Sam

English

2/16/11

Mr. Salsich

A Tale I Will Never Forget:

An Essay about A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities, has finally ended. With the end of the book come some bitter sweet feelings. It’s nice that the book is done, but I will miss it. I will admit that reading up to an hour and a half on the book each night was not fun, but there is a part of me that will miss it.

A Tale of Two Cities was the best book, it was the worst book, I liked it, and I disliked it. This novel was at many times boring to me, but there are many things I loved about it. First, I have improved as a reader tremendously. When I first started the novel, I couldn’t read a sentence, but now, I can read a chapter with few problems. Not only has this novel improved my reading, but it has improved my writing. Throughout reading this tough novel, I have been able to study Dickens’ style of writing. With the improvement of my reading comes the improvement of my writing. Because of this book I can honestly say I have improved my reading and writing skills dramatically.

Throughout the course of the book there have been a few characters and scenes I particularly enjoyed reading about. The character I loved to read about the most was Madame Defarge because of her wicked personality. Something I always found interesting about Madame Defarge was her OCD with knitting. She is constantly knitting, pretending to strangle people with each stroke, weaving them into her death list. A particular scene that I thoroughly enjoyed is at the very end when Carton tells his prophecy. I found these pages extremely powerful and motivating me to be a better person. Especially when he said, “I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy”. Both Carton, and Madame Defarge are extremely interesting characters that made A Tale of Two Cites the great book it is.

I will always remember this book, both the good and the bad. I had some times when I would get frustrated, but I know I have grown to be a better reader. I will remember Sydney Carton, I will remember Madame Defarge, and I will always remember how much I have grown because of this book.

I feel that this essay is one of my best. I had no problems writing it, and all the sentences seemed to flow together with ease. I am a little worried about my short sentences, which I continue to struggle with. I really want to improve on writing longer ones. I think my whole second body paragraph is a strong point in my essay because of how nicely it flows. Also, I like my first sentence of my second paragraph. I feel it fits in really well with the rest of my essay. Overall I think I deserve a B on this essay.

Sam

English

2/9/11

Mr. Salsich Down the Road:

An Essagraph about a Prophecy

In Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities, a changed man tells his prophecy about what he hopes to see in the future instead of the violence, pain, and suffering that surrounds him today. In my future I hope to see many things. Down the road I hope to see a confident young adult navigating his way with ease through this big confusing world. Being able to deal with anything that life throws at him because he knows he has been fully prepared by ones who love and care for him. Down the road I want to be someone who makes a difference in this world, not somebody who just sits back. I want to make an impact in someone or something’s life instead of just my own. My hope is that one day I can help take part in restoring balance and sanity to the world oceans. Today I feel that too many people are raiding the oceans resources, taking whatever they want in sickening quantities, slowly suffocating the oceans. I feel too many people just sitting back completely oblivious to what is going on. Down the road I want to be somebody who gets up and fights, not just somebody who sits in the back pretending nothing is happening and everything is going to be ok. I feel this is almost like my calling in life; this is where I want to be. Maybe I’m too young to know what I want to do when I am older, but as of right now, I know I have a strong passion and love for the ocean. When I’m older I want to do something I love, and the ocean is what I love. I can’t wait to see what life’s is going to hold down the road.

Sam

2/3/11

English

Mr. Salsich

Being the Same Person:

An Essay About Integrity

One core value I find in the novel A Tale of Two Cities and my life is integrity. Integrity is when a person can be depended on and trusted. Integrity is when someone has high moral principles. Integrity is when someone keeps their personality consistent. Integrity can be found not only in a few characters in A Tale of Two Cities, but throughout my own life.

In A Tale of Two Cities, integrity can be found in three of the main characters. One example is Carton taking Charles place in jail when sentenced to the Guillotine. The only reason Carton came to Paris was to be the “man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you”. It shows a great amount of integrity, character and courage on Cartons part to sacrifice his life for Charles. Also, Charles going all the way to Pairs to help his loyal servant Gabelle from being killed in a prison is another example of integrity. Charles going to this hostile(fast) city to save his servant is “like the mariner in the old story, the winds and streams had driven him within the influence of the Loadstone Rock, and it was drawing him to itself, and he must go”. This noble action shows immense(fast) character and trust because he is willing to help a friend in need no matter what the risk. Lastly, Mr. Lorry is another example of integrity. He has often been referred to as” A man of business that looks out for the family”. Mr. Lorry has been with the Manette’s throughout the entire book, always helping them where ever he can, always being right at their side, always making sure they are alright, always looking out for them. (tricolon) When Lucie left to go on a vacation with Charles, Mr. Lorry stuck by Dr. Manette while he was in a depressed state of mind. All three of these characters are all real true people who always do the right thing no matter what the cost.

In my own life I feel the core value of integrity fits best me. I know that my personality is consistent in all situations I am in. I am a calm, but happy person that is laid back. Because of my calm predictable personality, I tend to not get worked up over many things such as school, or sports. Throughout my life I have acquired my own morals that I have learned through family, church, and music. One major example of integrity in my life that I follow to the best of my abilities is not falling into peer pressure or following the crowed, but “marching to my own tune”. I do listen to people, but I do what I think is best, “tell the Wind and Fire where to stop, but don't tell me." For example: I stick up for my beliefs, like not doing drugs, or following my religion. I also try to be an honest person who tells the truth. I like to live my life being an honest person that someone can trust. It feels better knowing you tell the truth than living in a tangle of lies. I feel I live my life to be an open person who can always be depended on no matter what the situation, always there to help, always having a calm disposition, never stressing over problems, ready to attack a problem that arises in front of me.(coordinate cumulative sentence)

To live a life with integrity you need to be a wholesome person with homegrown morals. To live as a person who can be trusted and depended on to be the same person in different situations is a tricky thing. However, I believe that the characters and I demonstrate some fine examples of integrity.

I feel I did particularly well on essay 13. One issue I continue to work on in my writing is blending quotes. However, I feel I blended my quotes pretty good this time. I do feel that the required quote in the second body paragraph from A Tale of Two Cities was stretched a little bit too much. It was hard to find a good quote. One strong point I see in this essay is my tricolon and coordinate cumulative sentence. I think the blend and sound really good. A possible weak point is again the quotes. I would give myself a B- on this essay.