Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

-Robert Frost

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

-Robert Frost

To Kill a Mockingbird - A Book to Learn From

Harper Lee’s To Kill and Mockingbird is an engrossing and thought provoking story of morals seen through the eyes of a young girl, who we have much to learn from. It is a wonderfully realistic work of historical fiction set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Innocence is a big theme in this book, and having the story told from a young person’s point of view is part of that, as is the title. It is a sin to hurt something that had done you no harm and is simply there for the sake of beauty. A mockingbird is an example of this, because mockingbirds don’t hurt other birds of animals, they just make beautiful music. They are innocent. The killing of a Mockingbird represents the killing of an innocent person, a victim of unnecessary violence and injustice. The story is about an innocent child growing up in a hard time

“Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.” -Atticus Finch (Ch. 10 To Kill a Mockingbird)

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." -Maudie Atkinson (Ch. 10 To Kill a Mockingbird)

The analogy of killing a Mockingbird representing the killing of an innocent person is subtle but understandable.

Scout (Jean Louise Finch) was 6 years old at the beginning of the story. Scout, her older brother Jem, and her friend Dill were obsessed with their mysterious neighbor, Arthur (Boo) Radley. They had many rumors about the Radleys, and played games involving them. They were young and curious, and it was their way of entertaining themselves. They tried to get him to come out of his house, and eventually they tried to break in and were almost caught. It was a rather silly thing to do, but they were curious and young enough that they didn’t think of that.

Later in the story, Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, and Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, defended him in court. Atticus pointed out that Mayella’s father, Robert Ewell, was probably the one who hurt her. Tom Robinson was convicted even though the evidence was in his favor. It seems the jury was racist against Tom, as he was black. Tom Robinson was innocent and no on was willing to listen. Tom Robinson was killed trying to escape jail. He was the mockingbird who got killed.

Robert Ewell attacked Scout and Jem on their way back from a school event, to get at Atticus for defending Tom Robinson in court and telling people that Robert Ewell must have been the one to hurt Mayella. They were saved by none other than Boo Radley. Scout was 9 years old at this point and Jem 13. They were young and innocent, and they were at the heart of terrible conflict. They survived, unlike Tom Robinson, but if Robert Ewell succeeded in killing them, they would have been two more Mockingbirds to be killed.

This book makes the unjust conviction of Tom Robinson and white people’s attitude towards black people more significant than they would have been coming from an older person's point of view. Scout does understand that people do discriminate against black people, but she doesn’t really understand why. In her innocence, Scout sees things from a more or less untainted point of view. No one is born with a dislike of any particular people group, but they are born with a sense of right and wrong that can either stay or get twisted by the social standards and opinions. Scout is not someone who just accepts these things and moves on because they haven’t been ingrained in her mind yet. She’s always struggling with questions and morals. Throughout the story Scout asks Atticus to explain many things she doesn’t understand, because she was young and hadn't encountered them yet.

Scout grew up over the course of the story, becoming more of a young lady, under her aunt’s teaching and example. She started to understand and accept more. The book comes full circle after the killing of Tom Robinson, the Mockingbird, when Scout and Jem are nearly killed. They would have been two more dead Mockingbirds. The point of this story is that innocent people are hurt killed sometimes, and what we have to do is keep trying to do our best. We must stand up to the injustice to try and prevent it, because by fighting it, we might someday overcome it.
“It is important to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay so never quite eradicated.” -Dumbledore

By Aurora J. A. Pass

After the Winter

Some day, when trees have shed their leaves
And against the morning’s white
The shivering birds beneath the eaves
Have sheltered for the night,
We’ll turn our faces southward, love,
Toward the summer isle
Where bamboos spire the shafted grove
And wide-mouthed orchids smile.

And we will seek the quiet hill
Where towers the cotton tree,
And leaps the laughing crystal rill,
And works the droning bee.
And we will build a cottage there
Beside an open glade,
With black-ribbed blue-bells blowing near,
And ferns that never fade.

 

By Claude McKay

The Pleasures Of Friendship

The pleasures of friendship are exquisite,
How pleasant to go to a friend on a visit!
I go to my friend, we walk on the grass,
And the hours and moments like minutes pass.

-by Stevie Smith

I Must Resent 2016

2016 made me cry, plain and simple. I know it's been a while, but I wasn't able to do this sooner. I cried for Alan Rickman, Carrie Fisher, and Anton Yelchin. I won't forget them, but they will be some of the people I mourn for in the years to come. I ran though 2017 without much trouble... Bring it 2018.

 

Plastic - Destroyer of the Earth

Plastic could be the downfall of our environment. Plastic is useful, but haven’t you ever wondered what happens to it when you throw it away? You probably think it goes to the landfill. Well it does… at first. Then it flies away and settles in the ocean.

Plastic is collected by ocean currents. It is taken to the middle of the ocean where it forms a garbage patch, or it washes up on beaches like the ones on Maldives. Maldives is an island in the Indian Ocean, and they have beaches of plastic. Plastic collects, and it doesn’t ever go away. It’s not biodegradable, it doesn’t dissolve, and it doesn’t just disappear.

You're probably wondering, “Why can’t we just recycle it?” Well here’s why: there are so many different types of plastic, that companies can’t recycle it all. It’s too confusing, because there are too many different types of plastic. Some products even contain more than one type of plastic. A few plastic making companies won’t recycle their plastics.

Doubtlessly you're wondering why plastic in the oceans is that big of a deal. The truth is that plastic attracts organic toxins. The animals, such as fish, in the ocean mistake it for food. The toxins are not good for the fish. They store the toxins in the fatty part of their bodies, then we eat the fish. Everybody gets to eat plastic and toxins, but you don’t really want to get sick from the toxins in your fish.

The average American family uses approximately one thousand five hundred plastic bags in one year. There is enough plastic on this planet, and we don’t need more. A solution to the plastic problem, would be to keep melting down all the plastic and remolding it. If you would like to help, use reusable bags for shopping, buy things that aren't individually wrapped, and stop putting plastic in the trash. Even though recycling isn’t the best, it’s better than not recycling. regulations and laws could help with this. Companies could make their products out of only one type of plastic, making it easier to reuse. If you have an idea about how to conserve plastic usage talk to state representatives or legislators. Tell the world your ideas!

By Aurora J. A. Pass