Lessons from Shakespeare 

A mother is someone who cares a lot

someone who has always been there for you

She is the only one that you have got,

 and for that my mother adieu, adieu

Being a mom is showing real toughness

not just anyone can be a mother

 you have to really care and be Roughness

Because without her no you or brother

Some moms are mean rude and very cruel

 but deep deep down, they definitely care

it’s nice to think of your mom as a jewel

because she took you all to the state fair

no matter who the mom or where they are 

this is for all of you shining stars

By: Buck Lewis

A soft, sweet day,

A setting sun;

A big blue bay!

nothing but fun.

My time ticks down,

This day will end;

My face a frown—

Good times, my friend.

An Old Brown Couch

“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.”

Mark Black

Sometimes something so simple can be the best thing. My couch in my living room is the ultimate place where I can feel relaxed and not have a worry. My couch always is there if I need to take a quick break in the day. Everyday cannot always be a good day. Sometimes you have a day that is troublesome or not a great day, and when you come home you want to come home to a comfortable place. The couch in my living room welcomes me and helps me calm down and relax. Relaxing is important for all humans and it is necessary that everybody gets the right amount of rest. For me, without my couch my rest would deteriorate and I would be a lot more tired in school. I do everything on this couch. I watch movies and tv shows. I play video games and hang out on the couch, and bets of I can rest and be alone by myself. Too many, a couch might just be like any other piece of furniture, but to me, my couch is super important to me and my relaxation. That old brown couch is something special to me.

A Nature Wonderland 

''In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light.''

Hans Hoffman

A quiet spring day, a nice 65° and a breeze heading north to south with nothing but time ahead. I look to my left, my dog running around in the open field, the only thing in front of her is dark green grass and a will to run. I look to my right, bees circling the purple and orange flowers, with the scent of spring. A royal blue Blue Jay fly’s over my head into the dark brown oak tree blossoming with the coming of spring. Right now, I have not a worry, as the bright yellow sun beats down on me, the breeze and a cold glass of water are what keeps me cool. As I rock back and fourth in this rocking chair on my patio, I don’t want this moment to end, I couldn’t be more peaceful. Peace, peace would be word that describes what these 15 minutes outside are. I am at peace with my morales. I was at peace with nature and everything around me, and best of all I was at peace with who I am.

What can We Agree On?

''Agree to Disagree''

Jordan Persson

I agree, that no person should be judged by their clothes, and I agree that no person should slave away their lives, just so that they can have a bigger house than their neighbors. And according to the philosophy’s written by Thoreau, he would agree with me. In Thoreau’s Walden, “Economy”, I had the opportunity to agree or disagree with a lot of what Henry David Thoreau talked about in this chapter. He said a lot of things that made me question what we are doing in modern day society, and I believe that a lot of what he said should apply to what we in our daily lives.

He firsts talks about clothing. He talked about how “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.” He really stressed that if your clothes were good enough to wear and could fit, they would be good for you. Clothes are almost essential. Which makes me what to question the Fenn dress code. Why are we spending lots of money on clothes, and they aren’t comfortable or warm. Thoreau’s philosophy’s really make you think about modern day society and how we are doing things wrong. He also talked about what’s necessary about clothing,  “The grand necessity, then, for our bodies, is to keep warm, to keep the vital heat in us.” Which implies that clothing would be necessary in keeping us warm. Thoreau talks a lot about how he thinks fire also is essential to keeping warm, but when fire isn’t there, it will be clothes that will keep you warm. So, in Thoreau’s mind, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on clothes, the only necessary thing about clothes are if they keep you warm, and I couldn’t agree anymore.  Thoreau then proceeds to talk about the luxury’s of life, and how they, “are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.” And I could not agree anymore. It is true that the luxuries of life aren’t necessary and that people with the nicer clothes only boost their mental state and not other peoples views of them. Finally, he talks about shelter, and how people work tirelessly for an expensive house, when in reality all you need is a small house with very little in it. He is living proof that you don’t need an expensive or car to live a solid life. He lived in a 10 x 15 cabin on a pond, and spent the least amount of time in his house, and out living a good life, not always having to make money to save up and buy a new house.

Thoreau really proved that you don’t need anything to live. Thoreau didn’t have a fancy car. Thoreau didn’t have a fancy house, and Thoreau for sure didn’t live a fancy life, but what he did do was live a life worth living on almost no money. Mahatma Gandhi is living proof that you don’t need anything to live. It is said that when he died he had 3 dollars in his pocket. He was one of the most followed people on planet earth of all time, and he didn’t need many whatsoever. Henry David Thoreau made a lot for what he had, and he has influenced so many people from his philosophy’s on money, and himself, is living proof.

Money doesn’t make the man.

Is it really necessary?

“Some people think happiness is a luxury, but it's a necessity. You need to make space for it in your life.”

Christie Brinkley

There are some things in life that are necessary. For a teenage boy, there are things that are necessary and there are thing that they think are necessary. For your average teenager, they might think that it’s necessary that you have your phone or your video games, but when you really breaks things down and think about it they really aren’t that important. There are things more important, things so basic such as food and water, or shelter. But, there are things that people might not think is necessary. For me, love and affection are the most important and necessary things in life. If you don’t have anyone caring about you or that nobody likes you, you are going to feel worse than if you are hungry for food, or worse that sitting in the rain, it will hurt you so much deep deep down. When someone is loved and cared about their spirits are going to be brought up and they are going to be feeling really good about themselves, and someone could have all the money in the world, but if nobody likes them and their hated they are going to feel super bad about themselves. It’s is necessary that people have connections with others. It is necessary that people have someone in their life to lean on, and it is necessary that you in your heart know what is really necessary.

Seasons poetry

Spring:

In the Springtime

When the seasons take a shift

Out comes the flowers and a new season

Red Yellow and all the colors

Everything green and so alive

Awaiting the day when school ends

Baseball lacrosse tennis

Big hits, hard shots and crazy serves

The best sports season in the world

The weather is just perfect

Shorts sleeves and no pants in sight

Only time outside ahead

I used techniques in these poems that helped add a lot to my writing. I like to use similies  and metaphors in my poems it really adds Alborán helps make the reading more fun to read. She; I wrote my spring poems I used that because it took my writing from a 3 to a 6. 

Summer:

An ice cold cherry popsicle

Sitting by the pool without a worry

Only dreading the day I return to this school

No school no problem

The only thing we have is freedom

All the time in the world to ourself

Time at the ocean

Time in the water and in the sand

Only time for fun in the sun

Ice cold ice cream 

A very refreshing feeling on a hot day

Not a better feeling in the world

In the fall I used narrowing and expanding in my poems. I used this because it elevated my writing in the best way. This was definitely a good technique to use and I am going to us sit again.

Fall:

Everything brown

Nothing alive and everything is dead

Back to school

Football is back in season

So is soccer, which is many’s favorite

But I’m just here for the golf

Back to school

No more fun in the sun

Back to stress

Thanksgiving and Halloween 

Two Great holidays

Great breaks form school

In the winter I used muscular verbs. Muscular verbs helped add a lot to my writing. The thing it does to writing is add a lot to it and make it more fun to read. I believe my teacher would agree with me that muscular verbs is a good technique.

Winter:

The the coldest season

never any fun

only shoveling on the agenda

Lots of snow

white everywhere 

winter is here

Big snowflakes and storm

The phone ringing

sleeping in and sledding

Christmas

lots of family time and sharing with other

best Holiday ever

I wrote my winter poems last, so I decided to use all of the writing techniques I have used in these poems. Similies and metaphors, muscular verbs andnareowing ande panding. These were better because I used every writing technique

My Time Reading Walden

Preparing me for life

''Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.''

Henry David Thoreau

I’ve read the Odyssey, I’ve read Call of The Wild, I’ve even read one of the greatest novellas of all time, Moby Dick, but I am yet to tackle Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Reading those books grew my as a reader a lot, but where I am in my life right now, I am looking to learn something mentally from this book. I want to learn things that I can take with me into my next school, life lessons. And after reading “Economy” I have many views on where my readings of this book will go, but I truly believe that I will try and learn as much as I can form this book as it has so much to teach. 

Walden is a book that was written because it has a really good plot. It wasn’t written just because Henry David Thoreau wanted to write something. It was written because he wanted to pass down some of his teachings to others. Henry David Thoreau knows that a lot of his wisdom could help a lot of people in their lives. He knows that the message his book portrays is a really good one, and he is doing everybody else a favor. He says stuff like: “So that all the pecuniary outgoes, excepting for washing and mending, which for the most part were done out of the house, and their bills have not yet been received . . . were.” and a quote that stuck out like a sore thumb in the very best way possible, is:

 “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.”

Although I have talked about Henry David Thoreau’s writing style and how it teaches people a lot of things, I now want to talk about my first hand experience reading this book. I already know that this is going to be a little challenging, as we have already read “economy”, however I know I am well prepared. There are lots of complex words such as “unconscious” and “amusements”. So looking forward I really wanting to get ahead in this. I want to do my reading on time just in case I struggle with this a little. Reading Moby Dick really prepared me for this and I am feeling ready for the challenges this book is going to bring, “What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate.” This quote is small but somehow it speaks to a broader audience. I believe that in the first chapter, ''Economy'', this quote is going to tell us the most about what kind fo a writer Henry David Thoreau is, and where this book is going to go.

So, after I read Walden and I am done with my Fenn 9th grade year, I want to be able to look back on my time at Fenn with proudness and happiness. I hope that my teacher, Mr Fitz, will be proud of me for my accomplishments reading this book, and above all, I want to learn something from one of the greatest novelas of all time, and a top 5 writer of all time, that I can carry with me wherever I go.

Against my will

Against my will I rolled out of bed,
Thoughts of school filled my head,
As I walked out the door that day,
I was only in the mood to play,
As I walk with my friends in the halls,
All feeling like a bunch of dolls,
As I walked of campus that rainy night,
The rest of my day is nothing but bright.

Springtime

Beginning in April
When the seasons take a shift
I tend to take my time, don’t worry about a thing
Because when the days get longer and the flowers come out
I only want to go out and throw a baseball
Spend my time with the sun glaring down and the cool breeze hitting my face
Because in spring,
the Only thing that matters is getting outiside

Who is the kid in the mirror

Who is the kid in the mirror
With his worn out crimson red shirt and tattered tan pants
And his own chocolate eyes staring back at him
Why is life like this?
Why does it seem like the world is against him
Why is it that all odds are against him, and he is still expected to prevail.
How come people always act like it’s his fault his dad died
Is he really the one at blame here
He’s just like any other boy trying to fit in and live a normal life.
Who is this kid?
Well he could be anyone.
He could be that kid you called a name last period in the halls
He could be that kid you punched in the bathroom yesterday
And he could be that kid you didn’t let play because he was “ different”
Don’t assume unless you know what’s going on,
Because you never really know what’s going on.

Crows and Swallows

Against my will

Against my will I rolled out of bed,

Thoughts of school filled my head,

As I walked out the door that day,

I was only in the mood to play,

As I walk with my friends in the halls,

All feeling like a bunch of dolls,

As I walked of campus that rainy night,

The rest of my day is nothing but bright.

Too Damn Tired

This poem relates to me because often times I am just too damn tired. I never get too sleep on time during the week and I find myself falling behind in the hours of sleep I need. This poem speaks loudly with not too many words. I feel like this poem is really related to me and it is a good fit for why I chose this poem.

Water, Tea and thought

This poem speaks loudly, and really uses muscular verbs. Words like hyperbole and corporeal are really good words that make your writing a lot better. Using muscular verbs is an easy way to make a decent essay into a good one. I related to this because it really slows life down and makes it simple, and I think that is a great message they are portraying.

I mistook you

I like this poem because not only is it sending a really good message about life, it uses really good writing techniques. It uses the technique similies and metaphors very well. When similies and metaphors are used they tend to make the writing a lot more interesting and more fun to read. This poem send s a good message about not judging a book by its cover and that at first, you can mistake someone.