A Master Storyteller

“The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day.
I sat there with Sally.
We sat there, we two.
And I said, ‘How I wish We had something to do!’
Too wet to go out
And too cold to play ball.
So we sat in the house.
We did nothing at all.
So all we could do was to
Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit!
And we did not like it.
Not one little bit.
And then
Something went BUMP!
How that bump made us jump!
We looked!
Then we saw him step in on the mat!
We looked!
And we saw him!
The Cat in the Hat!”

Since 1957, these words that Dr. Seuss wrote have been read by millions of people around the world. Putting these words to paper and publishing them, Dr. Seuss had no idea that it would be one of the best loved and cherished children’s stories the world has ever seen. Dr. Seuss, whose first page of his book The Cat in the Hat was just read, is one of the most renowned children’s authors of all time. There are so many questions about him. Challenged to find out about Dr. Seuss, biographers all over America try desperately to find where he got inspiration or what he believed about life. In his books, does Dr. Seuss insert his own experiences or are they just nonsense stories? Some say he does and others say he doesn’t—sometimes people see things that aren’t there. So why did he write the stories he did?

Who is Dr. Seuss? The legendary children’s writer seems to some as though he popped out of the ground—and maybe he did—for all they know. He probably encouraged this idea. Raised creatively by his parents, Seuss, whose first name was Theodore, was telling stories as soon as he could talk. When he left for college he planned to be an English teacher, but soon found much more enjoyment in telling tales and making people laugh with his comics. Suddenly meeting and marrying the women of his dreams after only a short relationship, Dr. Seuss found what would be his one counselor whom he trusted completely. Though not very much information is known about this famous story teller, he had a very interesting life.

On March second, 1904, Theodore Seuss Geisel was born to Theodore and Henrietta Seuss in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was always called Ted. While growing up, he was always encouraged by his mother to draw continuously. She even allowed him to draw on the walls of his room and the walls of the attic. Critically watching his son draw, Ted’s father believed that his drawings were too cartoony and that they didn’t truly represent what real animals and people look like. Reading constantly, Ted’s favorite book was called The Hole Book, in which there is a story—all in rhythm—about a boy who shoots a gun and it ricochets off everything in his house until it is stopped by a very hard cake. He also may have been inspired by his books from his childhood called More Beasts for Worse Children[i] where he seems to steal some creatures from.

When Ted graduated from high school, he immediately headed to Dartmouth College to work on a liberal arts degree. Quickly submitting comics to the humor magazine “Jack-O-Lantern,” which he soon became editor of, he quickly found success. He much preferred it to studying. In his senior year, he was caught partying the night before Easter with some friends and was fired from his chief editor position in the magazine, the only part of Dartmouth he actually enjoyed. However he still submitted comics as he finished off the year under a new alias, Dr. Seuss. Graduating from Dartmouth, Ted decided to attend Oxford to expand his studies, but when he arrived he couldn’t stand the English snobbery or the bland food in England. One day while Ted was sitting in class doodling during a lecture, a girl named Helen Palmer looked over his shoulder and said, “If I could do that, I wouldn’t be sitting in this class.” A few months later they were married and he had taken her advice and moved back to America to try and make a career of writing and drawing instead of continuing with college.

Moving back to America, Ted immediately set out to start a career. He began by advertising. Promptly finding an advertising job with the bug killing company FLIT, he successfully rose to the challenge. As soon as he started, Flit became famous for the slogan “Quick Henry the Flit” that Ted gave it, accompanied by his wild drawings of people battling and killing humanized insects with Flit. In 1937 Ted published his first children’s book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was an immediate success. The more children’s stories he wrote, the more popular he became. Jokingly challenging Ted to a bet, William Spaulding, the director of Houghton Mifflin’s educational division of Children’s books, said that he didn’t believe Seuss could write a book for new readers that contained exactly 225 words out of a possible 348 beginner’s word list and create a book that children would like. Ted rose to the challenge. On March 18, 1957, Dr. Seuss, who not only met all the requirements of the bet, published The Cat in the Hat, and its popularity spread by word of mouth immediately. Kids all over America were begging their parents to buy Ted’s book, which was the most fun book they had ever read.

Telling stories from a young age, Dr. Seuss always needed one thing—an audience—a listener to share and critique his ideas and drawings with. When he was a young boy, this role was usually filled by his mother; she listened, criticized, laughed at, and most importantly, encouraged the stories he told. This is where his genius lies. Suddenly finding himself void of listeners when he went off to college, Ted—who did not give up easily—found a new audience in the readers of the comic paper Jack-O-Lantern which he became the editor of until he left for [ii]Oxford where his new listener was his soon to be wife, Helen Palmer. She would become his only trusted adviser for the next forty years. In his years of writing he was always asked, “You write children’s books, but why don’t you have any kids of your own?” and his answer was “You make ‘em, I’ll entertain ‘em.” Dr. Seuss did not just love telling stories, he loved telling stories to people.

Curiously searching for where Dr. Seuss inspiration came from, people were always asking him where he pulled his ideas from. Whenever he was asked, his stock answer for over a decade was usually:

“I get my ideas my ideas in Switzerland near the Forka pass[iii]. There is a little town called Gletch, and two thousand feet up above Gletch there is a smaller hamlet called Uber Gletch. I go there on the fourth of August every summer to get my cuckoo clock repaired. While the cuckoo is in the hospital, I wander around and talk to the people in the streets. They are very strange people, and I get my ideas from them.”

Elaborating his story of Horton in the tree, his final version of the tale was that late one night two pieces of paper blew through the window and landed on the table on top of each other—an elephant on a tree. As long as it was a good story—and it always was--he didn’t care if it was historically correct. He also often added in political and moral ideas and his own experiences into his stories which have sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, morals.

When Seuss was at a party once, another writer told him that it was a pity that Seuss never wrote anything political. Unexpectedly receiving a package from Seuss a month later, the same writer curiously opened it to find a copy of Marvin K. Moody Wiill You Please Go Now, which had the name Marvin crossed out and replaced with Richard N. Nixon. During World War II, he also did many comics for the war. In his book Yertle the Turtle, Seuss based Yertle, the ruthless power hungry king of the turtles, off of Hitler. His most obviously political book, however, is The Butter Battle Book. Living on either side of a wall, the zooks on one side only eat their bread butter side up, while the zooks on the other side eat their bread butter side down. In the end of the book, both sides are poised to bomb the other side into oblivion over a small political matter of breakfast food.

When Dr. Seuss wrote, he always pulled things from his past or present life. In his first book, he used Mulberry[iv] Street, which was a street he lived a few blocks away from and walked on quite often as a child. Groggily looking in the mirror one winter morning, Seuss said that he had gradually become a very “grinchy”[v] person, and so he wrote—with great deliberation--what is now one of the most famous Christmas stories in the world, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. His most famous character shows him best. Dr. Seuss always said he had a soft spot for cats, and then came The Cat in the Hat. Some say that Seuss wasn’t creating a character; he was just tweaking and exaggerating himself with his tall lanky figure, charming smile, and ability to make people laugh.

 Although Dr. Seuss loved to slip and sneak morals into his stories, some people have gone too far in analyzing his work. In The Cat in the Hat, the bathtub rings, which are spread around the house, were wrongly accused of being a protest to against the spread of the red menace. When asked about these analyses, Dr. Seuss said, “I think they’re a waste of time…. For example, they’ll take a book of mine that has one color in it and talk about my great sensitivity in handling that color and why I chose that color, when the fact is that Bennett Cerf called me up one morning and said, ‘We’re having a bit of a financial problem, so cut down your colors.’” Reading How the Grinch stole Christmas, many people came to totally misunderstand Seuss and think that he did not believe in turning his famous and lovable characters into consumer goods. This is not true. Completely open to the idea of making money, as Charles D. Cohen says in his book The Seuss, the Whole Seuss, and Nothing but the Seuss, “Dr. Seuss had no problems milking his characters for everything they were worth.” Some people just don’t understand the way he puts in his morals.

Quietly slipping in morals throughout his books, Dr. Seuss has created many of the well-known sayings today, such as “A person’s a person, no matter how small.” In the Sneetches, he spoke about equality, in The Lorax he talked about the environment, and in Horton and the Egg he undertones about keeping promises. Writing his stories first and letting the morals come naturally, Dr. Seuss, who hated when a story was written around a moral, knew from his own experience as a kid that kids can easily spot a moral a mile off, and that it immediately strips the story of all its fun. When he wrote, his beliefs and experiences just seeped through his brain and landed on the paper amidst the tale he was spinning, whether it was political or just a regular memories. He had very strong beliefs on certain subjects.

Subtly slipping in his ideas, Dr. Seuss had a very sly way of stating what he thought about things. Attending the colleges and having the opportunities he did definitely affected his book writing later on in life. Throughout his marriage, his wife, who was always there to hear what he had to say on everything, was always ready to give her opinion. Whenever he told stories he always had an audience, whether it was millions of people across America, his mother, his wife, or a stranger passing on the street. He loved telling people stories. His most important feature was how he brought his life, his ideas, his views, and his words together to create excitingly wonderful stories that people love and will love for ever. Dr. Seuss was a master story teller.

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[i] More Beasts for worse children was a book of stories written by Hilaire Belloc, to scare naughty children into listening to their parents

[ii] Oxford: a famous college in England

[iii] Forka pass: is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch

[iv] Mulberry Street: a thoroughfare in Manhattan New York.

[v] Grinchy: based off the character of the Grinch, who did not like Christmas

Bibliography:

Cohen, D. Cohen. The Seuss The Whole Seuss And Nothing But The Seuss. New York: Random House, 2004

Pease, Donald E. Theodore Seuss Geisel. Oxford: University Press,2010.

Weidt, Maryann N. Oh, The Places He Went.  Minneapolis, Carolrhoda books, Inc.. 

Connecting with Social Networks

Arriving home from work or school, millions of people around the world head straight to their computers to check their MySpace. In the modern world, social networks such as MySpace and Facebook are becoming the most seen icons everywhere, from computers to billboards. Quickly stopping by their computer to check messages, post statuses , or even to browse the internet, this generation uses social networks constantly. Social networks are on the rise. As they grow steadily however, some people, who look down on them, say that they are a waste of time and should be shut down and forgotten because sometimes it is used as a stand-in for real life. Its main uses seem to be connecting with people, expressing one’s self, and communicating with others. Are these pros or cons?

How do social networks help connect people with others? On these social networks, some people are often more outgoing then they are face to face, which can be a good and bad thing. Finding old friends and acquaintances, people often use MySpace and Facebook to reconnect with people they once knew or still know. Since people are so busy things like Facebook are good ways to jot down a quick note like, I miss you, if you don’t have the time to talk on the phone or hang out. Unfortunately some people constantly pester and stalk those who would rather not talk to them. One thing to be wary of is, when on Facebook or MySpace, never accept friend requests from people you don’t know, because there are so many real social network stalkers out there. As Barbara J. Feldman puts it, “MySpace has a wide variety of users; this increases the chance of meeting distasteful people.” Always be on your guard. Choose who you would like to connect with on these sites.

Used often as an outlet to express one’s self, social networks abound with art, emotions, poetry, music, and literature. This digital expression of a person can often be highly annoying when people, who want the whole world to know how they feel, have emotional breakdowns. One thing that relates to self-expression is impression management, which is where people try to impress other people by their friendship choices, only displaying things that they think others will see as cool, or even posting crude or inappropriate things to seem tough (Boyd). Although these things are true, as Connie Neal says in in her book MySpace for Moms and Dads something that applies to both teens and adults:

"MySpace gives teens a place to showcase their talents and share their “artistry” with the world. Musicians can share their music in amazing ways! Even if Mom and Dad don’t appreciate their particular taste in music, there’s sure to be a group at MySpace music that understands and appreciates their genre of music. A budding musician gets quite a thrill to find out that people are hearing their music" (Neal, p. 99).

On Facebook and MySpace, people can usually find and relate to common interests with other people easily, while they can also read peoples’ writings and ideas that they would never have known existed if it hadn’t been for their page.

Commonly used to communicate, Facebook sends millions of information relaying messages every day. Complaining that needed information does not always get replied to fast enough, some people are against this form of communication because of either its reliability or because written messages can be misread and misunderstood. As Facebook and MySpace grow though, more and more people, who use it for jobs, clubs, youth groups, and social gatherings, are using it as their primary form of communication. It is simple and reliable and free. On these messages you can quickly double check information, whereas you might forget the details of a phone conversation. Also if you want to write a simple note to someone for fun, or encouragement, it is easy to write on their social network in a matter of seconds.

Despite its uses in connecting, expressing, and communicating, people are still protesting against social networks. It’s not the network that’s bad; it’s how you use it. When it comes to the issue of people stalking or chatting with you when you don’t want, you can choose to delete or ban them from your friendship, and therefore block them from seeing your page. Excepting the emotional breakdowns and tantrums on Facebook, you can discover an abundance of poetry and art in what people have to say. Also, the easy communication system on social networks is a fantastic reason to use them. In the modern world, things like Facebook, which is relevant and convenient to our day and age, can be put on cell phones so you can receive and send information any time. Just as there are negative aspects to any form of communication—even the telephone—the positive aspects of social networks help us connect and get to know each other better in our busy culture.

Bibliography

Boyd, Dana M. and Nicole B. Ellison, “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship.” 2007. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 11.29 Apr. 2011. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

Feldman, Barbara J. “Pros and Cons of MySpace and Facebook.” Surfing The Net With Kids. 29 Apr. 2011. http://www.surfnetkids.com/go/safety/167/pros-and-cons-of-myspace-and-facebook/

Neal, Connie, MySpace for Moms and Dads, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007.

Standing the Test

There’s word on the street of a novel gizmo that is making bookworms everywhere draw their noses from the pages—the electronic book better known as the e-book or e-reader. Casually, some say that this is simply a passing trend, a five-minute-fad, while others believe that it could indelibly change the world of reading. What is this new curiosity? The e-reader is a portable electronic device used for reading digital books, which comes by a few different names, most popularly the Kindle and the Nook. Although some devoted bookies feel as though they are rejecting their dear old paper-bound friends when they choose to buy an e-reader, there are certain advantages to the new items. Noting the distinctive characteristics of both a book and the e-reader, such as ease, environment, and cost, only time will tell which of the two will win out in the end.

The e-reader surely is a convenient device. Instead of needing an entire bookshelf to store your books, the e-reader provides unlimited storage for stories. Hundreds of books contained in a tiny screen. Only eight and a half ounces and six inches long, the e-reader is extremely conducive for portability, easy to be thrown in a purse or backpack. In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, the ease of being able to buy and receive a digital book with only a few clicks of a button and in only twenty seconds is certainly desirable. Using the special tools and settings such as the dictionary, passage finder, and highlighting functions, the e-reader is remarkably simple to navigate. Although the e-reader is wonderful for storage, portability, and ease, there is the drawback of not being able to lend your favorite books to your friends and family, which is possible with a paper book. Also, only one person at a time can use an e-reader, even though it can hold hundreds of books at a time. Undoubtedly, the e-reader is fascinating device with very neat advantages.

How green is your reading? Economically, the contrast between paper books and e-readers is decided; however, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. With the e-reader, the environmental advantages are obvious—the saving of many trees that would otherwise be made into paper, but the disadvantages of the techy book are more complicated. In the technical world, there’s something called a carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is perplexing, but basically, “Every time you use energy that comes from fossil fuels, you create CO2 and make your carbon footprint bigger. Think of CO2 as energy waste. It’s what’s left over after you use fossil fuels. You create carbon dioxide every day”(Deiterich). The carbon footprint can be thought of as the measurement of how “green” an item is. Because paper books can be lent and borrowed through libraries and friends, the carbon footprint can be reduced considerably. Surely, the best choice is expressed in the amount of books a reader consumes. The Sierra Club Green concluded – as did a recent New York Times piece on the same subject:

Unless you’re a fast and furious reader, the energy required to manufacture and then dispose of an e-reader is probably greater than what’s needed to make a traditional book. If you’re reading forty or more books per year on your e-reader, that would be the right choice. But if you use it only occasionally, probably better to stick to a “regular” book.

The proof is in the reading.

Definitely the deciding factor for most readers is the cost of this techy little book. Is the cost worth the flashy doodads and neat quirks? For the average e-reader itself, the cost is $160—which is a considerable chunk of change. With this money, it would be possible to buy thirteen books. After buying the e-reader itself, you must purchase the books that you wish to read, which are no cheaper than the price of the same paper book. While you can lend and borrow books for free from friends or public libraries—which have an enormous selection of books—an e-reader can only be used by the person who owns it. Paying the same amount for your digital book, you lose a great advantage of lending and borrowing. To have all of your books stored in one very small thin fragile casing is not only costly, but risky. It would be easy to accidentally drop or spill a cup of grape juice on it. When a book is ruined, it is usually simple to go and buy another copy for a mere $15, but if an e-reader is wrecked, not many people would be willing to skip out and buy another for $160. As the Sierra Club Green views the matter, “Here’s the best answer: go to the public library next time you are downtown. Borrow three or four books, finish them all, then return ‘em next time you’re near the library. This is truly the most sustainable way to read: the good old fashioned public library”(Sierra Green Club). The cost of an e-reader is extremely high and is simply not worth the advantages.

Although a handy contraption, the e-reader is over-rated, for it is extremely costly and economically mediocre. For thousands of years, books have served people around the globe satisfactorily, and people have never claimed books to be inconvenient before. Obviously, books are very convenient: the average book is easy to carry, and most people only carry one or two books with them at a time—not a difficult maneuver. It is apparent that our society imagines problems with the old when the new arrives—problems that never existed before. Settings like the dictionary, passage finder, and highlighter are quick and useful, but these are not things that are difficult to do without an e-reader. Bill Gates himself confesses:

Reading off the screen is still vastly inferior to reading off of paper. Even I, who have these expensive screens and fancy myself as a pioneer of this Web Lifestyle, when it comes to something over about four or five pages, I print it out and I like to have it to carry around with me and annotate. And it’s quite a hurdle for technology to achieve or match the level of usability(Darnton 69).

In addition to the practical, environmental, or economic considerations, what about the beauty of the book? Many owners of e-readers admit that they miss their books, miss turning the pages, and miss the familiar smell. All “Marian the Librarians” know that exhilarating fresh smell of a new book—and the feel of a stiff binding, and the sound of words screaming to be read. It is a fascinating idea to think that the words you’re reading in some old second-hand book have been read by an number of people—the same ink markings have been enjoyed, studied, or despised by others before you. Books are a strange connection between people. They have power. The writer, Sydney Smith, said that “No furniture is so charming as books”(Useful Information Website). Somehow, a little white piece of metal isn’t the same.

Consider the book. It has extraordinary staying power. Ever since the invention of the codex sometime close to the birth of Christ, it has proven to be a marvelous machine—great for packaging and information, convenient to thumb through, comfortable to curl up with, superb for storage, and remarkably resistant to damage. It does not need to be upgraded or downloaded, accessed or booted, plugged into circuits or extracted from webs. Its design makes it a delight to the eye. Its shape makes it a pleasure to hold in the hand. And its handiness has made it the basic tool of learning for thousands of years (Darnton 68).

Before it was said that only time will tell if either the e-reader or the book is the best choice, but, in fact, the book has already stood that test—it’s stood the test for five thousand years, and the e-reader will not last that.

Works Cited:

Darnton, Robert. The Case for Books: Past, Present, and Future. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009

Deiterich, Ann. “Carbon Footprint Definition for Kids.” Live Strong. 31 Mar. 2011.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/159514-carbon-footprint-definition-for-kids/

“E-readers vs. Old Fashioned Books—Which is Greener?” Sierra Club Green. 9 Dec. 2010.
http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/videos/e-readers-vs-old-fashioned-books%e2%80%94which-is-greener/

“Famous Library and Librarian Quotations.” Useful Information. 22 Apr. 2011.
http://www.useful-information.info/quotations/library_quotes.html

A Minor Decision to Save the Earth

In the modern world some say that our resources are running low. Have we been careless and imprudent with our resources? Recycling is too time-consuming for some people who are busy and running from place to place. Surprisingly, prices are higher on eco-friendly things, which makes people take the easy way out. Yet, is the world slowly running out of the means we need to live?

Shopping after a long hard day of work, people often don’t want to have to search for items of an economy- helping nature because they are often in hard to find spots in the stores. When these items are found they usually are well above the price of the standard item they could buy instead. Understandably, people often take the easy way out, which means buying what is cheapest rather than what is good for the environment. Also things such as charged batteries can be much more of a hassle than throwing out the old ones and buying new ones.

Separating out recyclables also can easily be time consuming. Exhaustingly long hours at work can make a simple task like separating the trash from the reusable items seems like a great chore. However, it only takes about three minutes out of your day, and it can help the world become a cleaner and safer place. Sometimes it takes no time at all. Just lickity split. After that, your whole day is free, but you helped make the world a better place.

When it all comes down to it, is three minutes of your day that long? Why cut down trees which provide cover, oxygen, and food for animals if we can reuse paper? As you recycle paper, you are simply adding to the beauty of this world and saving nature. Using eco-friendly gas, such as ethanol limits the pollution, which gives our lungs a healthy fresh breath of air. The Environment Defense association did a study that showed that “the risk of cancer from breathing diesel exhaust is about ten times more than ingesting all other toxic air pollutants combined, with diesel emissions contributing to over 70% of the cancer risk from air pollution in the USA.” Consciously deciding to reuse water bottles also cuts down on the heavily growing pollution in our air.

Some people say that recycling is an unnecessary waste of time. However, with minimal effort the people of this nation can make and maintain a better living place for our children and their children. Simply recycling will better our community. Walking to nearby places, which will save on pollution in the air released by cars, is an easy way to save resources. It doesn’t take much-a small thought here, a minor decision there-and you are gradually helping save the earth.

Home Schooling or Public Schooling: Socialization?

The differences between educating children at home and at school are incredibly different so it no surprise that the social aspects of these two education styles are also incredibly different. But which is the most beneficial path to take—homeschooling or public schooling? While public school students are surrounded by hundreds of people their own age, home school students study with and teach their own siblings—or perhaps, with a small study group. In Public Education, students are taught by teachers employed by the school, whereas homeschoolers are taught primarily by their own parents. Also, education style greatly affects the family as well, and the differences between the family life of public school students and homeschool students are incredible. So which road is the most beneficial for the social lives of students, their families, friends, and teachers?

Surrounded by hundreds of students every day, public schooled children have a vastly different experience than home schooled students. Culturally enriching, public school awakes students to the differences of others—their beliefs, their lifestyles, their learning styles. Students may become friends with those unlike them, helping them to see the world in different, fresh ways. Because students spend most of the day, five days a week with each other, they have the opportunity to form strong friendships with each other. Through Public Education programs, extracurricular activities are usually easily accessible to students, providing other outlets for their strong interests. This is a convenient option. The social settings of homeschool students are very different. Although they do study daily together, their schedules are more flexible, allowing them to meet with their friends at different times. Also, they’re friendships are likely to be with children of all ages, as they are not confined to studying within age groups.

Relationships with adults is an important social aspect of education. Passing down their knowledge, teachers have a great responsibility to students, instructing, encouraging, and meeting their needs. In public school, students enjoy the benefits of having some teachers who possess a bounty of information on particular subjects. They experience many different teaching styles and are familiar with many different adults, which can be healthy. For home schooled students, studying is primarily with their parents. Providing unlimited one-on-one time for students, parents can give the attention truly needed for their children, helping them to become strong in their subjects. Naturally, parents understand the needs of their children well and are equipped to help them in their individual learning styles. As teachers have an enormous effect on students’ lives and education, the strengths of public school teachers and home school teachers are very important.

Obviously, a student’s education affects his family life enormously. Because homeschooled students study at home, they are with their family a great deal of the time. Spending time learning, playing, and talking together, they become extremely close, understanding and truly knowing each other. When a student’s teachers are their parents, they develop respectful caring relationships by learning to understand each other. Although homeschoolers have less chances to meet people, their siblings become their best friends because they are used to being together. Siblings are likely to be life-long friends. It is true that many families feel that homeschooling cannot suit their family life because both parents need to work, and some families feel, probably accurately, that they prefer the ease of the public school system. However, in the view of family closeness and friendship, homeschooling is surely a wise path.

Although home schooled students may not have as many chances to meet people in their studying environments, their friendships are not plagued by peer pressure, cliques, bullying, and the popularity complex of public school, causing their friendships to be strong, long-lasting, and honest. Also, they have chances to make friends in areas of their lives other than school. Learning from their very own parents, homeschool students have the advantage of studying with teachers who understand and care about them and can provide one-on-one help as opposed to public school teaching with only one teacher to twenty some students in a class. Unlike public school students, homeschool students are not gone all day long at school, and consequently, are able to spend much time with their families, creating familiar, trusting relationships. How can families who only see each other for three or four hours a day know each other well? Homeschooling brings families closer together, making friends of siblings. Surely, homeschooling has great advantages socially between a student and their teachers, friends, and family.

The Ugly Crow (Mark Twain Style)

It was a fine day. Not too hot as to make the pond dry up, which it often did some sunny afternoons, for it was not a strong willed pond—it came with rains, left again in the wink of an eye, and when it laid, it laid dismally. It was a fine day. Not too hot yet not too cold either, in my account. There was no breeze, no cloud, no whisper of winter. There lived a black crow in a tree beside the pond. I say she was black, for there is no other sympathetic thing to be said for her. Proud as a peacock, as they say, she ruled her branch with utmost severity, propriety, and absurdity. Proud as a peacock, yet with nothing to show for it. On that fine nearly ordinary day, the crow stood eating a small delicacy—a piece of yellow cheese. This was the only event holding as out of the ordinary, as the crow, for all her pride, was not a fine creature. She stood at the end of the branch, as to be in the clearest sight of her neighbors, to savoring, treasuring, idolizing, the small cheese.

“Hello there!” cried a cheerful voice from the ground. A young charming fox walked up, his gait quick and spry, making the blades of grass around him stand a little straighter. “A fine day, Madame, a fine day—and a fine day for you especially, I see,” he said, nodding towards the cheese.

The crow attempted a flirtatious smile at the fox in which attempt she failed dismally.

“A day what could hardly be made better.” Nobody had ever done what the fox did next. He tilted up his chin at an angle of perfection and called, “Lady, you must have a sweet voice to join that sweet voice of yours. Sing me a song, won’t you?”

He had won without hardly a fight, like a young vagabond, who dons knight’s clothing, marches up to seize a city, and arrives on time for his banquet of honor, prepared by his surest enemies. The crow could not refuse him. Many say that truly it was the perfect tilt of pointed chin. The crow’s beak opened, letting out a shriek to make the pond dry up in a moment. The cheese had landed perfectly in the fox’s mouth. No time was taken by him for savoring, treasure, or idolizing. All he said was, “Good day, Mam. And thank-you kindly.”

What became of the crow? She stayed very much the same, although she never ate her dinner on the edge of the branch anymore. The next day the pool was gone. A fortnight come it was back again. What is the foreseen, dreaded, sagely moral of this story? Some have said that it is—Pride comes before the fall. This is a true statement, but I do not believe that it could help the crow very much. The advice I would offer—If you are ugly, the world only wants your cheese.

The Sly Fox and the Prideful Crow (Charles Dickens Style)

One dismal morning a proud little bird sat eating a piece of cheese. This must be distinctly understood or nothing good can come of the story I am about to relate. Did the fox know he was proud? Of course he did. He and the proud crow were neighbors for years.

And on this morning when the crow was sitting on his usual branch, the fox edged his way until he was standing directly below the crow. Smoothing his coat, licking his lips and clearing his throat, he called up to the proud crow in a voice as sweet as butter, “My, how well you look this cloudy morning!” But the crow could not reply because of the piece cheese.

“Your eyes could make angels sing,” continued the black hearted fox, “and your feathers--how black and glossy they are!”

The crow was ever so pleased. And her chest which was swollen to an enormous size with pride. “And I’ve been told that your voice has put all the other birds to shame. And if I could hear you sing I would be satisfied with my life. Please, please sing. Will you?” the Fox inquired.

This was too much for the crow, and she opened up her mouth and let out a screech that made the bugs shrivel in their socks. But as she did so, the cheese fell, tumbling, rolling, spinning, and falling through the air and right into the fox’s gaping mouth. “Thank you ever so much,” called the fox, “Your song was so awful it could have woken a door nail from the dead--but your cheese was delightful!” And with that he trotted into the woods.

Fox and the Grapes (Politically-Correct Style)

One day a non-human fox saw a clump of grapes hanging from a height-endowed vine. The grapes looked pleasing to the eyes, and he very much wanted to place them in his vegetarian stomach. He jumped, thinking how enjoyably tasteful those grapes would be. But he was too vertically-challenged to reach them, and he knew that such a size-diminished vine would not support his firmly blessed body. He wondered if those grapes were really as pleasing as they looked. The more the fox jumped, the more physically inept he became. Soon he simply was too physically diminished to jump any more, and he gave up trying. Finally, he said in a voice-challenged way, “I shouldn’t have bothered to jump so high. I’m sure those grapes are sweet-challenged anyway.”

Mob for a Massacre

In 1758 when the British had just finished the French and Indian War, they controlled a vast majority of the Americas, which were called The British Colonies. Eventually these colonies would rebel against the crown. Why did they do this? The unfair taxation without representation started it all, as it led to the Boston massacre, which ultimately led to the well-known trial of the soldiers.

In 1654 there were thirteen colonies in North America, which were all governed by Britain. The colonies were free thinking. When King George started taxing the colonists to help lift the debt of the French and Indian War, the colonists boycotted items such as tea and clothes that were imported from Britain, as they declared that Britain had no right to tax them. Sending four thousand soldiers over to the colonies, King George, who planned to settle the little American rebellion with force, figured it would be easy to settle the boycott. Immediately the colonists protested because there was a job shortage because soldiers worked extra job when off-duty for less pay than the colonists. The colonists often jeered at the officers, called them names, and violently threw things like stones at them.

As the king taxed them more, the people rebelled against him, which led to the king sending more soldiers to the colonies. On March snow had fallen and it was a chilly night. Seeing an officer being jeered at by a wig-maker’s apprentice, Private White came to his aid and smacked the boy in the head. Loudly crying and running away, the boy brought back ten angry men. Rounding up the soldiers, Captain Preston came to White’s aid. The soldiers were not allowed to fire without the permission of a civil magistrate so they stood together, surrounded by what was now a violently-angry mob, while they were called names and things were thrown at them. During the confusion, one of the solders heard someone shout, “FIRE!” and automatically assuming it was Captain Preston, he fired. Quickly picking up his lead, the other soldiers also started shooting, which led to six people getting killed and the rest of the crowd dispersing.

Immediately the next morning, Captain Preston and his men were thrown in a rat-infested jail. Demanding justice, Boston and the other colonies were in uproar. The date of the trial was set, but they could not find a lawyer for Preston. As the trial grew closer, a lawyer could not be found until John Adams, a patriot, decided that the soldiers still deserved a fair trial. He received much ridicule for this. At the end of the trial, Captain Preston and six of his eight men were found “not guilty,” while the other two guilty soldiers were branded and then also set free.

Eventually the events of the taxation, the Boston Massacre, as it came to be called, and the trial of the soldiers all led up to the American Revolution. Although it is called the Boston Massacre, it was not actually a massacre. Under a barrage from the mob, the soldiers could fire because they were allowed to protect themselves if threatened. It has been said that the angry mob, which was out of control, was asking for a massacre from the soldiers.

A Yearning for Freedom

The Boston Tea Party was the first flame of the revolution, spurring and igniting the blazing roaring fire of the Revolutionary War. When the Puritans sailed to America in 1606, they sought to find a place where they could have religious freedom. Before they came to American they were harshly persecuted and were forbidden in their religious practices. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, the colonists worked to form a government based on a collaboration of the writings of Martin Luther, John Locke, John Calvin, and many others. For some time, the colonists lived in peace without interference from Britain, striving together to form a just and peaceful community, but eventually the British Crown again started to wrongly interfere with the colonists’ way of life, and trouble ensued. Undoubtedly, the Boston Tea Party was not an isolated event. It could even be said that the Boston Tea Party could be traced all the way back to Martin Luther and the Reformation, but there are some events which assuredly led to its happening. Issuing the tax on tea, Britain demanded payment from the colonists for their military exploits, while refusing them the privilege of representation in Parliament. This blow towards America caused much consternation and discontent. With growing frustration towards Britain, Samuel Adams began the group of patriots known as the Sons of Liberty, who later helped plan the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was proof to Parliament and King George that America was ready to rise up and fight for their rights.

The tax on tea was one of the many, but most significant events that led to the resistance of the Boston Tea Party. In the 1750s the French and Indian War, also called the Seven Years War, broke out between the English and the French because the English and Americans desired to expand their territory westward, but the French were unfortunately in their way. After the English conquered the French, the pressing concern of how to pay for the war arose, for the English were then in a dire state of debt. Reasoning that since Americans were to benefit from the war, Americans should pay for the war, Parliament passed the Revenue Act, and in 1765 the Stamp Act for “defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing British colonies and plantation in America.” This caused uproar in America. People were furious that they were expected to pay for Britain’s war when they were not given the privilege of having representatives in Parliament. If America was represented in Congress, the Stamp Act would have undoubtedly been a different matter. James Otis, a fervent patriot, who believed that the Stamp Act violated the God-given rights of the people, explained the American sentiment as follows, “When the Parliament shall think fit to all the colonists a representation in the House of commons, the equity of their taxing the colonies will bas clear as their power is at present of doing it without . . . It seems plain, that the reason why Ireland ant he American planation’s are not bound . . . is because they are not represented in the British Parliament.” “Taxation without Representation” became a common slogan. Urgently, Benjamin Franklin, an influential painter, inventor, and statesman, encouraged the colonies to become a strong united force—a voluntary union. Controversially, Franklin drew a cartoon of a dead snake chopped into many pieces with the name of a colony next to teach to illustrate their need to unite. These events sparked the fire for the resistance later displayed at the Boston Tea Party only ten years later.

In opposition to the Stamp Act, Samuel Adams, with the help of James Otis and Paul Revere, started the Sons of Liberty, a group of patriotic agitators who challenged the British Crown’s right to take away their freedom and later were the same men to organize the Boston Tea Party. Fervently, Samuel Adams believed that this act was “the loss of those religious rights, the enjoyment of which our good forefathers had more especially in their intention, when they explored and settled the new world.” They intended to do something about it. They fanned the revolutionary fire. These men defended their claims by drawing on the men who had written on religious freedom before the colonists had come to America, the same men on whom the colonies’ government was based—Locke, Calvin, Cromwell, Milton, and many others. Writing aggressive articles that were circulated around the colonies, the Sons of Liberty spoke out about the injustice of the Stamp Act and inspired people throughout the country into opposition. As the months went on, the Sons of Liberty grew and grew. In almost every colony there was a group identifying itself as The Sons of Liberty. Together, they numbered about three hundred and were made up of all sorts of men—merchants, doctors, blacksmiths, printers, silversmiths, and others. To further unite these groups, Samuel Adams initiated “Committees of Correspondence,” in 1772, as a network of communication between and within the colonies, so that each colony would be aware of what was happening in regard to the British Crown and America. If every colony understood what was happening, it would be possible to reach an agreement for a plan of action. Before the “Committees of Correspondence,” the resistance movement had taken place chiefly in the sea-coast towns and major cities where people were affected most significantly, but afterwards every colony banded together in opposition. The Sons of Liberty fanned the fire of the revolution by making people aware of the injustice of the Stamp Acting, banding people together into a united force and setting the stage for resistance displayed at the Boston Tea Party.

The first action of resistance against the British government was the incredibly risky act of destroying three shiploads of British tea, an even known as The Boston Tea Party. When Parliament passed the tax on tea, the colonists declared that this was the last straw. Although the tea tax was small, it nevertheless created uproar because it only a small example of the payment Britain expected from the colonies, while refusing them a representation in Parliament. Not only this, but the Tea Act forbade colonists from buying tea from any ships other than Britain’s’. The Sons of Liberty devised a plan. Rebelliously, Samuel Adams called a meeting at the Old South Church in Boston on the evening of December 6, 1773, and was joined by hundreds of people ready to take action. That same night, men gathered at taverns and homes around town, waiting for the appointed time. Dressing in shabby old blankets, donning woolen caps, and blackening their faces with soot, they went out secretly and silently toward Griffin’s Wharf, where three ships, the Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver, carrying tea, were awaiting at the dock. They called themselves the Mohawks. Separated into three parties, each having an appointed leader, they quickly boarded the ships. Calmly and powerfully, the leaders ordered the officials off the ships. They proceeded to lug the chest of the on deck and shovel in into the water. By the time they finished, the crowd from the Old South Meeting House had come to join them. They left the wharf, marching to “Yankee Doodle.” No authorities attempted to stop them for fear that innocent bystanders would be injured. When King George heard news of the tea ordeal a month later, he was furious. Losing a fortune in tea, the East India Trading Company was shocked. King George vowed that the participants would be found and arrested. The names of the Mohawks, however, were kept so extremely confidential that it was impossible to discover the perpetrators. The Boston Tea Party was the first deliberate, organized act of resistance toward the British Crown and it united and prepared the colonies for the Revolutionary War.

The Boston Tea Party was preceded by many events, people, and ideas which propelled it to happen. Creating discontent in the colonies, the Stamp Act was one of the first events which ignited the colonists’ yearning for complete freedom from Britain. Afterwards, the society called the Sons of Liberty was initiated by Samuel Adams, uniting the colonies into a force that was ready to fight for liberty, even until death. When the Tea Act was proclaimed, the colonies were ready for rebellion and destroyed three shiploads of British tea in Boston—an event known as the Boston Tea Party. Fighting and sacrificing for America, our forefathers built a country centered on truth and justice. Most importantly, they were not high and mighty stuffed shirts, dainty and self-important, cut they were men of action who were unafraid to get their hands dirty and to stir the people into action as well. On the night of the Boston Tea Party and rally at the meeting house, which Adams himself had organized, he was right in the thick of it, rallying the people there—he was their equal. Not only this, but they were men ready to fight for freedom, including the freedom to worship God in the way of their consciences. Boldly, they stood up to the authority of Britain, a great and powerful force who militarily could have wiped them out effortlessly. Or so it seemed. Much can come of bravery and boldness even when all the odds seem opposing. That is what built our country into what it are now—bravery, boldness, and a yearning for freedom. The Boston Tea Party was America’s first declaration of that yearning for freedom.

The Man Who Never Grew Up

In America, everyone has heard of the story of Peter Pan. Silently flying off to Neverland one night with a strange boy named Peter Pan, Wendy and her brothers arrive and have many adventures, bravely battling pirates and Indians. Returning home, Wendy and her brothers grow up, while Peter Pan, who stays in Neverland remains a boy forever. This incredible story was written by a man named James Mathew Barrie. As he drew inspiration from many of the people he interacted with, J.M. Barrie formed the great story of the boy who wouldn’t grow up. Some of his most interesting times were his childhood, his time with the Davies, and the making of Peter Pan. This is his story.

In year 1860, James Mathew Barrie was born in a small weaving town called Kirriemuir. Although his family didn’t have much, they were not exactly poor. His father was a successful weaver, while his mother stayed at home with the eight kids. Leaving home at age eight, J.M. Barrie went to Glasgow academy and was looked after by his older brother and sister, who worked at the school. Easily passing exams with flying colors, he then attended Humphreys academy at age thirteen. When he was sixteen he wrote his first play, and started a drama club, which caused much trouble, because not all of the plays had up standing morals, and was looked down upon by the clergyman on the school governing board. After graduating he immediately started writing plays and became a well-known and well respected author in a city which was, much larger than where he grew up.

When he was thirty-one J.M. Barrie fell in love with the pretty young actress, Mary Ansell, who starred in one of his plays, and they got married. In 1897 an extraordinary thing happened--he met the Davies family. Meeting Mrs. Silvia Davies at a dinner party, Barrie was instantly charmed by her beauty and how she would hide sweets in her silk reticule and say, “They are for Peter.” It was not until almost a year later that he met the Davies again. Daily walking in the park, J.M. Barrie often noticed the two little boys wearing red berets, as they walked with the nurse, who was pushing a baby. On one sunny morning, he started talking to the boys because they wanted to play with his dog, Porthos, and he learned that they were part of the Davies family. They were George and Jack Davies. Immediately, J.M. Barrie and the Davies boys became completely inseparable as they met at the park day after day, and J.M. Barrie would often go home with them and play make believe and tell stories until their bedtime, not coming home to his wife until late evening.

Where did Peter Pan Start? He started with the Davies. Telling stories to the Davies boys one day, Barrie told the tale of the boy who wouldn’t grow up, and he named him Peter after Peter Davies, who was listening intently to every word he said. As he wrote the play The Little White Bird, Barrie added in the character of Peter as a small part, but he was so intrigued by the character he decided to write a new play about him. In 1904 Barrie sat in his little cottage home as he wrote continually. Finally finishing his play Peter and Wendy, he took it to be published. At first he had no luck getting it published until his friend, Charles Frohman, who was delighted by the story, agreed to put it into production. It was an instant hit because the charming quality of the play, and people were clambering from everywhere to see the play, which was now named Peter Pan.

After leading a successful life, J. M. Barrie died at age seventy seven of pneumonia. From the time of his childhood, through his relationship with the Davies through the writing of Peter Pan, and even until his death, he was said to be quite childish and even playfully devilish at times, just like the boy he wrote about. One of the most significant things about J.M. Barrie, who loved to write stories until his death, is that he hardly ever noticed his fame and popularity. At a very old age he still loved telling stories and playing make believe, quite like a man who never grew up.

Who Are You?

Who are you? This familiar question asked by the caterpillar of Wonderland is one that is appropriate to the adventures of the man who wrote the famous classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a man who is far less known than the tale he created, though just as intriguing. Although he is most widely known as the writer, Lewis Carroll, this man, born Charles Dodgson, was also a mathematician, inventor, and teacher. Avidly creating and inventing since he was young, Charles’ early works show his prowess in clever rhymes, interesting riddles, and crazy new words such as “chortle”—a blend of “chuckle” and “snort.” Enjoying the company of children, Charles befriended three young sisters, which would lead to the writing of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

On January 27, 1832, in a small parsonage of Daresbury in Cheshire, Charles Dodgson, the man today known as Lewis Carroll, breathed his first breath. The third of eleven children, Charles was taught at home until he was eleven and enjoyed a happy, peaceful childhood with his family, although he was always very shy because of a stammer with which he was born. Charles loved to create from the very beginning. When he was thirteen, he wrote a poem called “The Fairy.”

The Fairy

I have a fairy by my side

Which says I must not sleep.

When once in pain I loudly cried
It said “You must not weep.”

If, full of mirth, I smile and grin

It says “You must not laugh;”

When once I wished to drink some gin

It said “You must not quaff.”

When once a meal I wished to taste

It said “You must not bite”;

When to the wars I went with haste

It said “You must not fight.”

“What may I do?” at length I cried,

Tired of the painful task.

The fairy quietly replied,

And said “You must not ask.

Naturally quick-witted and clever, Charles’ talent for humor paired seamlessly with logic is evident even in his first works.

It was while Charles was teaching at Christ College that he met the little girl who would spark the ideas for the story that he would one day become famous for--Alice in Wonderland. Because of his stammer, Charles was often shy among adults and preferred the company of children. Some of his closest friends were three young girls— Edith, Alice, and Ina Liddell, who were the daughters of the dean of Christ College, where Charles lectured math for many years. Whether they rowing on the pond, or Charles was telling the children a fantastical tale, or photographing the children, they always had a wonderful time. The children adored him. Peacefully rowing one golden afternoon with his good friend Robinson Duckworth and the Liddell sisters, Charles told them an enchanting story in which the main character’s name was Alice. Delighted by the story, Alice Liddell begged him to write it down. When she was older, Alice recalled that it must have been even better than usual, for Charles had made up many stories for them before, but it had never been enthralling so much as to spur a proposal for him to write it down. Alice pleaded. She begged. Charles finally agreed. Charles would write the tale for his little friend, Alice Liddell, Alice’s Adventures Underground.

Even after he began writing the Alice story down, never did Charles suspect that Alice’s Adventures Underground would be published. Hardly a year and a half later, he presented the hand-written green leather-bound book to Alice as a Christmas present, with a note inside reading, “A Christmas gift to a dear child in memory of a summer day.” After showing the book to the fairytale writer, George McDonald and his family, who were good friends of Charles’ they encouraged him strongly to publish “Alice’s Adventures Underground.” They soon persuaded Charles. Searching fervently for an illustrator, Charles decided that John Tenniel, the well-known cartoon artist, was the best fit. It was exactly three years to the day of the golden afternoon when Charles had told the tale to Alice and her sisters, that the book was published, although Charles had nearly doubled its length, added all of John’s Tenniel’s drawings, and changed the title to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

From this short tale, told on a child’s whim, was born a story known around the world, published in in over fifty languages, illustrated by over two-hundred artists, and adapted into two major motion pictures. Clearly seen in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are many aspects of Charles Dodgson, his childhood, his love and exceptional talent for inventing and storytelling, his teaching in math, and-- most importantly, his special fondness for children. It is always an adventure when people can read a work and see much of the writer inside the pages. So Charles Dodgson, who are you?

Snoopy's Defeat

On a winter day in December, when it was very cold, the Peanuts gang was enjoying the afternoon skating. Clutching his blue blanket tightly to his cheek, Linus stood in the middle of the pond, wondering why he had come along. He’d much rather be inside with a toasty mug of hot cocoa, cuddling his blanket and sucking his thumb in his favorite chair instead of in the freezing wind, which was making his poor blanket whip back and forth. Clumsily hobbling towards the bank, Linus decided that ice skating was not for him.

Snoopy, who enjoyed skating immensely, was turning pirouettes and spinning circles around everyone as usual. When Linus turned around, he discovered that Snoopy was charging his way. In an attempt to escape, Linus shuffled hurriedly towards the safe edge of the rink. Zooming towards Linus, Snoopy caught him just as he reached the bank.

Snatching the fuzzy blue blanket in his mouth, Snoopy spun Linus around. With determination, Linus clung on to his blanket, his most precious possession, while Snoopy dragged him around the pond. Linus wouldn’t let go. Crazily, Linus was pulled ‘round and ‘round, until his head was spinning wildly. Linus jerked his blanket suddenly, sending Snoopy towards a large snow bank, where he landed dejectedly in defeat.

A Day for Ice Skating

Waiting for Charlie Brown and the others to arrive, Linus, who was early, was skating around the pond slowly. He hadn’t wanted to arrive early, but his mom said, “Better early than late.” In the air he could see his breath fogging up. While he circled the frozen pond, he rubbed his hands together for warmth. Suddenly a freezing gust of wind almost blew him over as he wrapped his blanket tightly around him. He couldn’t wait for Charlie Brown to arrive.

In the distance, Charlie Brown and Snoopy trudged slowly through the deep snow. Looking towards the pond, Charlie Brown could see a speck, and he thought, “That must be Linus!” As he pushed through the snow, Charlie Brown wondered where everyone else was. Suddenly, bounding in front of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, his dog, sped off towards the lake, while Charlie Brown didn’t pick up the pace at all. Charlie Brown watched him run off, shrugged his shoulders, and kept moving forward at his own pace.

As he grew closer to the pond, Snoopy picked up the speed considerably so he could arrive as soon as possible. Violently shivering in the cold, Linus could only make out a white and black blur speeding towards him. Reaching the ice, Snoopy tried to slow down, but went flying across the pond, grabbing for the only thing in his reach. The only thing in his reach just so happened to be Linus’s blanket, while Linus, who refused to let go, got dragged along with Snoopy until they both crashed into the snow bank at the edge of the pond. In the icy snow, Linus and Snoopy untangled themselves to find Charlie Brown, who had finally arrived, skating across the pond to where they were. “I don’t want to skate anymore Charlie Brown,” said Linus.” Freezing cold, they went home.

Defying Gravity

Since its opening in 2003, the Broadway show Wicked has been the show to beat. Based loosely on the novel Wicked: The life and Times of the Witches of Oz, which is a novel paralleling Frank Baum’s classic film The Wizard of Oz, the musical Wicked is an uproariously funny, yet deeply thoughtful story. Initially premiering in San Francisco, Wicked created little buzz with its audiences. Critics wondered if the show would make it. The show then traveled to New York for the premiere there. It immediately became a box office smash! Like Elphaba, the show has been defying gravity ever since!

Driving While Texting

Everyone has heard of a DWI, but how about a DWT? The reaction time and concentration of a person texting while driving is equal to that of someone who has consumed three or four drinks of alcohol. It’s taken far less seriously. Unfortunately, one out of five drivers admits to texting while driving, while over half of people between eighteen and twenty-four have texted or emailed while driving. Since most people don’t admit to texting after a car accident, these statistics are likely to be significantly higher. Considered far less serious than drinking while intoxicated, texting while driving poses a dangerous problem and will continue to, unless people begin to change their risky and untimely habits.

Six Kids and Their Music

Forming a band for fun in 2005, six kids began what is known today as The Devil Wears Prada. As they tour more and more, The Devil Wears Prada has quickly become immensely popular with song names like “Reptar, King Of The Ozone.” From Dayton, Ohio, The Devil Wears Prada is a hardcore band that has released three full length CDs and one EP album, although they have been a band for only five years. Deriving their name from the book with the same name, the meaning for the band name is completely different. It’s a message about anti-materialism, or as their screamer Mike Hranica put it, “When standing before God, He won't care about your sweet Prada scarf or Gucci shoes or whatever.” On August 22, 2006, they came out with their first full length album, which was named Dear Love A Beautiful Discord. Recently making a new record, The Devil Wears Prada’s newest EP, which is named Zombie is exclusively about zombies and even comes with a zombie comic book. They’ve come a long way from six kids playing music for fun in 2005.

No More Cover Songs

Our Last Night is a five piece band made of guys who were “sick of jamming out to cover songs.” Starting while they were still in high school, they played wild shows and quickly grew popular in the New Hampshire area, and they also gained much attention for their vocalist , because he was only eleven years old when he joined the band. Throughout their career they have put out three full length albums and one EP. In August of 2007, they signed to Epitaph Records and put out their album The Ghosts Among Us. Strenuously working with Andrew Wade, who also works with the bands A Day To Remember and Versa Emerge, Our Last Night released their CD We Will All Evolve on April 30, 2010. Our Last Night has become a great band since their decision to stop jamming to cover songs.

Cracked

Comfortably sitting in the study, waiting for Mr. Perry, Betty was thinking the day over. Picking up a book, she wondered why the name Betty had been chosen for her because she hated the name Betty. It wasn’t her real name. Her real name was actually Meg, and she was an information gatherer. Under cover as a health consultant for Mr. Perry, who was the owner of all the electrical companies going under in the United States, her mission was simple: see how Perry was taking bankruptcy. While she relaxed in the chair, she also wondered when Mr. Perry would arrive.

As she sat, a loud noise broke into her train of thought. Wildly swinging from the gold chandelier above her was--none other than--Mr. Perry himself. Hooting like an owl and flapping his wings crazily like a bird as he swung back and forth, he kept clawing at nothing with his feet. His clothes were torn, he had half a beard, and he kept screaming, “They will never find me in this jungle.” Above Meg’s head, Mr. Perry, who finally spotted her, let out a howl of rage, and started grabbing books off the shelves, as he chucked them at her head.

Calmly observing the man, Meg watched as he rocked back and forth. “After all your scheming and bribing your way to the top, you have finally cracked, you old tyrant,” she thought. “Although I think I like you better this way anyhow.” Standing up slowly, Meg curtsied and called up, “I shall take my leave now, Mr. Perry,” and with that she turned, smiled to herself, and exited the room. As she walked down the hall to the front door, she planned her report in her head. She didn’t have much to tell the boss, because Mr. Perry could be summed up in four short words. Cracked, but quite delightful.

Fifty Bucks Well-Earned, Almost

As Marge walked down the long aisle she looked up to see the groom, who was standing, smiling at the end of the aisle. Immediately saying yes when he had proposed, she could not wait to be married, especially to the man of her dreams. Waiting at the end of the aisle, Frank stood nervously. He had been waiting for this moment all his life, and he could not believe it was already upon him. He felt like jelly. In the first row, the mothers were clutching their tissues and bawling boomingly into them as Marge passed.

Meanwhile, Francis was standing in the lobby, ready to enter behind Marge. On a pillow next to him, lay the wedding rings, small and gold. He did not want his sister to be married because he didn’t much care for Frank, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Picking up the rings and starting slowly into the aisle, he realized that if he didn’t want his sister to be married he would have to act immediately or forever hold his peace. Quickly, he shoved them up his nose. “This will stop the wedding for sure,” thought Francis as he followed Marge.

When he reached the end of the row, the preacher looked down at the pillow and then at Francis. “Where are they?” he asked. “I don’t know,” replied Francis innocently as he sucked them farther up his nose. “Do you have a cold my dear bo--HOLY CRAP! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUR FACE!” screeched the preacher, finally noticing Francis’ bulging nostrils. Digging up his nose with his finger, Francis pulled out the rings, which were covered in snot, spit on them to rinse off the mucus, and handed them to the shocked preacher. On this note, the preacher quickly married the couple. Gloomily searching for his parents, Francis finally found his father, who took the pillow from him as he said, “If your plan had worked, I would have paid you a well-earned fifty bucks.”

Gold Digging

Watching his beautiful older sister glide down the aisle, escorted by their father, Jimmy’s heart sank. Exasperatedly, Jimmy rolled his eyes at the idea of people falling “in love”, which he found to be very obnoxious. Marriage was a fun-sucker. Jimmy, on pain of death by his parents, was the ring bearer; although he’d done everything he could to avoid this terrible prospect. With all his heart, Jimmy loathed that man, from the moment he’d met him. Although he’d hated all of Lia’s boyfriend’s, Cuthbert was the worst. What made him the worst? Cuthbert had actually succeeded in taking away his dearly beloved sister.

Dejectedly he thought to himself that the worst part about it all was that there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had planned. He had schemed. But he had lost. All of his plans, all of his daydreams, which included things such as blowing the groom up, pushing him off a cliff, or chasing him away with a giant rabid ape, had failed. Panicking, Jimmy looked around, and as he did, a brilliant plan popped into his brain. This was his last chance! In desperation, he snatched the two rings from the frilly white cushion, and without hesitation, stuffed one into each nostril. As he marched innocently behind his sister up the aisle, he felt a glow of pride at his own brilliance. No one would ever suspect to look there. He would stop the wedding if it was the last thing he ever did.

Jimmy chuckled to himself, remembering what his mother always said when he picked his nose, “Are you digging for gold?” Now he literally was. When Jimmy arrived at the altar, he held out the empty white pillow to the priest. Glaring at Jimmy, the priest,aghast, demanded where the rings were. Jimmy shrugged his shoulders casually. To Jimmy’s delight the wedding was postponed in order to search for the rings. As the day continued however, the rings began to slide down his nose, so Jimmy continually pushed them farther up. Unfortunately, Jimmy had a very small nose, so this was an extremely painful predicament. Finally, three hours later, he screamed that he couldn’t take it anymore and stuffed his pinkies up to pull the rings out, but Jimmy had pushed them so high up that this was problematic. The rings were stuck! Jimmy’s parents were furious when he confessed, but they, too, couldn’t extract those precious rings rom Jimmy’s tiny freckled nose. In the end, the rings had to be surgically removed, which was an excruciating experience for Jimmy. His parents decided that this was punishment enough. As Cuthbert and Lia took their vows, Jimmy made his own vow that he would never dig for gold again.

The Journey Through Hell

Often recognized as one of the greatest poets ever, Dante Alighieri was born in Florence In 1265. In his younger years Dante studied at home and at age 12 was betrothed to Gemma di Manetto Donati. Much of Dante’s early adult years were spent in politics, and he was also part of Guelph-Ghibelline conflict, and fought in the battle of Campaldino. This ultimately ended in his exile, at which time he wrote The Divine Comedy, which is a three part poem: Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. After writing The Divine Comedy, he died on September 14, 1321. Part one of the Divine Comedy, The Inferno, which is the most popular of the three, describes a pilgrim’s journey through hell, guided by the poet Virgil. In The Inferno, Dante uses a certain formula for the journey through the circles of hell. First each circle’s punishment parallels the sin committed. Second, as he journeys further into hell, the sins are represented as becoming more repulsive. And third, the further he journeys into hell, the less activity he finds.

In The Inferno, each sinner has a punishment that reflects his sin on earth. Expressing this point in Canto seven, Dante places the slothful under the mucky swamp where they are stuck for eternity, inhaling the mud and water, never being able to move because of their laziness on earth. Another example of this is the circle of the soothsayers, where Dante says, “And when my gaze moved down below their faces, I saw all were incredibly distorted, the chin was not above the chest, the neck was twisted--their faces looked down their backs; they had to move ahead by moving backward, for they never saw what was ahead of them” (Canto 20, Lines 10-15). Their faces were twisted around because they always tried to see and predict the future, and now they don’t even get to see what’s in front of them presently. One last example is Canto twenty-three, which contains the hypocrites, who are laden with such heavy garments they can barely walk. They wear these because they were so burdened with their lies on earth. By giving them exactly what they want, Dante has punished them by giving them such an excess of the sin that it shows how perverted it really is.

As the journey goes deeper into hell, Dante’s opinion about what sins are deserving of more punishment is shown. For example, the first group of sinners who are neither accepted by God or by hell are forced to run forever outside the gates of hell. Whereas, about halfway down are the suicides who are encased in trees and can only talk if a limb is broken and their blood spills out. Because they did not cherish their life on earth, they have no life in hell. The last circle of hell holds the traitors, which is interesting because of Dante’s political views and his war against the traitors to his country, which was the reason for his exile. Horribly tortured in ice are the traitors to their country, and finally Lucifer, the ultimate traitor and the king of hell, is found chewing on the worst sinners: Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. Obviously Dante had a certain contempt for traitors, which was probably due to his exile; his hell seems to be influenced by his personal experiences.

One interesting literary contrast is the difference between the first and last circles of hell. In the first circle of hell, Dante observes the indecisive sinners, who chose neither God nor Lucifer, running away from responsibility of choice. In hell they spend their time endlessly being chased by bees, literally having to run. Whereas, those who chose to directly oppose God, like Lucifer and Judas, are stuck, immobilized, and in Judas’s case being eaten eternally. Dante seems to find it worse to be trapped in one place, because as he travels deeper into hell the tortures become more immobile; for example traitors who are in the bottom of hell are frozen in ice.

Reading The Inferno reveals much of Dante’s thoughts on which sins should have a worse punishment, like the deepest circle of the traitors. He also hints that immobility is a more terrible thing than being tormented yet still having strength. In the end of The Inferno, Dante and his guide, Virgil, have gone through all hell literally and finally have to crawl down the leg of Satan to arrive in purgatory and continue their journey to heaven.

A Journey Through Hell

The Divine Comedy was written between 1308 and 1321, by Dante Alighieri. Originally in Italian, The Divine Comedy continues to be translated regularly. In Dante’s culture, when the vast majority of literature consisted of stuffy lovey-dovey poetry, Dante’s poems were a huge step forward. It was written in every day plain Italian for the everyday normal Joe, but it was about Hell. This was not what Florence was used to. Lasting 700 years, Dante’s story is gritty, graphic, violent, engaging, exciting, and deeply moving. It deals with matters of the human condition and is still completely relevant today.

Dante’s Divine Comedy has lasted for centuries because he knew how to tell a good story, and a good story is the best vehicle for ideas to travel from the page to the mind to the soul. What rings true in one heart and mind will ring true in hearts and minds around the world. Dante rings true. How do we explain the ways in which men sin and are reconciled again to God? We do this by telling stories. Another familiar word is parable. In Dante’s parable he tells of a man—himself— going through Hell so he can eventually reach heaven. He presents his story as a journey. Perhaps he wrote it this way because there is a universal theme that every person experiences in life, which is that good can come from bad situations. Through trials we grow stronger. Life comes from Death. In the play The Fantasticks, the narrator, El Gallo, says, “There is a curious paradox that no one can explain. Who understands the secret of the reaping of the grain? Who understands why spring is born out of winter’s laboring pain? Or why we must all die a bit before we can live again? I do not know the answer. I merely know it’s true.” Since The Divine Comedy is a journey, it must begin with the storms and hardships of Hell, so that the pilgrim can reach the harvest of heaven’s glory.

One unique device that the poet Dante uses in The Divine Comedy is to place himself in the story, making us feel as if it might have really happened. He makes himself the pilgrim on the journey—the one who experiences Hell. And we, in a sense, experience it with him. While traveling through the circles of Hell, observing the various realms of sinners, including the liars, the thieves, the lustful, the wrathful, and the hypocrites, it can be tempting to comfort ourselves with how evil those people are and feel proud that we don’t struggle with those sins, but it’s difficult not to see glimpses (sometimes more than glimpses) of ourselves in all of the sinners. But in contrast Dante also doesn’t let us forget that they are evil nasty sinners, and he is rebuked several times for pitying them. But sin is not to be pitied because as soon as we start making excuses for the sins of those condemned by God, we start making excuses for our own sin. Pitying those that God has chosen to condemn, we question God’s justice. This is what Dante does not let us do. We must hate sin. Because we are on the journey with Dante, seeing Hell through his eyes, we are also rebuked with him for pitying sin. Just like Dante, we must turn our own condemning finger on ourselves. Oh, me, condemned sinner. In his art, Dante helps us to see ourselves for who we are—sinners. Thankfully, he didn’t stop with the Inferno. This is a journey, and our destination is paradise.

As we travel through Hell it is curious and often surprising to discover who Dante the poet placed in Hell. A large percentage of the sinners in Hell are Catholic popes, who are mostly in the lowest realms of Hell. It’s ironic and a bit unsettling that those who are regarded as holy and good and who are supposedly God’s chosen leaders on earth are those we discover to be deep in Hell. As might be less surprising, we also meet many of Dante’s enemies in hell. There are those who hold the opinion that this is Dante’s spiteful revenge towards them, but another fact suggests otherwise. Dante also puts his friends in hell. A prime concept in The Inferno is that “good decent” people are in Hell right along with “nasty evil” people. In Dante’s story there are hundreds of popes in Hell, yet we know there are thieves in heaven. What’s the difference? Redeemed thieves. We don’t get to heaven by being nice respected people, but by being saved by grace. If the pilgrim Dante hadn’t “woke to find himself in a dark wood,” he also would be keeping company with these condemned in Hell eternally. The reason the pilgrim Dante is making the journey through Hell is so that he may be redeemed.

Great stories always last, because they are about who we are as human beings. Putting a mirror up to nature, they ask us to take a look at the world and at ourselves. They teach us what to love and what to hate. Not to love good people and hate bad people, because there is no such thing. There are only redeemed people and those who are not. When you find yourself in a dark wood, know that you have a journey through Hell ahead of you, so that you can reach paradise.

The Twisted Hero

Macbeth is the classic story that illustrates the fragility of human nature. Written 1606-1607, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. To understand the character of Macbeth, it’s important to consider the role of fate and choice. As in many famous plays and stories, the question arises of whether or not Macbeth is a helpless victim of fate or a man overrun by selfish desires. Equally important are the concepts of how actions shape a person’s character and how they can rob someone of personal insight.

Although, in the end Macbeth is a ruthless, murderous tyrant, he didn’t start out that way. Ironically, the first description of Macbeth is the hero in battle who charged in without fear and defeated the enemy, namely their leader, Macdonwald, whose head he put on a stake. It’s interesting how our first perception of him is the conqueror of a traitorous villain, one whom he will resemble by the end of the play.

But then Macbeth meets the Weird Sisters. Up until this point we have no reason to believe that Macbeth has traitorous tendencies. But he always had the potential to become a murderous traitor, and this is the reason we cannot blame his repulsive moral condition on the Weird Sisters or Lady Macbeth or Fate. The Weird Sisters relay three prophesies to Macbeth: “All hall, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3 lines 48-50). Even the choice of words at the beginning of the play hint that Macbeth isn’t’ a victim of Fate. “But all’s too weak: For brave Macbeth—Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel.” This suggests that Macbeth is above fortune or Fate; it doesn’t control him. Macbeth is ruined by his choice to take matters into his own hands. Fate had given him the perfect hand and Macbeth knew that if he played his hand right, the game would be in the bag. But does Macbeth “disdain Fortune” for the sake of loyalty to his country or just sheer decency? Macbeth knew what he was doing. He was painfully aware of it. “I am afraid to think what I have done: Look on ‘t again I dare not.” (2.2 lines 55-56). It’s tempting to blame Macbeth’s sins on Fate, especially when we consider ourselves in his place, but this is not the case.

Throughout the play we see devolution of Macbeth’s character. When Macbeth hears the prophesies of the Weird Sisters he’s not sure what he’s going to do yet, although he immediately entertains thoughts of murder: “Why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature? Present fears are less than horrible imaginings shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise and nothing is but what is not.” And with this beginning or conflict, we see that as Macbeth ascends in power, his moral character rapidly declines. Before Macbeth murders Duncan he is swayed back and forth—should he do it? Should he not? Although some of his doubts come from selfish fears of being caught, it does seem that Macbeth is wholly corrupt. He’s still able to distinguish between right and wrong. After the deed is done Macbeth feels extreme regret, but it’s not long before the regret wears off. As the action continues, Macbeth feels less emotion regarding his depravity, and it becomes easier with each murder. By the end, he tells us that he fears no longer: “I have almost forgotten the taste of fears. Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts, cannot once start me.” (5.5 lines 8 and 13-14). In this sense, never fearing is an unnatural and sickly state of being. When we consider each of Macbeth’s murders, it’s important to see how truly perverted they are, firstly the murder of his king, to whom he’d sworn eternal allegiance. Next, with much less reluctance, the murder of his close friend, Banquo, is a comment on how desperate Macbeth is becoming to tie up all the end of his treachery. And third, Macbeth has come to a state of such unnaturalness that he feels threated by women and children. His senseless butchery is repulsive. Each of these murders twists Macbeth, forming different characteristics in him. With the murder of Duncan, Macbeth becomes the tyrant. With the murder of his good friend Banquo, he cuts himself off from human companionship. And the complete unnatural murder of women and children is nothing but the work of a coward. Utterly low, Macbeth has become a wretched creature, willing to do anything to keep his power.

Macbeth does not die a heroic death, but a pitiful death. Near the end of the play, before he battles Malcolm and Macduff, Macbeth clings to the prophesies of the three witches. Cleverly, Malcolm’s army has carried three branches from the forest Birnham to conceal the number of troops coming, therefore fulfilling the prophesy of the witches. Macbeth meets Macduff, and they begin to duel. Macbeth claims that Macduff cannot defeat him, boasting, “I bear a charmed life, which must not yield to one of woman born.” But Macduff was ripped from his mother’s womb early, thus; he is not born of woman. Now Macbeth is without loyal solider to follow him, without his wife, who was his driving force, and now it seems that all Fortune is really against him and not for him. The prophesies have fallen flat and Macbeth has nothing left to cling to. Still, he refuses to surrender, and he vows never to give in. “Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane and thou opposed, being of no woman born, yet I will try the last. Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff. And damned be him that first cries ‘Hold, enough.’” Macbeth has become so wretched that he will not surrender and admit that he’s defeated. He’s so far into his evil ways that he can no longer realize that his cause is lost. Early in the play, Lady Macbeth reassures her husband that “A little water clears us of this deed” (2.2 line 6.9), but it is not so. Macbeth dies fighting to keep the power that never belonged to him. Maybe if Macbeth had realized this, had begged for death on his knees before Macduff, this wouldn’t be a tragedy, but Macbeth is unable to do so in his corruptness.

In one regard, Macbeth hardly feels like a tragedy. No one sitting in the audience is on Macbeth’s side, cheering for him to kill Macduff. As the curtain closes, the villain is dead, and good has triumphed, even if it is at great cost. At one point, the crowd might have felt a liking for Macbeth and hoped that he wouldn’t commit his atrocities. “Don’t do it, Macbeth! Don’t do it!” But towards the end, the mutual feeling is, “Just kill him, Macduff.” The most important thing about the character of Macbeth is the concept of a good man turning into a vile tyrant. Since the beginning of history, our stories demonstrate that each and every one of us is susceptible to corruption.