Sam

5/6/10

English

Mr.Salsich

Finding The Good:

A Response to Valentine for Ernest Mann

People in general tend to overlook the good in life and exploit the bad. Being a positive person is a strong characteristic. Instead of following the crowd and doing what other people do, break away from the back and do what you feel is right.

TS-Just because the world and media say something is ugly, doesn’t mean it is ugly- and doesn’t mean it is boring and doesn’t mean it is bad .SD- In the poem Valentine for Ernest Mann, a husband gave his wife a pair of skunks for Valentines. CM- She obviously did not like them because she only saw the negative in the skunks.CM- The husband was confused about why she hated them, “I thought they had such beautiful eyes”, replied her husband. The husband saw beyond the ego a skunk carries, instead he discovered the diamond under the rough. SD-Another false conception(apt thesaurus word) is the way rain gets a bad wrap. CM- The weather man and people are always judging rainy days to be cold, raw, and revolting(apt thesaurus word) . Ironically rain has a very important role in life. Without it, man, earth, plants, and animals would not survive. SD- School is another perfect example that supports the theme, “nothing is ugly just because the world says so”. CM-Most kids find school to be a daunting task. CM- However, school gives you an education for a good future. CS- I found the quote about the skunk very interesting; it made me think how something with a negative reputation, can be so beautiful.

TS-My life can be related to the poem Valentine for Ernest Mann, because I have, and appreciate so many things that most people don’t see the value in. SD-Today in this generation there are only a handful of people who enjoy listening to country music. CM-Kids now a days mainly listen to rap, hip hop, and heavy metal, not country. CM-They all think it is dull, old, disgusting. Unlike them, I enjoy and listen to country music and see the meaning in the lyrics .SD-Before I came to Pine Point School all of my friends were very upset that I was leaving them for a private school. CM-They all thought private schools were horrible, boring, extremely strict, and hard.CM- What they don’t know is, Pine Point and all independent schools offer the best education possible which I welcome with open arms. SD`- When I first went to the New London Soup Kitchen for my service project, I expected it to be a grimy (apt thesaurus word) old run down kitchen filled with people dressed in rags. CM- For so long I had believed this because, “the world said so”. CM- Right when I walked through the doors I realized the kitchen was an amazing place that helped out the homeless. -Often in life we automatically label something that we think is bad-, but we really don’t understand that we are judging what we don’t truly know.

The evening news always seems to find the bad in the world, “I make my living off the evening news, just give me something –something I can use. People love it when you lose, they love dirty laundry. –Don Henley) Just how the wife in Valentine for Ernest Man couldn't find the good in the skunks, the news can’t find the good in the world.

Self Assessment- I still feel that my sentences are short and do not have enough detail. I continue to work on this problem with each essay I write. I think I weeded out the extra words pretty well so my whole essay makes sense. Also, I believe my usage of quotes was well done. I think I would give myself a c+ or b- on this essay.