The Ways of a Parent;

An Essay based on To Kill A Mockingbird

Cassie Seidel

English Class

Pine Point

10/25/10

             Many people believe that their parents are boring forty year olds with nothing to do with their lives. Yet, many people don't know that their parents were just like us! For example, in To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout thought all Atticus did was sit and read all day, but they soon discovered that he could shoot a rifle better than anyone in Maycomb County. I knew my dad was a smart, but I was recently told he was the head of his high school class. These are some differences about parents. 

            (TS)Jem and Scout find many characteristics that their father has in this chapter that they never knew before. (SD1) One of Atticus’ many skills is shooting a rifle better than anyone in Maycomb County. (CM1) He acknowledged that, “He considered it a waste of ammunition to shoot 14 out of 15 birds." (CM2) Many people thought he could dispatch any animal. (SD2) When Scout and Jem discover Atticus’ talent, they are shocked. (CM1) They never thought that their dad, who read all day, would even think about shooting a rifle. (CM2) Nevertheless, he was "One Shot Finch." Jem and Scout learned to live with the fact Atticus had, “the deadest shot in Maycomb County." (CS) The children discovered that Atticus is not at all what he seems to be. 

            (TS) I have also learned some things about my dad that I never knew before. (SD1) One thing that makes my dad an individual is he was captain of the football team, president of the band, and vale dictorian.  (CM1) I thought it was strange because he was a smart football player. (CM2) Also, because my dad was in the band, he couldn't play at football games, so the band would have to play without him. (SD2) Another quality I didn't know about my dad is he had a peculiar nickname in college. (CM1) He was called Bo because he was very bowleged.  (CM2) They were so bad; people could throw a softball in between them with his feet together. (CS) My dads differences, make him the person he is today. 

           Our parents have unique talents, qualities, and stories from their past. Some of them are good, and some of them are bad, yet when you learn about these things, it is pleasant surprise. I understand that they have gone through the same challenges that I have faced, and they surprise me with their experiences The surprises we get in life are things to cherish, and they will live in our thoughts for a long time.  

             

          

Outline for 4-Paragraph Essay

Main Point or Thesis of Essay: Parents can be different than you thought.

Bell word: different

Paragraph 1 -- Opening

Hook: Did you think your parents could be any different than they already are?

Comment on the hook: In TKAM, Scout realized that her father didn’t just read all day; he even had a nickname, One Shot Finch, because he never missed a gun shot.

Comment on the hook: My dad had a nickname too, but his name was Bo because he had such bad bowlegs, people thought he was going to fall over!

Thesis: (with bell word) Our parents may be DIFFERENT, but I love them anyway.

Paragraph 2

TS (Main Idea, Topic, or Thesis): The differences found in Atticus

2 Echo words to be used: Out of the ordinary    Divers

SD: One thing Scout never knew about Atticus is that he was called One Shot Finch

        CM: They didn’t even think their dad had the guts to kill a fly!

        CM Nevertheless, he could shoot any animal without flinching and “A little to the right.”

    SD: Scout found out the hard way that her dad loved to hunt.

        CM: When a rabid dog named Tim Johnson was roaming the street, her dad was asked to shoot it down.

        CM: Scout was shocked that he would even think about shooting an innocent animal like Tim Johnson

  

CS: Scout finds a lot of differences out of the ordinary about her father.

Paragraph 3

TS (Main Idea, Topic, or Thesis) My dad also has a lot of differences that I never knew of before.

2 Echo words to be used Individual   Particular 

   

SD: One of the things that makes my dad an certain individual is he was the captain of the football team, president of the band, and vale dictorian.

        CM: Many people would call him an all around guy, a geek, jock, and a nerd.

        CM: This is a very strange, but fascinating thing about my dad.

    SD: Also, when he was in college, people would call him Bo.

        CM: One reason he was called Bo, was because he was so bowlegged, people thought he was going to fall over.

        CM: This was a problem when he was playing rugby because he thought that someone was going to throw the ball right through his legs.

CS: These are just a few different things I learned about my dad.

Paragraph 4

Hook (the same as paragraph 1, or different)  I bet you that you can think of a way right now about how your parents could be different.

Echo word (could be bell word): different

Comment on the hook: Your mom and your dad could be two different people than they are today.

Comment on the hook: My dad was a geeky jock, and now his a successful engineer.

Re-statement, in slightly different words, of the thesis:

I believe that since are parents are different, we can feel that we can be different from them.

   

Freestyle Writing

Based on the movie Faith like Potatoes with a twist!

            Dancing with the Stars is on! Oh yes, finally. "The next person kicked off is................We will find out when we come back!" I am going to kill the T.V! I can't stand to watch another Hillshire Farms commercial, I keep watching though. It shows a big tractor trailer. I see my poor niece laying on the old dirt road, covered in blood. I see a doctor telling me,"Its too late."Its my fault she isn't alive today! I should have watched the road, I should of told her to buckle up. She was only 8! I loved that girl. I slowly walk up to the T.V, press the off button, and leave without a word.

Fallen Tears;

an Essay on Crying based on To Kill A Mockingbird

Pine Point School

Cassie Seidel

Essay #5

10/12/10

           My face starts to get red, my hands get all shaky, and then I let the first tear fall. I can feel it running down my face, like pressing all the buttons on the elevator. It stops at many places, but eventually finds its way to the ground floor. That's how I think Jem's tears started.

           (TS)I feel that Jem was crying because he was scared. (SD1) How would you feel if an adult told you a lie.(CM1) Would you feel discouraged, or would you want to "Climb into Jem's skin." and find out his secrets(CM2) Jem's story is entirely different because its not just any person that lied to him, it was Nathan Radley. (SD2) Nathan Radley can strike fear into the hearts of many people, especially Jem, yet Jem can be brave. (CM1) He thinks that if you go into the Radley place "[his] funeral would have been held the next afternoon." CM2 Jem had been the only one brave enough to sneak into the Radley House, and right after Jem snuck in, they found a knothole full of treasures. (CM3) Then one day, while walking down the lonely street, Jem found the knothole filled with cement, and when he asked Nathan about it, he said it was dying.(CM4)Unfortunately when he asked his father, Atticus, he said the tree was perfectly healthy. (CS)"When Jem came from the porch, Scout could tell he was crying."(To Kill A Mockingbird)

          (TS) Do you feel like you need to cry right now? (SD1) I feel that everyone needs to cry once in their lifetime to let out their emotions. (CM1) If someone punches you and you cry, that shows pain, or if a family member just died, you would feel like sitting and crying. This shows hurt on the inside. (CM2) The tears show that you can show your emotions without hiding them inside and feeling terrible insecure. (SD2) I admit that I have not wanted to cry before. (CM1) I had just learned that my great-aunt Ruth had died. She was 94. (CM2) I could taste the salt on my lips before a single tear fell. (CS) If you need to, just let out a tear.

             After the first tear, the fountain starts to flow. Many different elevators trying to find their way. An ocean of emotions. I just let them flow, and those specific tears, never come back. I am thankful that we laugh more than we cry, and we love more than we kill. A fallen tear, is just the beginning.

Self Assessment

           I feel that I need to work on misspelling things, because they are stupid mistakes. Also, I think I did a really good job at metaphors in this essay. Also, one of my problems in this essay is finding the right way to use my participles. I would give myself a B+ for this essay.

Can You Invade;

An Essay on To Kill A Mockingbird

By Cassie Seidel

English Class

10/5/10

Essay #4

             

            

              You are walking around your house, and you look out the window. You see a few shadows that don't look like the deer that always like to chomp away at your cabbages. No, this was a human shadow. There has been some strange rumors going on about you latly, but you didn't think it would come to this. How would you feel if this happened to you?

             (TS)In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, the character Boo Radley is very strange, but he is not strange enough to have a bunch of people invading his privacy. (SD1) Many people believe that Boo Radley is a rambunctious man who doesn’t know his place. (CM1) They laugh at Boo becase he was a lunatic as a child, but he could be a gentleman now. (CM2) The townspeople haven’t even seen Boo for many years now. (SD2) I believe that everyone in the story either ignores the Radley House, or is completly obsessed with it and would like to sneak inside. (CM1) How would you feel if someone snuck into your house? (CM2) I know that it would make me go bonkers. (CS) I feel that no matter who you are, “A persons a person, no matter how small.”(Dr. Seuss)

            It's not right to invade a house, no matter how weird you might be. The story that I told in the begining was a summary of what happened in To Kill A Mockingbird to Boo Radley. A few kids wanted to know who he really was, so they snuck into his backyard. Those kids almost got shot by Boo's brother. What would you do to those kids?

Self Assesment

              I believe that I might have a few careless mistakes in this essay, and that is a carless mistake I need to work on. I think I used quotes quite well in this essay. Also I need to work on writing my sentances more clearly. I would give myself a B- on this essay.