It seems kind of grotesque in the beginning when they are all jubilant because they are about to go to war. There is celebrations for the soldiers and the whole place is buzzing with excitement. If the townspeople knew the horror that war came with, they didn't show it, they were gladly sending them off to fight. “It was indeed a glad and gracious time” That is grotesque and also an incongruity because they are happy to send them to war, and while war might not be going on in their country, some of them still should have had the feeling of being scared that their loved ones might not come home from the war. There is another incongruity when it says “...Envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth into the field of honor.” This is an incongruity because sure, the people might want to be known and even be proud of the men in their family, but by sending them to war, they are risking someone else’s life for a little pride, that they could get by having their son or brother do something else. War is inevitable, and all men at the age of 18 were drafted into it, but people should have been terrified that the war was going to come to their country or that their loved one would die. 

The author’s feelings toward war is that while yes, it is something terrible, the community can come together about it. He writes about a church, where the priest is praying for the people, and he uses imagery when he describes the priest as wearing a “Robe that reached to his feet, his head bear, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders.” He is describing the priest in a typical priest way, for the time period. Now, only Catholic priests look like that very often. Later on in the piece, the author uses a surprise, because during the service a man walked in and stated he “Came from the throne-- bearing a message from the Almighty God.” 

The surprise man went on to talk about prayers and how they work. He's states that one prayer is said, but there are others that are not, which is true. But, it is also an understatement, God knows your prayers before you do. The church went on to pray for victory in the war, but according to the man, in order for them to win the war, the other country would have to lose. There’s nothing wrong with that, until he starts the prayer. “O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead.” The author made this ironic because the man prayed for them, but not what they were asking him to pray for. That community didn’t know what was going to happen in order to win the war, and the man brought the reality to them. 

By the end of the piece, the author tells that everything the man was saying is true. “It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.” The things the man said are common sense, and the author knows that. He knows that for one country to win, the other has to lose badly. He knows that there are prayers that go unvoiced. The author showed the community the reality of war and of prayer. 

In The Wrong Girl, Hannah Smith starts out locked in the attic of an earl. Hannah is locked there with her friend, Violet Jameson, who is the daughter of Lord Wade. For 16 years, Hannah was locked in the attic, until she got kidnapped by the gardener there, Jack Langley. Up until the point where Hannah got kidnapped, she believed that Violet could start fires with her mind. Hannah was narcoleptic and when she got angry she would fall asleep. While she lived in the attic, she would get angry with the teachers the Lord hired and she would fall asleep. Whenever Hannah woke up from the episodes, whatever room she was in would be wet, and if it didn't have wool in it, burning or covered in scorch marks. Hannah believed Violet started the fires with her mind, and Hannah believed that Violets ‘trigger’ was when Hannah fell asleep, Violet got scared and started the fires. “I was, after all, a prisoner, a narcoleptic and a companion to a lady who started fires with her mind.” (p.10) In this part, Hannah is talking about how she did not get greeted by a footman at her mansion, because Hannah is not the daughter of Lord Wade, Violet is. 

Later in the book, Hannah, Violet, and one of their teachers were taking a walk before it turned to winter. It was pretty late, just before the sun set, and they took a route through the woods. It started pouring rain, and so the girls all ran for shelter- they knew there was a gardener shed a ways back in the woods. Hannah and Violet got there, but when they turned to talk to their teacher, they realized she was not with them. The girls stayed in the shed for a little while to wait out the storm, but when it had been going for a while and showed no sign of letting up, Hannah got restless. They heard something outside and Hannah thought it was the gardener so she went outside to tell him why they were there, but when she got outside, no one was there. “Someone grabbed me from behind. A hand holding a cloth clamped over my nose and mouth. A sweet smell swamped me and clung to the back of my throat.” (p.15) This happened when someone kidnapped Hannah, thinking it was Violet. When Hannah woke up after the effects of whatever knocked her out wore off, she was in a carriage with some lady she had never seen, and the gardner. They took her to a place called Windamere Manor. 

While Hannah was at the manor, the Freak House, as they call it, she tried to escape. Hannah ran off into the woods, but she got caught. After she got caught, she had to go talk to the owner of the Freakhouse. During their conversation he told Hannah that she would only have to stay there until Christmas, as long as she didn't try to run away again. Hannah agreed to stay and not try to run away. During her stay at the Freakhouse, Hannah had training to start fires with her mind because that is the reason she got kidnapped. Hannah, upon arrival, thought  she couldn’t do it, that it was Violet that was the fire starter. Hannah tried for weeks and weeks, but she couldn't do it. One day, she was talking to the man that kidnapped her, and he made her mad. More mad than she had ever been, and she thought she would pass out, since she is narcoleptic. Hannah forced herself to stay awake because she did not want the man that kidnapped her to think she was weak. Despite how much Hannah tried, she just didn’t think she could stay awake, until she noticed sparks flying from her fingers. She didn't think they were hers, she thought the sparks were Jacks, since he was the only other known fire starter in the world, but she realized they were hers. 

During Hannah’s journey, she learned that if you push yourself, you can achieve great things. Hannah achieved not only staying awake when she would normally fall asleep, but also that she could start fires with her mind. When you push yourself or are pushed by others, you can achieve almost anything. 

unattainable— Caucasian characteristics for all. Her god would 

smite her, would hurl her from pinnacles and lose her in deserts, 

but she would not forsake his altars. Behind her crude words was a 

belief that somehow she and others through worship could attain 

her paradise — a heaven of straighthaired, thin-lipped, high-nose 

boned white seraphs. The physical impossibilities in no way injured 

feith. That was the mystery and mysteries are the chores of gods. 

Beyond her faith was a fanaticism to defend the altars of her god. 

It was distressing to emerge from her inner temple and find these 

black desccrators howling with laughter before the door. Oh, for 

an army, terrible with banners and swords! 

So she didn't cling to Janie Woods the woman. She paid 

homage to Janie's Caucasian characteristics as such. And when 

she was with Janie she had a feeling of transmutation, as if she 

herself had become whiter and with straighter hair and she hated 

Tea Cake first for his defilement of divinity and next for his telling 

mockery of her. If she only knew something she could do about 

it! But she didn't. Once she was complaining about the carry- 

ings-on at the jook and Tea Cake snapped, "Aw, don't make God 

look so foolish — findin* fault wid everything He made." ' (Hurston, 145)

With the close reads, I made an analysis of why I chose the devices I chose, and they are exaggeration, foil, pathos, and nostalgia. This piece impacted me a lot because it helped me come to terms with something I constantly struggled with which was that death is unavoidable. In my life, I always worry about my loved ones and death and this story kind of helped me be a little more rational about it.

This is an excerpt of the short story I wrote for the symbolism unit. This writing helped me to not only write what I felt like writing, but also to improve my creativity. This was fun for me to write.

Could it be the face that you make me smile?

Could it be that you love me too,

That you always go the extra mile?

Not even my favorite book do I love like I do you

The suspenseful turn of all the pages

I love you more than I do the zoo

And all those animals in their cages.

But books end and animals pass

My love for you will be eternal

Something like a giant landmass

What we have is really quite vernal.

A love that feels like a new spring day

I know that you will always make a way.

This was recent, the sonnet we had to write. I enjoyed writing this because I could choose to write about whatever I wanted. This assignment expanded my vocabulary, I learned what 'Vernal' meant. It also helped me rhyme better, it helped me to be able to come up with rhymes easier.

When they asked Mr. Delanto what other substances he used while he drove, he stated he used drugs while  he drove. 

  “I mean, I don't necessarily smoke while I drive, but if I’m about to leave for a stressful meeting or I know I am about to do a tough task, I smoke a little or drink before I leave. Just enough for a little buzz to help me focus while I’m driving.”

Mr. Delanto is someone we can all look up to, he hasn’t gotten into a single accident while driving under the influence, so it can't be too hard to do. "

This is from the satire unit, which was my favorite. This unit helped me to improve my writing ability because I got to use a lot of dialogue and sarcasm.