My reservation

Although my "reservation" doesn`t compare to the Indian Reservation and limitations Arnold faced, I feel like my name holds me back in a way. My name isn`t associated with like a mass murderer or Hitler, but its about as generic as it gets. Hundreds maybe even thousands or millions of people are all called Andy Garcia. Heck there even is a B list celebrity with the same name. No matter what I do, I`ll be compared to another Andy Garcia, how am I supposed to standout when the first fact you learn about me, is shared with like half of the world. Just like Arnold was reserved by the reservation I am reserved by my namesake. However just like Arnold can surpass all his limitations, I can too by being the coolest Andy Garcia ever.

Max`s Speech

Max`s speech was amazing. He wasn't trying to prove that a crime wasn't committed, but he was trying to make the court understand where Bigger is coming from. Max, being a white male from the 1920s who being a lawyer most likely made more money than most, testified for a  young African American male who was accused of killing and raping a white woman, symbolized the whites who realized that segregation was wrong. Max projected Bigger`s voice in a way that it would be hear and understood. He spoke for not only Bigger, but for all the African Americans who couldn't be heard. Max's speech was really touching, and his speech really made an impact on everyone in the court room, and Bigger.

Green Lights, Yellow cars, Church Steeples

These are all integral albeit overlooked details throughout The Great Gatsby, written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. The Green Light Gatsby was reaching for in chapter 1 was representing his ambition and his love of the life of luxury. Ever since Gatsby became Cody`s apprentice he started having a thing for the life of luxury and him reaching for the green light is kind of him reaching for money and his goals. The yellow car Gatsby rides is intriguing. I believe he only bought a yellow car to stand out among everyone. The part where Nick`s thinking is compared to  Kant`s when he would stare at the church steeple is referring to Nick`s morals. Nick just created so much hullabaloo and now he must decide between correct or moral. Nick is in a tight spot and he needs to think harder than a philosopher to get out of it.

Janie's got a gun

(If you get that reference you get a gold star)
Although this novel written by Zora Neale Houston is thought to be written about Janie's relationship with other characters,  in reality it is about Janie's thirst for independence and her search for it. From the get go it's established that Janie is not independent.  Her nanny had great control over her and that her experience and values as a slave had great limitations as to what Janie could do and learn. She had a fixed marriage which only shoes how much independence she has. She married dull Logan and then ran of with Jody. Jody made Janie think he would help her fulfill her dreams and ambitions.  He went all M.O.F status and chose money over her and was very controlling. He did not even allow her to let her hair down. After he died she didn't even care. With Tea Cake she reached a new level of independence. He even taught her how to shot a gun.

A class mate I Am Thankful for

There are  many students I am grateful for in Mr. McCarthy`s 1st period English class, but the student I am most thankful for is Sabrina Wu. I don`t know her very well but I have first and second period with her and she was on my soccer team during the Physical Education Soccer tournament. Although we didn't win we were still the best team because everyone else was cheaters. Sabrina is always so quiet and she seems shy. She was also in the group for revising the analysis for the short stories and she helped my bad paper become not so bad. Sabrina is really smart and I once convinced Coach Abrams it was Sabrina`s birthday even though it wasn't. I also donated to her UNICEF charity thing and I was going to donate to her dance class charity, but that required me to actually attend the class and I am not about that life. Sabrina Wu is pretty cool and that is one classmate I am thankful for on this thanksgiving day.

Principles

Throughout The Road the idea of principles and its disappearance is omnipresent and I believe that one principle easily stands out from the rest. If one principle could be kept in a post-apocalyptic situation it would be family loyalty. In the Road the mother kills herself and I felt that was very selfish. Although many can argue that killing herself was the most unselfish thing she could have done, she did more than just killing herself, she killed part of the boy and dad. If the mother had not done what she did, the ending would have been very differently. Keeping loyalty within the family was the only thing they had, after everything was destroyed their family wasn't. Loyalty within the family assures you're not alone in a world full of evil. If you're alone you're better off dead.

Hemmingway

"Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another."

-Ernest Hemingway 

Ernest Miller Hemingway`s life can easily be distinguished from that of any other man`s. Ernest used a pen and a paper like no other and without a doubt is the best writer of his time. Hemingway wrote countless classics and his style of writing is still influential today. Past this man`s stunning way of writing lies the man of legend, his life renowned more than any of his novels. Pardon my French, but Hemingway was a complete bad ass. Hemingway was the epitome of machones and any man would be a fool to not be jealous of his accolades and experiences. When Papa Hemingway was in Bimini for a fishing tournament (which he won of course) he angered the natives because they have fished their whole lives, so he made a proposition, if any challenger could go toe to toe with Ernest in the boxing ring for three rounds and win, he`d give back the prize money. The first challenger was rumored to be so strong that he could carry a piano on his head, but he only lasted a minute and a half before Hemingway knocked his block off! He went on to knockout three more challengers and went home with his money. Hemingway lived a full life filled with excitement and many honors, sadly he ended his own life on July 2nd, 1961 with a self inflicted gunshot to the head. The old papa died on his own terms, and although this wasn't a cliche happily ever after,I believe Papa Hemingway`s life couldn't have ended in a better way.