Sunday morning, 9:14 A.M., I had just woken up from a mere 6 hours of sleep. My eyes were barely open as I stumbled down the stairs into the kitchen. From the moment I woke up, I craved a piece of cinnamon toast, so I popped a piece into the toaster and started walking to the fridge. 

I never read the newspaper but as I walked past the island of the kitchen, I was tempted to take a glance at it to see what was going on lately. Who knew what was going on in this crazy world, anything from a dog traveling across the world to a computer surviving a ten story drop...who knew. Just as I thought about how crazy something could get, my eyes rolled across the headline of a story: Woman receives first cell phone implant. 

“Who in the world would ever think of getting that!?” I shouted into an empty house of dim light and the aroma of what smelled like a bakery. It must have been the new Christmas Cookie scented Yankee Candle my mom had bought to complete the Christmas feel. 

I immediately sat down forgetting all about that piece of toast, burning little by little in the toaster. This woman must have been crazy, who would ever want to basically be their own cell phone! To me, the world has just become to technology happy. The story was intriguing, but was interrupted as I the burnt toast almost had me gagging. 

To be continued...

Kara Theisen

Mrs. Morrell

English III

October 1, 2012

When it comes to fear, people can create their own thoughts and reactions towards what they believe in. Over time, people have created the stories and information of different fears that have given many others a reason to think the way they do. Zombies, ghosts, vampires, etc. are a few of many things that have grown into peoples biggest fears and have turned into scary movie plot lines and haunted house themes in which many people pay to go to. I think that fear is based off of what people have heard from one another and also how the past has conflicted with that fear as well. 

Ghosts and Zombies have transformed into the fears of millions of people by others creating their own thoughts, ideas, and some even saying that they have witnessed one with their own eyes. Based off of the facts that lay behind them, we are scared of the concept and many cringe at the thought of possibly seeing one in real life. But in reality, this idea could all be based off of made up information and ideas by people over time that wanted to create modern day fears in the first place. I think that ghosts and zombies are complex rumors of simple idea’s stacked on top of one another. 

Fear can also bring out the truth in people and force them to say even the deepest of secrets. The witch trials had brought out the fear of people not wanting to die, therefore they admitted to what they have been doing all along. Not only did some reveal and admit their own wrongdoings, but also sacrificing others secrets to save themselves from the consequences. With the fear of not wanting to die in the picture, very many people will do anything they can to get out of the situation, even if that means they might loose a close friend in the mix of everything. 

Overall, fear is what you make of it, wether you believe in something or you don’t. There are endless amounts of different fears that people go crazy about and continue to believe in every day, even if in the end they are based off of false facts and information.

Kara

It was a Tuesday morning, and I had just woken up from eleven hours of sleep.  My eyes slowly opened to the bright light peaking through the blinds. I could tell my dad was working on the roof by the echoing of his steps as he moved from tile to tile. He was scraping the gutters clean while my mom was down in the kitchen banging around pots and pans. Recently, I started coming down with a cold, so my mom said I could stay home for the day. I decided to walk downstairs and see what my mom was cooking for lunch, since breakfast was over long before I had woken up. As my door swung open, the aroma of chicken noodle soup had made its way to my nose. 

“Good morning, sleepy head,” my mom said in a cheerful voice as I made my way down the stairs. 

“Hey mom, watcha cookin’?” I said. 

“Just some quick lunch, chicken noodle soup and some salad, want some?”

“Not right now, but thanks.” then made my way to the TV. 

I wasn’t hungry yet.

“Alrighty, can you turn on the news for a bit? I want to get a quick update of what’s going on around town.”

“Yeah sure!” I said, as I flipped through the channels until I came across WESH 2. 

At that moment when I had reached the right channel, my name was mentioned through the speakers in a public service announcement. My first thought was that there was someone with the same exact name as me, but then a picture appeared in the top right hand corner of the TV screen. More and more names were listed off one after another but I did not even bother to pay attention to those as fear struck me. Fifteen minutes passed before the news casters began to read off directions for the named people. Still in shock, I tried to listen and comprehend what they were saying to the best of my abilities.  

“The government is allowing each individual chosen to bring along another companion, but he/ she must be under 21 to join. No exceptions. You may also bring one suitcase filled with all necessities, considering the fact you will not return to your homes.” The female newscaster stated as she nervously flipped the paper.

“Further details will be given within the next hour so stay tuned for more information.”

I could not believe what I had heard, this Tuesday afternoon turned from a normal relaxing day, to a frightening, sad, and shocking one. 

My mom ran over to the where I was standing and shouted, “What in the world is going on!?” to the TV as if the newscasters could hear her. 

“I don’t want to go Mom…” I whispered through my lips that were frozen in shock. “They have just announced that people around America have been chosen to come with the government to survive the alien invasion. Apparently, aliens are taking over the world and they chose certain people to save in order to avoid diminishing the whole population! I just so happen to be one of those chosen people…I have no choice but to go! ”

“This is outrageous! They can not just take you away from everything you have!”

“There is no way I can get out of this,” I stated as I faced the reality of the situation I was put into. 

My dad came through the doors, muddy, and sweating from the work he had finished on the roof. He saw the looks on our faces and knew something was out of order. We tried to fill him in on what we just found out as calmly as possible, but the fear and shock in our voices didn’t really help. 

“This is ridiculous! How could such a beautiful morning change into this!?” my dad exclaimed as he paced around the living room. 

“There’s nothing we can do! It’s the government taking me! They knew about this for some time now and they are in charge of saving the people’s lives! And I’m not going to fight them on this decision”

We all gathered around the TV in hopes of learning more about where to go from here. 

“I have to leave you guys behind!? This can not be happening…there is no way I can leave you guys,” I said. 

“Honey, there is no yes or no response to this, you must go,” my mom said as I walked to the fridge to grab a water. 

“Let’s just wait for further information before we start freaking out,” my dad suggested as we sat around on the couches.

“I wonder if any of my friends had been picked too. I only heard my name in the mix of all this.”

“Who do you think you’re going to pick to come along with you?” my mom asked out of curiosity.

“I have no idea yet, that hasn’t even crossed my mind once.”

The commercial had ended and we turned up the volume until the sound of the newscasters’ voices echoed through the house. 

“Breaking news: Aliens are attacking the Earth. For those who are just now tuning in with us, please go on to www.app.usgov to see the list of children who have been chosen for this journey. As for the others that are waiting for further information, listen closely to all instructions.”

The female newscaster began to read off a list: “After you have chosen the person to come with you and completed the task of packing your suitcase, choose one of the following to do; Depending on the distance from your house, you could either request a pick up or drive to the National Guard yourself. Each National Guard in your state will be awaiting your arrival.”

The newscaster paused for a minute and frantically looked through her papers to find the next step. The government had already known about this prior to it taking place, however, it was brand new to us. The shock of the situation caused nerves and fear started to show on the two news anchors faces. Just as she was about to give up, she spotted the next step and proceeded to give out the instructions. 

“You must show up at your National Guard center within the next twenty hours in order to be transported to an undisclosed location before the 24 hour deadline.”

The information all came so fast, how could a Tuesday morning ever turn into this chaos. It frustrated me to know that government had known that this would happen prior. Why couldn’t they tell us this earlier? Why couldn’t they tell the people that were chosen earlier? Why couldn’t they let us prepare for this departure earlier? Question after question flowed through my mind, I started to think they wanted us to panic like I was at that moment. 

“Mom, Dad, what’s the plan?” I asked as soon as the news turned to commercial.

“Start packing your suitcase and we’ll go from there,” my dad said softly as he stood up and walked back outside to work off his frustration. He was always good about hiding his emotions. 

“I’m going to pick Elizabeth to come with me, she’s aware of what’s going on. I texted her earlier in the middle of the newscast so she is already packing her bags.”

“Good choice, Sweetie you guys will do fine together,” my mom said as she in hopes of making me feel better about this whole situation. 

Twenty minutes went by and I finished packing all I could think of into my one suitcase. The doorbell rang and my mom went to go see who it was. Elizabeth had just arrived and her parents came into the living room to further discuss what we were about to get ourselves into. 

“Hey Kara!” Elizabeth said as walked through the door to my room. 

“Hi!”

“I’m happy that you chose me to go with you! I have no idea what I would have done without you around,” Elizabeth stated in a surprisingly non-sarcastic voice.

“I’m glad you didn’t chicken out cause I wouldn’t want to take anyone else!” I stated back to her.

“Pshhh, I’m definitely not a chicken,” Elizabeth said as she walked out of my room.

We both walked back downstairs with my suitcase and put it beside hers. The next hour was dedicated to saying our last few words with our parents and the houses that we had grown up in. Then came the time where we piled into the car and reversed down the driveway into streets of chaos. 

The drive to our National Guard was short and seemed like it lasted a mere fifteen minutes, when in reality it was about an hour long. Throughout the whole ride, Elizabeth and I had been nonstop talking about the possibilities of what is to come. When we arrived, I said my last goodbyes to my dad since he was the one that drove us. My eyes were filled with tears, I could barely see the ground when I stepped out of the car. It was one of the most painful goodbyes I’d never imagined. [Error: No Signal Found]

Kara Theisen

Honors English III

Mrs. Morrell

September 12, 2012

From reading about Courtland Milloy’s article about race in Avatar and also watching the film, I feel as if I do not see the connection that Milloy is making. Throughout the film I noticed many different conflicts and obstacles that not only Jake Sully had to overcome but also every other Sky person in Avatar. However, I feel that racism was not a significant symbol and I did not see the same side of it as that Milloy had seen. It seems that although he made some connections, Avatar is not simply based off race, but more of a fantastical story of a white mans extraordinary life with his new tribe. 

In my opinion, I saw Avatar as more of a story to portray Jake’s life of constant obstacles all beginning with his paralysis from waist down restricting his movements and what he is able to do. I do not think that the main purpose or meaning of Avatar was to show a resemblance towards race. The main thing I noticed when I first saw the movie was the amazing special effects rather than realizing deeper meanings of each scene. Although the plot may had not been as strong as James Cameron had meant for it to be, the thought and fantastical elements that were put into it made it into the amazing movie Avatar it is today. The statement “for depicting yet another white man as a hero in the liberation struggles of oppressed people of color”, written in the article by Milloy, I think is much to deep for what Cameron was trying to show in the movie. 

Overall I believe that Avatar was not meant to have any type of connection towards race and just simply wanted to give people something good to watch from the effects to the fantasy storyline. 

Kara Theisen

Mrs. Morrell

English III

September 3, 2012

The only thing on the Earth was water, lonely Crow, and  limited supply of seeds. Each time Crow accidentally dropped a seed from his wings, he noticed it created a small piece of land that floated above the water. The thought came to him that he could finally start something that would last very long. When he dropped four seeds by accident, this time over the land, he noticed that it immediately turned into a large palm tree. 

From the beginning of his life the seeds had always been connected to his wings and as he grew older more seeds would fall off. Crow realized that these seeds were his ticket to creation. When he looked up at the large palm tree he was four coconuts attached and decided to fly up to grab them down. Crow laid them on the ground and realized that one of the coconuts was slightly cracked. By using his strong beak, Crow pried it open the crack even wider until it snapped in half. When both halves fell to the ground he saw that the coconut contained juice. Crow tipped the coconut towards his beak to try the juice but a few drops landed on the land below him. As time passed, the drops of juice had turned into springs of fresh water and the coconut seeds that fells with the drops of juice turned into freshwater fish of all different types. 

Crow decided to use more of the seeds he started with to create more land. He took sixteen more seeds from his wings and dropped four along the north coast, four along the east, four along the south, and four along the west of the island. The land expanded even larger to the point where Crow had to fly from one end of the island to the other because walking would take to long. He noticed that he started to run low on the seeds that grew palm trees and lands and wondered how he could get more. Crow dived down into the springs where the fish lived and told them to come up above water. Once they gathered at the top of the water, Crow asked them if they could go deep down to the bottom of the springs and search for more seeds. They agreed to do this for him on the condition of Crow expanding their springs for them to be able to move around more. Crow said to them all, “The more seeds you find, the larger your springs will get!”

The fish were successful in their search for seeds and noticed a huge change in the land that surrounded them along with the extension of their springs throughout the land. Crown had expanded the land so much that he was not even able to see where it ended no matter how high he flew up into the sky. He cried tears of joy, realizing that he created something huge. His tears hit the ground and turned into birds of all different species. They all flew up to Crow and immediately asked him what they could do to help to expand the Earth even further. He asked them all to go and spread the seeds the fish had gathered for him all over the land and in the water. 

All the birds set out on their journeys across the land and started dropping seeds all over. The seeds turned into more trees, more springs, and more land. As the birds flew all around, many began to sweat with all the hard work. Their sweat had fallen to the ground causing different animals to appear across the land. Throughout the next few months, all of the different animals had listened to Crow on what to do and all worked together to expand the Earth into what it is today!

Kara Theisen

Mrs. Morrell

Sedna myth

The best creation type for this myth is the secretion myth. Mainly due to the fact that animals are created from the moment her fingers are chopped off of her hands by her dad. A secretion myth relates to the depiction of man or earth from a list  of things with one reason being the body parts of a different human being, like Sedna. Animals are very popular in Native American myths which is also shown in this myth along with the repetition of some animals from previous myths. Young children are also very important in Native American myths and this is represented by the way the character Sedna is portrayed. She is loved and adored by many men and never gives up while trying to swim for her life in the nasty storm. By surviving all the difficulties in the story, it shows that children and young adults are favored and loved. Food is very important which is where the oil plays a role. Feathers, oil, and the necklace represent its own individual piece of life. As in the feathers fit for clothing, oil for food and cooking, and necklace as a token of love. 

Kara Theisen

Mrs. Morrell

Yokut Myth

August 23, 2012

The “Yokut” myth can be described as two different myths depending on what the reader thinks. Since the Eagle and the Crow work together to create the Earth, it could be considered a Deus Faber myth. Meaning that two creators work together to create the earth often happening by competition between each other. “But after looking across at Crow’s mud pile, Eagle was astounded to see that Crow had given himself twice as much mud while Eagle was away”. The competition between how much land each bird had created came out when Eagle had left for one night. 

This myth can also be considered as an earth diver myth since the duck is in charge of bringing up mud from the bottom of the ocean and creating the land. “An idea occurred to Eagle, which he bird talked to Crow, “If we supply fish for Duck, maybe he will bring up more mud than fish”. The trading off of fish for food for Duck and the mud for Eagle and Crow to create the land is how they all agreed to be able to work together. There was no anthropomorphism used in this myth since they birds talked in their own animal language. I have also noticed that many of the Native American myths begin with some type of flood or there is no land and only water is present.

Kara Theisen

Mrs. Morrell

The Emergence

        The main connection I have noticed between this myth and other Native American myths is the ways they use groups of four. The myth includes north, east, south, and west along with groups of four birds, gods, animals, voices, and four days and nights. Establishing, transforming, and cataloging are all reasons for myths that are used throughout the “Emergence”. Anthropomorphism is used by giving the animals human characteristics like speaking in which the insects are capable of doing. When the insects gathered together and said “This place is too small…” “How can we do that?” asked the ants (499). They are showing examples of having human conversations with each other. There is also a conflict between good and evil. When the First man stated “I am certain coyote is to blame for our problem”(503). It is representing the  fact that Coyote is to blame for the evil. This myth is like a world on top of world situation!