"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" Essay Response: Stubbornness

How can anyone possibly get anywhere in life if they refuse help when they truly need it? Perhaps it's because they are too proud to admit that they need any assistance. Stubbornness is a curse; you are either born with it, or without it. Katie Nolan was born with this curse. She barely has enough money to feed her children, yet she's too stubborn to accept any money that someone tries to present her with. Everyone needs to accept help when it comes to them, because the second they think they don't need any, life is not worth living anymore.

There have been several accounts to which Katie could have taken help to support her family, but chose to decline them. There was one instance when Katie helped the police to catch a criminal. One cop tried to offer her money for her services, but Katie refused to take it, even though her family could have used the money. Not only is this being too stubborn, but, in some ways, this is also being self-centered. With that money, Katie could have provided more food for the Nolan family, so they wouldn't have to play the "North Pole" game so much.

Now, life is getting harder than ever for the Nolans. With Johnny gone, and a baby on the way for Katie, there is hardly any money to live on. But Katie denies that she needs any help from her family. So naturally, she wouldn't accept any money from them. This also disrespects her family because they feel they can never do enough for Katie.

Whatever the age, everyone is going to have to ask for help in their life. Stubborn or not, in the end, it doesn't matter. What matters is that someone has gotten the most out of life, with the help of the ones around them. But if somone pushes opporitunities away, pushes people away, they will get lost along the way.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Response: Ignorence

It's a sunny morning as you stroll along the sidewalk. With a newspaper under your arm, you can't wait to get home to show your mother your published piece of writing. Entering the apartment, you sprint over to where your mother sits, to tell her the great news. But before you can show her, she shoos you away, telling you shes busy. Disappointed,you trudge over to your room, wishing you could share your accomplishments once in a while.

Part of a parent's job is to be there for their kids. If parents choose to ignore their children when they truly need them, they will run the risk of leaving the child emotionally abandoned. This is the case for Francie Nolan. This young girl leads a difficult life, being placed in a world where a father comes home drunk every night, and a mother who is up to her nose in work. Poverty stricken and struggling to maintain enough food, the Nolans have a lot to deal with, but being there for their children should be at the top of that list.

No matter what, a parent should keep up to date with their children. Katie Nolan is too ignorant to even see this. It is also wrong to be ignorant of one child, which Katie also displays. She evens says herself that she prefers Neeley, Francie's brother, over Francie. Not only does this make Francie feel insignificant, but it also puts Johnny Nolan, the father, in an awkward position because he feels he has to pay more attention to Francie because Katie won't. This completely offsets a family balance.

A parent's love should be equal among children, not pick-your-favorite. Katie places Francie in a fragile state by ignoring her. If Johnny is the only one that can give her attention, what happens if hes not there? Who can Francie turn to if Katie is focused on Neeley and not her? She will grow up in the world without an adult figure to focus on her needs, which may make a child very unstable.

To ignore people around you is to miss opportunities. Countless times came for Katie to make up for her ignorence of Francie, but she chose to let them go. This emotionally harms Francie, leaving her confused and ashamed. This is not good parenting. Ingoring one's child will not only affect the child, but the entire family.

Veteran's Essay

There is no right time to honor veterans that serve our country. We should just honor them whenever we’re thinking about it, because, unlike Superman or Batman, they are the real heroes. Veterans are the ones who actually went out in wars to defend America, knowing that at any second, their lives could have been torn away from them.

There are hundreds of families out there who have lost someone very dear to them because of war. Veterans put their lives on the line for each and every individual in the United States to keep us safe. That’s a huge sacrifice to make. Most ordinary people would never have the courage to do something like that.

There are a couple of holidays that do commemorate our military, such Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day, but that’s nowhere near enough. Some people still don’t realize how essential these beings are, regardless of having these holidays. Perhaps that’s because no one has ever bothered to teach them more.

School systems should set aside a unit in social studies that educates students about veterans and our military. This way, we can get a better understanding of the subject. For those who do or did have someone in the military, this would be a great way to honor them. Even if some students don’t have anyone they know who served or is serving, they can get more of a background of what the military is like. Maybe then some people will stop taking these heroes for granted.

Without our veterans, who knows what could have happened to our country? That’s what makes this matter so important. I can’t even begin to describe how appreciative I am of them. By having the military, I don’t have to worry about getting caught in a war on our homeland. That’s an incredible feeling to have.

"All Summer in a Day" Essay Response

You wake up yet again to another rainy day on Venus. But you know it's finally here. The day that the sun will finally creep out from behind the dark clouds, after seven years of staying in it's hiding place. Once at school, you head for the window, to watch this miracle emerge. Your classmates ask you what your doing, but you say nothing, and continue to stare out the window. The questioning continues, so you tell them that the sun will come out today. With doubt in their eyes, they grab you and drag you down the hallway, and down, into a closet. Now you're trapped, isolated from the world, and unable to witness the miracle that was happening without you.

Isolation is something to be feared. If someone chooses to confine themselves from humanity, they will have no one to depend on. But in the short story "All Summer in a Day," Margot, the main character, does such a thing. In the beginning of the story, Margot knows that the sun will be coming out that day. She was born on Earth, and had seen the sun before, but her classmates had not, for they were born there, on Venus. Margot never got along with any of them. She kept to herself, because she was different from the others, and this was the mistake. There’s nothing wrong with being different, but that’s not an excuse not to try. When Margot tells them the sun will be coming out, the children don't believe it, because she wasn’t willing to try to be their friend. This never gave them the inference that she might be telling the truth. Instead, they take the poor child down into a closet, and lock her in, not wanting to hear lies. But little did they know, the sun did come out.

Margot caused this incident herself. Children tend not to like children who shun them, so in a sense, Margot had it coming. Confinement from others is a child's worst nightmare, and this is adequately displayed through Margot by the author. They will miss out on huge opportunities if they choose this lifestyle.

Children today have so much to worry about. Isolating themselves will only cause more problems in the long run. Margot chose this fatal path, and suffered the consequences. We have so much to live for. If we let isolation take us down, we will pay the ultimate price.