growing up is like a caterpillar-project

Growing up is like a caterpillar (a short paragraph)

            Growing up is like a caterpillar. When a caterpillar is at the very beginning of it’s life, it prefers to stay on the plant it was born on. Compare this to when you’re a toddler, you usually stay home or are shy to other people when you first meet them. However, life always brings change, like when the caterpillar eats all the leaves on the plant that nurtured it and raised it. The caterpillar will have to move onto another plant. This is similar to your first day of school, were you have to leave everything you know and enter this new way of living, meeting new friends and challenges with each passing grade. In a way, a caterpillar does the same thing. As it gets older, it has to move from plant to plant annually, like when you go through grades in school. There are also challenges such as birds and other caterpillars that want to eat you or the plants. As you go into higher and higher grades, things seem to slow down, become insipid and somewhat repetitive. This is when the caterpillar would be in a cocoon stage, were things do not appear to be changing. However, things are changing even though it does not look like it, before you know it you’ll be in high school, and then collage. Then you become a butterfly, beautiful and smart, changed and ready for the life ahead. The possibilities are endless as you fly off the ground, looking for your purpose in life. Life is precious, my friends, don’t waste it.

letter to friend about growing up

Dear Best Friend,

            I am glad to have met you because you have always been there for me. Forgive me for being a little shy around you when we were little children. Back then I was less open towards new people and new things. I have also grown to understand you better, to know where you’re coming from -how your experiences changed you, how you react to certain things differently than me. Just as how I react to you depends upon my experiences. Since I’ve learned to understand you better, I also had to compromise with you. As a child I would always go for my way in games or activities, and would pout when I did not get what I wanted. Now I have learned to compromise with everyone so that the whole group, or just ourselves, will feel great about our verdict or a victory. Along with going my way, accepting advice is a big thing that I learned to do as I grew older.  When I was younger, I wasn’t interested in changing my ideas. Some changes adults, including my teachers and tutors, as well as older children suggested seemed like too much unnecessary work. I learned to take their advice and by putting it to work could boost my grades at school or increase my performance in sports. In conclusion, thank you for being so patient, supportive, and a little firm at times. I will take these experiences to heart as I journey on the road of life.

                                                                                                -Sincerely,

                                                                                                Emmanuel Perry

essay 12 (full)

Discovering love

An essay on close relationships

By Emmanuel Perry

Pine Point School

April 25,2011

I believe true love is found between two people who find similar interests in each other. I think that people don’t fall into love with one another; instead the two people will discover that they share similar characteristics and were meant for each other as time progresses. This essay is about how I think I will find that certain someone meant for me.

            I think I will find my life partner on some sort of adventure.

Not one on the fantastical side, the kind of adventures that take you across the world, thwarting evil and finding precious gems, falling in love with a damsel in distress. No, this love will probably take place at a humble, down-to-earth summer camp, where the action is more my speed. In these sorts of places I can express who I am and make new friends. My comical and optimistic behavior may be what a certain girl is looking for in a guy. If I met a girl, one that had some familiar traits with me, we could talk about our hobbies, swap funny jokes, and describe the towns we live in. As our friendship would get stronger, we may do more of the activities on the trip together. Before we would depart from the camp, we would make sure we could follow each other through the Internet or mail or phone. In that way we could still maintain a good-natured relationship and be able to meet again in the near or distant future.

            My parents have a very healthy and strong relationship that has been around for 23 years. In fact, my father still buys beautiful flowers for my mother almost every month. He’s been doing this probably since his dating years, and undoubtedly got the same results from my mom: a big smile with a dash of kisses and a serving of hugs and a affectionate ‘thank you, honey’ for dessert. This proves that my dad still cares about his wife a lot and his devotion to her is very strong. My mother plays a role in their intimacy as well. For example, my mom really likes to talk to dad about his day, all the good news, the bad, and the funny stories! When my parents talk, they sometimes share advice on what they should do about a problem that occurred that day and how they should fix it. Some of mom’s stories must be really amusing, because they will be talking and then suddenly burst into nonstop laughter! Another way mom shows love for my dad is to they hop onto the couch, snuggle up under a blanket with some popcorn and watch movies together when my sister and I go to bed. This shows how mom loves to be with dad and also how they both like the same movie genres. In fact, it may relate to when they were dating and went out to movies together.

            Since true love is something you find, it might take a great deal of searching.

For some people it may be quick and easy to find that special person, but others may search for years. In some cases, people may never try to find that someone and will end up feeling alone and depressed. In other cases, some people may rush their searching and marry someone that they will regret marrying later on in life. Be patient when you search or if you are searching right now, for true love will find all of us someday.

Self-Assessment

1. I am working on feeling more assertive about my essays.
2. I think it is a good piece of writing even though I am not familiar with of these relationships.
3. One possible weak point I see is that the introductions transition sentence is not very well put together.
4. The grade I would give myself: A

essay 12 body paragraph 1

            I think I will find a close relationship on some sort of adventure.

Not one on the fantastical side, the kind of adventures that take you across the world, thwarting evil and finding precious gems, falling in love with a damsel in distress. No, this love will probably take place at a summer camp, where the action is more my speed. In these sorts of places I can express who I am to different people and make new friends. My comical and optimistic behavior may be what a certain girl is looking for. If I met a girl, one that had some familiar traits with me, we could talk about our hobbies, swap funny jokes, and describe the towns we live in. As our friendship would get stronger, we may do more of the activities on the trip together. Before we would leave our trip, we would make sure we could follow each other through the Internet. That way we can still have a fun-filled relationship and might be able to meet again in the near or distant future.

essay 12

Jordan, a Cookie, and Me

An essay on Friendships

By Emmanuel Perry

Pine Point School

April 18,2011

Friendship is a bond between people who are not genetically related. These friends will spend time and energy with the other person. Those who have strong friendships rarely fight and usually share the same likes and personalities. I personally have many bonds with people. Even so, there’s one that rises far above the rest.

When I think of my most sturdiest ‘friend ship’, my good friend Jordan comes to mind. We’ve been together since kindergarten, figuring out simple arithmetic, discovering how we get rain, finding happiness through sharing and doing what is right, basically enjoying school each and every day. However, our relationship started out when we started talking about our siblings. Then we started to talk about our favorite cartoons and movies. Jordan and I eventually realized that we had a lot in common. The thing we most had in common was the fact that we loved to joke. When we were together, we were rarely serious. Even when I was sad, Jordan would help me up with a joke that I would laugh at for the whole day. We basically were two supportive friends, picking each other up when one of us fell. When I think about our friendship, it reminds me of milk and cookies. Even though we taste great separate, we both taste even better combined. I am very glad I met Jordan, otherwise I would just be one ‘crummy cookie’ in the world…

I am glad for friends like Jordan, we are so close it’s almost as if we’re brothers. In a way, that’s what a best friend is like.  A best friend is someone who likes most of the things you like. They don’t have to be like you in every aspect, though. After all, the best friendships are made when you’re just being yourself.

essay 12

When I think of my most sturdiest ‘friend ship’, my good friend Jordan comes to mind. We’ve been together since kindergarten, figuring out simple arithmetic, discovering how we get rain, finding happiness through sharing and doing what is right, basically enjoying school each and every day. However, our relationship started out when we started talking about our siblings. Then we started to talk about our favorite cartoons and movies. Jordan and I eventually realized that we had a lot in common. The thing we most had in common was the fact that we loved to joke. When we were together, we were rarely serious. Even when I was sad, Jordan would help me up with a joke that I would laugh at for the whole day. We basically were two supportive friends. When I think about our friendship, it reminds me of milk and cookies. We both taste great combined. It means that we have a little bit of each other inside us and that we are happiest together. I am very glad I met Jordan, otherwise there would just be a lone ‘cookie’ in the world…

essay 12 outline

OUTLINE

Bell:

Echo:

Sentence #1: Topic Sentence (TS)

              Example TS:  me and jordan are very close friends

Sentence #2: 1st Supporting Detail (SD), with transition

              Example SD1:  we’ve been together since kindergarten

Sentence #3: Commentary (CM) on the SD

              Example CM1:  when we both started telling stories about our siblings, we found some similarities

Sentence #4: Another commentary (CM) on the SD

              Example CM2:  we also liked the same cartoons when we were little

Sentence #5: 2nd Supporting Detail (SD), with transition

              Example SD2:  we really like to talk about funny things

Sentence #6: Commentary (CM) on the 2nd SD

Example CM1: when were together, were rarely serious

Sentence #7: Another commentary (CM) on the 2nd SD

              Example CM2:  he really cheers me up when I feel down

Sentence #8: 3rd Supporting Detail (SD), with transition

              Example SD3:  we are like cookies and milk

Sentence #9: Commentary (CM) on 3rd SD

              Example CM1:  we both taste good when were together

Sentence #10: Commentary (CM) on 3rd SD

              Example CM2:  we have a little of each other inside us

Sentence #11: Concluding Sentence (CS)

              Example CS:  I’m glad to be his friend

assessment ESSAY!!!!!

To Clean a Cat

By: Emmanuel Perry

March 7, 2011

To be honest, this site was actually my second choice. I was going to be at the Boys and Girls Club of America, but they never called me back. Day after day I called, until I realized I would have to move on. It was getting pretty close to the date where I had to have some appointment set up. Thankfully, I had some back up places, and one of them was the Westerly Animal Shelter. What was interesting was that the Boys & Girls club kept putting me off, and the Animal shelter accepted me and we assigned a date on my first call! I guess it was meant to be so. When I went there to look around the place, what surprised me the most was that the place was very spacious inside and had a very big main hall; however, it was somewhat narrow in the corridors. In addition, it did not smell of animals, which surprised me. As I looked at it, I knew I was going to have a blast!

There were some problems that came up as I went through my visits. For example, they told me that since I was under 18 I could not handle the dogs. In addition, I couldn’t work with some animals in the isolation zone, due to their unstable behavior. A physical challenge on my first day was cleaning the cats’ cages. What you have to do is pick the cat up by its scruff and chest then place it in an empty cage so you could clean it’s original kennel. The first cat I did was a big black tom with a snow-white belly. I petted him first, so I could gain his trust, and then slowly grabbed the scruff on his neck. One thing I should mention is that while held like this, the cat goes temporarily limp. However, the cat will start to struggle if he is in the air too long. Just like the previous sentence suggests, I left the cat out too long. It started fussing so hard I had to cradle it, shuffle to my left, and dump it in the new cage like a bulldozer. I learned that you should have both cage doors open when you are switching cats.

Despite these challenges, I still feel I did my part by being a volunteer. Tom ____, the head of the shelter, was very grateful that I could help. Now that I think about it, being too young to help the isolated animals might have been a good thing. When I did the little things, the older volunteers could worry about the bigger things. I was also reluctant help when some of the older volunteers couldn’t make it. In conclusion, my work with cleaning cages also made the pets look more attractive to adopters, which is what all the volunteers want for the animals.

During the week, I studied more about the animal shelters in Connecticut and the problem with animal cruelty. One thing I didn’t know was that there were different kinds of shelters. Some do not euthanize (put down) animals after a certain amount of days while on the contrary, some do put down animals after a certain amount of weeks (wikipedia.com). I did some more research and found that most places that euthanize animals after periods of time are in places that have pet/stray overpopulation or don’t have enough room in the shelter (CThumane.org). There is a group of people called humanitarians. ASPCA, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, is one of the many that help set up state laws to prevent animal cruelty. It started in New York in 1866 and is now America’s largest humane society. They support animal shelters and police when facing animal abuse. There is another group of people called animal activists. These people hold rallies or protests against animals in distress, somewhat like humanitarians. Activists don’t buy cosmetics or other store products (toothpaste, skin creams, etc) that were tested on animals. In addition, some Activists don’t eat meats from ‘factory farms’; places where animals are held in stressfully small spaces and painfully are killed. Instead, they eat animal products that came from animals that roam on a farm or large expanse of land.

As I worked I started thinking about how my work at the shelter was similar to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. What came to mind was how Tom Robinson could not talk in his own defense. This is just like how animals cannot speak to those who abuse them. We must be like Atticus Finch, a lawyer, a speaker for the Animals. I was not so excited about this project the first few visits, but close to the end I really felt bad about leaving. This is similar to how Jem and Scout had to spend their free time with Ms. Dubose. They did not like it in the beginning, but missed her when she died.

I really wish I did not waste so much time calling the B&G club.  I was continuously calling them, but we never got a solid date. I also would want to be more assertive. I was really shy and didn’t go for every opportunity to do something new. Next time I do community service, I will be more assertive in my work. There were some rabbits and cockatiels the first three visits. I wish I had asked if I could handle those small critters, because I had some experience with birds (I had two as pets).

 These visits have really changed me. One example is really interesting. I feel more willing to help others without pay. I have also become more devoted to helping this cause for animals. I have been inspired by the other volunteers that this problem is not a small one.

In conclusion, this experience is one I will never forget or won’t forget easily. I now have a strong urge to not only help animals all over the world, but to help critters in my own neighborhood. I felt great doing something for my community; it made me feel like I was actually a part of it. I hope this spurs you to do something that will benefit the people around you. It doesn’t just make them feel better, it makes you feel better too.

assesment day 7

Today was my last day at the shelter, so I took my time with the cats. I petted them softly, and they gave me thanks by looking at me with piercing green eyes. I did clean this one cats cage. He was huge compared to the other cats, so it was a challenge getting him up into another cage. We also had to do some searching for a large blanket for him. I also got to hang out with Casey and a dog. Her name was Dorothy I believe, she was a brown pit bull and had a white belly. Casey says the dog was in a puppy mill. Puppy mills are place were dogs like Dorothy are forcefully bred to have many puppies in which to sell. It is stressful on the animal and is very unhealthy. I’m glad she now has friends that love her and hope she gets a kind and loving owner. As I look back, I think that I have learned a lot about these people who give up their free time to help these creatures. I will definitely be coming back soon!

assesment day 6

One interesting thing that happened on our trip was that there were so many volunteers there today! In fact, I could only do two cages! I was worried that we would have to leave early, but Lucy had other ideas. She had her dark brown hair in a bun and a starched trench coat. She beckoned for us to come to the isolation room. I was wondering why she would do that, considering I was told that I shouldn’t go there on the first day. It turned out it was a little yellow cat, a scrawny little kitten that meowed loudly when we entered.  I wondered why he was in the isolation chamber, since his sticker says he is ‘green’, or people friendly.  It turns out he was sick with a contagious, chronic disease that could contaminate other cats, which is why he is kept away from all the others. I feel bad for him, having to be away from everyone else, people rarely go there, volunteer or adopter. I hope he finds a good home, with caring people.