Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The Great Depression

   The Great Depression is when America's economy dropped and created an economic downturn which started in 1929 and lasted all the way to 1939. There were steep declines in the industrial output because consumer spending and investment dropped. People started spending less and this lead to piles of unsold goods. Farmers didn't have enough money to harvest their crops which meant they had to leave their crops to rot leading to piles of unsold goods. Piles of unsold goods are bad for businesses and its workers because if nothing is being brought, no money will be made. Along with the drop of consumer spending, banks also lost a lot of their money. Investors demanded cash from the banks and led to many closed doors of banks because they lost a lot of money. In conclusion, The Great Depression led to rising numbers of homeless in the streets of America and many unemployed citizens.
   After 1935, America started to get back on its feet. There were programs and institutions that helped people get there life back together after The Great Depression. During years 1935-1943 the WPA help 8.5 million people get permanent jobs. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built dams and hydroelectric projects to control flooding and provide electric power to the Tennessee Valley region of the South. During the spring of 1933, after showing signs of recovery, America's economy continued to improve throughout the next 3 years. Along with the job increase, The Great Depression helped America become even more employee friendly. In 1935 Congress passed a Social Security Act which insured safety. Also, after The Great Depression industrial production started to rise, creating a reduced unemployment rate that was even lower than what it was before The Great Depression. In conclusion, The Great Depression was not all a bad thing.
Rhysa & Aaron

Thursday, February 11, 2016

MIce and Men Vocbulary

Relish:
Definition: to enjoy or to savor greatly
Sentence: During the last performance of "Peter Pan", the cast relished every moment of the show because they would never perform it again.
Quote: "'The guys said on account of the nigger's got a crooked back, Smitty can't use his feet.' He paused in relish of the memory." (p. 20)

Cesspool:
Definition: an underground container for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage
Sentence: You would not want to fall into a cesspool because it's full of liquid waste and sewage.
Quote: "'We... we was diggin' a cesspool." (p. 22)

Rhysa and Aaron

Thursday, February 4, 2016

A Coney Island Life Essay (Final)

   Today there are many people who hope for things that are out of their reach. They hope and wish and have expectations so high, they are disappointed when it is not what they wanted. One can hope for something but it is not guaranteed that it will happen. In the poem "A Coney Island Life" by James L. Weil, he talks about life, comparing it to Coney Island. He said one shouldn't have hopes too high because in the end, they'll just be reaching for something they can't get.
   When the author compares life to a Coney Island life, he talks about the rollercoasters and balloons. Life has good times and bad times like a "rollercoaster ups and downs". Everyone has feelings and emotions. There are feelings of happiness and excitement and feelings of despair and sadness. When one is hoping for something big and great to happen, they feel like they are going up the rollercoaster not knowing when or if it's going to happen. But once their hopes are crushed, they feel like they are going down the rollercoaster, scared and not knowing what to think. Our hopes are also compared to helium balloons. One's hopes get higher and higher. "And seen my helium hopes break skyward without me," is what happens when their hopes are too high and can't be reached.
   The author also talks about life and death. One might be living their last their last few days of their life but won't know when they'll leave earth. Every day when one wakes up, they don't know if they'll die today or tomorrow or the next. Everyday is a day to keep on reaching for one's hopes that haven't been reached. The poem also talks about reaching for one's hopes. The author compares reaching for one's hopes to catching the "brass-ring-sun before the game is up". The "brass-ring-sun" is one's hopes that they are reaching for everyday. If the hopes are too high, it will be harder to reach them. If one wants to be able to reach one's hopes, don't have hopes too high so that they are in reach.
   In conclusion, having hopes too high will only lead to disappointment. When one has hopes too high. they will feel like they are going down the rollercoaster. They will be scared and confused. having high hopes can also lead to being left behind. It'll be like their hopes flew away like a helium balloon that got away from a little kid at Coney Island. High hopes also disappoint people when they are trying to reach for it when they don't have much time left. It's like trying to reach for a brass-ring sun. Don't have high hopes because one won't be as happy as if they had hopes that are in reach.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Tigger (Metaphor Poem)

Tigger

Everyone knows Tigger
as the one who's 
loud and outgoing
energetic and smiling
the one who makes everyone laugh
never fails to put a smile one someone's face

But not everyone knows the other side of Tigger
the side of him that has feelings
feelings of sadness and loneliness
the smile on his face covers up this side of him
no one ever expects this side of him to come out
and it barely ever does because he doesn't want to let anyone down

Everyone depends on Tigger
they depend on him to stay happy
stay optimistic
keep everyone's spirits up
although it can be hard
he makes sure he doesn't let anyone down

If he covers it up with a smile and a laugh
everything will be okay
Tigger is the one who makes everyone smile
even though he might be the very one
who needs someone to put a smile
on his face

I am Tigger
the one who can make anyone smile
don't try to figure out how I am feeling
because in the end you'll end up with the same answer
i'm okay and we'll smile and laugh
and life will be exactly how it's supposed to be

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

A Coney Island Life Essay (Draft)

   Today there are many people who hope for things that are out of their reach. They hope and wish and have expectations so high, they are disappointed when it is not what they wanted. One can hope for something but it is not guaranteed that it will happen. In the poem "A Coney Island Life" by James L. Weil, he said one shouldn't have hopes too high because in the end, they'll just be reaching for something they can't get.
   The author compares life to a Coney Island carnival. Life has good times and bad times like a "rollercoaster ups and downs".  When one is hoping for something great to happen to them, they are going up the rollercoaster. But once their hopes and dreams are crushed, they are going down the rollercoaster scared and afraid. The poem also compares one's high hopes to helium balloons. When one hopes too high for something that won't happen they will be crushed and left behind. "And seen my helium hopes break skyward without me."
   The author also talks about life and death. One might be living their last their last few days of their life but won't know when they'll leave earth. Every day when one wakes up, they don't know if they'll die today or tomorrow or the next.  Everyday is a day to keep on reaching for one's hopes that haven't been reached. The poem also talks about reaching for one's hopes. The author compares reaching for one's hopes to catching the "brass-ring-sun before the game is up". The "brass-ring-sun" is one's hopes that they are reaching for everyday. If the hopes are too high, it will be harder to reach them. If one wants to be able to reach one's hopes, don't have hopes too high.
   In conclusion, having hopes too high will only lead to disappointment. One shouldn't have hopes too high because in the end, they'll just be reaching for something they can't get. If one's hopes are in reach, they will be happy. But if one's hopes are too high and out of reach, they will be disappointed.