Are you proud of your country?

I guess I am proud of my country. We did after all win our freedom against like the strongest army. Also we are a free country which is good. But sometimes I don't agree with things our country does and all the corporate stuff and all that junk. But I would have to say that overall I am proud of our country.

Shaggy

Scooby-Doo is one of the most famous and recognizable cartoons of all time. The mild scares and goofy  characters are great for amusing little kids. The simple and repeating plots backed up with cheesy scares  have been entertaining young children for practically fifty years. So it may come as a surprise to know  one of the main characters, Shaggy, is a pothead. The talking-dog thing, the interesting-speech-patterns  thing, the constant-hunger thing, all point to one conclusion. The iconic kids show character Shaggy is a  drug addict.

First of all, Shaggy has a talking dog, Scooby, of course. But it might be more than just a normal talking  dog as you would see on a kids show. Scooby talks kind of funny, even for a talking dog. There could be  other reasons that he talks the way he does, and even talks at all. If Shaggy is on drugs, he could be  hallucinating Scooby talking. Or maybe poor Scooby is being given drugs by Shaggy, therefore  encouraging him to speak. Either way, I believe Scooby is more than just a talking dog.

Have you ever noticed that Shaggy also talks kind of funny? "Hey Scoob dude, want some Scooby snacks,  man?" This could be a result of all the drugs he is potentially doing. I don't know about you, but it does  seem a little weird the way he talks, especially in contrast against the other characters. He talks like a  hippie, when the 1960's were infamous for drugs.

That brings me to another subject: Shaggy and Scooby's constant desire for food. Sometimes after  smoking marijuana, the subject gets the munchies. That would explain why Scooby and Shaggy are  constantly eating huge portions of food. They're always chowing down giant hamburgers and ice cream  and huge subs. How else would you explain this constant and raging hunger other than the munchies?  This all is just more evidence against them.

Maybe the Scooby Snacks that Shaggy and Scooby love could symbolize drugs. Shaggy and Scooby will  do almost anything for Scooby Snacks; they just can't resist the temptation. If someone asks them to say  go into a haunted house full of ghost to investigate, they would resist. Do it for a Scooby Snack, it's no  question. Maybe Scooby Snacks are portrayed as just dog treats, but are meant to be something else.  

I really think that Shaggy, and even maybe Scooby, are drug addicts. There are just too many things that  lead towards it. Shaggy has conversations with his talking dog, absolutely loves to eat dog treats, talks  like a hippie from the sixties, and always has the munchies. Maybe the creators of the show meant  this,  and symbolized drugs through Scooby Snacks. The show was after all created in the sixties, one of the  most prominent drug eras of the USA. The fact he does drugs is possible, likely, and obvious.

Ninjas on a plane

It was their turn to go through the metal detector. The young man gulped and tried not to show his nervousness. He had nothing to be nervous about, but he still was for some reason. It was the moment of truth, and he stepped through. Nothing, he was clear. The aluminum gun had not sprung the metal detector. He continued a couple yards, and then stopped to wait for his two friends.

They too cleared the metal detector. They continued on their way to their terminal. There were three of them, all had fake names. One had light brown hair, with blue eyes and glasses. His face was clean-shaven, and he wore a Nebraska University sweatshirt. The next had dark hair and dark eyes, with a black goatee. He wore a button up shirt and jeans. The last had brown hair and green eyes, clean shaven and wearing a plain t-shirt. All were in their mid thirties, and highly trained ninjas.

All three had the same goal, to hijack the plane flying from the New York Airport to Paris, France. They would hold the plane until the government agreed to give them one million dollars each. They reached the terminal, and sat down. The plane would start boarding in ten minutes. Those minutes felt like an eternity. It was raining outside, and the drops pattered against the window looking out onto the runway. Eventually, the plane arrived, and they boarded.  

They had business class seats towards the front of the plane. They sat down in the row three across, and settled in for the long flight. The plane taxied on the runway, and then took off. They would hijack the plane when it was over the Atlantic Ocean, so there was nowhere to land. So, one read a book, one listened to music, and the other just looked out the window.

Two hours later, they were a ways over the ocean. With a slight nod from the one on the isle, they started to put their plan into action. The three of them walked up to the front. They stormed into the cockpit.

One of the hijackers punched out the pilot. One of the other hijackers did the same to the copilot. The third threw the pilot out of the way and sat in the seat. He picked up the mic and spoke into the intercom.

“Hello, this is your ‘pilot’ speaking. I would like to inform you that we have control of the plane, and you are now our hostages.”

Panic ensued in the cabin, and some people started crying. One man in the back got up, and headed to the front. He went in, and the three hijackers turned around. He roundhouse kicked the one in captain’s seat, and slammed another into the control board. The last he punched out. He was about to take the controls, when the one he roundhouse kicked karate chopped him.

By now the three ninja hijackers were up, and they ripped off their outer layer to reveal their ninja outfits. The man too pulled off his outer layer and revealed his ninja clothes. One of the hijackers pushed him out of the cockpit. The stewardess was coming forward with the drink cart. The man flipped over it, and pushed it forward down the aisle. It hit the hijackers and knocked them back.

One of the hijacks climbed over the cart and grabbed the man. He picked him up and threw him back to the front. The man got up, and grabbed the two other hijackers. He sent them flying into the side of the plane. The last one had come towards him. The man lunged for the plane door and grabbed the latch.

He twisted it open, and the door swung violently outward. The man gripped on for dear life. The three hijackers tried to hold on, but were sucked out by the escaping pressure and fell towards the earth. The man jumped back into the plane with some difficulty, then shut the door.

He went back into the cockpit and over to the pilot. He was out cold. The man grabbed the controls, and looked out the front. The plane was descending quickly towards the ocean. He pulled the plane up, and the bottom skipped over the water, and then swooped back up. He returned the plane to altitude, and then went back to the pilot.

The pilot was slowly coming to. He fully regained consciousness, and went back to the controls. The copilot joined him shortly after. The pilot got on the intercom and announced that everything was okay. They flew the plane all the way to their destination in London, and successfully landed at the airport, all passengers, save the ninja hijackers, were unharmed.

 

Tangled

Author's note: This is a response to the movie Tangled. As a class we voted on a movie to watch and somehow it won. So, this is my response to the mode that it is. 

Disney has around 50 animated films. That is way too many if you ask me, seeing as most of them are annoying little kid movies. 'Tangled' fits into this category, and as usual was not very good. It was romance mode, quite obviously, and there were tons of symbols. The romantic theme was at times amusing but mostly annoying, because a romance movie is really only good for young children. The movie was just like most Disney animated movie, with a boring and predictable romantic plot.

First of all, the plot, which was very romantic. Starting out with the fact that Repunzel's dream is to leave the tower to watch floating lights on her birthday. That seems like a pretty lame dream, and also the minor conflict at the start. It also was very predictable, when they seemed to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, they would always find some way out. The evil in the story was the evil mom who wanted Repunzel because her hair made her stay young. That is a pretty romantic evil, then add the two big lumbering brutes who were quite comical. The movie as a whole is very unrealistic. Magical hair, floating lanterns, not exactly every day life. And at the end, Repunzel gets married, which is the symbol of life at the end the romantic plot.

Along with the plot, it also came with symbols. There was bright green grass every where, the forests brimming with flowers and life. The sky was blue and there were big white clouds. The night sky was starry. Every where you turned there were romantic symbols. And Repunzel's hair was gold, a romantic color. Almost everything in the movie had some sort of romantic symbolism to it. The movie was obviously romance, the symbols are all there.

The movie was just a usual romance film. The plot follows almost perfectly along with the plotline of the romance mode. The symbols are everywhere, be it grass, sky, animals, whatever. Everything about the story was romantic. It had nothing special to it, and just was meant for kids. So, it was quite boring at times, and extremely predictable. The movie was just any old animated romance movie.

 

Magical Magic Land of Magicness

Author's note: This was a journal entry where another person told us say an adjective starting with d. Then we would have a couple minutes to add to our story and include the word. It got kind of weird, so be warned... 

Felipe and I drive across a bridge into the Unibrow regions of Magical Magic Land of Magicness. We drive up and the city looks to be abandoned. That's because the people there live underground now because of the great flood of '92 and never got around to moving back above ground. Anyways, we drive to the Anteater Train Station and board the train parked on the track of licorice. We drive along and get to out campsite. We unpack our stuff, and go to sleep.

 I had a nightmare where I was sitting on a giant piece of pie and then it blew up. Then, a cantaloupe came and told me to get to the chopper. Then he transformed into Arnold Schwarzenegger and ate me. Inside his stomach, I met a fish named Bill. He said he was swallowed twenty years ago, and there was no way out. I was really sad and started to cry. Then, Arnold Schwarzenegger blew up, and I went flying out of his stomach. Me and Bill the fish went to get to the chopper like the cantaloupe had told us. We rode it but then it crashed into a tree. Then I died, and I was sad.

But then, I woke up, and I was really relieved. I was in Magical Magic Land of Magicness, with my best bud Felipe. Today we were going to Cheeseburger Mountain, I couldn't wait. We had to cross the sea of potato chips, walk through the woods of Popcorn Trees, go through the Pineapple Cave, then climb to the top of Cheeseburger Mountain. At the top was the mythical banana of justice. We started off. We were in a camping site near Soda Lake. Reminds me of Super Mario World 2, but that's beside the point.

We got to the sea of the potato chips. Then Felipe started growing. He became a giant! "Dude! That's awesome!" I yelled up to him.

"I know!" He yelled back down.

See, that's what I like about Magical Magic Land of Migicness, you never know what's going to happen, because it's magic! Then, an evil llama soaked in pickle juice came down from the cotton candy cloud above us. It was the most evil creature in all of Magical Magic Land of Magicness, Bob the Evil Llama Soaked in Pickle Juice, and he's soaked in pickle juice because that's the most evil substance known to man, just FYI.

"Ha Ha Ha, I'll just ruin your fun." He said as he shrunk down Felipe. "HAHAHA!" He yelled as he left.

"Stupid Bob the Evil Llama Soaked in Pickle Juice, he always ruins the fun. We should put a stop to him once and for all!" I was not happy.

To stop him, we needed to dip him in the Cheese Waters of Justice, found under the chocolate waterfall near the Rainbow of Happiness. Sometimes, I feel like our world is somehow really messed up. So we started off, first we needed to rent a Unicorn from Blockbuster so we could fly along rainbow road, a huge network of rainbow highways, and connect to the Rainbow of Happiness. There, we would put our Unicorn in a warp pipe back to Blockbuster, and slide down the Rainbow of Happiness. Then, we would have to float down the river of chocolate on a hungry hungry hippo, and fall down the chocolate water fall and go behind it into the cave of sponges. There, about a mile in, would we find the pool of the Cheese Waters of Justice. So we started on our way.

There was a Blockbuster, but they were sold out of Unicorns. So, we had to rent a Flying Sausage instead, it doesn't get as many miles per gallon as a Unicorn, and its top speed is only 309.4 miles per hour versus 497.6 of a Unicorn. Oh, well, it will do, I guess. So, we flew on rainbow road, and eventually found the Rainbow of Happiness, although our GPS was broke so we took a wrong turn and ended up at the Rainbow of Not Happiness. We turned around and eventually found the Rainbow of Happiness. We tried to put the Flying Sausage in the portal back to Blockbuster, but it wouldn't work so we just ate it. We slid down the Rainbow of Happiness. After a couple minutes, we found a hungry hungry hippo and road it down the river of chocolate, and down the chocolate waterfall. We went behind it, and found the cave of sponges. It was really bouncy. We even saw Spongebob taking a vacation there. We found the Cheese Waters of Justice, and put it in the Goblet of Fire that Felipe had in his backpack. I'm not going to describe how we got to Bob the Evil Llama Soaked In Pickle Juice, because many gummy bears lost their lives, and recounts of the battle may psychologically scar you. But I'll do it anyways, because I can if I say this warning: "Warning, graphic and violent content unsuitable for children. Do not read this section is you are under the age of 34 or squeamish." So here goes:

CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED

See what I mean, a pretty intense and epic battle, huh? Well, so that's how we triumphed over Bob the Evil Llama Soaked in Pickle Juice and his army of 10,000 gummy bears. So, we finally got to go to Cheeseburger Mountain, and found The Magical Banana of Justice. We got to ask it any question. So, we asked it: "We're we good to defeat Bob the Evil Llama Soaked in Pickle Juice?" and it's response was: "No, because that wasn't the real Bob the Evil Llama Soaked in Pickle Juice, it was his not so evil twin brother, named Twin Brother of Bob the Evil Llama Soaked in Pickle Juice and Has an Army Of 10,000 Gummy Bears but Isn't Nearly as Evil as His Brother, Bob the Evil Llama Soaked In Pickle Juice, or T.B.O.B.T.E.L.S.I.P.J.A.H.A.A.O.1.G.B.B.I.N.A.E.A.H.B.,.B.T.E.L.S.I.P.J for short." Darn, we got the wrong guy, and that means he actually wasn't dead, and we had to go back to get the Cheese Waters of Justice back. Hopefully there were no hard feelings, you know, with us destroying his army of 10,000 gummy bears and pouring cheese on his head, but he'll hopefully see it was an honest mistake. You know, I've never seen a name with a number and a comma in it before. Well, anyways, I don't really feel like writing anymore because it gets really complicated and violent and stuff, so I guess I'll just end it here. But that would be kind of lame and stuff, so instead I'll say: To Be Continued…

Satire

Author's Note: This is our own Satire that we made as a response after reading the book Animal Farm  by George Orwell. We tried to stay up to date on the real-life issues, seeing as we were creating it as it was happening.

(Link to project)

Man vs. Machine

author's note: this is a response to the short story "The Fun They Had," and how some technology can be good, but can be bad if taken too far. 

Imagine a world with nothing but technology. The books are on screens instead of paper. The teachers are robots instead of people. Well, this world is real, in the story "The Fun They Had." In the story, they find a real book, and are amazed that it is printed with ink on paper. Such a thing is unheard of in the year 2157. Technology can be a good thing, but in some cases it can be taken too far.

At a glance, it would seem amazing, not having books, not having teachers, not having school. But I think in reality, it wouldn't be so. Technology can enhance learning, I believe that. But when they start replacing teachers with robots, it is taking things too far. They could only give you the information, they couldn't actually communicate with you or give you advice. It is also my opinion that school should remain as it is, with a physical teacher there to teach you. Learning is more than memorizing facts, it's learning how to think, draw conclusions,  and make inferences. A robot cannot teach you how to do those things, only present the facts.

In the year 2157, not only are the teachers robots, but there are no schools. All the kids have their own robots to teach them. The kids have heard of a time when the children from a whole neighborhood all went to the same school together, and all had the same teachers. This seems like it would be incredibly fun to them, and if you think about it, it makes sense. At school, you can talk and be with your friends. If there wasn't any school, a lot of social time would be lost. Technology can be a good thing, but if it's taking away our time with friends and teachers, then maybe it's not so great anymore.

Communication with other people is a necessity. When Technology starts to isolate us from real experiences, it is no longer a tool. It is starting to rule over us, keeping us from real life and friends. Some technology is good, for enhancing learning and fun, but it can be taken too far. We should be able to draw the line between technology and the real world, getting some of each. If we were unable to communicate with anybody in person, it wouldn't be good. Technology is good for some things, but we need to experience other things in person.

Animal Farm Essay

Author's Note: This is a response to the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. The prompt was to discuss the change the pigs went through since the start of the book, and what you think Orwell was saying about the real leaders in Russia. 


At Animal Farm, one of the biggest rules is that all animals are equal. It was agreed upon when the animals first rebelled against the humans. But over time, the rules were changed when three pigs emerged as leaders. Napoleon and Squealer actually rewrote their rules to better suit their desires. The pigs violated their own rule that all animals are equal. 

The pigs have made a change over time, and it hasn't been good. Snowball was mostly fair, but it wasn't for long. He was driven out by Napoleon, who then rose to power. It is now that the pigs are clearly in a higher rank than the rest of the animals. They are the ones that are calling the shots, and making their own rules. Napoleon seems anything but fair, and is forcing the animals to work and have less food. He is clearly a leader, and not only that but him, Squealer, and all the other pigs get to sleep in the beds inside the house. This does not seem very equal.

In Russia, it was Trotsky, Lenin, and Stalin. In Animal Farm, it's Snowball, Squealer, and Napoleon. I think that in the book Orwell is symbolizing the unequal rule of the three. It is true that without a leader, it wouldn't last very long. It is practically impossible for everyone be perfectly equal, because eventually human greed would win out. It does in Russia and in Animal Farm, and Stalin and Napoleon both become selfish and take all the power.

The pigs became power hungry and took over the farm. This also happened in Russia. What Orwell is trying to say is eventually people will get tired of being equal and become unsatisfied. Then they will get greedy and start trying to get more wealth than others. Communism, or in the book's case, Animalism, would work if you took out the human variable, but people will always want more. So this happened to the pigs, and caused them to rewrite the rules to accommodate their desires.

Sherlock Holmes Final Essay

Sherlock holmes

View more presentations from Shaunyboy.

Creative Piece

Author's Note: This was a stream of consciousness journal entry where the concrete image was a clearing in the woods. 

It is a warm summer day as I trudge through the woods. Small little patches of light shine in through the few breaks in the dense foliage. My feet follow a narrow, dusty, path, the only one in the large forest. I follow the path, not exactly sure why am here. I guess I came here for peace, but now my heart strives for adventure. So, I eventually stray from the path.

That's why I am now in this predicament. I stumble over the fallen logs and step over the many plants that crowd the moss-covered forest floor. Why did I stray from the path? Now I can't find my way out, and I've been here for hours. When I first realized I was lost, I told my self that I would eventually find my way out if I went in one direction. Now I am not so sure. In fact, the only thought in my head is of despair, and I wonder how big this forest could possibly be. I guess I wanted adventure, and I got some.

Suddenly, I break out of the confines of the forest, and into a small clearing. The light streams in from above, unlike it was back in the forest. I look up and the clouds are floating effortlessly by. The patch of blue sky reminds me that there is a world outside this forest, but at the same time taunts me, so close to that world, and yet, so far. I can't resist, and I lay down in the soft grass. As I watch the clouds, the sunlight warms me, and I  begin to feel sleepy. If only I could lie here longer, but I must find my way out. So I get up, and disappear back into the darkness and cool of the woods, and continue on my way.

Sherlock Holmes and the K.K.K.

 Author's Note: Most of the stories in Sherlock Holmes are fiction. The case holds true in The Five Orange Pips, but the conflict feels more real. This is because the K.K.K is in this story, and they were all too real. And to minimize confusion, a pip is a seed.

A mysterious five orange seeds arrive in the mail, and a note asking for papers. What papers, who's sending this, why me? For answers, none other than the famous Sherlock Holmes is contacted. It is all figured out, but it is too late. The man is dead. This is the story of The Five Orange Pips. In the story, the man is killed, by none other than the infamous Ku Klux Klan. This I connected to real life, because it is something I actually knew existed. The majority of the book I felt was some sort of made up fantasy, but with this story, it actually felt like something real.

The whole book is dealing with made up characters, and for what I know, made up mysteries. However, in The Five Orange Pips, it's all too real. In a sense. I feel it is actually unlikely for this to be a real story. The plot may have been made up, but the antagonist of the story was not. We learned about the Ku Klux Klan once in school, so I know a little background of them, and this made the story more exciting to read. It also made me realize the seriousness of the story, that the K.K.K. is not to mess around with. Knowing about the general evil in the story made me feel more connected to it.

Of the stories, this one felt the most connected. The other stories were hard to connect to, seeing as they are set a hundred years ago in a different country. Not only that, as a whole nothing really happened that made me think of a connection. The Five Orange Pips was the outlier of the stories, I felt it took a break from the usual romantic fantasy of the book over to a more serious and  real life situation. This story seemed like a real life matter with real life people, and that made me connect to it.

221 B, Baker Street

Author's Note: The famous Sherlock Holmes lives on Baker Street. Although it is not just a house. It speaks of the past between Watson and Holmes, and gives ideas of Holmes's personality.

The door holds memories of great times, the light of the well-lit interior streams out the windows and into the night. The fire washes the home in a clean warmth, the books lining the wall speak of knowledge. The man who takes residence here is the renowned Sherlock Holmes,  with his long coat, double-brimmed hat, and clay pipe. Dr. Watson used to live with Sherlock, back in the "old days." This apartment is important to the book as it is Sherlock Holmes's  headquarters, and sometimes where he solves his iconic mysteries.

In the story, Watson sometimes remembers the unforgettable times he spent at the apartment. Him and Sherlock used to be partners in crime, or partners against crime, so to say.  They lived together as friends and companions, solving crime after crime together. Eventually, Watson got married and moved out to live with his wife. It is at this time when the stories in the book take place. He still helps Holmes, just not as avid as he used to. It helps make a sense of the history between Sherlock and Watson. It makes it so you can understand Holmes's and Watson's past better.

Not only holding memories of the past, it is where lots of the story takes place. When Holmes is not traveling to the scene of the crime, he works out of his comfortable domain on Baker Street. So many things are found inside the apartment. Records of everyone, an encyclopedia set, a fireplace, tons of stuff. It creates a vivid image of the probably neat but almost crowded interior of his home. Holmes will sit down in a chair beside the fire and smoke his pipe, eyes closed, and solve a mystery. It makes you understand Sherlock Holmes's personality, as what I believe is casual and laid back, intelligent and knowledgeable. His home creates part of a personality, and holds part of the plot.

The apartment is a very relevant part of the story. It gives an image of the past between Holmes and Watson. The two are good friends, and their history shows through the house. The home  gives hints about the personality of the great Sherlock Holmes, and his quiet and intelligent ways of reasoning. It is also, of course, where many parts of the book take place. The apartment holds memories of the past, and of adventure. It is certainly an important and influential part to the story.

 

Sherlock Homles: The Setting

Author's note: The importance of the setting in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Sherlock Holmes’s stories, written by Arthur Conan Doyle, take place in the late nineteenth century, around 1890. Sherlock Holmes (and sometimes Watson) lives in apartment 221B on Baker Street. The city and place may not prove to be as significant, but the time does. The time it takes place is very important because of the lack of technology.

 First off, Sherlock Holmes has to do everything by hand. He has to write things down, and keep his own files on people. Instead of just quickly looking some fact up online, he has to use his books. Also, he can’t look people up; he has to figure things out about them for himself. It’s true that it may not be possible to find everyone, but if someone has a Facebook these days, one would be able too. Sherlock Holmes is not able to rely on the Internet to solve a case.

Another thing comes to my mind after reading A Scandal in Bohemia. Sherlock Holmes finds his own way into Irene Adler’s house to steal a picture she can use for blackmail. With modern technology, a stunt of those sort would prove a little less complicated. But instead, he had to whip up an act to get in, then fake a fire so he could find out where she kept what was most important to her (which was the picture). Surly not using any technology would slow Holmes down.

The amazing part though, is that it doesn’t slow him down. After you consider that, Sherlock Holmes has to be even smarter. It is true, though; that they didn’t know what technology they were missing back then. But still, it would seem even more amazing in the nineteenth century, because no one was ever that smart,and Holmes would seem to be superhuman. In today’s world, someone not as smart as him could possibly pull something similar off, with the help of technology. Without technology, however, it still seems astounding in today's world. Because of the lack of technology, the setting makes a significant impact on the story.