What is peace?
Is it the smiles from a young couple,
As they watch a sunset together?
Maybe it's the mutual respect of two sport teams,
Competing in a friendly match.
Is it the tears falling from a mother's eye,
As she welcomes her son home from war?
Perhaps it's the sensation of love,
Emitted from a family dining together.
Could it be as subtle as flowers,
Being allowed to blossom unhindered?
Or is it something more immediate,
Such as a treaty declared between nations?
Is it a feeling one has,
Such as anger or happiness?
Or it a way we express emotions,
As a sign of gratitude and thanks?
Peace is what we make it,
And how far we will.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
WA3 Second Draft
What is peace?
Is it the smiles from a young couple,
As they watch a sunset together?
The tears falling from a mother's eye,
As she welcomes her home from war?
Could it be as subtle as flowers,
Being allowed to blossom unhindered?
Or is it something more immediate,
Such as truce stated between nations?
Is it a feeling one has,
Such as anger or happiness?
Or it a way we express emotions,
As a sign of gratitude and thanks?
Peace is...
Is it the smiles from a young couple,
As they watch a sunset together?
The tears falling from a mother's eye,
As she welcomes her home from war?
Could it be as subtle as flowers,
Being allowed to blossom unhindered?
Or is it something more immediate,
Such as truce stated between nations?
Is it a feeling one has,
Such as anger or happiness?
Or it a way we express emotions,
As a sign of gratitude and thanks?
Peace is...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
WA3 First Draft
Nature's winged creatures flutter
They fly together harmoniously around the world
In serenity and tranquility
The doves begin to gather
Their innocence and purity
The perfection of the world
Nature's cooperation
Peace
It all begins to scatter
As they make room for the chaos
And War
They fly together harmoniously around the world
In serenity and tranquility
The doves begin to gather
Their innocence and purity
The perfection of the world
Nature's cooperation
Peace
It all begins to scatter
As they make room for the chaos
And War
Sunday, October 26, 2008
WA2 Final Draft
The stadium’s blinding lights pierced through the black curtain over Jon “The Fire Starter” Washington’s eyes as his senses began to return to him. As he slowly pulled himself up from the depths of unconsciousness, a wave of sounds collided against his ears. His brain quickly filtered through the chaotic storm of noises. Shouting from his coach. The roar of the crowd. The vibrations of the mat. All faded as Jon searched for the one he needed to hear. Then his keen ears picked up the noise. “THREE!…FOUR!…FIVE!!!” The referee’s loud booming voice filled Jon’s movements with determination and his body with spirit. Achingly, Jon pulled himself to his knees, pressing himself against the soft yet firm mat below him, as the referee continued his count. “SEVEN!!!...EIGHT!!!...NINE!!!!!...” At the last moment, Jon came to his feet. The referee began to back away as the fight was ready to resume. Then, a relieving sound rang in Jon’s ears. DING! The round’s bell had sounded, marking a brief moment’s rest for Washington. The match was leaning towards Washington’s opponent, Derrick “The Executioner” Anderson, but Jon didn’t care. He’d even the fight next round. However, as Jon walked back to his corner he spotted Anderson making a throat slicing gesture towards him.
Jon collapsed on the stool in his corner. Immediately following this was his medical staff, one man tending to his right cauliflower ear, another treating a tear under his left eye, and a third readjusting Jon’s distinct boxer’s nose, which seemed to have suffered another break. Jon’s coach, known simply as “Tips”, butt in through all this action in order to become face to face with his prized fighter. Unfortunately, due to his strong Brooklyn accent, and Washington’s bleeding ear, it was an incredible effort on Washington’s part to determine if Tips was even speaking English.
“Noaw you gotta watch tha’ leff eye. You is takin’ a beatin’ from his right hook, and ya eye is showin’ it. You gotta use that Philly shell to your advantage. Wait for ya chance an’ take it! Don’t be lettin’ him punish ya like this. Ya ain’t already done are ya?” exclaimed Tips. The humidity in the arena had exhausted Jon. It was hot and sticky, a climate foreign to the native New Yorker. He took a gulp of water, swished it around in his mouth, and spat out the residue of blood. And with that, the next round began.
Washington stared Anderson in the eye as he witnessed him whispering the words “It’s over.” In response to this, Washington squeezed his fingers inside their gloves, so tightly the threads of mitts squeaked under the pressure. Washington was a tiger, and Anderson was his prey, and it was his time to feast. Jon had taken a beating the first round, but he knew Anderson couldn’t keep up the pace. The old workhorse had burned through his energy like a Hummer through gas, and prices are just too expensive to keep oneself fueled.
Despite Jon’s confidence, the round started much like the first. Despite the fact that Anderson’s hits were showing signs of fatigue, they were too well timed and executed for Washington to capitalize on Anderson’s exhaustion. Jon was forced to remain constantly with his back against the wall of ropes bordering the ring as Anderson continued unleashing brutal combos on him. However, when the one minute bell sounded, Anderson’s strategy seemed to switched. Keeping true to his aggressive style of playing, Anderson was attempting to land heavier hits, rather than the safe, quick jabs. This jagged fighting style greatly opened his defenses, finally allowing Jon to land some glancing blows. This then developed into more satisfying hits on Jon’s part. And at last, Anderson’s new technique proved too flawed for Jon not to exploit as he managed to time a devastating Haymaker like an arrangement of Bach’s in Concert F, landing promisingly under The Executioner’s left cheek.
The hit rattled the entire foundation of Anderson, as he collapsed unconsciously to the ground. The ref began to count
One…Two…
Anderson continued not to stir.
Five…Six…
He still remained motionless.
Eight…Nine…
Now expectant of assured victory, Jon let out a premature roar of victory.
Then, the Referee finished the countdown, as Jon and the rest of crowd exploded with a wave of cheers. Jon marched over to Tips victoriously the presence of immense joy shown abundantly among both their faces. Then the final essence of victory was acknowledged as the referee declared Jon victorious by a knock out, with Anderson’s team still tending to him, and the crowd once more roared in excitement.
Jon collapsed on the stool in his corner. Immediately following this was his medical staff, one man tending to his right cauliflower ear, another treating a tear under his left eye, and a third readjusting Jon’s distinct boxer’s nose, which seemed to have suffered another break. Jon’s coach, known simply as “Tips”, butt in through all this action in order to become face to face with his prized fighter. Unfortunately, due to his strong Brooklyn accent, and Washington’s bleeding ear, it was an incredible effort on Washington’s part to determine if Tips was even speaking English.
“Noaw you gotta watch tha’ leff eye. You is takin’ a beatin’ from his right hook, and ya eye is showin’ it. You gotta use that Philly shell to your advantage. Wait for ya chance an’ take it! Don’t be lettin’ him punish ya like this. Ya ain’t already done are ya?” exclaimed Tips. The humidity in the arena had exhausted Jon. It was hot and sticky, a climate foreign to the native New Yorker. He took a gulp of water, swished it around in his mouth, and spat out the residue of blood. And with that, the next round began.
Washington stared Anderson in the eye as he witnessed him whispering the words “It’s over.” In response to this, Washington squeezed his fingers inside their gloves, so tightly the threads of mitts squeaked under the pressure. Washington was a tiger, and Anderson was his prey, and it was his time to feast. Jon had taken a beating the first round, but he knew Anderson couldn’t keep up the pace. The old workhorse had burned through his energy like a Hummer through gas, and prices are just too expensive to keep oneself fueled.
Despite Jon’s confidence, the round started much like the first. Despite the fact that Anderson’s hits were showing signs of fatigue, they were too well timed and executed for Washington to capitalize on Anderson’s exhaustion. Jon was forced to remain constantly with his back against the wall of ropes bordering the ring as Anderson continued unleashing brutal combos on him. However, when the one minute bell sounded, Anderson’s strategy seemed to switched. Keeping true to his aggressive style of playing, Anderson was attempting to land heavier hits, rather than the safe, quick jabs. This jagged fighting style greatly opened his defenses, finally allowing Jon to land some glancing blows. This then developed into more satisfying hits on Jon’s part. And at last, Anderson’s new technique proved too flawed for Jon not to exploit as he managed to time a devastating Haymaker like an arrangement of Bach’s in Concert F, landing promisingly under The Executioner’s left cheek.
The hit rattled the entire foundation of Anderson, as he collapsed unconsciously to the ground. The ref began to count
One…Two…
Anderson continued not to stir.
Five…Six…
He still remained motionless.
Eight…Nine…
Now expectant of assured victory, Jon let out a premature roar of victory.
Then, the Referee finished the countdown, as Jon and the rest of crowd exploded with a wave of cheers. Jon marched over to Tips victoriously the presence of immense joy shown abundantly among both their faces. Then the final essence of victory was acknowledged as the referee declared Jon victorious by a knock out, with Anderson’s team still tending to him, and the crowd once more roared in excitement.
Monday, October 20, 2008
WA2 Draft #2
The stadium’s blinding lights pierced through the black curtain over Jon “The Fire Starter” Washington’s eyes as his senses began to return to him. As he slowly pulled himself up from the depths of unconsciousness, a wave of sounds collided against the shores of his ears. His brain quickly filtered through the chaotic storm of noises; the shouting of his coach, the cheers and boos of the crowd, the taunting of his opponent, Derrick “The Executioner” Anderson. These all faded as Jon searched for the one voice he needed to hear. Then his keen ears picked up the noise. “THREE!…FOUR!…FIVE!!!” The referee’s loud booming voice filled Jon’s movements with determination and his body with spirit. Achingly, Jon pulled himself to his knees, pressing himself against the soft yet firm mat below him, as the referee continued his count. “SEVEN!!!...EIGHT!!!...NINE!!!!!...” At the last moment, Jon came to his feet. The referee began to back away as the fight was ready to resume. Then, a relieving sound rang in Jon’s ears. DING! The round’s bell had sounded, marking a brief moment’s rest for Washington. However, as Jon walked back to his corner he spotted Anderson making a throat slicing gesture towards him.
Jon collapsed on the stool placed in his corner. Immediately following this was his medical staff, one man tending to his right cauliflower ear, another treating a tear under his left eye, and a third readjusting Jon’s distinct boxer’s nose, which seemed to have suffered another break. Jon’s coach, known simply as “Tips”, butt in through all this action in order to become face to face with his prized fighter. Unfortunately, due to his strong Brooklyn accent, and Washington’s bleeding ear, it was an incredible effort on Washington’s part to determine if Tips was even speaking English.
“Noaw you gotta watch tha’ leff eye. You is takin’ a beatin’ from his right hook, and ya eye is showin’ it. You gotta use that Philly shell to your advantage. Wait for ya chance an’ take it! Don’t be lettin’ him punish ya like this. Ya ain’t already done are ya?” exclaimed Tips. The humidity in the arena had exhausted Jon. It was hot and sticky, a climate foreign to the native New Yorker. He took a gulp of water, swished it around in his mouth, and spat out the residue of blood. And with that, the next round began.
Washington stared Anderson in the eye as he witnessed him whispering the words “It’s over.” In response to this, Washington squeezed his fingers inside their gloves, so tightly the threads of mitts squeaked under the pressure. Washington was a tiger, and Anderson was his prey, and it was his time to feast. Jon had taken a beating the first round, but he knew Anderson couldn’t keep up the pace. The old workhorse had burned through his energy like a Hummer through gas, and prices are just too expensive to keep oneself fueled.
Despite Jon’s confidence, the round started much like the first. Despite the fact that Anderson’s hits were showing signs of fatigue, they were too well timed and executed for Washington to capitalize on Anderson’s exhaustion. Jon was forced to remain constantly with his back against the wall of ropes bordering the ring as Anderson continued unleashing brutal combos on him. However, when the one minute bell sounded, Anderson’s strategy seemed to switched. Keeping true to his aggressive style of playing, Anderson was attempting to land heavier hits, rather than the safe, quick jabs. This jagged fighting style greatly opened his defenses, finally allowing Jon to land some glancing blows. This then developed into more satisfying hits on Jon’s part. And at last, Anderson’s new technique proved too flawed for Jon not to exploit as he managed to time a devastating Haymaker like an arrangement of Bach’s in Concert F, landing promisingly under The Executioner’s left cheek.
The hit rattled the entire foundation of Anderson, as he collapsed unconsciously to the ground. The ref began to count
One…Two…
Anderson continued not to stir.
Five…Six…
He still remained motionless.
Eight…Nine…
Now expectant of assured victory, Jon let out a premature roar of victory.
Then, the Referee finished the countdown, as Jon and the rest of crowd exploded with a wave of cheers. Jon marched over to Tips victoriously, as the presence of immense joy, was present in an abundant amount among both their faces. Then the final essence of victory was acknowledged as the referee declared Jon victorious by a knock out, with Anderson’s team still tending to him, and the crowd once more roared in excitement.
Jon collapsed on the stool placed in his corner. Immediately following this was his medical staff, one man tending to his right cauliflower ear, another treating a tear under his left eye, and a third readjusting Jon’s distinct boxer’s nose, which seemed to have suffered another break. Jon’s coach, known simply as “Tips”, butt in through all this action in order to become face to face with his prized fighter. Unfortunately, due to his strong Brooklyn accent, and Washington’s bleeding ear, it was an incredible effort on Washington’s part to determine if Tips was even speaking English.
“Noaw you gotta watch tha’ leff eye. You is takin’ a beatin’ from his right hook, and ya eye is showin’ it. You gotta use that Philly shell to your advantage. Wait for ya chance an’ take it! Don’t be lettin’ him punish ya like this. Ya ain’t already done are ya?” exclaimed Tips. The humidity in the arena had exhausted Jon. It was hot and sticky, a climate foreign to the native New Yorker. He took a gulp of water, swished it around in his mouth, and spat out the residue of blood. And with that, the next round began.
Washington stared Anderson in the eye as he witnessed him whispering the words “It’s over.” In response to this, Washington squeezed his fingers inside their gloves, so tightly the threads of mitts squeaked under the pressure. Washington was a tiger, and Anderson was his prey, and it was his time to feast. Jon had taken a beating the first round, but he knew Anderson couldn’t keep up the pace. The old workhorse had burned through his energy like a Hummer through gas, and prices are just too expensive to keep oneself fueled.
Despite Jon’s confidence, the round started much like the first. Despite the fact that Anderson’s hits were showing signs of fatigue, they were too well timed and executed for Washington to capitalize on Anderson’s exhaustion. Jon was forced to remain constantly with his back against the wall of ropes bordering the ring as Anderson continued unleashing brutal combos on him. However, when the one minute bell sounded, Anderson’s strategy seemed to switched. Keeping true to his aggressive style of playing, Anderson was attempting to land heavier hits, rather than the safe, quick jabs. This jagged fighting style greatly opened his defenses, finally allowing Jon to land some glancing blows. This then developed into more satisfying hits on Jon’s part. And at last, Anderson’s new technique proved too flawed for Jon not to exploit as he managed to time a devastating Haymaker like an arrangement of Bach’s in Concert F, landing promisingly under The Executioner’s left cheek.
The hit rattled the entire foundation of Anderson, as he collapsed unconsciously to the ground. The ref began to count
One…Two…
Anderson continued not to stir.
Five…Six…
He still remained motionless.
Eight…Nine…
Now expectant of assured victory, Jon let out a premature roar of victory.
Then, the Referee finished the countdown, as Jon and the rest of crowd exploded with a wave of cheers. Jon marched over to Tips victoriously, as the presence of immense joy, was present in an abundant amount among both their faces. Then the final essence of victory was acknowledged as the referee declared Jon victorious by a knock out, with Anderson’s team still tending to him, and the crowd once more roared in excitement.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
WA2 Draft #1
The stadium’s blinding lights pierced through the black curtain over Jon “The Fire Starter” Washington’s eyes as his senses began to return to him. As he slowly pulled himself up from the depths of unconsciousness, a wave of sounds collided against the shores of his ears. His brain quickly tried to filter through the chaotic noises; the shouting of his coach, the cheers and boos of the crowd, the taunting of his opponent, Derrick “The Executioner” Anderson, these all faded as Jon searched for the one voice he needed to hear. Then he detected it. “THREE!…FOUR!…FIVE!!!” The referee’s loud booming voice filled Jon’s movements with determination and his body with spirit. Achingly, Jon pulled himself to his knees, pressing himself against the soft yet firm mat below him, as the referee continued his count. “SEVEN!!!...EIGHT!!!...NINE!!!!!...” At the last moment, Jon came to his feet. The referee began to back away to resume the fight as a relieving sound rang in Jon’s ears. DING! The round’s bell had sounded, marking a brief moment’s rest for Washington. However, as Jon walked back to his corner he spotted Anderson making a throat slicing gesture towards him.
Jon collapsed on the stool placed in his corner. Immediately following this action was his medical staff, one tending to his right cauliflower ear, another treating a tear under his left eye, and a third readjusting Jon’s distinct boxer’s nose, which seemed to have suffered another break. Jon’s coach, known simply as Tips, butt in through all this action in order to get to his prized fighter. Unfortunately, due to his strong Brooklyn accent, it was often hard for Washington to determine if he was even speaking English.
“Noaw you gotta watch tha’ leff eye. You is takin’ a beatin’ from his right hook, and ya eye is showin’ it. You gotta use that Philly shell to your advantage. Wait for ya chance an’ take it! Don’t be lettin’ him punish ya like this. Ya ain’t already done are ya?” exclaimed Tips. The humidity in the arena had exhausted Jon. It was hot and sticky, a climate foreign to the native New Yorker. He took a gulp of water, swished it around in his mouth, and spat out the residue of blood. And with that, the next round began.
Washington stared Anderson in the eye as he witnessed him whispering the words “It’s over.” In response to this, Washington squeezed his fingers inside their gloves, so tightly the threads of mitts squeaked under the pressure. Washington was a tiger, and Anderson was his prey, and it was time to feast. Jon had taken a beating the first round, but he knew Anderson couldn’t keep up the pace. The old workhorse burned through his energy like a hummer through gas, and prices are just too expensive to keep oneself fueled.
Despite Jon’s confidence, the round started out much like the first. Anderson’s hits were showing signs of fatigue, but they were too well timed and executed to capitalize on his exhaustion. Jon constantly remained with his back against the wall of ropes bordering the ring as Anderson continued unleashing brutal combos on him. However, when the one minute bell sounded, Anderson’s strategy seemed to switched. Keeping true to his aggressive style of playing, Anderson was attempting to land heavier hits, rather than the safe quick jabs. This jagged fighting style greatly opened his defenses, finally allowing Jon to land some glancing blows. At last, Anderson’s new technique proved too flawed for Jon not to exploit as he managed to time a devastating Haymaker like an arrangement of Bach’s in Concert F, landing promisingly under The Executioner’s left cheek.
The hit rattled the entire foundation of Anderson, as he collapsed unconsciously to the ground. The ref began to count
One…Two…
Anderson continued not to stir.
Five…Six…
He still remained motionless.
Eight…Nine…
Now expectant of assured victory, Jon let out a premature roar of victory.
Then, the Referee finished the countdown, as Jon and the rest of crowd exploded with a wave of cheers. Jon marched over to Tips victoriously, as the presence of immense joy, was present in an abundant amount among both their faces. Then the final essence of victory was acknowledged as the referee declared Jon victorious by a knock out, with Anderson’s team still tending to him, and the crowd once more roared in excitement.
Jon collapsed on the stool placed in his corner. Immediately following this action was his medical staff, one tending to his right cauliflower ear, another treating a tear under his left eye, and a third readjusting Jon’s distinct boxer’s nose, which seemed to have suffered another break. Jon’s coach, known simply as Tips, butt in through all this action in order to get to his prized fighter. Unfortunately, due to his strong Brooklyn accent, it was often hard for Washington to determine if he was even speaking English.
“Noaw you gotta watch tha’ leff eye. You is takin’ a beatin’ from his right hook, and ya eye is showin’ it. You gotta use that Philly shell to your advantage. Wait for ya chance an’ take it! Don’t be lettin’ him punish ya like this. Ya ain’t already done are ya?” exclaimed Tips. The humidity in the arena had exhausted Jon. It was hot and sticky, a climate foreign to the native New Yorker. He took a gulp of water, swished it around in his mouth, and spat out the residue of blood. And with that, the next round began.
Washington stared Anderson in the eye as he witnessed him whispering the words “It’s over.” In response to this, Washington squeezed his fingers inside their gloves, so tightly the threads of mitts squeaked under the pressure. Washington was a tiger, and Anderson was his prey, and it was time to feast. Jon had taken a beating the first round, but he knew Anderson couldn’t keep up the pace. The old workhorse burned through his energy like a hummer through gas, and prices are just too expensive to keep oneself fueled.
Despite Jon’s confidence, the round started out much like the first. Anderson’s hits were showing signs of fatigue, but they were too well timed and executed to capitalize on his exhaustion. Jon constantly remained with his back against the wall of ropes bordering the ring as Anderson continued unleashing brutal combos on him. However, when the one minute bell sounded, Anderson’s strategy seemed to switched. Keeping true to his aggressive style of playing, Anderson was attempting to land heavier hits, rather than the safe quick jabs. This jagged fighting style greatly opened his defenses, finally allowing Jon to land some glancing blows. At last, Anderson’s new technique proved too flawed for Jon not to exploit as he managed to time a devastating Haymaker like an arrangement of Bach’s in Concert F, landing promisingly under The Executioner’s left cheek.
The hit rattled the entire foundation of Anderson, as he collapsed unconsciously to the ground. The ref began to count
One…Two…
Anderson continued not to stir.
Five…Six…
He still remained motionless.
Eight…Nine…
Now expectant of assured victory, Jon let out a premature roar of victory.
Then, the Referee finished the countdown, as Jon and the rest of crowd exploded with a wave of cheers. Jon marched over to Tips victoriously, as the presence of immense joy, was present in an abundant amount among both their faces. Then the final essence of victory was acknowledged as the referee declared Jon victorious by a knock out, with Anderson’s team still tending to him, and the crowd once more roared in excitement.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Emotional Release WA Final Take 2
Sleepiness Is a Feeling, Right?
This interesting story is about my brother, David, and his return from overseas in Fallujah. It began with a simple occurrence, finding out when my brother’s return was. The date set for the trip back was tentative, but was set around the 2nd weekend in May. Conflict occurred when the contract between the Military forces and the airline company they had currently signed ended, which caused the airline to declare bankruptcy, which then resulted in the Military to refund the airlines due to some smaller font of the contract, as well as find a new airline. As poorly described as that was, I continue; the airline problem pretty much caused the whole thing to be pushed back around a week. We received word it would be on Thursday, at around 9 PM. Not the most time to prepare, but my family thought we could pull it off. However, this thought ended up making my dad push the rest of the family to get ready up until about 1 AM getting ready. How I would regret missing out on that a good night sleep.
I woke up around 6 AM as I still had to go to school the next day, which I was okay with, I’d had shorter nights of sleep. After school, my dad was ready for an early start as it could be quite a long way to Jacksonville, NC, and it was around 4 PM already. On the other hand, neither my mom nor sister were ready, so my dad and I left by ourselves. Halfway to our destination, we heard from my mom that the expected arrival of the Battery was to be around 10 instead of 9, which was good as it gave us more time. However, at this time, I had started to feel the lack of sleep catch up to be as my father and I continued to travel the long road. It was around 9:30PM when we finally arrived, which we then panicked briefly as we realized how short time had run. These thoughts were soon put to rest though as, yet again; we heard from my mother that the estimated arrival had been pushed back yet again, this time to around 12 AM. More time!
We went to go see the “On-base Registration Visitor Station” due to the fact one needs to register in order to go on base grounds. Unfortunately, one of my contacts seemed to shrivel up and die. It just poofed. Anyways, we the panicked as we noticed time had yet again slipped by, and it was 11:30. Then we discovered we didn’t know where the barracks were.
This rather important detail seemed to elude us up until this very moment, and upon acknowledging it, we searched frantically for any sort of person, place, or thing that could help point us in the right direction. We then saw a MCX (‘Marine Corps Exchange’), which is pretty much the equivalent of an on base supermarket. And better yet, it was a place, which had people, who could tell us things that would point us in the right direction. Which they so kindly did. Also while we were there, we decided to stock up on the wholesome meal of some Fritos and Powerade.
After eating our amazing dinner, we set off to find the barracks, though this task was easier said than done. The base turned out to be a labyrinth composed of a mixture of roads that seemingly led to either nowhere, or where we started. Even with the directions, trying to find the barracks was becoming exceptionally difficult. On top of that, not having much sleep from the previous night before, and the long trip here was making me rather sleepy.
We finally found the barracks, which were appropriately decorated with banners and pennants etc. Although we did see a rather disappointing sight. Marines were already standing around as well with as loading trucks and other signs of an arrival. We looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:50, could it be possible that they were slightly early and my father and I had missed their entrance?
Of course not, Marines are lazy. Lazy as in the not showing up on time lazy, not the lazy lazy. The Marines there were part of the Battery that had never been deployed yet. They told us that the arrival wasn’t supposed to be till 4 AM. Awesome. Another 4 hours left and I’m already exhausted. At least the extra time gave us some room to get something to eat, as well as a chance to get some sleep.
Again, the troublesome design of the base proved too much for my father and I as we were once again lost in the maze. Fortunately enough, we were able to spot the MCX again and we were able to find the exit from there. Upon returning to the off base part of the city, we my father and I spotted a 24/7 Golden Corral. Not the best place to eat, but it was about the only place open, and it was right across the street from the hotel. So after eating, we went to our rooms in the hotel, unpacked, and fell asleep at 2:37 AM (we lost a lot of time getting when we got lost, and we also took a decent amount of time eating.) At 2:40 AM the hotel manager woke us up, apologized, and then told us they accidentally gave us a room that was already reserved, even though we also reserved a room, however the room next door was free. So instead of having the people who arrived at 2:40 have the room that was completely identical to the room that we were currently in, my father and I had to switch. So after repacking, switching rooms, and unpacking again, it was already 3:00, but we attempted to make the best of it as we slept for a solid 20 minutes. Then it was off to the base again. However, I realized something after I woke up, it seemed that now my remaining contact lens managed to fall out during my sleep, leaving me practically blind. Try five inches of focal vision.
We now knew how to get there roughly, and we managed to do so without much hassle. And thus the wait began. Everyone seemed very anxious about their loved ones returning. I was guilty of being anxious for this to hurry up and end so I could get some sleep. I decided to past the time by listening to the classic “Can’t touch this” by MC Hammer. Don’t judge me. Back on topic, it was around 5 AM when everyone jumped at the sight of 4 18-wheelers. Wait. What the hell? Did they just pack the men in the back? That’s when most people realized that those trucks were just carrying the belongings. But at least seeing the trucks were a sign that they were coming. Soon. I hoped. Then at around 5:30, the buses finally approached. However, they took the back road which seemingly appeared from nowhere, which managed to surprise a decent amount of folks. Anyways, I finally got to see my brother after 7 months. And oh my, he had changed. Then I realized I was staring at the wrong person. Stupid eyesight. I had wondered why my brother had greeted me speaking fluent Spanish. So… Then began the long process of unpacking. Which took around an hour or so. Seriously. That finished and we all set out to the hotel, which was now serving breakfast in the main lobby due to the fact that it was 7:30.
Anywho, after eating breakfast, I realized that the place also had a tea and coffee stand. Now I’m not much of a coffee drinker so I stuck with the tea. Tea with lots of sugar. Sugar with little tea. After finishing my herb-flavored sugar my dad and brother walked into the lobby looking for me, wondering where I was. Then they said that we were going to go to Golden Corral again. Well, I learned from Deadliest Catch that you can replace sleep with calories, so I decided to test if that was true. So off we went to eat which took again around an hour, and when we were back at the hotel it was around 9:30. At least I got to get some sleep finally…
At 9:40 there was a knocking on the door. I think I may have cried. I really, really thought I was going to get some sleep. At the door were the rest of my family, my mom and sister. They looked tired, but at least they got like 2 hours of sleep, and they wondered why we were the ones sleeping. The nerve, I tell you. Despite the lack of sleep, I had another cup of sugar and my third breakfast. As the day continued it seemed a bit surreal, as we met and visited some of David’s fellow Battery members and some other things, but nothing to interesting. Despite how non-interesting these things were though, they continued late until the night, until we finally retired at around 2 AM. Yes. After going for 44 hours, and only 5 hours of sleep the last time I rested, I finally got to sleep.
The rest of the visit consisted of more sleep. Not much more, but enough. Aided with my crackified tea, I was able to survive.
This interesting story is about my brother, David, and his return from overseas in Fallujah. It began with a simple occurrence, finding out when my brother’s return was. The date set for the trip back was tentative, but was set around the 2nd weekend in May. Conflict occurred when the contract between the Military forces and the airline company they had currently signed ended, which caused the airline to declare bankruptcy, which then resulted in the Military to refund the airlines due to some smaller font of the contract, as well as find a new airline. As poorly described as that was, I continue; the airline problem pretty much caused the whole thing to be pushed back around a week. We received word it would be on Thursday, at around 9 PM. Not the most time to prepare, but my family thought we could pull it off. However, this thought ended up making my dad push the rest of the family to get ready up until about 1 AM getting ready. How I would regret missing out on that a good night sleep.
I woke up around 6 AM as I still had to go to school the next day, which I was okay with, I’d had shorter nights of sleep. After school, my dad was ready for an early start as it could be quite a long way to Jacksonville, NC, and it was around 4 PM already. On the other hand, neither my mom nor sister were ready, so my dad and I left by ourselves. Halfway to our destination, we heard from my mom that the expected arrival of the Battery was to be around 10 instead of 9, which was good as it gave us more time. However, at this time, I had started to feel the lack of sleep catch up to be as my father and I continued to travel the long road. It was around 9:30PM when we finally arrived, which we then panicked briefly as we realized how short time had run. These thoughts were soon put to rest though as, yet again; we heard from my mother that the estimated arrival had been pushed back yet again, this time to around 12 AM. More time!
We went to go see the “On-base Registration Visitor Station” due to the fact one needs to register in order to go on base grounds. Unfortunately, one of my contacts seemed to shrivel up and die. It just poofed. Anyways, we the panicked as we noticed time had yet again slipped by, and it was 11:30. Then we discovered we didn’t know where the barracks were.
This rather important detail seemed to elude us up until this very moment, and upon acknowledging it, we searched frantically for any sort of person, place, or thing that could help point us in the right direction. We then saw a MCX (‘Marine Corps Exchange’), which is pretty much the equivalent of an on base supermarket. And better yet, it was a place, which had people, who could tell us things that would point us in the right direction. Which they so kindly did. Also while we were there, we decided to stock up on the wholesome meal of some Fritos and Powerade.
After eating our amazing dinner, we set off to find the barracks, though this task was easier said than done. The base turned out to be a labyrinth composed of a mixture of roads that seemingly led to either nowhere, or where we started. Even with the directions, trying to find the barracks was becoming exceptionally difficult. On top of that, not having much sleep from the previous night before, and the long trip here was making me rather sleepy.
We finally found the barracks, which were appropriately decorated with banners and pennants etc. Although we did see a rather disappointing sight. Marines were already standing around as well with as loading trucks and other signs of an arrival. We looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:50, could it be possible that they were slightly early and my father and I had missed their entrance?
Of course not, Marines are lazy. Lazy as in the not showing up on time lazy, not the lazy lazy. The Marines there were part of the Battery that had never been deployed yet. They told us that the arrival wasn’t supposed to be till 4 AM. Awesome. Another 4 hours left and I’m already exhausted. At least the extra time gave us some room to get something to eat, as well as a chance to get some sleep.
Again, the troublesome design of the base proved too much for my father and I as we were once again lost in the maze. Fortunately enough, we were able to spot the MCX again and we were able to find the exit from there. Upon returning to the off base part of the city, we my father and I spotted a 24/7 Golden Corral. Not the best place to eat, but it was about the only place open, and it was right across the street from the hotel. So after eating, we went to our rooms in the hotel, unpacked, and fell asleep at 2:37 AM (we lost a lot of time getting when we got lost, and we also took a decent amount of time eating.) At 2:40 AM the hotel manager woke us up, apologized, and then told us they accidentally gave us a room that was already reserved, even though we also reserved a room, however the room next door was free. So instead of having the people who arrived at 2:40 have the room that was completely identical to the room that we were currently in, my father and I had to switch. So after repacking, switching rooms, and unpacking again, it was already 3:00, but we attempted to make the best of it as we slept for a solid 20 minutes. Then it was off to the base again. However, I realized something after I woke up, it seemed that now my remaining contact lens managed to fall out during my sleep, leaving me practically blind. Try five inches of focal vision.
We now knew how to get there roughly, and we managed to do so without much hassle. And thus the wait began. Everyone seemed very anxious about their loved ones returning. I was guilty of being anxious for this to hurry up and end so I could get some sleep. I decided to past the time by listening to the classic “Can’t touch this” by MC Hammer. Don’t judge me. Back on topic, it was around 5 AM when everyone jumped at the sight of 4 18-wheelers. Wait. What the hell? Did they just pack the men in the back? That’s when most people realized that those trucks were just carrying the belongings. But at least seeing the trucks were a sign that they were coming. Soon. I hoped. Then at around 5:30, the buses finally approached. However, they took the back road which seemingly appeared from nowhere, which managed to surprise a decent amount of folks. Anyways, I finally got to see my brother after 7 months. And oh my, he had changed. Then I realized I was staring at the wrong person. Stupid eyesight. I had wondered why my brother had greeted me speaking fluent Spanish. So… Then began the long process of unpacking. Which took around an hour or so. Seriously. That finished and we all set out to the hotel, which was now serving breakfast in the main lobby due to the fact that it was 7:30.
Anywho, after eating breakfast, I realized that the place also had a tea and coffee stand. Now I’m not much of a coffee drinker so I stuck with the tea. Tea with lots of sugar. Sugar with little tea. After finishing my herb-flavored sugar my dad and brother walked into the lobby looking for me, wondering where I was. Then they said that we were going to go to Golden Corral again. Well, I learned from Deadliest Catch that you can replace sleep with calories, so I decided to test if that was true. So off we went to eat which took again around an hour, and when we were back at the hotel it was around 9:30. At least I got to get some sleep finally…
At 9:40 there was a knocking on the door. I think I may have cried. I really, really thought I was going to get some sleep. At the door were the rest of my family, my mom and sister. They looked tired, but at least they got like 2 hours of sleep, and they wondered why we were the ones sleeping. The nerve, I tell you. Despite the lack of sleep, I had another cup of sugar and my third breakfast. As the day continued it seemed a bit surreal, as we met and visited some of David’s fellow Battery members and some other things, but nothing to interesting. Despite how non-interesting these things were though, they continued late until the night, until we finally retired at around 2 AM. Yes. After going for 44 hours, and only 5 hours of sleep the last time I rested, I finally got to sleep.
The rest of the visit consisted of more sleep. Not much more, but enough. Aided with my crackified tea, I was able to survive.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Emotional Release WA Final
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Monday, September 22, 2008
Emotional Release (2nd Draft)
Sleepiness Is a Feeling, Right?
This interesting story is about my brother, David, and his return from overseas in Fallujah. It began with a simple occurrence, finding out when my brother’s return was. The date set for the trip back was tentative, but was set around the 2nd weekend in May. However, any hopes of this date to be accurate were quickly crushed as a funny little string of news appeared. The contract between the Military forces and the airline company they had currently signed ended, this caused the airline to declare bankruptcy, which then resulted in the Military to refund the airlines due to some smaller font of the contract, as well as find a new airline. As poorly described as that was, I continue; the airline problem pretty much caused the whole thing to be pushed back week…ish. I say weekish because my family nor I did not know when the new expected arrival was until the new day was announced Wednesday of the following week. Which then we were told it would be on Thursday, at around 9 PM. Not the most time to prepare, but my family thought we could pull it off. However, this thought ended up making my dad push the rest of the family to get ready up until about 1 AM getting ready. How I would regret missing out on that a good night sleep.
I woke up around 6 AM as I still had to go to school the next day, which I was okay with, I’d had shorter nights of sleep. After school, my dad was ready for an early start as it could be quite a long way to Jacksonville, NC, and it was around 4 PM already. On the other hand, neither my mom nor sister were ready, so my dad and I left by ourselves. Halfway to our destination, we received word that the expected arrival of the Battery was to be around 10 instead of 9, which was good as it gave us more time. However, at this time, I had started to feel the lack of sleep catch up to be as my father and I continued to travel the long road. It was around 9:30 when we finally arrived, which we then panicked briefly as we realized how short time had run. These thoughts were soon put to rest though as we heard from my mother that the estimated arrival had been pushed back yet again, this time to around 12 AM. Oh goodies, more time!
We went to go see the “On-base Registration Visitor Station” due to the fact one needs to register in order to go on base grounds. Unfortunately, one of my contacts seemed to shrivel up and die. I don’t know what really happened to it, or where it went, it just sort of disappeared. Oh well, it’s happened before. Then my father and I decided to get something to eat as we realized we haven’t eaten since lunch and it was approaching 11:30. Then we looked at the clock again. Then we realized it was 11:30. So we ditched our plans of finding any restaurants to eat at and we continued towards my brother’s barracks. Then we discovered we didn’t know where the barracks were.
This rather important detail seemed to elude us up until this very moment, and upon acknowledging it, we searched frantically for any sort of person, place, or thing that could help point us in the right direction. We then saw a MCX (‘Marine Corps Exchange’), which is pretty much the equivalent of an on base supermarket. And better yet, it was a place, which had people, who could tell us things that would point us in the right direction. Which they so kindly did. Also while we were there, we decided to stock up on the wholesome meal of some Fritos and Powerade.
After eating our amazing dinner, we set off to find the barracks, though this task was easier said than done. The base turned out to be a labyrinth composed of a mixture of roads that seemingly led to either nowhere, or where we started. Even with the directions, trying to find the barracks was becoming exceptionally difficult. On top of that, not having much sleep from the previous night before, and the long trip here was making me rather sleepy.
We finally found the barracks, which were appropriately decorated with banners and pennants etc. Although we did see a rather disappointing sight. Marines were already standing around as well with as loading trucks and other signs of an arrival. We looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:50, could it be possible that they were slightly early and my father and I had missed their entrance?
Of course not, Marines are lazy. Lazy as in the not showing up on time lazy, not the lazy lazy. The Marines that we saw were actually just a part of, I don’t really know actually, they were just sort of there. Anyways, they told us that the arrival wasn’t supposed to be till 4 AM. Awesome. Another 4 hours and I’m already exhausted. At least the extra time gave us some room to get something to eat, as well as a chance to get some sleep.
Again, the troublesome design of the base proved too much for my father and I as we were once again lost in the maze. Fortunately enough, we were able to spot the MCX again and we were able to find the exit from there. Upon returning to the off base part of the city, we my father and I spotted a 24/7 Golden Corral. Not the best place to eat, but it was about the only place open, and it was right across the street from the hotel. So after eating, we went to our rooms in the hotel, unpacked, and fell asleep at 2:37 AM (we lost a lot of time getting when we got lost, and we also took a decent amount of time eating.) At 2:40 AM the hotel manager woke us up, apologized, and then told us they accidentally gave us a room that was already reserved, even though we also reserved a room, however the room next door was free. So instead of having the people who arrived at 2:40 have the room that was completely identical to the room that we were currently in, my father and I had to switch. So after repacking, switching rooms, and unpacking again, it was already 3:00, but we attempted to make the best of it as we slept for a solid 20 minutes. Then it was off to the base again. However, I realized something after I woke up, it seemed that now my remaining contact lens managed to fall out during my sleep, leaving me practically blind. To give a short description of what practically blind means, around 5 inches. This is going to be fun.
We now knew how to get there roughly, and we managed to do so without much hassle. And thus the wait began. Everyone seemed very anxious about their loved ones returning, however I was guilty of being anxious for this to hurry up and end so I could get some sleep. I decided to past the time by listening to good ol’ classic “Can’t touch this” by MC Hammer. Don’t judge me. Back on topic, it was around 5 AM when everyone jumped at the sight of 4 18-wheelers. Wait. What the hell? Did they just pack the men in the back? That’s when most people realized that those trucks were just carrying the belongings. But at least seeing the trucks were a sign that they were coming. Soon. I hoped. Then at around 5:30, the buses finally approached. However, they took the back road which seemingly appears from nowhere, which managed to surprise a decent amount of folks. Anyways, I finally got to see my brother after 7 months. And oh my, he had changed. Then I realized I was staring at the wrong person. Stupid eyesight. I had wondered why my brother had greeted me speaking fluent Spanish. So… Then began the long process of unpacking. Which took around an hour or so. Seriously. Why did it have to take so long? Then once that was finished, we all set out to the hotel, which now was serving breakfast in the main lobby due to the fact that it was 7:30.
Anywho, after eating breakfast, I realized that the place also had a tea and coffee stand. Now I’m not much of a coffee drinker so I stuck with the tea. Tea with lots of sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. After finishing my herb-flavored sugar my dad and brother walked into the lobby looking for me as they were wondering where I was. Then they said that we were going to go to Golden Corral again. Well, I learned from Deadliest Catch that you can replace sleep with calories, so I decided to test if that was true. So off we went to eat which took again around an hour, and when we were back at the hotel it was around 9:30. At least I got to get some sleep finally…
At 9:40 there was a knocking on the door. I think I may have cried. I really, really thought I was going to get some sleep. At the door were the rest of my family, my mom and sister. Both of which stayed up late the night before, waiting for news of David’s return. However, they got like 2 hours of sleep, and they said they were tired and wondered why we were the ones sleeping. The nerve, I tell you. Despite the lack of sleep, I had another cup of sugar and my third breakfast. As the day continued it seemed a bit surreal, as we met and visited some of David’s fellow Battery members and some other things, but nothing to interesting. Despite how non-interesting these things were though, they continued late until the night, until we finally retired at around 2 AM. Yes. After going for 44 hours, and only 5 hours of sleep the last time I rested, I finally got to sleep.
The rest of the visit consisted of more sleep. Not much more, but enough. Aided with my crackified tea, I was able to survive.
This interesting story is about my brother, David, and his return from overseas in Fallujah. It began with a simple occurrence, finding out when my brother’s return was. The date set for the trip back was tentative, but was set around the 2nd weekend in May. However, any hopes of this date to be accurate were quickly crushed as a funny little string of news appeared. The contract between the Military forces and the airline company they had currently signed ended, this caused the airline to declare bankruptcy, which then resulted in the Military to refund the airlines due to some smaller font of the contract, as well as find a new airline. As poorly described as that was, I continue; the airline problem pretty much caused the whole thing to be pushed back week…ish. I say weekish because my family nor I did not know when the new expected arrival was until the new day was announced Wednesday of the following week. Which then we were told it would be on Thursday, at around 9 PM. Not the most time to prepare, but my family thought we could pull it off. However, this thought ended up making my dad push the rest of the family to get ready up until about 1 AM getting ready. How I would regret missing out on that a good night sleep.
I woke up around 6 AM as I still had to go to school the next day, which I was okay with, I’d had shorter nights of sleep. After school, my dad was ready for an early start as it could be quite a long way to Jacksonville, NC, and it was around 4 PM already. On the other hand, neither my mom nor sister were ready, so my dad and I left by ourselves. Halfway to our destination, we received word that the expected arrival of the Battery was to be around 10 instead of 9, which was good as it gave us more time. However, at this time, I had started to feel the lack of sleep catch up to be as my father and I continued to travel the long road. It was around 9:30 when we finally arrived, which we then panicked briefly as we realized how short time had run. These thoughts were soon put to rest though as we heard from my mother that the estimated arrival had been pushed back yet again, this time to around 12 AM. Oh goodies, more time!
We went to go see the “On-base Registration Visitor Station” due to the fact one needs to register in order to go on base grounds. Unfortunately, one of my contacts seemed to shrivel up and die. I don’t know what really happened to it, or where it went, it just sort of disappeared. Oh well, it’s happened before. Then my father and I decided to get something to eat as we realized we haven’t eaten since lunch and it was approaching 11:30. Then we looked at the clock again. Then we realized it was 11:30. So we ditched our plans of finding any restaurants to eat at and we continued towards my brother’s barracks. Then we discovered we didn’t know where the barracks were.
This rather important detail seemed to elude us up until this very moment, and upon acknowledging it, we searched frantically for any sort of person, place, or thing that could help point us in the right direction. We then saw a MCX (‘Marine Corps Exchange’), which is pretty much the equivalent of an on base supermarket. And better yet, it was a place, which had people, who could tell us things that would point us in the right direction. Which they so kindly did. Also while we were there, we decided to stock up on the wholesome meal of some Fritos and Powerade.
After eating our amazing dinner, we set off to find the barracks, though this task was easier said than done. The base turned out to be a labyrinth composed of a mixture of roads that seemingly led to either nowhere, or where we started. Even with the directions, trying to find the barracks was becoming exceptionally difficult. On top of that, not having much sleep from the previous night before, and the long trip here was making me rather sleepy.
We finally found the barracks, which were appropriately decorated with banners and pennants etc. Although we did see a rather disappointing sight. Marines were already standing around as well with as loading trucks and other signs of an arrival. We looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:50, could it be possible that they were slightly early and my father and I had missed their entrance?
Of course not, Marines are lazy. Lazy as in the not showing up on time lazy, not the lazy lazy. The Marines that we saw were actually just a part of, I don’t really know actually, they were just sort of there. Anyways, they told us that the arrival wasn’t supposed to be till 4 AM. Awesome. Another 4 hours and I’m already exhausted. At least the extra time gave us some room to get something to eat, as well as a chance to get some sleep.
Again, the troublesome design of the base proved too much for my father and I as we were once again lost in the maze. Fortunately enough, we were able to spot the MCX again and we were able to find the exit from there. Upon returning to the off base part of the city, we my father and I spotted a 24/7 Golden Corral. Not the best place to eat, but it was about the only place open, and it was right across the street from the hotel. So after eating, we went to our rooms in the hotel, unpacked, and fell asleep at 2:37 AM (we lost a lot of time getting when we got lost, and we also took a decent amount of time eating.) At 2:40 AM the hotel manager woke us up, apologized, and then told us they accidentally gave us a room that was already reserved, even though we also reserved a room, however the room next door was free. So instead of having the people who arrived at 2:40 have the room that was completely identical to the room that we were currently in, my father and I had to switch. So after repacking, switching rooms, and unpacking again, it was already 3:00, but we attempted to make the best of it as we slept for a solid 20 minutes. Then it was off to the base again. However, I realized something after I woke up, it seemed that now my remaining contact lens managed to fall out during my sleep, leaving me practically blind. To give a short description of what practically blind means, around 5 inches. This is going to be fun.
We now knew how to get there roughly, and we managed to do so without much hassle. And thus the wait began. Everyone seemed very anxious about their loved ones returning, however I was guilty of being anxious for this to hurry up and end so I could get some sleep. I decided to past the time by listening to good ol’ classic “Can’t touch this” by MC Hammer. Don’t judge me. Back on topic, it was around 5 AM when everyone jumped at the sight of 4 18-wheelers. Wait. What the hell? Did they just pack the men in the back? That’s when most people realized that those trucks were just carrying the belongings. But at least seeing the trucks were a sign that they were coming. Soon. I hoped. Then at around 5:30, the buses finally approached. However, they took the back road which seemingly appears from nowhere, which managed to surprise a decent amount of folks. Anyways, I finally got to see my brother after 7 months. And oh my, he had changed. Then I realized I was staring at the wrong person. Stupid eyesight. I had wondered why my brother had greeted me speaking fluent Spanish. So… Then began the long process of unpacking. Which took around an hour or so. Seriously. Why did it have to take so long? Then once that was finished, we all set out to the hotel, which now was serving breakfast in the main lobby due to the fact that it was 7:30.
Anywho, after eating breakfast, I realized that the place also had a tea and coffee stand. Now I’m not much of a coffee drinker so I stuck with the tea. Tea with lots of sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. After finishing my herb-flavored sugar my dad and brother walked into the lobby looking for me as they were wondering where I was. Then they said that we were going to go to Golden Corral again. Well, I learned from Deadliest Catch that you can replace sleep with calories, so I decided to test if that was true. So off we went to eat which took again around an hour, and when we were back at the hotel it was around 9:30. At least I got to get some sleep finally…
At 9:40 there was a knocking on the door. I think I may have cried. I really, really thought I was going to get some sleep. At the door were the rest of my family, my mom and sister. Both of which stayed up late the night before, waiting for news of David’s return. However, they got like 2 hours of sleep, and they said they were tired and wondered why we were the ones sleeping. The nerve, I tell you. Despite the lack of sleep, I had another cup of sugar and my third breakfast. As the day continued it seemed a bit surreal, as we met and visited some of David’s fellow Battery members and some other things, but nothing to interesting. Despite how non-interesting these things were though, they continued late until the night, until we finally retired at around 2 AM. Yes. After going for 44 hours, and only 5 hours of sleep the last time I rested, I finally got to sleep.
The rest of the visit consisted of more sleep. Not much more, but enough. Aided with my crackified tea, I was able to survive.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Evolution Of Government
Oh Look! My Animal Farm Essay!
Animal Farm Essay #1
The Evolution of Government
In Animal Farm, George Orwell freely expresses his views and opinions on politics and government, specifically Communism. As Orwell playfully creates a satire based on the flaws of Communism, there is quite the sense of truth in his words. He presents his opinion by inventing Animalism, the form of government established on the “Animal Farm”, obviously representing Communism. As the novel continues, Animalism develops from a pure government solely interested in the better of Animal-kind into a corrupted dictatorship supported by ignorant followers. I believe what statement Orwell was attempting to deliver was that all dictatorships have the potential to become, and will become corrupt, given the capability, no matter the changes that are made. I personally do not believe Orwell was not limiting his beliefs to Communism, but merely using it as one flawed design of the dictatorship formats.
The first form of government that appeared in Animal Farm was a variation of Totalitarianism, in which the dictator was Mr. Jones, representing Czar in an allegoric manner. The reader is introduced to an already corrupt system as they witness abuse and negligence by Mr. Jones, starting in the very sentence; “Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes” (3). This opening setting is to show the capabilities of a government with rather distorted priorities, setting the stage for much later on in the novel.
The second form of government that is displayed is some sort of bipartisan format of communism in which both Napoleon and Snowball express their different views on nearly every topic. The cause of this peculiar format is due to the fact that it is after the Rebellion but before any true type of government had its foundation laid down. The hate between Napoleon and Snowball led into countless debates however, as neither could submit to the other’s opinion; “This arrangement would have worked well enough if it had not been for the disputes between Snowball and Napoleon. These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible” (47). However, it was due to the conflicts between the two pigs that this stage of the government was in its most just form, as neither party could seize power in order to have the capabilities to have absolute control.
The final stage of the government in Animal Farm is when Napoleon has seized total control of the government, and begins to run the farm much like Mr. Jones did in the beginning, thus making a complete circle back into a corrupt government. Orwell exaggerates this point by phrasing the concluding sentence as such: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which” (141). This full circle of events was allowed by the ignorance of the animals, as well as the unrestricted power of the pigs.
In conclusion, I believe Orwell tries to point out that not all governments are doomed to fail; simply that just the governments that apply all the power to one being, unrestricted, accommodated with an ignorant class of citizens. Also, I think Orwell attempts to point out that we are doomed to the same failure as our predecessors if we do not learn from their mistakes, hence the circle of corruption he introduces in Animal Farm. Lastly, I would like to say I too believe that the power of a nation is all too much for one man, and must be distributed among fellow political branches accordingly.
Animal Farm Essay #1
The Evolution of Government
In Animal Farm, George Orwell freely expresses his views and opinions on politics and government, specifically Communism. As Orwell playfully creates a satire based on the flaws of Communism, there is quite the sense of truth in his words. He presents his opinion by inventing Animalism, the form of government established on the “Animal Farm”, obviously representing Communism. As the novel continues, Animalism develops from a pure government solely interested in the better of Animal-kind into a corrupted dictatorship supported by ignorant followers. I believe what statement Orwell was attempting to deliver was that all dictatorships have the potential to become, and will become corrupt, given the capability, no matter the changes that are made. I personally do not believe Orwell was not limiting his beliefs to Communism, but merely using it as one flawed design of the dictatorship formats.
The first form of government that appeared in Animal Farm was a variation of Totalitarianism, in which the dictator was Mr. Jones, representing Czar in an allegoric manner. The reader is introduced to an already corrupt system as they witness abuse and negligence by Mr. Jones, starting in the very sentence; “Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes” (3). This opening setting is to show the capabilities of a government with rather distorted priorities, setting the stage for much later on in the novel.
The second form of government that is displayed is some sort of bipartisan format of communism in which both Napoleon and Snowball express their different views on nearly every topic. The cause of this peculiar format is due to the fact that it is after the Rebellion but before any true type of government had its foundation laid down. The hate between Napoleon and Snowball led into countless debates however, as neither could submit to the other’s opinion; “This arrangement would have worked well enough if it had not been for the disputes between Snowball and Napoleon. These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible” (47). However, it was due to the conflicts between the two pigs that this stage of the government was in its most just form, as neither party could seize power in order to have the capabilities to have absolute control.
The final stage of the government in Animal Farm is when Napoleon has seized total control of the government, and begins to run the farm much like Mr. Jones did in the beginning, thus making a complete circle back into a corrupt government. Orwell exaggerates this point by phrasing the concluding sentence as such: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which” (141). This full circle of events was allowed by the ignorance of the animals, as well as the unrestricted power of the pigs.
In conclusion, I believe Orwell tries to point out that not all governments are doomed to fail; simply that just the governments that apply all the power to one being, unrestricted, accommodated with an ignorant class of citizens. Also, I think Orwell attempts to point out that we are doomed to the same failure as our predecessors if we do not learn from their mistakes, hence the circle of corruption he introduces in Animal Farm. Lastly, I would like to say I too believe that the power of a nation is all too much for one man, and must be distributed among fellow political branches accordingly.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Sleepiness Is a Feeling, Right?
Seriously though, sleepiness is a feeling isn’t it? Like, you can “feel sleepy” can’t you? Well, if it’s not considered a feeling, my grade for this post probably won’t be considered passing. That being said, let me describe one of my past experiences to you, the homecoming of my brother from across the seas in Fallujah. This experience probably would have been filled with emotional and heartwarming moments and what not, if it wasn’t for the fact that insomnia can overpower human emotions.
This interesting story of my brother, David, and his return began with a simple occurrence, finding out when my brother’s return was. The date set for the trip back was tentative, but was set around the 2nd weekend in May. However, any hopes of this date to be accurate were quickly crushed as a funny little string of news appeared. The contract between the Military forces and the airline company they had currently signed ended, this caused the airline to declare bankruptcy, which then resulted in the Military to refund the airlines due to some smaller font of the contract, as well as find a new airline. As poorly described as that was, I continue; the airline problem pretty much just caused the whole thing to be pushed back week…ish. I say weekish because my family nor I did not know when the new expected arrival was until the new day was announced Wednesday of the following week. Which then we were told it would be on Thursday, at around 9 PM. Not the most time to prepare, but my family thought we could pull it off. However, this thought ended up making my dad push the rest of the family to get ready up until about 1 AM getting ready. How I would regret missing out on that a good night sleep.
I woke up around 6 AM as I still had to go to school the next day, which I was okay with, I’d had shorter nights of sleep. After school, my dad was ready for an early start as it could be quite a long way to Jacksonville, NC, and it was around 4 PM already. On the other hand, neither my mom nor sister were ready, so my dad and I left by ourselves. Halfway to our destination, we received word that the expected arrival of the Battery was to be around 10 instead of 9, which was good as it gave us more time. However, at this time, I had started to feel the lack of sleep catch up to be as my father and I continued to travel the long road. It was around 9:30 when we finally arrived, which we then panicked briefly as we realized how short time had run. These thoughts were soon put to rest though as we heard from my mother that the estimated arrival had been pushed back yet again, this time to around 12 AM. Oh goodies, more time! Now my dad and I had some time to tour this city! After around 3 minutes, we finished. The city was no more than two parallel roads intersected by a perpendicular road. It seriously looked like this “=|=”. That was the entire city. There weren’t even any interesting stores. There was nothing at all. Nothing!
So after the disappointing sight-seeing, we decided to check into the hotel we would be staying at, which was a rather painless experience, a first for me, as usually checking into hotels seems to be a preview of the apocalypse. Then, we went to go see the “On-base Registration Visitor Station” due to the fact one needs to register in order to go on base grounds. Again, it was another painless trip. Unfortunately, one of my contacts seemed to shrivel up and die. I don’t know what really happened to it, or where it went, it just sort of disappeared. Oh well, it’s happened before. Then my father and I decided to get something to eat as we realized we haven’t eaten since lunch and it was approaching 11:30. Then we realized it was 11:30. So we ditched our plans of finding any restaurants to eat at and we continued towards my brother’s barracks. Then we realized we didn’t know where the barracks were.
This rather important detail seemed to elude us up until this very moment, and upon acknowledging it, we searched frantically for any sort of person, place, or thing that could help point us in the right direction. We then saw a MRX…or maybe it’s an MXR, or MCR? Whatever, I don’t remember what it’s called, but it’s pretty much the equivalent of an on base supermarket. And better yet, it was a place, which had people, who could tell us things that would point us in the right direction. Which they so kindly did. Also while we were there, we decided to stock up on the wholesome meal of some Fritos and Powerade.
After eating our amazing dinner, we set off to find the barracks, though this task was easier said than done. The base turned out to be a labyrinth composed of a mixture of roads that seemingly led to either nowhere, or where we started. Even with the directions, trying to find the barracks was becoming exceptionally difficult. On top of that, not having much sleep from the previous night before, and the long trip here was making me rather sleepy.
We finally found the barracks, which were appropriately decorated with banners and pennants etc. Although we did see a rather disappointing sight. Marines were already standing around as well with as loading trucks and other signs of an arrival. We looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:50, could it be possible that they were slightly early and my father and I had missed their entrance?
Of course not, Marines are lazy. Lazy as in the not showing up on time lazy, not the lazy lazy. The Marines that we saw were actually just a part of, I don’t really know actually, they were just sort of there. Anyways, they told us that the arrival wasn’t supposed to be till 4 AM. Awesome. Another 4 hours and I’m already exhausted. At least the extra time gave us some room to get something to eat, as well as a chance to get some sleep.
Again, the troublesome design of the base proved too much for my father and I as we were once again lost in the maze. Fortunately enough, we were able to spot the MCX (I googled it by the way, it is MCX, ‘Marine Corps Exchange’) and we were able to find the exit from there. Upon returning to the off base part of the city, we my father and I spotted a 24/7 Golden Corral. Not the best place to eat, but it was about the only place open, and it was right across the street from the hotel. So after eating, we went to our rooms in the hotel, unpacked, and fell asleep at 2:37 AM (we lost a lot of time getting when we got lost, and we also took a decent amount of time eating.) At 2:40 AM the hotel manage woke us up, apologized, and then told us they accidentally gave us a room that was already reserved, even though we also reserved a room, however the room next door was free. So instead of having the people who arrived at 2:40 have the room that was completely identical to the room that we were currently in, my father and I had to switch. So after repacking, switching rooms, and unpacking again, it was already 3:00, but we attempted to make the best of it as we slept for a solid 20 minutes. Then it was off to the base again. However, I realized something after I woke up, it seemed that now my remaining contact lens managed to fall out during my sleep, leaving me practically blind. To give a short description of what practically blind means, around 5 inches. This is going to be fun.
We now knew how to get there roughly, and we managed to do so without much hassle. Also, as we arrived, we saw a lot more people there, but not any Marines, which was a good sign. And thus the wait began. Everyone seemed very anxious about their loved ones returning, however I was guilty of being anxious for this to hurry up and end so I could get some sleep. I decided to past the time by listening to good ol’ classic “Can’t touch this” by MC Hammer. Don’t judge me. Back on topic, it was around 5 AM when everyone jumped at the sight of 4 18-wheelers. Wait. What the hell? Did they just pack the men in the back? That’s when most people realized that those trucks were just carrying the belongings. There were a few people however frantically waving at the truck till logic finally struck them. But at least seeing the trucks were a sign that they were coming. Soon. I hope. Then at around 5:30, the buses finally approached. However, they took the back road which seemingly appears from nowhere, which managed to surprise a decent amount of folks, except for the few people still thinking that their loved ones were shoved into the back of the trucks. Anyways, I finally got to see my brother after 7 months. And oh my, he had changed. Then I realized I was staring at the wrong person. Stupid eyesight. I had wondered why my brother had greeted me speaking fluent Spanish. So… Then began the long process of unpacking. Which took around an hour or so. Seriously. Why did it have to take so long? Then once that was finished, we all set out to the hotel, which now was ‘serving’ breakfast in the main lobby due to the fact that it was 7:30. I say ‘serving’ though loosely, it was more like they were offering McDonald’s breakfast menu, however you were the person who unwrapped the food and microwave it, removing any false hope that the food was at all natural, which you can sometimes acquire at the real place. Sometimes.
Anywho, after eating breakfast, I realized that the place also had a tea and coffee stand. Now I’m not much of a coffee drinker so I stuck with the tea. Tea with lots of sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. After finishing my herb-flavored sugar my dad and brother walked into the lobby looking for me as they were wondering where I was. Then they said that we were going to go to Golden Corral again. Well, I learned from Deadliest Catch that you can replace sleep with calories, so I decided to test if that was true. So off we went to eat which took again around an hour, and when we were back at the hotel it was around 9:30. At least I got to get some sleep finally…
At 9:40 there was a knocking on the door. I think I may have cried. I really, really thought I was going to get some sleep. At the door was the rest of my family, my mom and sister. Both of which stayed up late the night before, waiting for news of David’s return. However, they got like 2 hours of sleep, and they said they were tired, and wondered why we were the ones sleeping. The nerve, I tell you. Despite the lack of sleep, I had another cup of sugar and my third breakfast. As the day continued it seemed a bit surreal, as we met and visited some of David’s fellow Battery members and some other things, but nothing to interesting. Despite how non-interesting these things were though, they continued late until the night, until we finally retired at around 2 AM. Yes. After going for 44 hours, and only 5 hours of sleep the last time I rested, I finally got to sleep.
The rest of the visit consisted of more sleep. Not much more, but enough. Aided with my crackified tea, I was able to survive.
About this post: In retrospect, I see that this isn’t the best formatted post, or even a decent one for that matter. It also didn’t have too many feelings in it either. Oh well, it’s the first post and I tired. Tried* Ha. You get it? It’s funny.
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