Essay #9

The Power of Words and Actions:

An Essay About Equality and What It Means and How it’s In My Life and To Kill A Mockingbird

An Essay by: Ashlyn Buffum

8th Grade

Pine Point School

February 13, 2012

helping others

Helping others is something most of us do. We help each other overcome hurdles in our lives. “But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal-there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court.” The quote which shows that we all can stand up for one another.

Atticus helping Tom

This quote is not just showing Atticus fighting for Tom Robinson but also fighting for all African Americans fairness in court. Atticus, defending Tom, talked to the jury about fairness and an equal court. The story takes place when blacks and whites did not walk hand in hand. The courts were unequal African Americans were always found guilty. This quote also shows that the times are changing and that people want to live in peace with each other. This book tells the truth in real history there was a time when blacks and whites were separated. Also the books changes so does real life now we live in peace. We can always count on the fairness of our courts form a traffic court to the Supreme court. We are now judged by our character and not by how we look. In my life we live in peace. We have fairness, but we still must strive for everlasting peace in the way Atticus told in his speech

Helping others can result in peace. In the Time To Kill a Mockingbird there was know peace and no justice in the court system. Now we can live happily, but still striving for the peace that still slips through our grasp. This a quote that I feel inspires hope in all hearts that there is a better world to come.

Self assessment

1.) An issue I am currently working on is making my sentences are long by combining them. Also, taking my time and not rushing my essay.

2) One of the strongest things I feel in this essay is my Introduction. I feel it hooks people into wanting to read the essay.

3) One possible weak point I see is my body paragraph I feel I might have not organized it as well as I could have.

Essay #7

trapped in a cage

scout runs into the light

The Cage of Life:

The Comparison Between Chapter 15 in To Kill A Mockingbird, a Bird in a Cage, and Your Life

An Essay by: Ashlyn Buffum

January 10, 2012

8th Grade English

Pine Point School

        Ever you ever been trapped in the cage of life and no way out? In the book To Kill A Mockingbird when I read chapter 15 I thought that a cage was slowly closing in on Scout and her family. Also, not only can a cage trap some one in a book but also in real life. For example, In my life I have had many instances. There are so many parts in my life and in the life of Scout that trap us in a cage.
       There are so many kinds of cages and so many kinds of people in both fiction and reality. “Jem shrieked and tried to catch me, but I had a lead on him and Dill. I pushed my way through dark smelly bodies and burst into the circle of light.” In this incident Scout runs to Atticus straight into an angry mob. Scout had just run into a cage. These people had trapped her in a situation she didn’t want to be in, but let her go in the end. While in reality sometimes you don’t get away so easily. For example, in my life and in all of our lives we are penalized for what we do wrong. You must always be vigilant and make sure you are doing the best you can. For example, In my life with assessment and applications coming up I’m stuck in my cage of what I have to do before the year is up and what I must do well. This kind of cage is called the cage of life with its bars making sure that the bird can’t fly up into the sky. Flying and wheeling on the wind the little bird rose up into the sky. There are so many kinds of cages and so many different lives with so many different problems In both fiction and reality.
        Everyone has there own cage because everyone is different. Even if they are in a book or in real life there will always be some sort of cage in there life to trap them. This cage will restrict them from flying and flying high in sky. We are all different and still have cages that restrict us but we still sing with all our hearts with the hope that someday we will be free.

Visit #4

Today I learned about the backpack program. This is a program that feeds school children during the weekends. School kids that are qualified for lunch and sometimes breakfast at there schools come and pick up the weekends. During the time at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center I stacked the food for the Backpack program. I also put some of the food away in the pantry for later use by clients. By putting away the food in the pantry I saw how much little there really was. Especially in the peanut butter section. There was only two or three jars, but on the jelly side it was overflowing. This made me think how much they depend on what people donate and how much they donate. I wonder if every part of the PNC depend on the people who donate? I can’t wait to go back and help a little bit more with the struggle against poverty.

Visit #7

My last visit was a return to the clothes closet. There were a few donations but not many. I also had to fold the mens’ pants. Some donations weren’t suitable for being worn. I also put away many clothes and noticed that there were a lot more clothes on the racks than before. After putting away everything and sorting clothes it was time to go. Everyone was very nice to me during my time. I really enjoyed working and learning and the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center. I have learned about food, clothes, the backpack program, and toys. I leave feeling a little sad, but happy at the same time. I hope to visit the PNC again soon and help my neighborhood a little bit more.

Visit #6

The sixth visit was a little bit of everything. I cleaned up after the Christmas rush. There were clothes to be put away and left over toys to be stacked. I even packed a Christmas tree. That was a new experience for me. I also checked some dates on cans and boxes on donations, but the thing I did most was organizing. I organized with a lady who turned out to have worked a the Weekapaug Inn. What a small world it is. We chatted as we cleaned out a closet full of stuff. There were typewriter paper and floppy disk. They seemed to never throw things away. There are so many things to be done and so little time.

Visit #5

On this visit I did something a little different from food or toys. I worked in the clothes closet! It was a small area where they kept clothes donations and also shoes. While there I folded pants form all sizes. Most of the pants were larger than me. A few custermers came in and looked for clothes. There were also a couple donations. I sorted the donations into size and placed them in the correct places, but there were a couple of shirts that had some holes in them. The clothes with holes in them go to the Salvation Army, which is a organization that recycles the cloth into rags for workers and other things. Each part of the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center gets more interesting every time. I can’t wait to go again and help more people in my Neigborhood.

Visit #3

My third visit I did something a little different from food. I helped organize toys for Christmas! There was an ocean of toys in the second floor room. I sorted the tags and put different toys in big black garbage bags. I labeled the toys so that the families would get them. I also opened presents! The Pawcauck Neighborhood Center doesn’t except wrapped toys, which I found interesting. On closer examination it was nice to let the parents of the children wrap the presents themselves. I also carried some of the great big garbage bags out to people and gave it to the families. Also the PNC gave out wrapping paper as well and I thought that was very nice. I can’t wait to see what i will do next at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center.