Alyia Hall
English 1- 4th
4-20-15

Extended Metaphor Poem

You might think I’m just
a fifteen-year-old girl
with brown hair
and brown eyes
But I know I am more
way more than even
a smart phone or robot
or a magician or donut shop owner
I am a astronaut
a home sick little girl
that smiles at the thought of
home
I am an astronaut
spreading my wings
to explore beyond this world
I am a space traveler
with zero limitation
I come back to reality again
and again
and again
The young brown haired girl
is an astronaut
a homesick, world seeker, with no limitation.

Alyia Hall
English 1- 4th
2-10-15
Cell Phone Effects

Ever wonder what life would be like without cell phones? Or maybe just a day? Many of today’s lives rely on cell phones every day for numerous activities, such as, communication, homework, or even taking pictures. Twenty years ago the “norm” was a foot long “sack phone” and now it’s a five inch smart phone that slides right into the owner’s back pocket. Many, if not all, people or users of a “smart-device” have been affected by the system because it will allow them to help a person in case of an emergency, and will also increase the fast-effective communication process.
Being involved in an emergency is a big deal, and it’s extremely important that we have a device to bring help. For example, if Mary is babysitting a family friends daughter, and decides to take the child out for a swim, when all the sudden the child becomes “trapped” under water. Mary is forced to act in some way that could save the kids life. Luckily, Mary has a “wireless-smartphone” that has a speed dial button 911 in case of an emergency. Having these devices on hand has had a life changing affect on people’s lives today. Furthermore, cell phones are a great source of connecting with police, family, and friends in case they were needed to save a child or any other person’s cry for help.
Having fast communication, instead of waiting a whole three days later for the news to come through the mail, is a helpful tool that many citizens can count on to send news out to students,co-workers, or athletes. For example, coach lake, who coaches the White Oak Roughnecks, sends out a very important message to his players reminding them of the way they should dress the following day. Because of the important guest or “scout” that will be coming out to not only examine the way they perform on the court, but also the way they present themselves. In addition, sending and receiving messages/emails has helped many people to prepare for important instructions being given.
Therefore, Mary is allowed to save a child’s life and by just calling 911 and giving her location. The effectiveness of cell phone use in people’s lives have changed tremendously over the years and grows more helpful each day, by helping people in emergencies and being able to have fast-effective communication.

Alyia Hall
English 1- 4th
1-8-15

The Importance of Dealing With Extreme Emotions

` Big traffic jam today on the way to work? Did it make you just want to scream in rage? Maybe taking a deep breath and calming down will solve the problem. Take a few steps back and breath, focus on the events that did go in the right direction that morning, evening, or night. Dealing with extreme emotions is important , because it will build patience and keep yourself out of harms way.
Learning how to keep patience and stay calm when in a scary, uncomfortable, and “jaw dropping” situations is an important “must” in everyone’s lives. For example, in Elie Wiesel’s memoir “night”, Elie is forced to watch his father be beaten and not being able to help or do anything about it. The only reaction he could show was the fear, shock, and anger in his eyes from what they were doing to his dad. Elie would hold in the patients and hope that someday it would all come to an end. And because Elie stayed quiet, he saved himself from being beaten for his attitude toward the action being given to his father. Turning the other cheek, or staying silent in dangerous situations, and thinking of a better place is sometimes the best possible decision anybody can make for themselves.
Dealing with emotions, such as, anger, sadness, or guilt are all feelings that could cause a harmful reaction. For example, if, Tom is driving along on the interstate and his whole family is in the car with him, the driver, and it’s his “duty” to keep them safe for the day. And he decides to take them out and go to the movie, when all the sudden a crazy driver cuts him off nearly running him off the road. Even though with all the anger inside of him telling him to chase that driver down, he didn’t he knew the best thing to do was to let it go, and carry on.
Therefore, learning to control thoughts is a great importance in dealing with extreme emotion because it will help build a “self-containment” for your patience and to also keep you and your family out of harms way.

Alyia Hall
English 1- 4th
4-1-15

Fear Affects People’s Lives

Fear, something that rules over many peoples lives and makes them hesitant to try different activities. Whether standing up for yourself or someone else, or just talking in general. Fear can rule your life causing a person to always be nervous and hold the reputation of a coward.
Every person alive knows that feeling of nervousness but some people allow that fear to overcome them into “backing down”. For example, when Rick was in school he was bullied for the way he walked, talked, and dressed. He had never stood up for himself, instead he just “put up with it” though now he is graduated, and still so nervous to leave his own house because of the fear of what other people say of him on the streets. By never standing up to the people that mentally hurt him, he had to live with that fear that consumed him and not being able to look proudly in the mirror.
Being labeled as a coward is a tough name to carry around with you, it’s not exactly the reputation anyone would like to hold for themselves . For example, in Elie Wiesel’s memoir “Night”, Ellie is forced to watch his father be beaten, standing speechless with no expression but shock on his face. Instead of helping his dad, or chancing himself to be hurt to, he takes the “coward’s way out” which follows him with the feeling of guilt of not helping his father. Not facing your fears and stepping out of your comfort zone could hurt others as well as yourself, and also could change your viewpoint on the way someone feels about another.
Therefore, whether being like Rick and not ever standing up for himself, or being like Ellie and not ever standing up for his own father. Those reasons, among others, are how fear can change a person’s life in numerous ways.