My Sun Kissed Stamina
Alison Farrington
Mrs. Robinson
English II
10 October 2008
My Sun Kissed Stamina
At the foul line, toes just centimeters away, my heart is about to jump out of my chest. Icy sweat streams down the back of my neck making the little hairs stand on end. Droplets of hard work seep into my mouth; I sallow and taste the sweaty saltiness. I am in a concert of chaos but I hear no noise; it’s just me out on the court playing my game. The referee bounces me the orange ball of possibilities. If I make these two shots the Lady Cougars will be in the lead with twenty-two seconds left on the clock. I hold the ball in my hands gently like a fragile egg. I bend my knees and bounce the ball rhythmically three times on the court. Spin the ball in my right hand; get in good position, only the soles of my feet pressed against the glossy ground. I extend my left arm and finish with a flick of the wrist. Swoosh, sweet music to athletes’ ears. Then an echo of spectator’s screams resounds off the multi-colored walls. One more Ali, the team needs you right now; “come-on Ali-girl we need you!” buzzes my dad. I recognize my father’s deep and concerned voice and suddenly my concentration crumbles away. My focus is lost in the midst of moment but I keep staring at the back of the rim. I draw a deep breath to relax my nerves. Uneasy, I go through my identical routine as I successfully did before. As the ball is flying to the back of the rim it feels like times disappears. It hits on the left side of the narrow rim; the crowd shrieks. Bounces and hits the right side of the rim; ascends up and finally drops straight in. A ton of bricks falls from my back as I see the basketball net wave with success. I exhaled hot air from my trembling parched lips and I commend myself for not crumbling under my dad’s pressure. The buzzing of my daddy’s voice reminds me of a bumblebee I saw just a couple days before the Championship game. Just out side these gym walls: across Cougar Lane flying by a golden, sun kissed daisy.
I sat crossed legged glaring at the gleaming flower. Also I examined her surroundings and the natural progression the roadside garden makes. Starting with the grass and ascending up to the rotten leaves. I pondered about life: the different levels and possibilities with which I will be faced. The stages were all laid out right before my eyes, but the meaning has always been hidden behind the bushes. I drive on Cougar Lane every morning, but I never had the time to appreciate the lesson that I could learn. My mind is jam-packed with vocabulary words and is temporarily used as a filing cabinet with different history chapters shoved inside.
As I scurry though the tiny individual blades of the grass like a curious microscopic ant; I began reminiscing about my childhood. No blade of grass is exactly the same: they do not have the same hue of green, or the same size and shape. Although each baby is unique, they all experience the stage of grass. The grass is our growing stage in life. The stable and abundant wall of bushes portrays our middle years and towers over the innocent daisies. The color green develops in a rich and more distinguished hue and reflects the color of money. Reaching adulthood of our life is when we are most prosperous. As our life ascends up in to the background, the forest green becomes a gradual beige and hues of death gray. The sturdy bushes start becoming less plentiful and more spacious. At the climax of the various levels is view of umber leaves: weathered and rotten. She only has a few neighbors. As the scream of wind blows, the wave detaches the grandmother leaf and lets her gently wave down, slowly and peacefully before a vibrant daisy. As the newly deceased leaf lies on the ground, the progression of her life is complete.
Located behind the freshly sprouted grass and next to the leaf is the parade of youthful daisies. We gradually grow up like the slender trunk of the flower does, we move up towards our teenage years. Every high school child is trying to find who they are and what they purpose in this life will be. Buzzing yellow jackets chime in to guide their teens to blossom. Finally, we arrive at the umbrella of the flower and have become apart of teen hood. We will come across a mature golden petal: like when we make both of our free throws or get an A in an AP course. Each of individual petal frames who we are at that moment in time. Some of us daisies are getting kissed by the rays of the sun or hidden in the shadows of the blossomed. When we reach a petal in the dark, is when we have made a mistake. Don’t worry; we will soon approach a luminescent yellow petal that will be glowing with greatness. Between the rows of daisies there are some buds: these are the teens that have not found their way. Maybe on day they will blossom and find the light.
The gusts of wind pushes the daisy back as forth like a wave of a magician’s wand. Yet, it does not break in half; the slender stem of the daisy goes with the wind and lets the base of the flower bounce back. She does not loose form, or loose shape. She holds her composure as the roaring wind blows. She does her best to grow to find the sunlight. Just like the golden daisy, I too am a growing flower. Planted on the foul line becoming overwhelmed with the roaring waves of the crowd but I hold my own and sink the shot.
Business is Everywhere: The Guide of How to Survive in the Business World
Alison Farrington
Mrs. Robinson
English II
21 November 2008
Business is Everywhere: The Guide of How to Survive in the Business World
In every city, down every street, and everywhere you look, several flourishing businesses exist. But, did you ever wonder how they got started and what it took to get them to where they are today? In the mix of the business world, the role of the entrepreneur is vital. Entrepreneurs manage their own restaurants, clothing boutiques, construction companies and multi-million dollar corporations. Entrepreneurs must formulate a thorough outline of their business to make sure the business is meeting its requirements. Most entrepreneurs are passionate about two things: making their ideas come to life and working with people who share their same interests. Having the distinct qualities of an entrepreneur, constructing an excellent business plan, and using historical examples to help create their success make it possible for an entrepreneur’s company flourish in the business world.
“Taking an adventurous leap toward owning a business could mean committing economic suicide. Entrepreneurship is not the field for everyone and looking at each step with a conservative eye is a crucial key to success” (Business Plan). To begin in this business of entrepreneurship, the potential businessman must understand what the actual definition is. An entrepreneur is “a person who takes risk at organizing and managing any enterprise” (Dictionary). Whichever field the business owner is in, doing what the owner loves should be part of the equation. Why would entrepreneurs spend twelve hours of their day not doing what they love the most?
In today’s economy it is survival of the fittest; and often times a businessman has to make a tough decision between doing what a businessman loves and having a guaranteed income. There is a major difference between being an employee and being an entrepreneur. Employees receive a paycheck every month, but may not be passionate about what the employee is doing. For instance, the regular John Smith is crammed into his small cubical and glued to his desk chair everyday- may not be excited or passionate about his job. Even though Mr. Smith feels secure with his regular pay. Many types of people fit this description and need regular jobs to pay their bills and put food on the table. Their boss tells them their hours and instructs them on what to do. On the other hand, entrepreneurs are their own boss and are at major risk of not receiving a fixed monthly income; but hopefully entrepreneurs are passionate in their work because whatever time and effort they put into their products determines all. Doing what one love is essential in being a successful entrepreneur because it gave them motivation. Theses entrepreneurs are successful because uses the most successful key: doing what they love.
Anyone that has access to the internet can visit littlefollies.com: Christina Ambrosino is the owner of Little Follies; a well-tailored and stylish child’s clothing line. She has become a very successful entrepreneur selling her clothing in New York City and in 2005 her sales topped one million dollars. She and her mother started in 1997 raiding her closet to get ideas for her first summer designs. Then she sketched five designs and sent them to a manufacturer in her hometown of Hong Kong. She and Victoria Brown, her sister, hosted a launch party for Little Follies at their home and it was a great success. Word of mouth began. She hired representatives for trunk shows located in hotels or halls; now she is doing fifty shows a year and has twenty representatives to assist her. In 2002, their business became profitable, taking close to five years. Ambrosino credits this new tool, the internet, for their 2005 success. She finds happiness in what she does by dressing children in their most adorable years. Little Follies took five years to become profitable, but Ambrosino and Brown’s hearts are in it and now they are extremely successful (Dream Job).
Yvon Chouinard, the owner of Patagonia, is often referred to as the accidental entrepreneur. His passions as a teenager were fishing, climbing and exploring. Chouinard fills the requirements for being an entrepreneur; he is the adventurous type. He traveled from mountain peak to surf break and along the way his clothing and climbing equipment business grew more popular. At age eighteen, he borrowed around $830 from his parents, which helped him jumpstart his business selling climbing equipment out of the trunk of his car. This once small business has transformed into multi-millionaire company. Patagonia gives away ten percent of the company’s profits. This quickly added up to twenty-two million dollars in donations by 1985. By 1990, Patagonia was making over 100 million dollars a year. Chouinard’s success did not stop at his thriving company; his book, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of the Reluctant Businessman, explained to his readers about the process he experienced to become the most successful owner of the popular international climbing and outdoors clothing corporation (Beyond and Back). Unlike Ambrosino, Chouinard’s success was not intended and his work ethic differs from Ambrosino as well. He would rather take the opportunity to experience nature than be working. If the waves were big one day he would go surfing instead.
Fig. 1 Let my People go Surfing. <http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Let-My-People-Go-Surfing/Yvon- Chouinard/e/9780143037835>
Located in downtown Morehead City, a small clothing and art boutique: James is owned and operated by Jamie Dickenson. In my interview with Dickenson, I discovered first-hand what it takes to start your own local clothing boutique. For three years Dickenson pondered opening a business in her hometown. She met with her parents and the three of them started constructing her business plan. Jamie explained they first had to tackle the task of creating the store’s budget:
Trying to decide where to spend money was the hardest part of the process because it made me chose which things were most important. Inventory, furniture, hangers, clothing racks, display tables, bills, rent … and the list goes on. People don’t realize how much time, effort, and stress small business owners go through to get a business up and running.
On clothes alone, the bill came out to be $ 40,000 in inventory. Then the store has to pay a monthly rent of $ 1,500. The price of advertising fluctuates with the season, spending $800 to $1,200 a month. In her business plan she decided to buy a two- year lease on the building. She hopes that her business is booming and has the option of purchasing another three years- making it to the five-year mark, “the first two years of a business are when you are hopefully getting out of debt.” After those couple of years, the business owner must revaluate the business plans and predict if it is smart to continue to the five-year mark. Jamie hopes to start a high-end men’s clothing store and possibly own a restaurant. So far she has met her targeted goals and if she continues on a profitable course, she may very well meet these future expansion plans and do very well. (Dickenson)
When comparing Dickenson, Ambrosino, and Chouinard, a pattern seems to surface. All of’ them had help starting their businesses; their parents contributed to their plans for their business and financially helped the business’s budget. It took them a while to regain their money and become successful, but they took a great risk and battled through the years of debt; now Ambrosino’s and Chouinard’s companies are multi-millionaires. Dickenson is still at the stage of regaining her money, but her business is on the way to the top.
Constructing a business plan for any company is a crucial idea. An entrepreneur must use the basic, who, what, when, where, and how to make sure the plan is thorough. One of the biggest mistakes is writing long-term about the company; keep the timeline within a year or two and do not be afraid to change the plan at any time. Incorporating a visionary statement is a great idea because it makes the owner strive for a goal and outlines the business purpose: “the primary value of your business plan will be to create a written outline that evaluates all aspects of the economic viability of your business venture including a description and analysis of your business prospects.” Jamie used business plan templates found on the Internet to help her write a successful outline. Even if someone becomes an entrepreneur, one most know that he or she is human and are not perfect. One should not be worried if one is not an expert in a certain field of their corporation: the entrepreneur must include their strengthens and their weaknesses. Hiring an expert to fill-in spots that one is weak in is a smart idea because it shows future audience that the entrepreneur is trying their best to make their business the as close to perfect as it can be. Work on the business plan as it progresses and use the outline as a selling tool is a great idea to head towards success. The more an owner plans ahead the more the business will progress, thus; the more successful the business will become (Business Plan).
Whether the company’s goals are to become international, have online success, or be a local business, each type must have a solid business plan. They pursue their passion and take many risks along the way. In the business world it is difficult not to give up when times gets tight. The companies that keep a level head are the companies that one passes walking down the street, the companies that one drives by in the metropolitan city or the companies that ones comes across when surfing the web. The beginning, middle, and end stages of creating a company are extremely difficult and exhausting, but the owners love what they do. I have always desired to become a business owner and I have been striving for the subjects that I am passionate about my junior year in high school and letting it guide me to a successful and promising future. I dream of designing my own clothing, managing my own corporation and selling my artwork to people around the world. I possess the adventurous qualities of an entrepreneur; I now know how to formulate a genius business plan by using key historical examples and templates on the internet to help make my dreams become reality. This career is going to long, hard, and difficult process, but when my business comes together my dream will come true.
Works Cited
Business Plan. “My Own Business.” 2007. My Own Business, Inc. 19 Nov 2008
http://www.myownbusiness.org/s2/.
Dickenson, Jamie. Personal Interview. 14 Nov 2008.
Greco, Patricia. “Dream Job.” nclive.org. 2008. EBSCO Industries, Inc.. 20 Nov 2008
< http://wfxsearch.webfeat.org/wfsearch/search?cid=10611>.
Hopkins, Michael . “Beyond and Back.” nclive.org. 2008. EBSCO Industries. 20 Nov
2008 <http://wfxsearch.webfeat.org/wfsearch/search?cid=10611>.
“Let my People go Surfing.” Book. bn.com 2008. 20 Nov 2008
<http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Let-My-People-Go-Surfing/Yvon- Chouinard/e/9780143037835>
Entrepreneur: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. New. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., 2004
The Day the World Fell Apart
September 11th was mostly a free write journal but we had to write about our feeling, connections, or views of that historical day.
The day of September 11th, 2001 changed all Americans lives. This indestructible nation now realized we are destructible, this lovable nation now realized we do have enemies, and this independent nation now realized that we had to band together and become united once again. The television clip of the falling of the twin tower is in scripted in all of minds. This year I realized how navies I was about this historical day: all around the other nations also suffered, there were roadside and subway bombing in many of the major cities of Europe, but I did not know of any of them. Not only in America was 9/11 a horrible day, but also it was a worldwide attack by Islamic radicals. This was the day the world fell apart.
Hidden Underneath the Shell
This poem is one of my absolute favorite pieces I have written. Mrs. Robinson assigned her class to pick a random object that she put on her floor and I picked a coiled-up shell. From there we had to write a poem showing the similarities between you and your object.
Found among the many
I am different than the rest.
To the eye,
I am among the sandy best.
While a hard, smooth shell
Covers my broken self.
Tossing in the waves have polished
My rough, cracked skin.
Friends and family have made my surface shine.
People know little
Of my struggling tale
Because it is hidden under my perfect little shell.
Audience,
Listen closely, hold me tight,
My core hums my cries
Because I never got to say good-bye.
And I ask my self: why?
Get to know me
And you will see
How complicated some one lives can be.
Let your shell
Protect your core
Because one day
You will be taken from the sandy shore
Say your good-byes,
And say your farewell
Because found among the many
God needs his perfect little shell
When Tears and Raindrops become One
If i remember correctly, in this journal entry Mrs. Robinson asked us to write a paragraph protraying a certain mood and also use an abundant amount of imagery.
Grey skies overhead as seventy or so glossy eyed students stand by the mossy graveside. A wave of purple and orange stretched across the gloomy graveyard. The mixture of tears and raindrops shower the friends of the beloved Michael Nash McKinney, but everybody stayed with their feet planted in to ground. Only the constant sound of rain and cars driving by is the entire speechless crowd heard. Why him, why now, why so young: all of us pondered. These answered still stay unanswered, but the reality of all of it silenced us.
Totally Bethany Hamilton It!
Mrs. Robinson asked her class to perfect our use of anthimeria in writing a paragraph and including this sharp and useful literary tool.
It’s perfect temperature, not too hot and not too cold. The waves glisten in the early morning sun and the sound of the aqua ocean puts me at ease. I feel the spray of the white wash as it tickles my sun kissed skin. A wave of excitement rushes to me, as my toes get wet from the oncoming water. I trot through the water until I reach the first of the breakers. Then, I leap of my board and duck dive under a wall of salt. Pop up with a smile on my face; all those similar feelings come rushing towards me and the feeling is shown on my face. I am totally going to Bethany Hamilton it today with these sick surf conditions.
Wiped Away by the Eraser of Stress
In the journal entry, Mrs. Robinson fourth period was assigned to write a paragraph using the literary device: imagery.
The caramel vanilla crème flavored coffee at the brim of my shiny blue tall cup early in the foggy morning. It’s only Wednesday and I need two doses of this w rich medicine to keep me from passing out at the wheel of my car. My eyes permanently glued shut because I had to stay up and stuff my brain with vocabulary words and history facts. I locate my seat and rock back and forth as the stern faced teacher hands out the exam. My mind once a white board filled with facts now is frantically getting wiped away with the eraser of stress.
“When Ure Hero Falls”: My Analytical Paper on Tupac’s Poetry
“When Ure Hero Falls”: My Analytical Paper on Tupac’s Poetry
What is life worth without having someone to call their own hero? How are they supposed to handle the situation when their hero accepts defeat-when he or she preaches to always preserve? Tupac Shakur is a hero for many inspiring rappers and his talent for writing emotional poetry was in the shadow of his hip-hop success. In “When Ure Hero Falls”, Tupac answers these questions by his use of parallelism, rhyme, and Latinate diction to communicate to his audience that even heroes are not perfect.
Throughout his poem, Tupac creates a pattern of the line, “when ure hero falls” by writing it in the beginning, middle, and end of his poem. The use of parallelism makes the focus point be on the flaws of a hero; it reminds the readers that being imperfect is a common quality. Tupac conveys this by frequent use of this powerful statement. Also, his use forms a balance in such a strong and personal poem. Without this balance his poem might seem too overwhelming. The great use of this writing device makes it seem emotionally controlled.
Automatically Tupac would use rhyme in his poetry since rapping was such a huge part of his life- writing poetry and rapping hip-hop songs go hand in hand. The two words that he would make rhyme would be contradictory to each other. For example, in lines 5-8,
“u taught me 2 be strong
but im confused 2 c u so weak
u said never 2 give up
and it hurts 2 c u welcome defeat.,”
these lines convey a personal struggle between himself and his hero. Tupac’s hero was telling him to be strong, but his hero was not taking his own advice. The question is asked at this point in the story: how does someone handle this situation when their hero accepts defeat? The connection between the struggles he experienced and his use of rhyme make the poem flow. Tupac conveys his message successfully by using this device.
This poem and all of the other Tupac poems are filled with Latinate diction. His informal use of simple words like 2 instead of to, create the idea of three things: it was his actual thoughts, writing poems came naturally for him, and it was his final copy the first time he wrote it. He also had to take into consideration his likely audience. Most rappers have adopted this type of writing in their everyday lives. The use gives his poems character and it allows many different types of people to connect to his ideas.
Tupac is a legend and perfected the ways to put his ideas down in ink through forms of poetry and lyrics. This poem “ When Ure Hero Falls” conveys a sense of balance through his use of parallelism, has a sense of flow by his use rhyme, and allows many different audiences to connect with his ideas by his use of informal word choice. These three writing devices let the audience in on Tupac’s personal life and let them see through the eyes of a poetic god.
corrected comment on jill f essay
· The Cliques that Clashed was probably one of the more fun and interesting essays to read. I liked the alliteration in the title of your essay: it made me want to know which cliques you were referring to. One problem with your thesis statement is you actually have four main ideas. For example, although the clique of girls in The Crucible and the popular clique represented throughout teen movies are from two different time periods: “they have distinct similar qualities, they need attention, the clique will tend to have a leader, and they have a way of being inaccurately deceived by adults.” At first this was confusing but as I further read, you accidently put the colon in the incorrect part of the sentence. I liked the style you picked for the opening sentence of the third paragraph: “what are characteristic of a leader and why do people follow them around like a goddess?” I actually caught myself thinking about this thought provoking statement, which is exactly what this type of writing should do to the reader. Also, your hook was interesting and I thought it was a smart idea to relate this essay to the diction we have learned about this semester. It put a great twist on the two types of definitions of the word “clique”. Overall this was a well-organized essay and I enjoyed reading it. (230)
The Similarities of the two Speeches
There are many similarities between the two speeches I had read today: The Price of Freedom presented by President George Bush and The Speech of the Virginia Convention delivered by Patrick Henry. Although hundreds of years come between these two powerful speeches, they both are based around the same idea: war. The style that the authors chose to uses in both of these speeches was very similar. For example, Henry and Bush ask question pertaining to the topic, elaborate in a few words then answer the question themselves. This strategy helped both of them get inside the heads of their audience and connect with them on a deeper level. Their sentence structure has many variations: they use long sentence when they want to explain and sound scholarly, and use short sentences to be effective. Each speech is presented in strong manner, with a stern voice and both performed in a formally setting. I feel like both of these speakers got there points across that is was a great idea at the time to go to war.
