Sestinas

Sestina #1

At Pine Point lies my family.

They have showered me with kindness and love,

Watched me grow and blossom,

And now they have picked me from the flowering bed and sent me off.

Ten years came and went in a blaze,

And now I will say goodbye.

At Pine Point lies my forever lingering goodbye,

Lies my forever lingering family,

Whom I will always love.

I hope that the blossoming

Will never be turned down or turned off;

That the nourishing will be forever blazing.

My tears will set my throat ablaze,

Making me unable to ever really speak the word "goodbye".

I will never say that word to my family.

There is too much love

In the relationship that is still blossoming

To ever be shut down and shut off.

My love for my Pine Point family will never be turned off.

My love will forever be blazing,

And it will never be told farewell or goodbye

Because you never say goodbye to your family.

There is too much love

In the the blossoming

Flower blossom

That will never be cut off

From the stem grown by the sun ablaze

That flower will not say goodbye

To this world until it is time to leave their blooming families,

And say farewell to the ones they love

Though, love

Last for an eternity and the blossom

Never dies or is cut off

From life too early and sent blazing

Into the sky without saying goodbye,

Leaving families

Without fair warning that what left them, was love

At Pine Point there is so much love that sets my heart ablaze

I will never cut off my blossom because that is what made the flower that I am today

Well now it is time for me to say goodbye, but I will always love my family

Sestina #2

To me, Pine Point is love.

There are no cliques; we are all friends.

Mr. Geise calls it a community, but the right word is family.

I can't believe it is my year to go.

I cannot believe that I have to leave,

And for the last time, say goodbye.

I am not looking forward to saying "goodbye".

The word seems so lifeless and lacking love.

Saying that word will hit me with the reality that I really have to leave,

Say goodbye, and see you soon to friends.

And then you know its time to go.

Its so much harder to say goodbye to friends when they are really family.

I have never really left my family.

I have said hello and goodbye

Many times, but I never really had to go

Anywhere completely without their love,

But because they are true friends

I know that their love will never leave.

I never thought the time would come when I had to leave.

I never thought that these people wouldn't be my family

Anymore, but the thing about friends

Is that you never really say goodbye

Only see you soon, love.

Your never really gone.

I know that it is my time to go,

To pack up my things and leave.

I will always remember and love

my friends at Pine Point that have become family,

But I know it is finally time for me to say goodbye.

But I will never forget my friends.

Even when I leave friends

I will never let Pine Point go.

Even after I say goodbye.

Even after I leave.

Because there I have a family

Whom I love.

And my friends know that after I leave

I will never be gone from their hearts because they are my second family.

Even when the word "goodbye" comes from my mouth, I will never stop loving.

Essay #19

I am writing this multi-genre essay because I feel this topic is worth my time. It will be composed of a traditional eleven sentence paragraph, a poem, a journal entry, a short story, a recipe, a want ad, and a letter. Over the course of my fifteen years on this planet, I have realized that no one's life is easy. Even if on the outside, someone seems to have a perfect apple pie life, there is always something deeper. Everyone struggles for what they want. At some point, everyone falls down, but we get back up again, brush the dirt off our shoulders, and try again because we have that strength of spirit. We have that passion that pushes us to try harder. When people push us down, we push back, but with more force. When they hurt us, we will be the bigger person and smile. And we surely will have scars from our battles, but we will show them off with pride as if to say, "Yes, I have struggled, and this is what I earned for it". In the end though, the point of this essay is not about the struggle, but the thing that gets you through the hard times. This essay is about the strength of my spirit.

Sincerely,

Simone Kronholm

~~~

poem

~~~

I have strength of spirit.

I have that extra push.

I have a voice that cannot and will not be silenced.

I have anger that can't be tamed,

And I have happiness that can't be dampened.

I have that strength of spirit.

Really, everyone has it.

Most just don't know it,

And I want to change that.

I want everyone to have that push.

I want everyone to have that fire,

That endless passion.

I want everyone to have strength of spirit.

Everyone has a voice that should be heard.

No one should ever be told not to speak their minds.

Everyone has that power, but not everyone recognizes it, but

I know that I have that strength of spirit.

~~~

journal entry

~~~

Dear Diary,

I'm sorry I have not written in a while; I have been reading and reflecting on two very different books, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. I feel like both of these books have strength of spirit, as do many of the characters within them. The characters in Julius Caesar show strength of spirit through their powerful lines that Shakespeare wrote with care, while A Tale of Two Citie's characters show strength while they bear the cruel times through the the French Revolution. These two books and the characters inside them have inspired me to have confidence and attempt to obtain strength inside my spirit, but I know that it is easier said than done. Now it is my goal to be more like Portia, Calphurnia, or Lucy Manette, and have a strong, confident, unbreakable spirit. In Julius Caesar, Portia and Calphurnia show strength by standing up to their husbands, which was not common back in that time. Portia had the power to tell her husband that she would not stand to have things kept from her, so she demanded to know what the secrets were immediately. Calphurnia, on the other hand, convinced the stubborn Caesar not to go out in the ides of March, until a disloyal conspirator, who was posing as a messenger, came and told Caesar that he would be crowned that day, but Caesar was so greedy for power that he went out anyway. On a different note, in A Tale of Two Cities Lucie shows great strength while she stays unbreakable while her husband and the father of her children was in jail. She showed immense power to be able to stay strong and never give up hope that he would come home. So now you see why I want to be like these great women. I hope that one day my spirit could be as strong as theirs.

Goodbye For Now,

Simone

~~~

short story

~~~

"You have strength of spirit", that is what people told her at least. She thought otherwise though. She couldn't run the mile half as fast as the other kids in her class, and she couldn't do pull ups, sit ups, or push ups. She wasn't the star of the field hockey team, the gymnastics team, or any team for that matter. This is why she could not fathom why anyone thought that she had strength of spirit until one day when someone told her once more that her "spirit was strong". "Why do you say that?!", she said, thinking that so many people have said it before, that they must be teasing her. The person simply smiled and said, "Strength of spirit has nothing to do with how fast you can run, how big your muscles are, how many sit ups, pull ups, or push ups you can do. It has to do with what's inside, what's deeper. It has to do with your confidence, your mood, and your frame of mind." She looked up at the person smiled back, and finally realized why so many people thought she had strength of spirit, and she even started to see it herself.

~~~
recipe

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Confidence Cake:

1) Take your shaker and sprinkle about one cup of spirit into a bowl

2) Scoop out two tablespoons of strength and dump into the bowl with the spirit

3) Add one teaspoon of bravery, anger, and stubbornness, and passion

4) Last but not least, add a heaping cup of trust within yourself

5) Mix batter until there are no lumps, and then pour into a oven-safe tin.

6) Set the oven for 350 degrees and put the timer on for twenty minutes

7) When the timer dings take the cake out and let it cool

8) After thirty minutes or so have passed, stick a fork in the middle and make sure it comes out clean

9) If so, start frosting the cake with whatever flavor of faith you like

10) After, if you like, you can decorate the cake with self-assurance sprinkles

11) Once you take your first bite, you should feel renewed with self-confidence

~~~

want ad

~~~

Wanted:

Workers With Strength of Spirit

They Work Harder,

Work Faster,

And Do It All With A Smile On Their Faces

If Interested, Call 555-6789

Thank You!

~~~

letter

~~~

Dear Simone,

I know right now it seems like leaving Pine Point may be the hardest thing in your life, but trust me, there are many more challenges to come. I know leaving is sad, but think of all of the benefits. Pine Point has given you such a strong foundation, and built your spirit into what it is today: strong and confident. You should be so thankful that you were lucky enough to go to a school that actually cares about the state of your spirit. They nurtured it when it was dying, set it ablaze when the flame was fading, and protected the passion that is locked inside. You should know that no other community will care as much as they did, and you should know that throughout the oncoming years of high school, you will often think back upon your years at Pine Point and appreciate what they have done for you, and you are definitely never going to forget it. Because Pine Point made you what you are today: a strong-spirited, confident, passionate, ardent young woman.

Love,

Your future self

Essay #18

bell word: strength

echo word: spirited, determined

TS: everyone and everything has strengths and weaknesses thats part of what makes people human

SD: in Julius Caesar, most characters have great strength

CM: most characters in the play have great strengths

CM: both sexes have strength and it is distributed equally

SD: for example, Brutus

CM: he has decided to stand up for his people even though it could get him killed

CM: even though Caesar is a friend, he decided to do what is considered the greater good

SD: another spirited character is Portia

CM: she does not let the fact that she is a woman get in the way

CM: she demands to know what Brutus is hiding from her and does not hesitate to talk back to him

CS: each character in the play has strength in different shapes and forms

Simone

English 9

Mr. H. Salsich

April 19

Serious Strength:

An Essay on Strength in Julius Caesar

When I think about strength, I think about many different things. The first thing that pops into my head however, is physical strength, but I quickly realized that that is not the only type of strength there is. Another form of strength, which shows up often in Shakespear's Julius Caesar, is having strength within. In the play many of the characters show inner strength, and I hope that one day I too have that intensity of spirit.

Everyone and everything have strengths and weaknesses, without them we would not be human. For some, for example the characters in Julius Caesar, their strengths are more pronounced. Most of the characters in the play have extraordinary strengths and not many weaknesses. Shakespeare distributes the determination evenly between men and women. One example of a character filled with fortitude is Brutus. He has decided to stand up for his people even though it could possibly put him at risk of getting killed. Even though Caesar is a friend, Brutus decided to go with what is considered the greater good. Another character with the "strength of spirit" is Portia, Brutus' wife. She does not let the fact that she is a woman get in her way. She vigorously inquires that her husband tells her the truth when she notices him acting suspicious, secretly staying up late, concealing lots of information from her, and she does not hesitate to talk back to him. Each character in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is strong in their own special and spirited way.

We can have strong muscles, like biceps and triceps, but the only kind of strength that really matters is much deeper than that. Strength is what drives you and gives you power. Although everyone's strengths and weaknesses vary, we all have something in us that gives us the potential to do anything. Just like in Julius Caesar, everyone today has inner strength whether they know it or not.

Self-Assessment:

1) An issue that I am continuing to work on is making my sentences longer. I noticed that my paragraphs fulfill the 11-sentence formula, but they do not look very long because of my sentence length.

2) I think strong a point in this essay is my opening paragraph. I think I did a nice job opening up into the topic that I was going to pursue in this essay.

3) A weak point in this essay would be my closing paragraph. I had a hard time deciding on what to say to close up my essay.

4) I would give myself a B+ on this essay.

Essay #17

bell word: believe TS: disagreeing with Cassius, i am not the master of my fate in any way, shape, or form SD: never have been, hopefully never will be CM: i say hopefully because i like to be surprised in my life CS: I do believe that everything happens for a reason, I just don't know what that reason is. First Body Paragraph: echos: have confidence in, regard as true TS: I strongly believe in fate, or that everyone has a "predetermined course" SD: our lives are planned out before we even begin the journey CM: and when we are born, God just sits back and watches our lives pan out CM: he sees everything and knows what we aer going to do before we do it SD: that there is a purpose behind everything and everything has a reason to occur CM: when bad things happen, we learn from our mistake and it makes us stronger CM: when good things happen we learn that the right choices bring us good fate SD: if there was no reason behind things, life would be pointless CM: our lives would be a random mass of events put together CM: no path for our lives to follow CS: fate means that everything happens for a reason, and I agree with that Second Body Paragraph: echos: trust, convinced TS: even though we have a predetermined course, that doesn't mean that our actions can't change the path a little SD: fate may be pre-decided, but our actions can change it's course CM: fate is just the outline of what happens in your life CM: what you fill it with is your decision SD: we all have a choice to avoid making bad judgements, sometimes the bad things are more tempting and appealing than the good CM: even if something bad happens though, we can learn from it CM: when we don't learn from our mistakes is when things are bad SD: i know that in my own life every little thing has a purpose CM: whether its having a fight with a friend or stubbing my toe CM: thats just the way things are CS: how we choose to direct our fate is in our hands Closing Paragraph: echos: have faith TS: I suppose in a way we can be the masters SD: not of our fate, but of what you fill it with CM: we can work with what we get CS: we cannot control fate, but we can help it along sometimes Simone English 9 Mr. H. Salsich April 6

The Art of Mastering Fate:

An Essay on My Thoughts on Fate

Disagreeing with Cassius, I believe that I am not the master of my fate in any way, shape, or form. I never have been and I hopefully never will be. I say hopefully because I would never want a cookie-cutter life, I would want surprises every now and again. I believe that everything happens for a reason, I just don't know what that reason is. I have strong confidence in fate, or that everyone has a "predetermined course". If we didn't have fate, there would be no justification in life. Our lives you just be an arbitrary accumulation of events all put together. There would be no path for our lives to follow and we would end up crashing. I believe that there is a purpose behind life and that everything has a reason to occur. When bad things happen, we learn from our mistakes and it makes us stronger. When good things happen, we learn that the right choices bring us good fate. Our lives are planned out before we even begin the journey, and when we are born, God just sits back, pleasureably presses play, and then watches our lives pan out. He watches all of the good decisions we make and all the bad decisions we make, knowing what we are going to do before we even do it. Seeing everything we do and don't do, observing everything fault and mistake we make in our lives, hoping that we learn from them, he watches cautiously. Fate means that everything happens for a reason, and I regard that statement as true. Even though we have a pre-arranged course of life, that doesn't mean that our actions can't change the path a little. Our fate may be already decided, but I trust our actions can impact it. Fate is just the outline of what is supposed to happen within your life. However, what you fill it with is completely up to you. I am convinced that we all have the chance to avoid making bad discernments, but sometimes bad things are more tempting than the good things in life. Even if sometimes bad things happen, we can still hopefully learn from our mistakes. When we stop learning from our mistakes, thats when we should start to stew. I know that in my own life everything has a purpose, effecting the next things to come in my journey, pushing it's impact into my everyday activities, interrupting the natural flow of things, just to make sure that fate meets me again one day. Whether it is a fight with my friend, or merely stubbing my toe, I know that later on in my life those things are going to have an effect because everything falls into fate's fingers. That is just the way things are. Fate may not be completely up to us, but how we choose to direct it is in our hands. I suppose, in a way we can be the masters. Certainly not of our fate, but what we fill it with. I have faith that no matter what life gives you, you can always work with it; mold it to make it your own. We can definitely not control our fate, but we can help it along sometimes. SELF-ASSESSMENT: 1) An issue that I am continuing to work on is making longer sentences. A lot of my sentences are short and right to the point, and I think that I could move around the syntax a little more. 2) A weak point that I see in this essay is my second body paragraph. I think that it was difficult for me to word the sentences within my chunks. 3) A strong point in my essay my introduction paragraph. I think I did a good job using the paragraph to open up into the rest of my essay. 4) I would give myself a B+ on this essay.

Essay #16

Simone

English 9

Mr. H. Salsich

March 30

Reasons for Rebellion

An Essay on Why People Would Rebel

People are more powerful than you think. There are always reasons for people to be unhappy or unsatisfied with the way things are going, but the remarkable thing is that they can put that anger and unhappiness into action and make a change themselves. People should not be underestimated. Whether it be in the novel Julius Caesar, or in my life, rebellion should be taken seriously because one person can make a big difference, and there are many reasons why they would want to (inversion) .

There are many reasons why one or many would want to rebel, but the first thing that comes to my mind is power. Everyone wants a little piece of power (alliteration). Whether it be over the household, the school soccer team, or even the country, dominance is greatly valued. Nobody likes being told what to do, when to do it, or where to do it; they like doing things on their own time at their own pace, and if they were willing the fight for that freedom (alliteration), a rebellion could rise. Unsatisfactory leadership skills would be another reason for a rebellion. If I was not pleased with the way things were being run, I would stand up and say something; I would not sit there and pretend like nothing was wrong. If the figure of authority was not making good verdicts (F.A.S.T), I would try my hardest to get them out of the domineering (F.A.S.T) position. The last reason for rebellion is anger. If someone has enough animosity towards someone or something, that anger will charge them to make the changes that the leader fails to make. Anger gives us the adrenaline that can strengthen us to move mountains. Rebellion is a powerful force that can be achieved if you really want something or someone to change badly enough.

Rebelling against authority is an action that takes great courage (verbal opener). Whether it be rebelling against your ruler or not listening to directions in class, it still takes bravery. Also, people have all different reasons to rebel, but no matter what the reason, or how large the scale, it should not be underestimated. People who take action can change the world.

Self-Assessment:

1) An issue that I am still trying to work on is developing my ideas into words more clearly. Often I am thinking one thing, but it comes out different on paper.

2) A weak point that I see in this essay is the third chunk. I don't think it really explains what I was trying to communicate.

3) I think a strong point in this essay is my introductory paragraph. I think it leads into the essay nicely and clearly.

4) I would give myself a B on this essay.

Essay #15

Simone
English 9
Mr. H. Salsich
February 16

Memorable Moments
An Essay on Things that I Will Remember from A Tale of Two Cities

It seems like a lifetime, but just a few months ago it was the beginning of the year. It was the beginning of our long journey through Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale Of Two Cities. I had no idea what I was getting into, and how long and hard I would work on analyzing every page. Now that I look back upon the finished text, I start to notice that I remember some things more than others.

We dove into the novel and I quickly realized that Dickens described everything and everyone completely and thoroughly. When a new character was introduced in the book, Dickens would characterize everything about the person from their facial features to their body stature. He would make it seem as if the person was real. Then, when that character came back into the book, Dickens would hint at the description to remind you. An example of this would be Lucie and her anxious forehead. Almost every time Lucie was brought up in the book Dickens would mention that she constantly looked worried because of the creases in her forehead. He made it so that you knew who he was talking about even if he didn't mention the character's name. Because Dickens describes things in so much depth, I know that I will remember each character for a very long time.

Another one of the most enthralling and memorable parts in the book was how Dickens gave power to women. He made them seem superior to men, and that is not common in many books from that time, let alone books in general. Not only did he give them power, but he also made them a little frightening. Some more than others, but an excellent example would be Madame Defarge. In the beginning of the book, Madame Defarge was just the knitting lady behind the bar counter, but as the novel progressed, so did she. She led the rebels to extremes, cutting everyone who started to doubt her ways. She and The Vengence were cruel and didn't care one bit, and the only thing that they did care about was revenge. I will definitely remember Dickens' ability to give people in his book power, and how he gave the women capability.

Even though it was only a few months ago, it feels like we have endured a long, strenuous journey through the pages of A Tale of Two Cities. Now, half way through the year we are closing the book, ending the fare that has lasted five months. I had no idea what I was getting into and part of me didn't even want to go through with it, but now I'm glad that I did. It was sad to finally finish the book, but now that it is done, I can forever look back at the things that I loved, and always remember them.

Self-Assessment:

1) I am continually working on writing long rhythmical sentences more often instead of short sentences that get straight to the point.
2) I think a weak point would be my second body paragraph. I think it is a little bit vague and the sentences are short. That is something that I am trying to work on.
3) I think a strong point would be my introductory paragraph. I think it opens my essay well and leads right into the first body paragraph.
4) I would give myself a B+ on this essay.

Essagraph #14

Simone

English 9

Mr. H. Salsich

February 9

My Prophecy

Long ago there was a man peacefully awaiting his death, thinking back on his transformed life, but also looking to the future seeing some pain and suffering, but then tranquility. As I look into the future as a young woman, I see my whole life ahead of me. I see agonizing endings and fresh beginnings. I see the rest of this year flash before my eyes, and then its over, just like that. The academic work, the extracurricular activities, all of the good times come to an end. My friends with hug me and I will cry, and cry. The thing is though, I know that this pain and suffering is inevitable just like seasons change and people pass in and out of my life. I see the leaves reddening once again, and me entering my new school, wherever that may be. I see my new friends, but I also see my old friends because I will never, ever forget them. They have made me who I am today, and without them I don't think I would be able to make it. Furthermore, I admire the man facing the Guillotine. He was so ready, so relaxed, I didn't understand it. He didn't fight what was happening to him; he just went with it. I hope that when the day comes, I can be as ready as him to move onto another chapter in my life. When I think of the future now, leaving my friends, my school, and my comfort zone, I don't know how I will bare it. When that day comes, the day that I go to the Guillotine, I want to be just like Sydney Carton because everyone knows you can't fight the future.