Circles in Life:                                           
         An Essay Based on To Kill A Mockingbird 

By Cassie Seidel

Pine Point School

English Class

1/31/11

             (TS) In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many circles of prejudice. (SD1) One of the major circles of prejudice is Tom Robinson towards the end of the book. (CM1) He was, "shot seventeen times in the back" all because he tried to escape from being misjudged for the color of his skin. (CM2) The white people at the jail hated him so much, they decided to shoot him far more than they should have, seventeen times. (SD2) At the same time as the book takes place, the Holocaust is happening in Germany that they describe in Scouts current events class at the end of the book. (CM1) If people think it is wrong to persecute Jews, why don't they think it is wrong to persecute black people? (CM2) Adolf Hitler isn't any worse than people in the 1930's to poor black people. (SD3) The apartheid between Jem and Scout and other kids is absurd at the beginning of the book. (CM1) They were treated like pigs all because their dad is a good man. (CM2) The kids even thought Jem and Scout were bad just because of the color of their dad's client's skin. (CS) This book has extreme prejudice in the beginning, middle, and end like a circle.

            (TS) My life in a circle can easily be compared to my life at the rink. (SD1) Every year when I skate, I look forward to one thing, Nationals. (CM1) I practice as hard as I can all year for two weeks in July when I can show of what I have polished thoroughly and hopefully, win a medal. (CM2) I am lucky enough to have this cycle every year because without it, I probably wouldn't be the skater I am today. (SD2) Also, every year we have an awards banquet honoring the many people who won medals at nationals and giving away special awards. (CM1) I was lucky enough to win one award two years ago, and another one a year ago. (CM2) I look forward to the banquet every year with hope that people recognized me for my previous performances. (SD3) Although the banquet is fun, one thing came up in my life most recently that has to do with my asthma as a child. (CM1) When I was little, I had appalling asthma around the time I started skating. (CM2) I had a lot of medicines and many surgeries before they found out that I had chronic sinusitis and that was causing my asthma symptoms. (CM3) During this period of time, I thought about quitting skating, but I didn't. (CM4) Now, their is a new girl at our rink who has a skin disease, she is my favorite because she reminds me of how I was, she never gives up. (CS) If you never give up on the loops in your life.

Paragraph #1

TS: Circles of prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird

Echo words: Misjudgment, apartheid

              SD: Tom Robinson is dead

                                 CM: Because of misjudgment

                                 CM: Because of unnecessary hate

              SD: Hitler is bad

                                  CM:Whites are doing the same thing to whites

                                  CM: Hitler isn't any worse than the whites in the 1930 

Paragraph #2

TS: Circles in my life about skating

Bell words: loop, cycle

             SD: I started skating when I had Asthma

                                  CM: I was an outcast who couldn't skate

                                  CM: I thought I wouldn't be nearly as good as I am today

             SD: A little girl with a skin condition started skating

                                    CM: She reminded me of myself

                                    CM: I want too help her be the best she can be

Assessment #2

                 Their faces were extremely pale as I stepped out of the car. It was almost zero degrees outside as i stepped onto the snow covered concrete. I looked at the smiling male faces that were in front of me. One of them only had a light sweater on, and that's all. There weren't a lot of people there that day, so I was in charge of the food. One man wanted soup, so I scooped my ladle into the jar, but when I gave it to him, there wasn't a lot of "stuff" so I scooped again. When I dropped the soup into the bowl, it splashed back onto my hand. This soup was extremely hot. I took my glove off and picked up some snow and put it on the burnt spot. The man aplogized, but I knew it wasn't his fault, he was just hungry. I gave him the soup and moved on to the next person. There were a lot of people that night who were hungry, cold, thirsty. I am thankful for what I have.
            

Assesment Paragraph #1

               As I stepped around the corner, I saw a flood of people, waiting for help. I was shocked at how many people were homeless. There were at least 20 people begging for food. I was in charge of the soup and I was overwhelmed with the amount of people wanting to eat. They were asking for seconds and thirds, which was hard because we didn't have a lot of food. Most of the people were men, there were very few women. There was one huge dark man wearing all white, without one speck of dirt on his clothes, asking for a bite to eat. I was surprised at how clean he kept himself. It was almost like he just showered and stepped out of his house, but he was starving. Rachel, a blonde and hilarious girl, told me that he comes here every week and he tells the same story about how he became homeless. Most of the stories I hear are about drugs and acohol, but a few are just because they were victims of the economy. It was terrible, yet an eye opener that there are people who need help.

A Silent Hero:

An Essay Based on To Kill a Mockingbird

By Cassie Seidel

Pine Point School

English Class

1/5/11

                  A person in the mall who forgets to give you change, and makes sure that he finds you before  you leave is a fine example of a silent hero. He is most likely a kind soul with a big heart. A nice man, just like Atticus from To Kill A Mockingbird and my Dad. The smallest things that you do in life make the most impact, and my Dad and Atticus are great examples of it. 

                 (TS) Atticus, a simple yet loving man, in many ways is a silent hero.(SD1) Atticus is a 5 foot 6ish white man who willingly defended a black man in court. (CM1) Atticus knew that he could be putting himself and his kids in danger for trying to prove that Tom Robinson (a black man) was innocent. (CM2) In the book, Mr. Ewell, "spat in his face," and told Atticus that he was going to destroy him. (SD2) Atticus isn't only a quiet hero for a black man, but he is a hero for his kids. (CM1) When Aunt Alexandra tried to tell the children (Jem and Scout) to stop their childish ways, Atticus defended his children and told them to go on with their play, and time to be mute. (CM2) Atticus was showing Alexandra that they are still kids, and kids need time to play. (SD3) Also, I realized that Atticus was being his own wordless hero. (CM1) Before Atticus took on Tom's court case, all he did was sit around and read all day, but after Tom was proven guilty, his life changed. (CM2) He became close to ones he loved and grew further from ones he didn't. (CS) Atticus has proven that an elementary man can be a hero.

                  (TS) My dad, in many ways, is like Atticus, a soundless hero. (SD1) It wasn't until recently that I realized that my dad works from seven in the morning to 8 at night just for my family! (CM1) When I was little, I always wondered why my dad would disappear without a word, but I soon figured, that he was going to work. (CM2) A few days ago, my dad left for work, just like always, and told me that I was his little girl. (CM3) I then appreciated all he had done for me, because without him, I probably wouldn't be writing this essay. (SD2) My dad, however busy, tries to find time with the family. (CM1) He refuses to work on the weekends, just so he can spend time with us. (CM2) Also, when I have skating events, he always stands noiselessly in the back, cheering me on. (SD3) My dad is also constantly giving to charity. (CM1) With his own money, he is currently sponsoring a girl from Malaysia who unfortunately cannot afford to support herself (CM2) He also comes with me whenever I visit Malta, a street orginization that gives clothes and food to the homeless. (CS) My dad is most definately a silent hero.

                  My Dad and Atticus don't have a lot of similaritlies, but their actions have the same inpact. The silence of the two is almost deadly, but their actions make them say a million words without saying anything. Make good actions, and you too could be a silent hero.

Self Assessment

                  First, I have troubles with comma splices, and they always lower my grade. My strong point in this essay is probably my echo words. I think that the use of the words is correct and flow smoothly with the paragraph. I also think one of the problems with the essay is I sometimes have troubles with following the assignment. I miss things easily when I read over the assignment so I might have missed some components. I would give myself a B/B-.