A Dream to Remember
It’s 1995; I can’t stand how stupid I was in the past. The world was crumbling before my very eyes and now it’s about to go completely. The history I once called Wisconsin Wildeworld, has now turned into a Wildeworld Revisited. Young, I thought that the civil war in my mind was over, but now it’s back. I was forty years younger, and I couldn’t help my childish side, now I’m just an old man whose mind is tearing itself apart. The world has crumbled once, in ancient times. History repeats itself. The universe is getting sucked in a vortex; a vortex swirling with lost rights and actions. As I sit in this dream, on this rock, the vortex takes over the sky. The remains of our memories go first, the legacy of our ancestors. I watch in terror as the vortex grows in the sky. The swirl is an orange brown color; it’s like a monster that feasts on hope and unity. I try to stay calm as I sit there waiting for the vortex to arrive and swallow me. The monster comes closer and closer, the memories of families and homes lost in the spiral. Life as I know it its being torn apart. There is no hope for escape, the apocalypse is upon me. The ground in front of me is thrown into the monster’s mouth. The ground beneath my feet gives out and everything goes black. I wake up in a cold sweat, and sit straight up in bed. I run out into the hallway of my two story house and look out the window. The neighborhood looks the same as always, the vacant field on the opposite side of the street and the row of houses on this side. The sun rises slowly and I dash for the painting room. I grab a stand with a canvas and paints. I head out into the daylight in front of my house. I sit on the rock by my mailbox and start to paint surrealistically as usual. As I calm myself down I, John Wilde, see the world from a new perspective.
Deplorable to Gallant
A young girl, only thirteen goes to a high school party. She’s having fun, dancing with friends. Then she meets a guy. He’s a senior. He seems nice at first, telling her she’s beautiful. The girl enjoys this, where’s her friend? She has to see this. What do you think the ending would be? Would the girl and the guy become boyfriend and girlfriend? Would they break up? Did you ever think maybe he raped her? Sometimes there’s not always a happy ending. In “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda is the thirteen year old girl. This powerful novel is about a young girl who is ignored by her friends, and hated by the whole school. The thing is, no one knows what’s really going on inside; she’s screaming for help but no one cares enough to ask what’s wrong. The whole story is about her feeling like an outcast. She even said, “I am Outcast.” Melinda is tough, even though she’s quiet. She goes through an ironic comedy. The story starts in her everyday life, the first day of high school. The conflict arises at lunch as Melinda looks around the cafeteria. Her friends look away; then it’s as if the universe hates her. A huge clump of potatoes hits her in the chest. As she flees the cafeteria she once again feels like an outcast. Melinda is sarcastic and witty, but there is also has a side of gloom to her story. Andy Evans haunts her. Melinda’s heart pounds every time she sees him, and not in a good way. She’s scared out of her mind. Without friends she goes reticent. The conflict turns serious throughout the later half of the book. After Heather calls off their friendship Melinda has no friends what so ever. Then it seems like the whole world falls apart. She gets trapped in her sanctuary with the monster that she’s been trying to avoid. She’s scared; she’s almost insane with rage at this point. Melinda finally got over her fear and screamed for help, she stood up for herself and didn’t let him hurt her again. Melinda got out with the lacrosse team waiting to help. The boy she once thought was like a Greek God is now a monster that everyone hates. The next day, the story returns to everyday life and she’s back in the art room. Melinda was weak at first but then she turned into a strong and brave character. In the beginning, she felt like an outcast. She met Heather, she was somewhat loquacious but still ok, and things were good for a while, but Heather strived for more. She tried to join a clique called “The Marthas.” Even though Heather kind of ignored Melinda, she still asked for her help. Melinda did work on some posters for her, but the Marthas shot her down. They said that the posters were ugly and stupid, and Melinda’s feelings got hurt. Heather even blew Melinda off, telling her they were just too different. After that, Melinda went through a quiet phase. She didn’t talk to her parents or even to the principal when she sat in his office. Anger grew inside of her after that. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t tell anybody. She was scared of what people would say. But then she started sticking up for herself. When Heather asked for another big favor, Melinda said no. Then, when she got stuck in that closet with Andy, she didn’t let him touch her. She went from insipid to impetuously respected. Melinda worked on creating a tree throughout the year in art. The tree symbolized her growth. It symbolized how she flourished in psychological strength throughout the story. The closet represents how she needed to be alone sometimes. It was her sanctuary. When Melinda called Andy Evans “IT,” it symbolized her hatred for him. She was scarred by him forever. She would never feel the same. The pasty stew that her dad made at Thanksgiving represented how her family is going through a troubled phase in the story. The last symbol is the second time Heather asked for help. This time Melinda turned her down. It symbolizes the time when Melinda started to get stronger; the time when Melinda started sticking up for herself. The novel is about a girl who starts weak after a traumatizing incident and then goes through a lot to get better. “PEELED AND CORED” was even a section’s name, but it’s how she felt. She felt like her friends were peeled from her and her heart cored out. Melinda had no friends at the time, but the she asked herself this: "Is there a chainsaw of the soul, an ax I can take to my memories or fears?" She started to think she could get better, and her thoughts were set to action. Melinda started out much like her tree, a seedling in a vast world of thoughtlessness. Then they both grew up from their own ashes, the tree became more detailed, with scars that made it more powerful, like Melinda. What happened to her made her stronger. The point that the author is trying to convey is that no matter what happens in life, we live on, and eventually get better.
