While reading Night by Elie Wiesel, we talked about our needs and ways we could possibly meet them. We worked on posters in order to come up with ideas on how to solve these needs.
My group’s “Bad Ideas” poster.
While we were reading Night however, I realized that I have it pretty easy and that others may have more pressing needs than my own. I started thinking about how I could help others with their needs. I decided that since I didn’t have much money to give, the next best I could contribute to causes was my time. I teamed up with Kathy and looked at volunteering opportunities. We settled on the OC Food Bank.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to volunteer there. We then decided to compile a short list of places where volunteers were needed instead. We may end up volunteering at one of these places in the future. Next time, we’ll be sure to call earlier in order to secure our volunteer spots.
The young generation that came of age during or shortly after World War I is known as the “lost generation.” This term applies both physically and mentally. Physically, many of the soldiers that fought in the war had lost their lives. The population of the young generation had been almost decimated.
Those who were able to return back alive were never the same. Their mental state had suffered from fighting and seeing all the true horrors of war, and the effects of witnessing these things would live with them for the rest of their lives. We now know that what they were suffering from is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, but back then, it was known as shell shock, named for the artillery shells that would rain down daily on No Man’s Land and the trenches.
The lost generation’s outlook and attitude about life also changed drastically as a result of the war. They lost faith in their teachers and the government, who had glorified war and urged them to join the fighting. Existentialism became a central theme of the Roaring Twenties. People set out to make a meaning for their own lives, rather than be told how they should live.
After the war, many were inspired to write. A beloved classic, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, was written during the twenties. It explores motifs such as social change, tragic love, and hypocrisy. This story is hardly a happy one, which is reflective of the lost generation’s perspective of life after the war.
I honestly feel that the lost generation’s response to what they had been through was justified. They were exposed to horrors that they weren’t prepared for and at such a young age, too. Putting myself in their shoes, I would have probably gone the same way. After you’ve looked death in the eye, you learn to live like there’s no tomorrow, which is exactly what many did.
In elementary school, I had an abundant amount of time to play outside. I had homework, but not much of it, which freed up my time to go outside and be active. I still look back on my memories of when I was younger fondly. I remember all the times I went outside just to have fun.
I loved the kindergarten playground at my elementary school. There was this model train there that we could go inside of in and I have so many memories of just hiding in all the small spaces I could fit into. Sadly, they removed the train away a few years later for safety reasons, and there hasn’t been anything that could replace it since.
The train looked something like this, but not as fancy.
When I grew older, I graduated from the kindergarten playground and moved up to the “big kids'” playground. It was a very generously-sized playground that, looking back, I was very lucky to have been able to play in. There was this big area we called the “woodchips area” because the ground was made of woodchips. It had slides, swings, monkey bars, a small bridge that everyone loves to bounce on, bars, etc. Outside of that area, there was a large grass field that I remember running around on a lot. There were also tether ball courts, walls for handball, and squares for 4 square.
This is not my elementary school’s playground but it had a bridge, which came the closest to what I was looking for.
I noticed that when I graduated and loved up to middle school, there was no break for recess anymore. Middle schools also don’t have playgrounds. There’s no reason to, since the only time we took a break from classes was lunch and even so, lunch was only 30 minutes. Sure we went outside, but only for getting from class to class and for PE. Overall, the time allowed for us to go outside and just play was reduced so drastically that it was almost nonexistent and the time we spent in our classes was increased. After school, I also had less free time to go play outside because my homework load had also increased. I didn’t have homework for only one class anymore. I now had multiple classes and was assigned homework for the majority of those classes. As I became older, the workload continued to increase.
Now, in high school, I rarely go outside. The time I spend in class has increased since middle school: I spend almost an hour in every class. We don’t even have break between second and third period, since that time was added to passing period. My homework load has increased to the point where it’s barely manageable for me. I occasionally got stressed in middle school due to big projects and other assignments, but now I’m constantly stressed. Some people have argued that school is manageable if you try hard enough and if you’re struggling, then you’re slacking off, but I disagree. A child’s life shouldn’t be all about school.
I really enjoyed the day we went outside to play. Although it was freezing, I ending up enjoying myself more than I thought I would. The last time I spent an extended amount of time outside voluntarily was during Thanksgiving break. I walked to the park with a friend and we messed around for an hour or two. I felt so relaxed and content to be outside and playing in the sun, even if it was only for a short while. There were some young kids, who looked like they were in second grade, also playing, which reminded me of my childhood.
[Playing outside] was truly a stress relief and gave us the mental break we needed. – Tanya Nguyen
I think now, if I were to go back to my elementary school’s playground, I would have such a good time and maybe enjoy playing even more than I did as a kid. Looking back, I took for granted how much I was able to go outside. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to cherish my time outside more because I don’t have the freedom I used to have anymore.
dance: I can’t dance, but I think I could learn how to with a lot of practice.
sing: My voice isn’t bad, but it isn’t great either, so I want to improve it.
cook food from scratch: Cooking food from scratch is a long process and requires a lot of work and effort, but I think it’ll be worth it in the end when the food is finished.
understand chemistry: I understand chemistry sometimes and manage to get the basics, but I still struggle sometimes. I’ll spend a lot of time studying, but still don’t get it. I want to be able to do well in chemistry.
paint: I wish I could paint scenery, but I lack art skills.
be fluent in Vietnamese: I can understand and speak Vietnamese to certain extent. However, my writing and reading skills are lacking. I would like to improve in all areas. Getting better at Vietnamese would help me communicate better with my family. It would also help me find a job because being bilingual is a useful advantage.
drive safely: My 16th birthday has passed and I’m learning to drive soon. I’m scared that I’ll crash because stats show that teens have the highest crash rate.
run faster: I’m in no way an athlete, but I want to be able to run faster.
edit videos on After Effects: From what I know, video editing requires a lot of knowledge about the program you’re using.
sew: I want to learn how to sew so I can fix my own clothes if they rip or have holes.
Golf was Charlie’s passion. It was his main and first priority. When he first watched golf on T.V. at 4 years old, he knew right away he wanted to play professionally and become a world champion. However, not everyone thought the same. When his parents signed him up at the local country club to practice and start playing golf, many of the other players there looked down on him. They constantly told him he had no talent and would never make it. Charlie ignored their comments because his determination to succeed was stronger than that. He practiced everyday for many hours, not wanting to stop until he was the best. When he got older, Charlie would go on to win several championships multiple times and eventually retired, known as a legend in the golf scene. The best people all have some kind of scar after all.
Tucked away in Maine, there was a small town called Birch. It was a small town, with less than a thousand residents. With most small towns, everybody knew each other. On the outside looking in, Birch seemed idyllic and quiet, like it was rarely troubled. But like with every small town, it had its fair share of occasional disturbances.
A family called Maiello resided in Birch. The Maiello family had three people: Mr. Maiello, Mrs. Maiello, and Violet Maiello. They had lived in Birch for generations and were content living in the sleepy town. The street that the family resided on was called Apple Street. Their house was a few decades old, not too ancient compared to some of the other houses on the street. Sometimes, though, the house seemed too big for only the three of them.
Coming Soon
Each of the Maiellos had a distinctive sound to their footsteps. Mr. Maiello’s were heavy and loud. Mrs. Maiello’s were soft and quieter than her husband’s. Violet’s was steady, but still gentle. Everyone in the family could tell each other’s footsteps apart easily. Sometimes, the only noise disturbing the silence of the house was the sound of the footsteps of a family member moving from one room to another.
When the Maiellos brought home a puppy, another different set of footsteps were added to the regular sounds of the house. Sunshine’s footsteps were insistent and quick as she ran throughout all the rooms in the house. The sounds of the steps of a family member would usually follow as they chased after her. But even with a dog, life in the Maiello household was still as serene as ever.
U.F.O.
Violet had many friends, but she was closest to Emma, who also happened to be her next-door neighbor. They were inseparable and spent most of their free time with each other. They were the stereotypical best friends that had known each other since birth and hadn’t been apart since.
One day, when both of them were 10 years old, they snuck out into the woods on the edge of town an hour before the sun set, which they were forbidden to do. Both girls ran around and explored. As it became darker, it became harder for the girls to see each other. Suddenly, Violet couldn’t see Emma anymore. Violet walked around and called out Emma’s name as loudly as she could. Finally, after about 20 minutes, when she was about to give up, she saw Emma under a tree. Violet ran to her. Emma was pale and her hands were cold to the touch. Violet helped Emma up and they ran as quickly as they could back to Violet’s house. Once back, Violet asked Emma what happened, but Emma refused to say a word. Violet decided not to press further.
This Ain’t It
There was a giant old oak tree in the Maiello’s backyard. Mr. Maiello had built a tree house there for Violet. Violet and Emma played in it often when they had nothing else to do, which was a lot of the time.
One summer day, when the girls were even more bored than usual, Emma dared Violet to get a rope, attach it the the outer platform of the tree house, and slide down the rope to the ground. Violet was reluctant at first, but didn’t have a reason to say no and risk looking like a coward. She got a thick rope from the shed that would look like it would hold her weight and scurried up to the tree house. Emma helped Violet attach the rope to the rope that lined the sides of the platform, which they figured would be able to secure it enough for Violet to get down. Violet, once ready, then proceeded to descend down the rope. She was making good progress and was three-fourths of the way down when the railing decided it had had enough. The railing snapped and Violet fell the remaining one-fourth of the way down. Up from above, Emma heard a cracking sound from below. When she reached the ground, she saw Violet laying on the ground and her arm at an odd angle. Emma ran into the house calling for Mr. and Mrs. Maiello.
Violet was taken to the hospital and was in a cast for 8 months. The girls never attempted to do anything like that again.
What Do You Do
Mr. and Mrs. Walter ran the convenience store on the corner of the intersection near the Maiello house. They sold a variety of items, including drinks and snacks, and many of the children in town stopped by to buy something to eat or drink after school.
Violet stopped by with Emma after school like they usually did. They were browsing in the snacks aisle and arguing over what to buy when suddenly all of the lights in the convenience store flickered and then went out completely. Violet could barely see her hand, but she heard several loud screams ring out. Then, just as quickly as they had turned off, the lights came back on. Violet turned to look at Emma. Emma was crying and Violet hurried over. Violet asked what had happened. Emma replied that in the short time the lights went out, she saw a figure with glowing red eyes coming towards her. Emma couldn’t stop shaking. The girls left the store in a hurry. Later when questioned, Mr. and Mrs. Walter couldn’t recall the lights turning off at all.
Let’s Get This BREAD
One day, Violet and Rachel were craving some carbs. They decided to go to the local grocery store to buy some bread. They were looking for Wonder Bread, their favorite kind. The went to the bread aisle to pick up a loaf, but when they got there, they didn’t see any Wonder Bread left. They looked around for an employee to ask if the store had some left in stock in the back. They found an employee who went to the back to look for one, but unfortunately there were none left even in the back. Dejected, the girls left the store because they refused to buy any kind of bread except Wonder Bread.
On the way home, however, the girls found a $100 bill on the ground. This immediately made up for the fact that they weren’t able to buy bread. The girls agreed to save the money to buy bread next time. In the end, Violet and Emma weren’t able to get the kind of bread they wanted, but they got another, even better kind of bread.
Alaska
Far
One day when Violet got home from school, she found a strange man at the family dinner table talking to her mother. Mrs. Maiello introduced the man as Daniel, her second cousin from Alaska. He had come all the way down to Maine because he heard he had some relatives there. Violet felt that there was something off about Daniel, but didn’t say anything, not wanting to offend a relative who was staying with them as a guest.
During Daniel’s visit, Violet rarely saw him, but according to her mom, Daniel slept all day and was out all night on business. The few times Violet did see him, he always had a anxious face. Violet was curious about what Daniel was so anxious about.
Suddenly, after 2 weeks, Daniel disappeared along with all his possessions. Later that night, the Maiellos were watching the news when they saw Daniel’s face appear on screen. The reporter talked about how Daniel was wanted for robbery. The family all looked at each other in shock. They checked their house and luckily, nothing of theirs seemed to have been taken. They all agreed to never let a second cousin stay with them again.
Flowers
It was an ordinary day in April. Violet was walking home with Emma from school. Emma was gloating about how she got a better grade on the chemistry test, while Violet, who had gotten a point less, sulked beside her.
Violet was thinking about bringing up the time Emma failed a math test when she thought she heard something. Violet stopped and strained her ears to find the sound again. Emma was asking why she had stopped. Violet’s ears caught the faint sound again and this time, she identified it as a cat meowing. She ran towards where she thought she had heard it. Behind the bushes on the side of the road, there was a small, dirty orange cat. Violet coaxed it to follow behind her by making some cat sounds of her own. The cat followed the girls all the way back to Violet’s house.
Violet’s parents didn’t cave when she begged them to let her keep the cat. In the end, it was decided that Emma would take the cat, who the girls decided to name Daisy, home.
Many people know him as “Rich Brian.” I prefer to call him by his birth name, Brian Imanuel, or just Brian. Brian is someone I have a lot of admiration for. He might be living the good life now, but it didn’t come easy for him.
Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, he didn’t have many advantages to help him succeed. Growing up, Brian taught himself English by watching Youtube videos. He started out on Vine with comedy, but later started rapping and making his own songs. When he was 16, his management released the music video for Dat $tick. The video blew up, and Brian was catapulted into the rap spotlight.
I think what caught people’s attention was that the music was good, but the thing that kept them watching and listening was the fact that he was Asian. I also think that maybe people didn’t take Brian and his music all that seriously at first because he was Asian. Him wearing a pastel pink polo and fanny pack in the music video certainly didn’t help his case.
But once people begin to realize that Brian was serious about making music, they began to see him in a different light. Since the release of Dat $tick, Brian has gone on to release several more singles. Finally a full length album, Amen, came in February of this year. I’ve listened to the album and in my opinion, it’s a good album. I do think Brian’s music is good; he has a nice voice and I love his beats (he does make some of his own beats for his songs). But what really got me to become his fan were his lyrics. Whether they hit deep or make me laugh, I think his lyrics are so unique and in my opinion, Brian is one of the best lyricists in the music industry. Some of my favorite songs from him also, unsurprisingly, include some of my favorite lines that he’s written. I don’t have an all-time favorite from Brian, but I favor a couple of his more recent songs.
“See me in my tour bus by myself
Call me selfish ’cause I got me and nobody else
Give myself an envelope just like it’s per diem (ayy)
Twenty mirrors in my crib, I’m hangin’ with my friends.”
– Rich Brian, “See Me”
In these lines in “See Me,” Brian talks about his loneliness. He has no friends to depend on, so he puts up mirrors to pretend that he’s surrounded by others, when in reality, he’s only surrounded by reflections of himself. Many can relate to feeling lonely in their lives, but for Brian, I think it’s especially present, since he is now successful. We often hear about how when a person becomes famous, they have to be careful of who they trust and associate themselves with.
“I just wish I had someone to say “I’m home” to.”
– Rich Brian, “History”
I think for many people, including myself, this one, single line in “History” hit home hard. Coming home to an empty, silent house at the end of a long day brings down a person’s mood. We unconsciously want company even if we don’t realize it.
“Like to play chicks but get mad when they get new guys.
You don’t get me but I don’t blame you, I don’t get myself.”
– Rich Brian, “Cold”
Brian states that this line in “Cold” is his acknowledging that he’s a jealous person. I think jealousy is part of human nature, so he’s not alone in that aspect. I interpret both of these lines as Brian saying he acts the opposite of how he feels, which I can relate to. I guess we’re both not confrontational people.
I guess the main reason I like Brian so much is because I can relate to him in so many ways. We’re close in age, which may help. We’re both of Asian descent, which is also a plus factor. Especially, I see shared experiences in his music and lyrics. Brian portrays himself as a person not free of flaws, which allows me to see him as a regular person.
Dogs are pretty cool. There are many types and they all have their own unique qualities. Most dogs are cute and affectionate with their owners. They truly are man’s best friend. Even though I like both cats and dogs, I think I lean towards dogs a little bit more. I would like to get a dog sometime in the future. I like most dogs but I am partial to shiba inus, also called shibes, because I think they’re cool. Hopefully, if I’m able to adopt one, I’ll be very happy.
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