That Not- So Beautiful Face

She’s tall, but not too tall. Her eyes are the Sea of Cortez, a beautiful blue. Her long, luscious, locks of hair fall perfectly among her shoulders.  There is not, nor will there ever be a single flaw to her appearance – and people notice that.  She has every guy at the tip of her fingers, waiting to be picked up. And sitting in that sea of eager  men is a young Scott Fitzgerald.  The author always centered his stories around the “it girl” of the town, the girl who everybody wanted, due completely to her looks. However when we get little glimpses of their personality, we see that a pretty face doesn’t always mean a pretty person.  The girls that Scott Fitzgerald wrote about are all just a beautiful casing to a not-so-beautiful inside.

Marjorie Harvey -- from Fitzgerald’s “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” – was the queen  bee of her town.  At a dance, a guy cut in on her every 30 seconds. Just speaking a single word to her instantly made you beg for more. Marjorie knew what she had going for her. She knew that any guy out there would do anything for her, and she wasn’t afraid to use that for her benefit. The outer layer of Marjorie is a perfect painting, one only an artist could create, but inside, something must have gone wrong.  Marjorie is that manipulative girl. If she doesn’t like you, she will find a way to build you up, then break you down.  In the story “ Bernice Bobs Her Hair” she takes it upon herself to get her cousin to become as cool, if not cooler than herself, then completely ruin everything and once again reclaim the position of top dog.  Marjorie Harvey may been the talk of the town for her perfect looks, but in reality, she is so much more than beauty, in a bad way. Being attractive to people’s eyes is different than being attractive to their hearts.

The story “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” isn’t the only Fitzgerald story that has the infamous perfect girl. The story that initially sparked up “The Great Gatsby”,  “Winter Dreams” also has a top notch beauty: Judy Jones.  Judy has that porcelain doll face on the outside, but that devil mask on the inside. We are first introduced to Judy Jones when she was about 11 years old, and she already walked around like she was the best person around town. She knew her position, even then, and knew that because she was pretty, she could – and would – get anything she wants.  As the story continues, Judy grows up and supposedly stays as beautiful as she was as a child. However, she always had this dark side to her. Judy had an overwhelming amount of confidence. After leaving someone she loved, for a long time, when she returned she stated that he still loved her because who couldn’t love her. Judy Jones seemed like a lovable, sweet girl on the outside, but on the inside was one who had immense amounts of confidence.

These stories of the two faced girls are still going on today. In 2004, a major motion picture, Mean Girls, was released. It tells the story of the perfect princess, Regina George. Everybody wants to either be with her, or be her. On the inside, though, she is a perfect mixture of Marjorie and Judy. Regina had the confidence of a major league sports player, the face an angel, the hair of a mermaid, but the thoughts and actions of a demon. Regina had no care about how she treated people, as long as she was treated right. Though Fitzgerald wrote his stories over 30 years ago, the same situation is happening everywhere in the world right now. These pretty girls hide their personality, a evil dark one.

Those beautiful blue eyes are a trap. That perfect hair is used only to reel you in. Her face, though it seems so perfect, hides a demon. These pretty girls that Fitzgerald writes about, that are made into movie starts, the ones that are in our school, all have a hidden dark side.  I’m not saying that every girl out there who has beauty on the outside isn’t beautiful inside, and I’m not saying that it’s impossible to be nice and pretty; I’m just saying that more times than not, the beautiful outside is just a casing to a dark, evil inside.

Remembering the Living

Author's Note: This essay is written to explain how one death "ruins" many people's lives, more than we think. In this essay I talk about the book "The Lovely Bones" and a real life experience.

Every day hundreds of people die.  Some are murders, some are health problems, some are just natural, but all of them are deaths. And tagging along with each and every one of these deaths is an army of grieving friends and family members. When thinking about a person’s death, we tend to focus in on how they are probably in a better place, or how they got cheated out of life, and all the thoughts of others lives get pushed to the back of our minds. When in reality, a loss of a loved one affects many more people than we think.

The book The Lovely Bones  is written focusing on the murder of Susie Salmon, a 14 year old girl who was killed by George Harvey. Along with her two siblings, her parents were just minutes away from where their daughter was being killed, and had no idea of the horrifying things that were happening at the neighbor's house. Once finding out about their daughter's death, Mr. and Mrs. Salmon were devastated, and their lives, and the lives of their other children, would never be the same again.

I guess that you could say the children were the reason the parents were still together. They weren’t always the most affectionate kind of people, and their relationship was held together with the children. After the loss of their daughter, Mrs. Salmon was completely insane. She felt incapable of staying with the family, and left them with their father. Now, as a cause of Susie’s death, Mr. Salmon has complete responsibility over the children, which may not be best  thing ever, because Mr. Salmon is also going insane. With Mr. Harvey killing their daughter, both of the parents are not sure how to approach life anymore, and both of them have lost every bit of normalcy they ever had.

Susie’s murder didn’t only affect the life of her parents, her little sister was also very distraught from this tragic event. “If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one? Or are you always a sister, even when the other half of the equation is gone?” is a quote from the book My Sister’s Keeper; however it seems to explain the relationship that Susie had with her sister. After Susie’s death, her sister pretends that there never was a Susie. She pretends that there was no time that her and her sister had together. For her, it is easier to cope this way, though she is truly just a disappointment to Susie. I can only imagine that the worst thing than being gone, is pretending that you were never there.

With all the lives affected by Mr. Harvey’s actions, I have to say that I think Susie’s younger brother got the hardest thing to deal with. He was only four when Susie died. He never really got anytime to live with his parents and sister when they weren’t depressed over Susie’s death. He will never have both of his parents in his life together, and he will never have any sanity from his parents at all. His older sister will never talk about life with Susie. Because of Susie passing away, the brother will never get a chance to live a normal life; he will always have to live with the changes from the murder.

Many lives were affected by a death in a book, but that doesn’t  mean it only happens in books. Recently, at my church, a little boy named Jackson passed away. He was two years old. Correction, he was one  year and 364 days old. On the morning of April 20, Jackson’s parents laid him down for a nap. His mother left to go to the store, to buy birthday presents for him, and his father stayed home with their five year old daughter, Kate. After sleeping all day, when the parents  went to wake him up, he wasn’t breathing. They called 911, but it was already too late. Their son was gone. 

Little Jackson should never have died, but he did. Even if he had to die, his mother shouldn’t have been the one to find him, unconscious, in his bed.  For the rest of her life, she will never be able to get the image out of her brain, her son laying there, dead. Though it has only been days since his passing, she has already slipped into depression, and can’t find answers to any of her questions. But she still has another kid, and she still needs to try to keep her composure. She has already lost a ton of weight and looks tired at all hours of the day. For the rest of her life, she will fear going to bed at night, or laying Kate down, because she will  remember how her son never woke up. Though she is breaking inside, she has to keep her cool for the sake of her family.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        It’s not fair to assume that the mother is the only one that will be upset, the dad will be too. The dreams he had about playing baseball with his son, or teaching him how to treat women right are all in the past now. For the rest of his life, I can imagine the father will feel as its partially his fault, for he did not check on Jackson earlier. I don’t believe there will be a day that will pass where he won’t blame himself for this horribly tragedy.

Not everybody in this planet is lucky enough to have a brother or sister. Not every kid is blessed with the opportunity to grow up with a best friend, but Kate was. Kate had her brother, Jackson. She had the pride that went along with being a big sister, too. Every time you saw her she had some story to tell about how she was a big sister. But now she isn’t a big sister anymore. She doesn’t have a brother.  Kate is only five years old, which means that from now on, she will always have this memory in the back of her mind. She will always remember that she once had her brother. Just in the past few days, she has already shown signs of not doing certain things, because when he was alive Jackson liked to do them. She doesn’t like to go to places alone, and she doesn’t like to go to bed.  Little Kate is only five, and has already dealt with something that most people never have to go through in their lives, and she will always be affected by it.

Every minute approximately 102 people die in the world. Along with those 102 people, we can safely say that many more lives than that get ruined by these deaths. Next time you hear or read about a death, I bet the main focus of the article will be about the person who died, how they lived such a wonderful life, and how it ended too soon. Not about the family and the friends left behind that are suffering without this person in their life. I’m not saying that we should completely forget the lost ones; I’m just saying we should remember the ones still here, the ones affected by the death.

A Clean Well Lighted Place

The story "A Clean Well Lighted Place" was written to show how a lot of people need to find light, just to save themselves from the dark. In the story, there is an old waiter, a young waiter, and a old man drinking at the bar. The whole purpose of this story is to get the point across that many people need places where they can be in the light, so they don't get taken into the dark. 

In class, we had to watch a movie version of this short story. My initial thoughts on this film was that the directors did not capture the true meaning of the story. When people were supposed to be in the dark, or specifically in shadows, they were in broad light. I, personally, don't think that the directors did a good enough job making the true meaning of the story come out. I was really waiting for some variation of the tone of the actors voices, so it could show the true meaning of this story. 

Hemingway

Out of the two Hemingway stories that we have read, they both have one thing in common. Darkness, anger, frustration and suicide (or steps to suicide). When we look at what Hemingway did in his life, the last thing he did was kill himself. An author writing stories with the characters struggling with depression and anxiety, and ending up killing himself makes it seem like he was trying to be honest through his characters. His stories were like a call for help, that no one seemed to understand, no one seemed to pick up on, no one seemed to answer.

Statement of Faith

Author's Note: This May I am getting confirmed at my church. In order to be confirmed, you need to write a statement of faith, which is basically some long essay saying what you believe. It's been done for a while, but I feel like sharing it now. Here you go my lovelies.


I believe in God. I believe that He created the Heavens and the Earth, and everything in them.  I believe that Jesus Christ walked the earth as man and God at the same time. I believe Jesus was born to the virgin Mary, died on the cross for our sins, and now sits at the right hand of our Lord in Heaven.

The Ten Commandments are ten rules that God instructs us to live by. And when we break one of them, we sin. Some sins seem more serious than others, but a sin is still a sin. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, suffering in pain, he was doing it for us. He died for our sins so we would be able to have eternal life. Knowing that humans aren’t perfect, and will sin against His ruling, God forgives us for our sins. All we have to do is admit to the wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

I believe in the Father. I believe that he is the creator of all things on this Earth. I believe that without him, nothing would be here. There would be no world, no people, no life.

I believe in the Son. I believe that Jesus Christ was sent down from Heaven to die for our sins. I believe that he is the savior of all people who put their faith in the Lord.

I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe that God is with us today, wherever we are. I believe that his word is floating among us. I believe that God is actively in each and every one of our lives.

“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16 states. I believe that there will be a day that Jesus Christ comes back to this Earth, and everyone who believes in him will go up to Heaven, where they will live eternally with the Father and those who don’t will go to Hell.

Everyone on this Earth is here for a reason. We all have a purpose in life, and the only one who will lead us in the right direction is God. Jeremiah 29:11 says,“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I believe that as a Christian, it is my responsibility to share the word of the Bible with people who don’t have faith in God. “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned,” is written in Mark 16:15-16. As a human being, we cannot force someone to think certain things, or have trust in the Lord, however I do believe that we need to share the Lord’s word with nonbelievers. Everyone deserves to know the Father. Everyone deserves to have a relationship with Him, some people just need to be introduced to him. I believe that is my job.

I believe that God has the answers to all of our questions. I believe that any problems we have, God knows how they will be solved. I believe that it is our duty to live up to the Lord’s expectations, and be as Holy as we can. I believe that because he gave us so much, the least we can give him is our trust, our faith, our life. I believe that anything we say, anything we do, any decisions we make, we should do all with God in mind. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

The things that God has done for us are breathtaking. The fact that he let his own son die for all of us, and now lets everyone live eternally through him, is really quite amazing. I believe that God wants us all to find hope in Him, have faith in Him, put our whole entire lives in his hands. I believe that if we trust completely in God, our lives will be nearly perfect, we will find ease in the struggles, and rejoice in the love of our Father.

N. 92nd Street

Please read this article. 

December 28, 2005 -- Mike 

"Twenty two, twenty three, twenty four," I said, counting the change I needed to give back to the customer. 

"Thank you!" A very happy happy customer, with very long brown hair said, as she sat down to eat her egg roll. 

It was a Wednesday night, the Wong's Kitchen was slowly heading downhill. We made a whole whopping $200.00 today, which means that if I want to get enough money for food, I have to stay later. I was supposed to pick Kristie up, however she was at the museum with Sherry's parents. 

Around 5:00 pm, a car pulled up. 

I had my back turned to the door. I was making some chicken, and had to turn the burner on. When I turned around, everything changed. Men dressed in black, with masks, holding guns.

I blinked.

"GIVE US THE MONEY, OR WE'LL SHOOT" they screamed. 

I had no choice, I went to open the register, but I was too late. I heard a gun shot, and felt immense pain in my chest. I fell to the floor.

I heard the door close, they got away. 

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me," she sang to me. I had no idea who she was, none at all, but she was there, holding me. Until the end. 

December 28, 2005 -- Sarah 

"Twenty two, twenty three, twenty four," he said, handing me back my change. 

"Thank you!" I smiley said, looking back at him, while taking a seat. I had just gotten out of work, and needed something to eat, so I decided to try Wong's Kitchen. So far everything was great, the food, the service, I decided that I would start coming here more often. I continued on with the meal, going up and down between my laptop and my meal. 

The door opened.

I assumed that someone was coming in to buy food, but this was no time for making assumptions. 

I was busy typing as I heard it. A gunshot.

I looked up, but not it time, they had already ran through the door, and the nice man who had given me my food, had already fallen to the floor. 

I sprinted over, and held him in my arms. I didn't know the man up until today,  but now I will remember him forever. 

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me," I sang to him, until he took his last breath. 

December 28, 2005 -- Darleen

I had just settled down after a long day, to watch the 5 o'clock news. This was my favorite news show, because you got all the inside scoop on the dirt that happened in Milwaukee today. 

"Hello, viewers, this just in, a man shot and killed at a Chinese food resturaunt today," I tuned into the TV, "for more information, stay tuned." 

"Larry! Get in here!" I called out to my husband. Just as he walked through the door, the screen switched to a live view, and there, in sight, was my son. He was laying on the floor; dead. 

Tears rolled down my face, crying so hard I was shaking. "Why?" I sobbed out, "Why my son?"

December 28, 2005 -- Sherry

Driving down 92nd street was a part of my everyday schedule. I started by picking up my dry cleaning, then I would get some grocery's and then stop in at Mike's work. I loved my husband, more than anything. We fought, all the time, but I still loved him. 

I was running a little late, because I had to drop Kristie off at my parent's house, because they were taking her to the museum, which then pushed my whole day back about 20 minutes. And of course, with my luck, an accident must have been up further on the road, because there were tons of police cars, and ambulances driving down the road. 

After I had ran my errands, I was on my way to stop in by Mike. When I got to the exit, I saw that it was blocked off, and all the ambulances and police were in Wong's Kitchen. 

"What's going on in there?" I asked a police, from inside my car. 

"Some cashier was shot. Dead." he said, "Sorry ma'am, but there'll be no dining in there tonight."

"Do you happen to know the man's name?" I said, praying that it wouldn't be him.

"Mike. Mike Tabbert. Why? You know him?" 

Tears ran down my face, in an instant. I ran out of that car so fast, I almost forgot to put it in park. "He's my husband, I hollered."

Walking in, I saw the unimaginable. Mike, my husband, the love of my life, laying there lifeless..and he wasn't coming back. 

December 28, 2005 -- Kristie

I loved the museum. I loved the fact that whenever I was there, I would be with my grandparents, even my cousins sometimes. But it was different that time. Grandma's phone kept ringing. It was mommy. 

"Hello?" Grandma said.

"Hi, hurry, leave the museum and come to the Chinese restaurant," I heard her crying trough the phone. 

We left in the blink of an eye. Traffic was bad. I kept on asking what was going on, and the only answer I got was that we needed to go see my daddy. 

It took an hour to get to the restaurant. When we showed up there were blinking lights and roaring sirens. 

I ran inside, only to see my other grandparents, my uncle, and my mommy crying. My daddy was there, too. 

But he wasn't crying. 

He wasn't moving, or talking, or breathing. He wasn't alive. 

I dove down onto the ground, and held my daddy's hand, asking him to wake up.

He never did.

December 28, 2005 -- Marissa 

We had just gotten back from my brother's indoor soccer game. Me and him were now watching TV.

Then my mom walked in. She was crying, and holding a box of tissues. 

"Kids, your uncle Mike has been shot, and killed." she said. And from that moment on, nothing was ever the same. 

Demons

Villains crowd our head with thoughts. You’re not good enough.  The demons surround us, praying that we’ll fail.  The devil watches our every move, hoping at some time we’ll mess up, and be on his side: the dark one. Evil is surrounding us, trying to trap us, trying to take us. They try to disguise themselves, hoping we think those thoughts and actions are our own, ours by choice. They try to get inside our brains, as deep as possible, so that when they leave, we still have those thoughts; but this time they come from you, telling yourself, I’m not good enough.