Are You Proud of your country?

I am proud of my country, in some ways. We have a great military, and awesome technology. Our police and firefighters work hard to make sure we are safe. But there are some downsides: There is too much crime, and too many wars.

Rules of The Giver

         Imagine not being able to do or have anything fun. Isn’t that kind of hard to put in your mind? Well, that's basically how it is in The Giver. Life is very orderly and… restrictive, you could say. There is a whole mess of rules In Jonas' Community! You get a bike when you are nine years old. You have coats that button from the back until you turn 7, and then you get regular coats. On top of that, you only get to keep your "comfort object", which is a stuffed animal, until a certain age.  Although some of the rules are good, most of them are bad.

            I just think it’s kind of harsh to have something your whole childhood, then have it get taken away. In most people’s opinions, you should get a bike and learn how to ride it before you turn 6. It would be just plain confusing to me to have to learn how to be interdependent, but then learn how to be independent. It just seems so forceful, to know something but then learn it another way.

            On the other hand, not getting a bike until you are 9 could be a pretty good idea. When you are older, you would be more responsible and not try to run away or things of that nature. Plus, to me, taking away a comfort object is like saying “Hey, it’s time to grow up.”

            Speaking of growing up, when you turn 12, you officially become an adult in The Giver.  You have to start working, which I think is a bad idea. First of all, it’s just cruel. Second of all, 12 years old is kind of young.

            There’s one other weird concept: you have to share your dreams with your family every morning at breakfast. What’s the whole point of that? What if you want to keep your dream a secret? But that’s another thing. You can’t keep secrets. Well, you could just say you didn’t have a dream, but that would be lying. You are not allowed to lie, obviously.

            There are just so many rules that I don’t get how the people in Jonas’ Community could possibly enjoy their lives. It really is hard for me to imagine living without any fun. In this world, I could never do things my own way, and that is not acceptable.

Hooks for Story and Essay

Hook #1

Nico was hanging by just a claw from the towering  Willis Tower. There was a pack of rabid wolves down below, just waiting for Nico to slip so they could tear him apart. Nico meowed for help, but it was to no avail since he was at least a hundred feet in the air. How had he gotten himself into this? His owner had been up in a helicopter, with Nico onboard. Nico had accidentally opened the door, and sailed down to the top of the tower where he now hung. Suddenly, the only thing keeping him from falling slipped. Nico plunged to his doom, everything around him a blur.

Hook #2

The Willis Tower is the tallest building in Chicago. It is an office building, but also a major tourist attraction. It is known for its skydecks on one of the top floors which you can stand in. You can't miss it! On a clear day, when standing  on one of the skydecks, you can see all of Chicago. You can also see quite a bit over Lake Michigan. If you go near the end of the day, you could see a beautiful sunset with a stunning view. So come on! If you want beautiful  views, neat pictures, and fun memories, come down to Chicago.

The Importance of Color

Imagine a world with only black, white, and more black. Boring, right? Color is important because it basically gives your life meaning. Without it, you would be bored all the time, thinking that everything is so dumb because it has no character or life to it. Color is what makes us want to live.
You wouldn't even want to wake up in the morning, because you know there is nothing to look forward to. Color gives everything a kind of vibrant life, which motivates us to do things. For example, if you had a garden, with many different flowers, you wouldn't see the beautiful colors.

Color also helps you distinguish things. For instance, if you stood two people who were the exact same height and weight, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell them apart if you looked at the back of their heads.

Another thing is the amount of appeal it has to you. An example: if you were eating a meal, like breakfast, your toast and jelly wouldn’t look very appetizing if it was just black and white. If you saw a rainbow, it wouldn’t want to make you snap a photo, because it was the same as everything else.

That’s another thing—sameness. It would feel so dull to see the same things every single day. To eat the same colored stuff every day. To wear the same clothes every day.

 If I lived in the Community, I would really miss waking up to a colorful world. If I looked out my window, and all I saw was a black, white, and gray world, I would feel like going back to sleep and never waking up again.
Wouldn’t that be so boring? That’s why we have color. It is fun, not boring, and we won’t feel like there has never been a change of anything, or never will be for as long as we will ever know. In conclusion, I think that without color the world would be boring, lifeless, and ugly.