Thursday, January 24, 2013

Social Status


Author's Note: This piece was inspired by a conversation that I over-heard today going on with one of my friends. This is how I would've stood up to the person. 

"Why don't you have any friends that are boys? Go sit by them," said the she-wolf.

I sat there silent, clenching my fists. My friend didn't deserve to be talked to that way. He had me, I am his friend.

"I don't know," he muttered.

Maybe I should say something, you know, stand up for him. He's too afraid to do it himself. He's been hurt before, why should he have to deal with it again?

I turned around, "You know what? Listen, you don't go talking to people that are 'lower' than you and bash them like that. He has feelings and it's not his fault that he doesn't make friends that easily. It just doesn't happen for everyone and you should be thankful you have friends. It's not his choice how he is. Just leave him alone."

"Way to snap back at me, you---," the she-wolf muttered. 

I cut her off, "People don't like people like you. People are afraid of you because of your social status. Guess what? I'm not. I have the friends that I need, and this world shouldn't have to deal with people like you. You think you're better than everyone else, but news flash. You're not."

"Pfft," the she-wolf spat. 

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I said.

The A Team


Author's Note: Let's just say, I got really sick of writing regular essays on books and decided to write something with how people interpreted the lyrics and in different ways.

One thing that nobody ever wants to get mixed up in or lost in is drugs. It is a tough thing to deal with, yet most people still struggle with it. The worst classification of drugs is, Class A. Singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran wrote a song called, The A Team. This song really hit him harder than he'd expected while writing, because it is so deep and heartfelt towards the people dealing with the problems. Several points of view came about while he was writing the song, and as it gradually became popular among the world. Listeners saw it differently, he saw it differently, and obviously people who were affected saw it differently.
 
Most people who listen to this song think that this song is about love or how his life is falling apart. In reality, that is not what is going on at all. Ed Sheeran's life is just becoming something, while he is watching others, about his age, whither away to nothing because of drugs. Some listeners didn't really care to look at the lyrics. If they had maybe looked at them, they would've realized that we don't live in a perfect world with everything perfect anywhere you turn. People struggle and this is their way of dealing with it. Listeners interpreted it much differently than the songwriter because in order to know what is going on, you have to pick it apart on your own, and really listen.

As Ed Sheeran was on stage at a homeless shelter, he looked into the crowd, saw who was around and realized something. There are people here who never made it far because they made some bad choices. Choices that could make them sick; sick enough to die. He was quite taken aback by things he saw and decided to write a song about it. Class A drugs, the category with cocaine and heroin. Those are the things these people where taken up in. And through his lyrics, he expresses how they are fading away slowly but surely because of the things that happened. "Instead of making it clear and just saying what the problem was, I'd say, 'She's in the 'class A' team.' It was kind of my way of covering up a person's addiction, I guess, making it a bit more subtle." That quote right there, is how he made his success, because he knew how to not make the obvious, obvious.
 
Those who are affected by the drugs themselves, probably can't interpret the song in the same ways that healthy people see it. Their minds are in a different state and they just don't notice things as quickly as others. Some of the drugs they were doing damages your body in ways that they didn't think would affect them in the long run. They probably listened to the song and decided that it was about something else. On the other hand, they might have seen it through the words and really understood that they made bad decisions and that normal people do notice that they have a problem but they never figured it out themselves. Being, they don't understand the song as in-depth as others.

The listeners, Ed Sheeran himself, and those affected all interpreted this song with different meaning. There are many different ways that you can see things in life and this song really represents that well. Not everybody was blessed with a faultless life, and this song really expresses it whether people see it through the words he wrote, or not.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Left Alone


Author's Note: This is basically just a bunch of adjectives, but they pertain to how somebody constantly treats others, yet doesn't notice. There is a message hidden in the words too which you might be able to piece together.


Yell

Outraged

Upset

Rejected

Weak

Offensive

Rude

Damaged

Scream

Helpless

Unhappy

Ruined

Tears

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Over-Exaggeration


Author's Note: I know that this is sort of a over-exaggeration of my father, but I just really liked the piece. I thought it overall, fit his character from a large variety of a bunch of different scenes and mushed it into one.
 
With thundering footsteps, he walked into the house after a long day at work. As he throws his boots in the basement, just missing his cat he yells, "How ya doing?" With a quick reply, I say, "Good, I guess." He stumbles on into the living room and clicks on the television nice and loud; so loud I bet the neighbors could hear. He notices the candy bar my sister left laying on the coffee table, picks it up and scarfs it down like a dog being served a hamburger. "TURN THE MUSIC DOWN!" he exclaims, "I need to make a call." *1 minute later* "Hi Mom, how are you doing?"

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

I Saw You Today.


Author's Note: Today, I was in band and we were in the auditorium practicing for our concert. I looked out into the seats and noticed a man. Somebody's grandpa, obviously. He looked like mine. 


I saw you today

A glimpse from the past

I held the tears back

Before they flooded down my cheek

Like in October 

I couldn't control it

I couldn't be reminded of the sadness at the end

I knew you'd say it's okay

But I just didn't want to

I never wanted to say goodbye

Why can't you come back?

Is it too much to ask?

Why did He have to take you away?

I know you're still with me

But just in my dreams and thoughts

You never leave my mind

Grandpa, I love you

I'm Done.


Author's Note: I thought this was kind of like a personal narrative. Maybe not but either way, I think you'll understand the concept even if you've never experienced it before.

"I never meant what I said. Sure it came out of my mouth but it was just because I was angry. I guess you wouldn't understand because you have changed, I don't know even how to describe it. I really hope you know I still care about you but, I just wish I could talk to you. Because all the times I try, I'm pushed in the corner like I'm nothing. Think about it like this...All the times you felt like nothing... Who was there for you? That's right ME."

I know this is really strange, but it is very true. One day last week, I was having a rough day. I felt like there was no one there if I wanted to get a laugh, or even talk. I dragged myself home and set my stuff down in my room. As usual, I went on the computer and turned music on really loudly. For some reason, loud, heavy music makes me feels better even if I feel like I'm alone. Anyways, I clicked on to the internet and went right to Facebook. 

As I scrolled through what other people posted throughout the day, there was one post that really hit me hard. It was the quote of the first paragraph. If you know anything about Facebook at all, you know that most people don't post paragraphs in a status. I thought that it had to have been something special waiting to be said if the writing was that long. So, I read it. As I kept on reading, I turned my music louder. I couldn't think straight. Every bad memory of my friends rushed through my mind and I just sat there. Helplessly wondering if my so-called "best friends" even cared anymore. 

The quote really made me think about who my real friends are and if they are just using me to say that they have one more friend. I shared this with my most trusted friend and she said, "Wow. That's intense but yet very true." She then she said something that made me truly think whether I should keep those friends that made me feel that way or not. She said, "Just remember, quality, not quantity." 

As I had thought about it, I just said, "Okay. I'm done." And she didn't understand me. I simply had said, "I'm done with the friendship. They may not notice it for a while but that just shows they don't care. I tried and they didn't. Bye"