Land of the Free?

Dear Leaders and Founders of our blessed country,

First off, I would like to thank you for the burdon and tremendous stress you put yourself through to produce our countries first set of ‘rules’. You, brave men, took your opinions and ideas and literally wrote them out to declare our independence from Britain.  Additionally, you emphasised topics that you thought and predicted would be valuable in the future, such as religion, fairness and wellness. How you have impacted the course of history is beyond me, or anyone else. Although what you have done for history is remarkable, our modern society's values have altered what you have set as standards for America.

First, it would astonish you the way our children and teenagers act in this era. In your day and age, young people were taught the real value of a dollar. They were taught how to work, how to live, and furthermore, how to grow up to be successful. Now, children would rather skip school than get an actual education in a land with endless freedoms, the wonderful united States of America. School children take for granted just about everything these days -- the shelter they have over their head, the food that they are privileged to eat, and even their own mothers and fathers.

As a result, we not only have created apathetic teenagers, but the adults of our generation are just as selfish and self centered.. Now, I’m not talking about everyone.  Many grown men and women are successful in their careers and families. But many adults are the exact opposite-- undetermined, and selfish. Back in your generation, everyone worked their fair share to support themselves and their families.  They also had a better understanding of a hard days work.  Nowadays, because of their selfishness, people feel entitled to everything and everyone.

Finally, our society as a whole has become twisted into something completely bitter, arrogant and ignorant. Most everyone tends to be hurtful towards each other, and do little out of the kindness of their heart, unlike the men and women of your generation.  You seemed to live with the idea of “do onto others as you would want them to do to you.” Unfortunately, people today tend to be unkind to each other and sometimes downright rotten. In your day, people treated each other with respect, kindness and compassion. If only things were the same nowadays.

In all honesty, I am glad that you are not alive today to witness the country you helped found. Our country has somehow lost its way. Although you started us off in the right direction, things have drastically changed in many ways  that may disappoint you. Don’t get me wrong, America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave, but the society that makes up this ‘land’ is anything but brave. But on the other hand, things have happened through the course of history that have astonished many. Maybe if we re-read the print you have left us, we can pick up where you brave men have left us off at.

The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven

In the book that I'm reading, The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, there are several small causes and effects that are going on through out the book, but there is one main one that is near to impossible to miss. In the book, main character Alex  Malarky's life is changed in an instant when his father and him run through a red light and head straight for a crash that sending one of their lives nearly down the drain. Alex's father lives, remarkably with little scratches and a mere concussion, but what happens after the whole incident is even more unexplained.

The main cause of the book is the horrific accident, and the effect is the coma that Alex goes into, the depression both of his parents find, and the journey little Alex goes through. Although the car crash ruined many things, without it, nothing would of ever happened to the story, and there would of been no point of reading it. This cause and effect is an example of a person versus person, and although the other person was not hurt in the slightest bit, it effected the story greatly. 

Retelling of Yellow Star

If you are into a diary or autobiography set in the times of the depressing holocaust, this book is for you! Main character Syvia tells her story in classic child language as her daily struggles and hardships will surely take you along for the same ride as her. Although the book is very dreary and blood stained, it gives it’s readers a valuable lesson and will give them a feeling of being in the same time person as young Syvia.

Breaking Dawn's Breaking Points

Breaking Dawn is a thrilling love story between the mortal Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen. After falling desperately in love with each other in the small town of Forks, and settling down for a very nontraditional wedding, things seem to take a toll for the unexpected while on their luxury honeymoon when Bella abruptly finds out that she is pregnant. While giving birth, Bella's life is taken, and transformed into an immortal like her husband and step families. Throughout the book, however, there is an ongoing conflict between Edward's family to protect Bella from the Volturi. While there is a person vs. person conflict between the main characters, there is also a person vs. person conflict between the less important people, like Bella's friend, Jacob, and Edward's whole side of the family. Both of them are fighting for Bella, which causes stress between both families constantly throughout the book.

The resolution to the book is near the end, when the Volturi finally leaves the Cullen family alone after Bella becomes immortal. After she is converted into a vampire, the Volturi feel absolutely no need to bother their family anymore. As for Jacob, near the end, he faces reality when Edward and Bella get married and he can't be part of Bella's life anymore. As sad as it is, the resolution leaves Jacob in a very dark place. Throughout the whole book, stress is abundant, but it dies down in the end, showing who the strong and the weak characters are.

My First Kiss Went a Little Like This..

Your first relationship is something that is special to everyone – first hug, first love, first boyfriend or girlfriend. Young relationships, including mine, ended up badly, but me and him shared something that no one else can ever experience with me – my first kiss. I have to admit, I was hoping for something a little bit more dramatic, maybe involving a glass slipper and a ball gown. But this is reality, and I will have to face the fact that I’m happy I had it when I did and that it wasn’t a bad memory, but a beautiful one.

He was gorgeous...and exactly my type. I sat down -- awkward and inelegantly -- across from him. We were at the park, and it was an exceptionally beautiful May day...a great day for a first kiss, I must state. As we made nonchalant small talk about various topics, he took my hand into his large, manly one, and smiled his perfect smile at me...I was disregarded by his utter beauty to even bother with how stupid my dropped jaw and googly eyes probably looked. I sheepishly studied the features on his face. Baby blue eyes as clear as the ocean, adorable nose, perfectly soft lips...You better kiss me. I know I don’t deserve you at all, but just kiss me already. At the time, I was desperate for my first kiss. It wasn’t a feeling that I wanted, I basically needed to know what it felt like right then and there.

Realizing I’ve been staring at him for roughly 30 seconds, I shook out of my trans. As I came into reality again, he suddenly began to lean in. Are you kidding me? Is this really happening? Is he going to kiss me? HE BETTER KISS ME. Do I close my eyes? What if my lips are chapped? Should I lean in? And all in the split second, before I even had time to think, his perfect lips brushed against mine sweetly and absolutely, and all of my worries, all of my fears, all of my presumptions were suddenly gone. It was breathtaking, really. I was in complete disbelief. Out of words and unable to fully comprehend exactly what just happened, I simply smiled an unconditionally genuine smile at him. I couldn’t believe that I just had my first kiss. And he’s not running from me in terror! Success, I hope...

Looking back on that blissful May day which I remember as if it were just yesterday, I am happy that I had my first kiss when I did. I wouldn’t trade those few priceless moments for anything in the world. More than anything, I am grateful that I don’t regret my decision to kiss him. Plus, I’m also grateful that he didn’t run away, gagging and spewing vomit from his mouth when he pulled away from me..

Go Ask Alice

Surrounded by her own self-loath, the main character of Go Ask Alice, describes her life in ways that connect to people universally. From the beginning -- which she describes herself and bubbly, easy going, and fun, to the end where every day is a struggle to find a feed to her drug addiction.  Seeing the way things change from the first to the last page sends people for a whiplash and makes the reader feel as though they are just as high as she is. The ending is brutal, really, ending with a sad suicide of the main character.

This thrilling novel can be considered a person to person text, because she struggles with herself to find true happiness, and she competes with herself to find a way out of drugs, prostitution and self harm. The main character isn't looking to please anyone but herself. Personally, I believe that she didn't care about herself at the end of the book, and she didn't care what she looked like or how she acted -- which is another whiplash. The end of the book throws everything off thought, when it appears she is back onto the right track, and then she tragically kills herself. I don't know what's more confusing -- the fact that she started going down the right path, or how she abruptly stopped.