Lockdown

There it was again, the unnecessary annoying sound of my alarm clock on snooze. The bright light from my clock telling me that it was 7:30 am, this is way to early.

I knew that I would probably be late so why not take my time, late is still late. I got up from my bed and trudged toward the mirror, seeing the same 16 year old girl I see every single day. As I stare in the mirror I get this feeling that today will probably be a horrible day, but when has school ever been good. I washed my face, put on my clothes, grabbed my backpack and binders and out the door I went. 

The walk to school was peaceful, Blink-182 blasting in my ear, no one talking. I mean until I was interrupted by Julia, and Josh trailing behind her. I have known Julia for almost 8 years now and Well I can say the only thing that has changed about her is her face and breast size. Josh on the other hand has liked Julia for 3 years, I wouldn't blame him, she's not that bright but she is a pretty size 2 blonde. Walking to school with them was kind of torturous hearing his effort of trying to talk to her was killing me, but sooner or later we got to class. 

During third period I was about ready to leave but I knew I couldn't. Social Studies was my worst subject and having Mr. Jenkins as a teacher definitely did not help. The corner of the class was filled with banter and giggles from Josh and Julia, and other pubescent boys throwing notes around. This period was going nowhere so I asked if I could be excused, I would rather kill time in the bathroom than in this class. I walked to the 2nd floor girls washroom and planned to stay there for at least 15 minutes. Say something like I had a eyeliner problem that was urgent, or that a guidance counselor stopped to talk to me in the hallway. When I got there I looked in the mirror again and saw the same old boring person, I leaned in when to take a better look right when the Announcement bell came on.

"LOCKDOWN. TEACHERS LOCKDOWN." 

Oh god, I knew what this meant and an uneasy feeling then hit me hard. The announcement was followed by screams and the slamming of doors, but by the time I got out of the bathroom all the doors were locked, and no teachers were in sight. I ran back into the washroom, locked my stall and  sat on the back of the toilet with my feet on the lid. All that is running through my head is "I will not die in a school washroom." I become so silent I can hear some of the water trailing through the pipes, a faint scraping noise from the lockers arises and I know someone is outside. The sound becomes louder and louder heading from the east wing closer to the west wing, as the sound becomes louder so does my breath, I'm trying to calm my self down but it won't work. The West wing girls washroom was definitely  not a good place to hide, it only had 2 stalls and you couldn't lock anyone out. Whoever was out there was sure to come in, the sounds from the locker stopped, but a steady step like a rhythmic drum got louder and louder.

"CLICK, CLACK, CLICK, CLACK, CLICK CLACK."

The sound had stopped as if the person outside had caught something of interest. It was silent and I definitely had no clue what was happening, I could feel my stomach turning into knots,  it getting harder for me to breathe. Just then, did I hear the Girls West Wing Washroom slowly creek open. 

My heart was pounding out of my chest, and I was not prepared to die. I started praying to any and all gods, and bracing myself for what is about to happen. The stall to my right had slowly opened and I can see the black shoes standing there. They moved to the the stall i was hiding in, and the door wouldn't open, they then  proceded to kick the door til it swung open. 

I couldn't look, I was terrified. I decided to look up on the count of 3. 

1...2...3. Standing there was someone, long brown haired, black shoes, and jeans, about 5 ft. 3. It was me. 

The other me raised the gun in my left hand and shot. It became dark and silent I couldn't tell if i was dead but i probably was. It then became clear to me, I raised my head and realized I fell asleep in class, and just as soon as I woke up. 

I heard a very familiar ding. Over the announcements it said 

" LOCKDOWN. TEACHERS LOCKDOWN."

Major Elements of Short Story: Randal Dahl

1) plot:

- introduction : The introduction shows a man who is on vacation in Jamaica and decides to lounge on the pool deck.

- conflict: In a sense the conflict is Man vs. Man because the fact that it was a bet between two men. However you can also say it was Man vs. Himself because the Man from the south had been struggle with a clear problem if he had cut off 47 fingers and lost 11 cars. Also Man vs. Himself because the american boy needs to chose whether a car is really worth chopping his finger off.
- rising action: This is when the bet is being made and when the boy feels taunted by the first offer he didnt take. "He was sitting there very still, and it was obvious that a small tension was beginning to build up inside him."
- climax: The climax is when the boy is lighting the lighter and as every time he lights the tension builds."Three!" "Four!" "Five!" "Six!" "Seven!"  "I watched the thumb snapping the top down onto the flame. Then a pause. Then the thumb raising the top once more. This was an all-thumb operation. The thumb did everything. I took a breath, ready to say eight. The thumb flicked the wheel"
- falling action: The falling action is when the lady comes in and takes Carlos by surprise, because the tension is gone. We all turned and we saw a woman standing in the doorway, a small, black-haired woman, rather old, who stood there for about two seconds then rushed forward shouting, "Carlos! Carlos!" She grabbed his wrist, took the chopper from him, threw it on the bed, 
- denouement:  when the girl comes in and stops carlos and then grabs the keys and sees that her fingers are cutt off. 

2) Characters
- protagonist: The protagonist would be the sailor, because he is the person against the opposing force; Carlos
- antagonist: The antagonist would be the man from the south who made the bet; Carlos
- static: The british girl does not really change, throughout the story and still has the same opinion of the bet being a ridiculous idea.
- round (complex with many characteristics) 
- flat : The simple character would be the man we were first introduced to. We don't know his name or anything about him and he still feels the same about the old man, he basically keeps his perspective the same. 
- stock character: would be the sailor I feel like he is a stereotypical character because he comes off nice, and willing to take a challenge, and when he turns it down it bothers him like it would bother any other 20 something year old guys who would turn down a bet for a car.
- dynamic/round:  the antagonist carlos  wears a nice white suit, a panama hat and smoke cigars he seems like a very rich man, but at the end you discover he has no cars to bet on, and they are there because of all the bets he made.

3) Setting: The story takes place in the evening in Jamaica.
- time:  It was getting on toward six o'clock" 
- place:  "A fine evening," he said. "They are all evenings fine here in Jamaica."
4) Theme: Suspense because this story builds a lot of tension, and it gives you the creeps after wards.
5) Point of View: The point of view is told from the narrator/ the man who talks in first person.
-first person: The story is told in first person through the man who is first introduced, he tells the story and the bet from his perspective, he is also not in the bet so it puts him in a place that would not be biased.
-third person: none or limited.
6) Foreshadowing: This line foreshadows that the man may be up to something " I must say I didn't much like the way he was behaving. It seemed he was already trying to make something out of this, and to embarrass the boy, and at the same time I had the feeling he was relishing a private little secret all his own."

Walk a mile in someones shoes

   As human beings we pass judgement, and we never really get the time to sit down and analyze every aspect of someone you just met or know little about. The opinions of others and what we hear, much like in the media affect the way we think, and creates a rather biased opinion. If you were to walk a mile in someone else's shoes, every so often it can change your perspective of how you feel and view them, but also how you feel and see yourself.

    In the play Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is a very wild character. Who shows vulgar humor, and a quick wit to the play. Throughout the beginning of the play he is ready to duel, and is always looking for an opportunity to fight. He taunts Romeo for being such an emotional guy, and encourages him to fight. Until the scene of his tragic and angry death; Act 3 Scene 1. During this scene Mercutio taunts Tybalt, and when Romeo is begging for Tybalt to stop, Mercutio is outraged saying "O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!" He is outraged by the weakness of romeo, so than Mercutio than decides to step up and fight thus getting him killed. While dying Mercutio now sees what trouble the feud has made, and curses both the Montague and Capulet houses "A plague o' both your houses!"

In this case he realizes how stupid this feud has been and in this perspective he walks a mile in Prince Escalus's shoes. In the first act of the play after a small brawl between Montague and Capulet Prince Escalus says 

"Canker'd with peace, to part your canker'd hate: 

If ever you disturb our streets again, 
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace." 

In the book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night- Time".  It was discovered that Christophers mom, Mrs. Boone leaves him and Mr. Boone for their neighbour; Mr Shears. Christopher and his dad are now alone, and Mr. Boone experiences walking a mile in Mrs. Boone's shoes. He walks a mile in Mrs. Boone's shoes because he plays both the father figure but also the mother figure. In chapter 127 pg 53 an arguement between Christopher and Mr. Boone's happens. He starts to lose his temper and then grabs and hits Christopher; In the book Christopher tells the readers  "Father had never grabbed hold of me like that before. Mother had hit me sometimes because she was a very hot-tempered person, which means that she got angry more quickly than other people and she shouted more often. But Father was a more levelheaded person, which means he didn't get angry as quickly and he didn't shout as often."

The change in behaviour shows that Mr. Boone had started becoming more short tempered, much like his wife had felt. This could be a sign of the stress and pressure he feels when he takes care of Cristopher, much like the stress his Wife had felt. On page 131 Mr. Boone and Mrs. Boone argue and he tells her how he feels shouting  "I cooked his meals. I cleaned his clothes. I looked after him every weekend. I looked after him when he was ill. I took him to the doctor. I worried myself sick every time he wandered off somewhere at night. I went to school every time he got into a fight." 

This shows the stress and the role he took on of walking a mile in Mrs. Boone shoes. As the book ends Christopher forgives his father and starts to understand that what he did was confusing but he should move on. 

 Personal experience shows me that walking a mile in someone elses shoes is hard, but my opinions have changed on so many things because of this. I remember doing debates in grade 8, and I was fighting for the idea of lowering the age for a drivers liscence at 15. (In winnipeg you get your begginners at 15.5 or sometimes 16. When I got this topic assigned I thought "well there is no way of winning, especially against two other super smart people." As I researched throughout the process I began to find very interesting statistics, and I got really into the research. Later during our debate, I felt confident that our interesting stats, loop holes, and counter arguements to the opposing side would win, and surely enough my partner and I did! 

A majority of times we have a set of opinions on a certain thing or even someone. Walking a mile in someones shoes in most cases will help you understand through the perspective of that other thing or person. Once you learn more about them, you start to understand, and your opinions will most likely change.
 

Who killed Wellington?

    A garden fork plunged into the dead dog at 7 past midnight, a "mystery" suspect and 15 year old autistic Christopher left to discover who killed him. Christopher is determined to reveal the secrets within the neighborhood, but what he doesn't know is that his father, Mr. Boon is the one behind the killing of Wellington the Dog.

    Throughout the Story Mr. Boon tells Christopher to stop trying to solve the murder in many different ways. Mr. Boon first warns him after Christopher is kept at the Police station for assaulting a police officer, and first warns Christopher by saying "Just try and keep your nose out of other people's business." on pg 14. Christopher attempts to explain himself but Mr.Boon replies "Leave it." in a rather stern tone, the second time Mr. Boon warns his son is on pg 32 when he specifically tells Christopher what he cannot do, he specifically says;
"OK, Christopher. I am going to say this for the last and final time. I will not tell you again. Look at me when I am talking to you, for God's sake. Look at me. You are not to go asking Mrs. Shears about who killed that bloody dog. You are not trespassing in other people's gardens. You are to stop this ridiculous bloody detective game right now" 
The Hounds of Baskerville is referenced to the readers for a reason, and this is so we get an Idea of what we are looking for and what is and can be false information. The connection happening in the book between Christopher and his dad is like the Reference to clue #2 of Hounds of Baskerville on pg 47, where Stapleton tells Watson to stay out of the Grimpen Mire because he is hiding something and doesn't want anyone to find it. In this case the situation is that Mr. Boon doesn't want his son to discover he is the one who killed the dog, Wellington.

   In the story, as shown on pg 32; Christopher brought it to the readers attention that Mr. Shears and Mrs. Shears had split up quite a while ago and he becomes Christopher's prime suspect. He tells his dad that someone could have killed Wellington to make Mrs. Shears sad, and that a crime is often committed by someone known. This now gives the Mr. Shears a motive, he could have also had easy access to the shed where the tools are. However this is a red herring because it draws attention away from the fact that Mr. Boon killed wellington, the book is focused on proving Mr. Shears is the killer, and like the second clue for Red Herrings involved in the Hounds of Baskerville shown on pg 47 they suspect the wrong person  to be a murderer because of the fact that he did a wrong, like kill someone and escape jail. In this case Mr. Shears is a prime suspect because him leaving shows something happening between him and Mrs. Shears. This also gives him motive.

 However  recently the readers  found out on page 39 from Ms. Alexander the Old lady that lives in unit 39; that Mr. Shears had cheated on Mrs. Shears with Christopher's mother. This now flips the script and also proves that Mr. Shears is not the killer, and this gives Mr. Boon a motive to kill. Some clues that Mr. Boon is in fact the one who killed Wellington is the fact that as seen on pg 32 Christopher says that crime is often committed by someone known, when they say this they mean a character that has already been introduced to the readers. This is something very common in Sherlock Holmes, an example is meeting Stapleton but thinking that the culprit is several different people before the actual reveal; Mr. Boon has been already introduced.The affair also gives Mr. Boon a motive to kill, it would make sense that he kills something that was so close to the man who his wife cheated with. Mr. Boon also is portrayed as an easily irritated or short tempered character, and also mentions that he drinks, this combination does not go well with a dog, and one that could have been very loud. The dog had also been killed at 12:07am quite late but no one knows for sure where Mr. Boon had been, because Christopher had been in his room most of the night. Mr. Boons Occupation requires a lot of emergencies during the night because he does boiling systems and plumbing, so Mr. Boon had definitely been up. Lastly weapon, how did he get the garden fork? Earlier on pg 19 they mention Mrs. Shears putting Mr. Boons head on her bosoms, this could be misinterpreted but most importantly this shows that Mrs. Shears is a very kind person. On pg 19 of the book Christopher talks about Mrs. Shears coming over to comfort them and make dinner, she seems like a very generous neighbor and lending garden tools would be no big deal to her.

  Out of all the Characters in the book, Mr. Boon the single father of 15 year old autistic Christopher is the one who had killed Wellington the dog. No one has suspected Mr. Boon but what should be done now is at least for him to tell the complete and total truth to Christopher, and Mrs. Shears on what had happened, because there may not have been a lot to prevent Mr. Boon from committing the crime. Especially, if it was late and he came back from work and decided to have a drink, the dog could have got on his temper.

essay idea

thesis: Mr Boon killed wellington
 main points:
1) Mr.Boon is always telling Christopher to stop playing detective, (back up with example 2 from hounds of baskerville)
2) Mr Shears can be a red herring because like in the example 2 in hounds of baskerville isnt very liked
3) The love affair between Mr Boon's wife and Mr Shears.

What song do I relate to?

The song I chose is by a band I grew up listening to and a song I had fairly good memories. I also chose this song because It's on my ipod, and I honestly can't help but to sing too it, it's not an option it's basically automatic. So anyways The song is by Queen and it's titled "Under Pressure"

These are the lyrics:

Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure that burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets

It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming, "Let me out!"
Tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people - people on streets

Chippin' around, kick my brains 'round the floor
These are the days - it never rains but it pours
People on streets - people on streets

It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming, "Let me out!"
Tomorrow gets me higher, higher, higher...
Pressure on people - people on streets

Turned away from it all like a blind man
Sat on a fence but it don't work
Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Why, why, why?

Love

Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?..

'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure

I can relate to the following lines:

It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming, "Let me out!"

So I can relate to these lines because I'm pressured and I'm sure some of you are but It's the time of you're life when people ask you "what do you want to be when you grow up?" and honestly we still don't know a whole lot about the world, I also can relate to the part "watching some good friends screaming "Let me out!". because I have had some really good friends make some unwise choices because of pressure and stress.

Chippin' around, kick my brains 'round the floor
These are the days - it never rains but it pours

 I can also relate to these lines because sometimes I feel like I'm not where I supposed to be, i'm just out of it, mentally beating myself up. These are often the days where it is not raining but more of a downpour which gives me a more of a motivation to do nothing.

 

The last example I can relate to is

Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?

I can relate to this because under pressure we crack and a part of us; the insanity loves seeing us struggle in a sense, but some days I don't know if it's worth it because I don't know if I should give myself another chance to recover.

Mercutio

  Mercutio is the most memorable character in the play of Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio's involvement in scenes always contains a cunning, edgy presence to the play. Even though he was killed early on in the play he did many memorable things compared to other characters, his clever sense and wit gave him the ability to distract characters and steal attention in the scenes. Mercutio is a realest and his constant jokes, and jabs at both Romeo's Love and Tybalt's Confidence show both a humorous side but a shadowed opinion of true love and the power of fate being almost nonexistent. Mercutio's most memorable moments was Act 3 Scene 1; the Challenge against Tybalt Prince of the Cats that lead up to the pivotal moment of Mercutio's death. Also Act 1 Scene 4; The Queen Mab Speech.


   The challenge between Mercutio and Tybalt is a memorable part in the play due to the fact that he makes a mockery out of Tybalt in front of his kinsman. In Act 3 Scene 1; Mercutio ridicules Tybalt both directly to him but also indirectly in scene 2 when speaking to Benvolio. The humorous taunts and sarcastic smack talk were sure to be remembered in the play. In this part of the scene Mercutio makes an impression on the crowd that he is a very bold and likable character, using his advantage of not being apart of the Montague or Capulet house.  Act 3 Scene 1 is a memorable part the Mercutio because this is also the scene where his character comes to an end. Mercutio's clever replies, and thirst for violence distracts the audience from the challenge that Tybalt gives Romeo, this scene leads up to the pivotal moment of his death. This is a memorable scene in the play not only because of the at first friendly harrassment but because Mercutio's personality shines through the lines and actions of the play; His actions of fighting for Romeo show a fraternal love yet a disappointment for Romeo. As seen in Act 3 Scene 1: 
Mercutio:
 "Or I shall faint. A plague o' both your houses! 
They have made worms' meat of me: I have it, 
And soundly too. Your houses! "
This is hinting at the fact that he blames particular people for his death and not a bigger power like Fate.
Some other  examples of his most memorable lines are:
Mercutio :
"And but one word with one of us? couple it withsomething; make it a word and a blow. "
shall use me hereafter, drybeat the rest of the
eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher
by the ears? make haste, lest mine be about your
ears ere it be out."

Mercutio:
"Good King of Cats, nothing but one of your nine 
lives; that I mean to make bold withal, and as you"

  Although some people may argue and say that Mercutio is not the most memorable character in the play, and that he is not memorable because he is not a main character or involved in memorable scenes like The Balcony Scene in Act 2 Scene 2.  Which makes more profit than the Queen Mab speech, turning the lines of the play into household decor, where as it is less likely to have Queen Mab Quotes in a house.The so called famous scene is the most memorable part of the Play and that Mercutio has no involvement due to the fact that Romeo and Juliet are talking to each other indirectly and directly. Using lines from the play
Romeo:
"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east and Juliet is the sun! 
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief"
Juliet:
"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? "
Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose 
By any other name would smell as sweet;"

  Despite the fact that some may argue that Mercutio is not the most memorable character, the Queen Mab speech in Act 1 Scene 4 portrays a different opinion. The famous Queen Mab speech in Romeo and Juliet both shows a realistic and interesting side to Mercutio, a combination for a memorable scene involving a rather memorable character. The Queen Mab speech  truly shows Mercutio's belief and an interesting point of view; although Mercutio is Romeo's friend he mocks the idea of Romeo's love and tells Romeo it is not fate, or a higher power but "Queen Mab". In the 1996 movie of Romeo and Juliet, the Queen Mab is portrayed as ecstasy, a drug that makes you hallucinate and feel sort of bubbly and very affectionate. This is also a representation of what Mercutio is actually trying to say in the speech, he is telling Romeo that Dreams are actually our own selves as human beings tricking us into what we want, that there is no such thing as signs of fate, and that a Dream is simply a figment of our highest desires and imagination.  The hallucinations in the drugs represents the things Romeo see's in dreams and the dreams itself, and all the things he sees is a reflection of what he really wants. The affection you feel from the ecstasy are actually just teenage hormones, like it is when a person dreams of something they are sexually attracted to. There are some examples in the following lines of the Queen Mab speech:
Mercutio:

Through lovers' brains, and then they dream of love;
O'er courtiers' knees, that dream on court'sies straight,
O'er lawyers' fingers, who straight dream on fees,
O'er ladies o' lips, who straight on kisses dream,
Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues,
Because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are: (80)
Sometime she gallops o'er a courtier's nose,
And then dreams he of smelling out a suit;
And sometime comes she with a tithe-pig's tail
Tickling a parson's nose as a' lies asleep,
Then dreams, he of another benefice:

"This is that very Mab
That plats the manes of horses in the night,
And bakes the elflocks in foul sluttish hairs,
Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes:
This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs,
That presses them and learns them first to bear,
Making them women of good carriage:
This is she--"

   Mercutio is a wild character who often has multiple mood changes; a character with a sharp wit, and humorous tone. Mercutio is a realest in many aspects and the his cunning words sting the people around him, especially young Romeo. These are the factors that make Mercutio the most memorable character in the play, he is not just a joker in the play used for humor relief but has a serious side to himself. Mercutio was the opposing force of fate, the rebelious character who chose not to believe in any of it. Mercutio may not be a main character and have died early on in the play, but he is the most memorable character in Romeo and Juliet.

p.s someone help me with my citing!!!