderful feeling. That's why I think you should show your true colors always. Because there should be no excuse for you to be fake to someone you claim to be your "bestfriend".

Friends come and go, that's just life it's always going to be like that. To people I have talked to they only keep in touch with maybe one or two people from high school. But there's always going to be that one person who will always be there for you no matter what may happen in your life. I am truly grateful for the friends that I have kept in my life. I am also so very excited to leave behind every single person who has broken me down or made me feel less and worthless. There is so much in the world, I can't wait to meet new people and make new friends. It will be a dream come true!

Thanksgiving (Weekly Post 10 Missing Post 10/28)

This week I just have to write about Thanksgiving to tell you how absolutely AWFUL it was. Okay so there I am Wednesday night at work feeling perfectly normal. So I sat down with my sister and ate a little, but I started feeling sick so I stopped. I just ignored it and didn't pay attention to it but what do ya know i felt like I was going to die while finishing my shift at work! My stomach was KILLING me, and it just got worse and worse. When I got home I laid down in my bed but that didn't help either. I got up and what do you know I had to take off and run to the bathroom. My night consisted of staying up with the stomach flu. Grrrrrrrrr.

So yay, what a fantastic way to spend Thanksgiving huh? Let me just die in bed while everyone stuffs their faces and gets fat. I just laid in bed all day and didn't eat crap! Seriously though I felt depressed because I absolutely LOVE Thanksgiving. Hands down one of my favorite holidays. I just can't believe I ended up getting the stomach flu. Whoever passed it to me needs to be slapped for real. But one good thing I can say that came out of it is that I didn't gain any weight like the rest of my family. I lost like 6 pounds! But it was still extremely awful.

New Music (Weekly Post 9)

This week i have learned something about myself. So a few years ago I was a completely different person. To me music determines a lot of who you are. But that is not always the case. When I was a younger teenager and kind of ridiculous all I used to listen to was this ridiculous heavy music. I mean I went to so many screamo concerts and felt like they were the best. But really I figured out that that is NOT the best music out there. As I've gotten older I have definitely changed my view on music. It kind of makes me laugh because now i listen to this up beat happy indie, alternative folk music. Who ever knew that I would finally come to my senses and grow up.

It made me said that this happened though because I didn't ever think that I would kind of despise heavy music. I mean sure I still listen to it occasionally but not as much as I used too. Maybe it's just because I've grown up a wee bit in the last little while. I'm actually proud that it happened the way it did, because I don't feel like i'm trying to hard to be cool. I'm just myself and can finally act like myself too. Music doesn't determine who you are and how you look. It doesn't matter how you dress. You can listen to whatever you want and dress like an idiot. I just can't believe I thought that because I liked heavy music i felt the need to wear band t-shirts and tons of make up. I was dumb. haha

Same Love (weekly post 8)

This week I haven't really learned anything new but there's one specific thing that has been sticking out to me.  That is the song Same Love by Macklemore. It's an extremely inspirational song and it has so much of an impact on you when you listen to it. It's a song about gay rights. i know there is a lot of people this day and age who think it is wrong. But I am here to tell you that it's not and so is Macklemore. I almost guarantee that this will have some what of a greater affect on you.

I'm not saying that it will change the way you think and view things but it might give you a change of heart. I know that it gave me a stronger feeling toward gay rights even though I've always agreed with them. It's seriously just America fearing what they don't know and going from a book made 3,500 years ago as Macklemore says. Because in all honesty we judge to harshly. We need to put ourselves in their shoes. Seriously if it was a choice like everyone makes it out to be would people kill themselves for afraid of being who they are.

I just think everybody should listen to that song and maybe next time think about it before you say something horrible. Because gay rights should be accepted, well at least i think they should. The world might turn out to be a better place. If we learn to keep our mouths shut and don't judge anyone. By who someone is we should not say anything to others.


P.S. listen to that song Same Love by Macklemore

Alabama Crimson Tide (Weekly Post 7)

First off I completely spaced it with the weekly post this week so yay, mines late! But this week I learned about football, not just how it works but everything about it. I never really thought that I would actually ever like football. But I do now, and I’m really glad that Jared taught me everything he knows about it. I learned how it really has affected his life. It’s actually I really cool thing to watch how literally happy he is when his team wins. This team is the Alabama Crimson Tide, and holy crap are they good!

            Before learning about football I would miserably watch it when it was on my grandparents TV. Now I actually get excited to watch Alabama with Jared, because of what that team is capable of doing. I feel really weird talking about this because I really am in no way a sports girl! Normally I could care less about it but when it comes to the Saturdays I spend with Jared and all we do is watch football, I really look forward to it. I was stressed when Alabama was down and LSU was winning but when they made that AMAZING come back I was so happy for Jared! I guess I learned how to enjoy something that never seemed interesting to me. I’m glad I like it now! (:

Family Is Everything (Theme Essay)

In the three stories that I have picked they all tie in with the importance of family. These stories are What I Pawn You May Redeem by Sherman Alexie, Lullaby by Leslie Marmon Silko, and Domingo by Oscar Casares. The common theme for these stories that keeps going through my mind is how important family really is. Throughout these stories they talk about coping with loss of a family member. The characters in these three stories are tough, they know exactly what they have to do to be able to go on everyday. Even though it was hard for each and every one of them they knew they had to do it.Without family life can be hard, it feels like we can’t survive but somehow through everything we find a way to seek their attention and start living again.
    In Sherman Alexie’s story What You Pawn I Will Redeem, Jackson Jackson is on a journey to make $999 to buy back his grandmothers regalia. It was amazingly important to him because that is all he has left of her. He did all that he could to get it back, even though it was very unsuccessful. “I took my grandmother’s regalia and walked outside. I knew that solitary yellow bead was part of me” (Alexie 457). He felt whole again once that regalia was finally in his arms again. He could feel how apart of it he was, how it warmed his soul. After losing her a long time ago, having that regalia brought back a lot of comfort for him to know that she is with him always. “I wrapped myself in my grandmother’s regalia and breathed her in” (Alexie 457). He could feel her, smell her, touch her through her dress. It was like she was in her presence again. I think it helped him regain confidence to have a piece of his family with him, so he doesn’t feel so alone. “They all watched me dance with my grandmother. I was my grandmother, dancing.” (Alexie 457). He was his grandmother. He has the same flesh and the same blood as her. I think he missed her a lot more than he thought.
    Lullaby by Leslie Marmon Silko shares Ayah and Chato’s experience of losing their children to the government. It shows you what its like living on the bare minimums then having everything fall apart. The go through the process of the loss of their children and how to cope with it. “She did not sleep for a long time after they took her children” (Silko 98). Losing them to someone else hurt her the most, because she was not able to hardly ever see them. It’s all that she can think about. She was afraid that someone would harm them, or else they would eventually die. As a mother her children were her life and to have them taken from her it’s like they had taken her life. “She carried the pain in her belly and it was fed by everything that she saw” (Silko 99). Her home and her surroundings brought back memories to her about how her children act. Everything that she would see fed that pain and made it greater. Everything that she saw would show her children’s faces and make her think about them. I don’t think she ever thought that she would ever experience something this tough and this emotional. She is a very strong woman and I don’t think a lot of people recognized that.
    Domingo by Oscar Casares talks about the life of Domingo living in America with the absence of his family. He flashes back to what happens in the past with his daughter and his wife. He feels like he is the blame for them losing their daughter when it was just an accident. He learns how to go through every day without them. “He wished he could go back and be with his wife, cross the bridge and buy a ticket for the next bus headed south” (Casares 77). The mistakes that happened pushed him and his wife apart. He wished more than anything that he could take back what happened, but there was no way for him to do that. “His wife had asked him to build a fire pit so she could heat water to wash clothes. He turned around for a second. Even now he had trouble understanding why his wife had left him with the baby.” By this point his daughter had fallen into the fire and was hurt permanently. He felt as if everything was all his fault. His daughter only lived a month after she was hurt. It literally changed his life forever. Domingo didn’t think he would be able to move on from this experience but he knew that he needed to.
    We seek attention from family that has passed on, they give us strength, courage and hope that we will never take on things by ourselves. The loss of a family member can be tough, even if it isn’t losing them to death. The characters in this story experience loss in 2 different ways. For two stories it was death and for one it wasn’t. Family literally is absolutely everything, you may not think so now but later on you will. Theses people in these stories need their family members, they miss them. It’s hard to move on and let go when you don’t want to. Like Ayah, letting her children go with the government, and having her know they are growing up without her. Domingo blaming himself for his daughter’s death when clearly it was an accident. Also Jackson for missing his grandmother but finding comfort when he found her regalia. We have to remember that it is absolutely possible for us to find ways to comfort ourselves from loss. No matter how the loss has taken place there is always room for us to grasp our memories of them but still be able to function through our daily lives. That is why i chose the theme family means everything, because they really do. No matter how they do, but they have impact on our lives that no one else has. In every way our family lives whether its long or a lot shorter than we expected or maybe they haven’t passed at all. We know that they are always there to watch over and to make sure we succeed. We always have them as a guardian angel.

Motivation Weekly Post 6

            So lately I’ve been actually getting off my lazy butt and working out. Yeah it’s not the funnest thing to do in the world but turns out it’s extremely rewarding. I guess you could say that I finally learned how to motivate myself. Which I never thought I would be able to do because it’s kind of hard to lose weight without some sort of motivation. If I could I would just eat and eat and eat and eat and gain weight! But that is definitely not an option here.

            I was catching up on my weekly YouTube videos and came across this video from on of my favorite YouTubers. She was talking about this workout called 30 Day Shred by Jillian Micheals. I got a little nervous cause I remember about a year ago me and my older sister tried that workout and HATED it. I was like ehhhh I don’t think I’ll do it. I definitely changed my mind quickly, because she said all these good things about it so I decided why not! I gave it a shot and I’m not quit to 30 days yet but im getting there.

            I just think that it’s really awesome that I finally just did it with no questions. It’s nice going home from school workingout then being able to sleep before midnight. Believe me its been years since I have gotten 8-9 hours of sleep. Finally I’m able to function at school and not fall asleep every second! All I can say is it can be hard to get motivation from others. You need to learn to motivate yourself, because if you want to look good it is possible. You just can’t give up on it if it seems to hard! Stick with it and trust me you will be happy you did.

Perks Of Being A Wallflower weekly post 5

This weekend I learned what happiness can really do to you. It can really make a difference with the way things work in your life. If you go about things with an up beat and positive you usually get a positive out come. Happiness is the key to getting what you want out of life. It really is, being miserable is not something that I have planned out! I’ve learned to push back things and keep a smiling face.
The reason for me bringing this up is because I finally got to see the movie Perks Of Being A Wallflower. I have read the book 3 times and have waited probably 2 years for it to become a movie. To see how being positive and happy can change your life is something that everyone should do. It’s just not worth it to me to be sad. Like Charlie in the book, saddest kid ever. But yet he still makes a great outcome and is a sweetheart to everyone. He is still happy even though he has problems.
That’s what made me think really hard about life. It may not be EXACTLY what you want sometimes but if you go about it with being happy it turns out so much better. Trust me, you feel like you can conquer the world. That is a wonderful feeling to have. I mean look at me im happy that I saw that movie, it was life changing. I finally got to see that book played in front of my face. It makes you think a lot and learn a lot from it. You learn about how to treat people. Well at least for me, that’s what happened. But then again I learned that when I read that book.
I just think everyone should read the book and then experience the outcome of the movie. To me it was very touching and I’m glad I went out and took the time to see it. I think it would touch anyone. Everyone should learn how that feels, maybe some people think that its dumb but to me its important. We should have a greater feeling if we hurt someone or compliment someone. Who knows maybe we could change someone’s life. That is how I want to be I want to be like Charlie from Perks Of Being A Wallflower. I want to learn how to be positive always and change someone’s life.

Long Distance Weekly Post 4 (I think)

I know by the title this doesn't sound like something many of you would like to read. But don't let it stop you. I have learned pretty much all you could ever know about maintaining a long distance relationship. A lot of people jump back at the idea and don't ever give it a try. Most people think it is a waste of time and not worth it. I am here to tell you that it is so worth it. There shouldn't be hesitation because someone isn't as close as you want them to be.

Through this experience i have learned how to cope with the absence of my significant other. It is extremely hard at first and from time to time. It literally feels like someone had ripped your heart right out of your chest. But when you fill your day up with things that keep you busy it starts to get easier. I've noticed that when i'm at school and then I go to work that i'm not as mopey. It just takes a lot of strength to not let it get in your way and completely ruin any day you have.

Yes, you may think you get farther and farther apart with you're mate but that is not always the case. With me and my significant other we always talk. Whether it is on the phone or if all we can do is text, it doesn't matter. Because when they are gone for weeks at a time, the feeling you get when you see them again is something i can't explain. I never lose that excited butterfly feeling in my tummy. It's always there, whenever it gets closer and closer to us to be together again.

The time you spend together while you're in a long distance relationship is so special compared to others. You cherish every single moment you have together, it's amazing. There is nothing but smiling and laughing and loving. Everything is just perfect. I never thought that I would be able to do it, but look at me here I am still with him with almost 5 months of dealing with long distance. To me, I think it is worth it. If you love somebody that much it shouldn't be hard to go the extra mile and do long distance. Miles don't mean anything when somebody means so much.

Modeling for a Night 9/16 missing blog

Taking pictures may seem like an easy thing to do. When you're put on the spot and some one is taking them

of you it isn't that easy. Modeling is very hard, and I don't think i could ever do it as a job. How you sit still and pose for so long takes a lot of self control. I swear it is one of the hardest things to do.

Friday night i was a model for three hours. Learning how to stand still and making the right face is a tough thing to do. Miss Abbie Warnock is a rockin' photographer and i'd model for her anyday. It's funny how i keep saying i'm her model but really she just took my senior portraits! I know you probably think, wow big deal! But i never have had a photoshoot before and learning what to do is pretty difficult.

I had to conquer some of my fears and go out big time. you may not think that sitting on the edge of a building would be fun but i felt on top of the world. This experience was amazing and i'm so glad I got to do it. Abbie takes you to greater heights and makes it all about you. It's absolutely amazing to feel so confident and good about yourself! Not to mention the attention you get.

Woman Hollering Creek Response

This story is about Cleofilas who looks back a lot on the time before she was married, when she

was happy. She married Juan Pedro and moved to Texas. She always wondered about the creek

behind her house and the meaning of it. She starts getting beaten by her huscand and finally wakes

up. That’s when she knows she has to escape. Felice is the girl that helps Cleofilas escape. The

don’t really know eachother but Felice tries to make her feel comfortable. “Felice is like no woman

she’d ever met.” (Cisneros paragraph 82). To me this is a compliment because Felice is like a

breath of fresh air and is getting Cleofilas a new start at something better.
         
 Felice is understanding of Cleofilas because she agrees to giving her a ride. “No just a

ride, she’s got her own money” (Cisneros paragraph 65). She was hesitant at first but she pushes

that aside. To me she has a big heart and she’s willing to help out this girl she’s never met. She

went in and got it done, she didn’t act rude about it. Maybe she felt it was the right thing to do. If

she didn't help Cleo would be stuck in Texas with Juan Pedro constantly hurting her.

"The driver opened her mouth and let out a yell as loud as any mariachi" (Cisneros

paragraph 77). Felice hollers every time she goes over Women Hollering Creek. It scares Cleo but

at the same time i think she thought it was funny. To me Felice was just trying to be up beat and

comfortable with her. Because she is like a breath of fresh air to Cleo. She just wanted her to feel

comfortable and to be around someone with a fun loud personality. I think Cleo needed that. It

brought some kind of comfort to her along the drive.

The way Felice talks is like care free. She doesn't change herself just because of Cleo.

She gives her a chance of bettering her life and helping a change come. Her personality is this way

because she wants to get Cleo's mind off of Juan Pedro and just of the fun things that she is about

to enjoy. It's like Felice is introducing something new to her by showing her it's okay to laugh and to

be goofy. It's almost like Felice was getting her to break some what out of her shell, and not hide

anymore.

Having a breath of fresh air from what is going on around you can really pay off. I really

believe that Cleo meant that as a compliment. Because to me it doesn't seem like she knows

anybody up beat and crazy.Not to mention Felice is a saint for taking her away from that horrible

state she was in. So i definitely don't think she was critisizing her for any reason. I think it was

good for her to experience that, to understand what life is without the abuse. To know that she can

over come this and finally move on with her life.

Imagine Dragons Weekly Post 2

I completely fell in love with this band from the first time I heard their music. They are called Imagine Dragons. I learned something extremely incredible about them. Something that never ever crossed my mind before. All I can say is it is a very small world. There are somethings hidden in this world that will continue to amaze you every day. You never know the things you might find out.

            So this band Imagine Dragons is from Provo and Las Vegas. Pretty legit I know, but that’s not the point. My cousin Jake served a LDS mission 4 or 5 years ago. You’re probably thinking what the crap does this have to do with this band. Well I will tell you my friend, I was informed that the lead singer Dan Reynolds actually was on the same mission as my cousin Jake. My whole body tightened when I heard this, I just simply couldn’t believe it.

            It may not seem that cool to you. But it blows my freaking mind every single time that I think about it. This incredible indie/alternative band has a connection with one of my family members. When I know somebody in a band or someone else does I just think it’s the coolest thing ever. What makes this even better is that I will see them this weekend! Words can’t even describe how exicted I am. Maybe if I’m lucky I will meet them and ask about Jake.

            I just felt the need to share this because it really was a learning experience for me. I learned a fun fact pretty much. You know me, I love fun facts. To me its just amazing and inspirational that Jake has the oppourtunity to be friends with these people who write such heart felt music. They have bumped up to number one in my favorite bands. They literally are that good, check them out. You will never regret it EVER.

My Response (Silver Pavements)

            The main thing that I felt I needed to respond to in this story is equality. It plays a big role in our lives today. It hit me the most out of any other thing. Everyone is different and unique in their own special way, but in ways we are the same. We may not really think that we are the same as anyone else, but we share similar qualities. Even though we are from different cultures and we may have different skin tones doesn’t give us any reason to follow in what we believe in.

            “I touch their feet like a good Indian girl should, though I am somewhat embarrassed. Everyone in the airport is watching us, I’m sure of it. Aunt is embarrassed too, and shifts her weight from leg to leg” (Divakaruni 38). Jayanti should not be embarrassed to show respect to her relatives. Her relatives also shouldn’t feel weird about her showing her feelings to them. It really doesn’t matter if they get stared at; it’s something that is very important to their culture. It is okay to show that kind of love to someone.

            “The voices follow us for a long time. Nigger, nigger, slush-voices, trickling into us even when we’ve finally found the right road back to our building, which had been only one street away all the time” (Divakaruni 52). People are so inconsiderate. There is no reason for the boys in this story to say those things to them. Just because they have darker skin doesn’t give people the right to throw things at them at chase them. They are people too, they aren’t any less then we are. We are all human. I don’t understand people who are racist towards others. Especially for the girls in this story, they did absolutely nothing.

            “When I finally look down I notice that the snow had covered my own hands so they are no longer brown but white, white, white.” (Divakaruni 56). This is where equality plays a big part. She reminisces about people that have been in her life for merely minutes. She shouldn’t feel like she needs to become something different. She is unique and has a lot going for her already, it is impossible for her to just throw everything away. Being something you’re not can really change your life in ways you don’t want it too.

            People from all over the world are different, but in our own ways we are all equal. We should never give up just because we may look different, speak different, or dress different doesn’t mean we should be ashamed of it. We should be proud of our culture and live it and love it every day. Just because someone may not like us doesn’t mean that we should change who we are. We are all special and unique, we should have no reason to change.  

Cheesecake Weekly Post 1

            Saturday night is when I learned how to make this new and amazing cheesecake. It seriously could change your life it is so fluffy and smooth. I swear the trick is putting sour cream in it. I know what you’re thinking; sour cream in cheesecake is good? Yes my friend it is not just good, it’s fantastic. Maybe it’s just because I’m obsessed with cheesecake but oh well.

            To make this INSANELY delicious treat you need cream cheese, sour cream, cool whip, sugar and vanilla. Throw all of those wonderful ingredients in a bowl and mix, mix, mix! Then it becomes this fluffy mixture! You whip out one of those graham cracker crusts and dump it in there. Then pop it in the fridge. You don’t even really have to let it sit in there for a long time.

            Once you give it time to relax, you pull it out, cut a piece, and throw it in a bowl. Grab some of those super yummy frozen strawberries and literally put a mountain of them on just one piece. If you don’t like strawberries perhaps you would enjoy some cherry pie filling or even blueberry! You think you will be able to slowly enjoy it; yeah no you will scarf it down in like 2 seconds and go for more.

            All I can say is that I’m pretty excited that I learned how to make it. Because it’s super easy, you don’t have to take 5 years making it! That way you can enjoy it in no time at all. I know this is probably a ridiculous thing to write about but hey I was extremely pumped about it! (:

Something I Won't Forget

I would repeatedly tell him I hated him because of how bad he used to make me feel. But isn’t that a normal thing for a little sister to say? My oldest brother Wayde was a jerk. He was constantly teasing me and making me cry. I despised every bit of him, and just wanted him to go away and never come back. Little did I know that the summer before my 4^th grade year would change the way I felt forever.

            Every summer my dad, Cady and I would grow a huge tomato garden. That summer we had about 300 plants to take care of and needed a little extra help. I remember my dad saying that Wayde would be out to help. Time kept passing and he never showed up. We finally took a break to see what was going on. When we got inside the house something did not feel right at all. Something was definitely different.

            Repeatedly my dad told my brother to get up, but he didn’t budge. I watched him pull the blankets off of Wayde but he would instantly put them back on. Finally my dad got him off the bed and tried to talk to him. There were no fluent words that left Wayde’s mouth; just mumbling it was like he forgot how to talk. My dad had Cady get my mom on the phone. Almost immediately she came home from work and they took him to the clinic.

            I received a phone call telling me to pack clothes for my mom. Wayde was then taken to Price on the ambulance. My mom decided that she would ride with him, while I rode with my dad in our suburban. Everything just seemed a blur. I was afraid of what would happen next. I sat in the waiting room at Castle View for about 2 hours. That is a really long time for a little kid to sit still. Finally my dad came and got me to take me to my brother. I didn’t even want to go, I was so afraid.

            His body lay on the bed like he was lifeless. My mom had tears constantly running down her face. She too was just as scared as I was. But sooner than we thought the doctors told us he needed to be life flighted to Primary Childrens. We went on with that and made our way to Salt Lake City very late at night. Primary Children’s was huge to me, I didn’t like being there. We showed up in Wayde’s room and waited for them to bring him in. It took too long so my dad decided he would take me to a hotel so we could get some sleep. While my mom stayed behind.

            I woke up that morning about 6 am to the sound of my dad crying. Never once had I ever heard him cry before then. He informed me that Wayde had 2 grand mal seizures and that he was now in ICU. My heart broke to see my parents cry. I was too little to really understand what was happening. Everything was just a blur. Most of the time my days consisted of spending time in ICU with my brother. He was unresponsive for the longest time. At night when he was finally able to come to it my dad asked him the same question over and over. “Wayde, who am i?” he would say. It took about 5 times for Wayde to register what he was saying. He finally wiped the blank confused stare off his face and said “Dad”.

            It gave my dad hope that everything would be okay. The nights my mom spent in the hospital with him seemed endless. No doctor could find what was wrong. It was all just a mystery. My sister and I were stuck at home during the summer with Grandma Bonnie. Everyone else was at my Aunts house in Springville, to be closer to the hospital so it was easier for them to be there for Wayde when he needed it.

            We didn’t think that he was going to make it. He just didn’t seem like he was getting any better. The total of his seizures ended at 63. I couldn’t believe it, that number really scared me. I remember my Grandpa Lee saying a prayer for him to help us all feel a little better. But turns out he started getting better from that day on. No one at the hospital knew how he was or why. All they know is that there was definitely someone watching over us.

            Towards the end of the summer our experience at the hospital came to an end. Wayde finally was able to come home and stay home. Our family was all back together and we were told not to worry. His sickness never did return and doctors never found out what it was or why it happened. They had ideas of what it could have been but never a legitimate answer. It all just seemed crazy to me that not one person knew.

            Without knowing what was headed my way and the feelings I had that summer really hit me how fragile life actually is and that you have the ability to lose someone at any time. We really need to make today better than yesterday.  We don’t know when we could lose someone so close to us. It’s all just a matter of time. I don’t know what my life would be like now if I would have lost my brother. I’m thankful every day that he is still here and that he’s perfectly fine. My feelings towards him have shifted a lot from then till now. I mean yes he’s still a jerk 90% of the time, but I love him. Everything happens for a reason, I’m just glad that I have nothing to worry about anymore.