Everyday Heroes

How do you define hero? Do you think fame is an important component of heroism, or do you think most heroes are unknown? Is there anyone you know personally whom you consider a hero?

To me, a hero is some one who helps people on a some-what regular basis. Fame is NOT a important component of heroism. Take my dad: He’s a hero, but he hasn’t even been an extra in a commercial!

My dad is a hero because he helps stop wildfire and burns forests to help prevent wildfires. He saves many lives that way, and not just human lives.

Like Hemingway

Read the following passage from Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises. In it, Hemingway conveys gloominess and dread by describing the weather.

“In the morning it was raining. A fog had come over the mountains from the sea. You could not see the tops of the mountains. The plateau was dull and gloomy, and the shapes of the trees and the houses were changed. I walked out beyond town to look at the weather. The bad weather was coming over the mountains from the sea.”

Write a passage that conveys a mood by describing the weather.

The mood I plan to convey is joy. Here goes:

I sat at my desk, and looked out the window. It was a very sunny day, with only one cloud in the sky. The morning dew evaporated, and all that was left was a few drops of water on my window. The only cloud that was there blocked out the southern mountains, making it seem like a storm was coming. That very same cloud seemed to dance in the wind happily.

Other Life in the Universe

What is your opinion about the possibility of life on other planets? Do you need to see it to believe it, or do you believe that in a universe as vast as ours, alien life must exist? Write on the topic, beginning with the sentence,

I believe (don’t believe) there is life on other planets because…

I believe there is life on other planets because with so many stars, one has to have a planet that can support life orbiting around it. How did the Chinese build their magnificent stone wall without the tools to build them. They had to have help, most likely from some sort of alien life form that had the tools necessary to build them. How did the Mayans build their pyramids? They had to have help from aliens, because they couldn’t have built those pyramids without the right tools, and they didn’t have the right tools! Nor did they have the right workforce. From my knowledge, the Mayan empire was small, so they had to have had a small amount of people.

We may never know if there is other intelligent life forms, but we learn in my lifetime.

The Center of the Earth

Imagine that you know nothing about science. As such a person, what do you think is at the center of the Earth? Come up with a few theories.

At the center of the Earth, there are dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. There are cavemen and there are ancient astronauts. There are giant mice and very tiny whales. The trees are underwater and the corral is on land. The canyons at the base go up and away, while the mountains are quite the opposite.

There is lots of water, in fact, 89% of it is under water! Most of the land is tropical. There are no Arctic regions, but rather cold forests. There is 1 small desert.

Of course, where does all that magma come from? I think every time there is a volcanic eruption, lava floods the place and thus destroys everything. The hour after the eruption finishes, everything grows back in place.

My Own Private Utopia

A utopia, according to Webster’s dictionary, is “any place or state of ideal perfection.” One person’s utopia might be a country where discrimination does not exist and all lifestyles are tolerated. Another person’s utopia might be a huge city full of clubs, theaters, and restaurants. What is your idea of utopia? If you could design the ideal society, what kind of laws would govern it? What would it look like? What kind of people would live there?

My utopia would be a city called Omegatopolis. It would look like a giant glass dome with a city inside. Right next to the gates would be what looks like store scanners with golden neon rings around them. If anyone brought in a weapon, they would have to show proof of purchase for the weapon, registration, and ID. If they couldn’t, then they would be kicked out of Omegatopolis.

Then you could go into Omegatopolis. It is a HUGE city. It is divided into sectors. Sector A is the residential part of the city. It contains houses, apartments, religious places, and schools. It is northeast of the Omega Sector. Sector B is mainly commercial. It contains lots of stores, clubs, restaurants, 5 theaters, etc. It is to the northwest of the Omega Sector. Sector C is industrial. It contains factories, warehouses, and power plants. It is to the southeast of the Omega Sector. Sector D is recreational areas. It has golf and country clubs, parks, trails, etc. It is to the southwest of the Omega Sector.

The Omega Sector is a political area. It contains the city hall, senate building, voting area, and voicing area. It is a major area of the city.

Everyone could live there. If you can work in the city, you can live in the city for free.
Of course, you would still need to pay for food and such.

Laws that would govern the city would be:

Zero crime tolerance
No one entering or leaving the city can bring a weapon of mass destruction, such as an A-bomb, dynamite, etc.
Slavery is illegal.
Discrimination is illegal

The laws go on and on! You need 1 and a half Constitutions to fit in all the laws.

If I Were in Charge

Most families set rules for their children, especially regarding behavior and responsibility. Which rules do you find particularly annoying? Do you long to stay out later, go out more, or dress anyway you like? Write about the rules you consider most unfair.

I don’t find many rules unfair, just annoying.

First rule I find annoying: If I go over to a friend’s house, I have to be home 30 minutes before dinner. And usually, if I go to friend’s house, I’m not even hungry!

Second rule I find annoying: When we go out, I can’t wear dark clothes. Very annoying. Half of my wardrobe is dark clothing. This can cause problems when I need to pick out a outfit, especially a winter outfit.

Third and final rule I find annoying: I have to go to and get out of bed at certain times. In the morning, all I want to do is sleep. At night, all I want to do is anything but sleep! I don’t like this rule. I think I’m nocturnal.

Those are the rules I find annoying. I’m pretty sure other kids agree with me.

To Be Great

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said,

"Everyone has the power for greatness, not fame, but greatness, because greatness is determined by service."

Do you agree that everyone has the potential for greatness? Maybe you think serving others isn't what makes someone great; if that's the case, what do you think are the are the qualifying features of greatness?

Yes and no to the first question. Greatness is determined by service and passion. In order to be great, you need passion. So you could be the best chef in the world, but without passion, you're not even 1% great! Dr. King was half right, because he forgot to mention passion also makes greatness. If nobody took passion in their work, nobody would be great. Passion and service make greatness in a person.

There is only one way to become great. Be passionate in your work. If you aren't passionate, well, no good will come out of it.

If I Could Meet…

If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be? Consider scientists, entertainers, world leaders, artists, writers, people in your family, and so on. Make a list of questions you’d like to ask this person.

I would like to meet Albert Einstein. The questions I would ask are:

Based on your theory of wormholes, wouldn’t you need enough negatively-charged particles on one side to attract the positively-charged particles on the other side and visa versa?

What did you do at the patent office in Bern?

Who was your teacher(s) at your college?

When did you come up with your theory about wormholes?

Can you explain quantum physics to me in the simplest terms?

What is your “theory of relativity” based on?

About My Name

Many names have special meaning or history. For example, the name Hannah means “favor” or “grace”. The name Vito means “life”.

Write about your own name. Who named you? What does your name mean? Does it have a special ethnic or religious significance? Are you named after someone in your family? If you could change your name, would you?

My name is Benyamin. My name is variation of the Hebrew name Benjamin. It means “Son of my Right Hand (Favorite Son)”. My name has ethnic significance in the fact my mom and dad wanted me to be named Benjamin, but wanted our Danish relatives to be able to pronounce it correctly. I am named after my great-grandfather DuBose and my Danish uncle Benny. Although Benyamin is a good name, people keep screwing it up and say “Benjamin” instead. I would change my name to something that people can’t mix up, like “Kyle” or “Alex”. Then again, my Dad says that people can screw up something as simple as “Jim”.

Code of Chivalry

King Arthur of the Round Table is a heroic figure of English legend. Arthur and his knights were said to live by a set of beliefs known as the Code of Chivalry. A few rules of the code include:

Live one’s life so that it is worthy or respect and honor.
Live for freedom, justice, and all that is good.
Be polite and attentive.
Never betray a confidence or a comrade.
Protect the innocent.

Come up with a modern Code of Chivalry. Write a list of a least 10 things people should do today to make modern society more chivalrous-that is, more considerate and courteous.

Here is my Code of Chivalry, the Code of Courtesy:

Help out anyone you can, whenever you can.
Respect your elders.
Do not lie.
Do not belch or fart in public, unless absolutely necessary.
Say “Yes, sir” or “Yes, ma’am” and “No, sir” or “No, ma’am” when your parents ask a question.
Care for the sick or injured.
When people are talking or listening to something, do not make a big racket.
Say “Please” and “Thank you” whenever possible.
Do not intentionally hurt or harm a living being, especially if you are a intelligent being.
Do not steal.

I hope if people follow this code, they will become more courteous.

Time Traveler

If you could go anywhere in the world, at any time in the past or future, where and to what time would you go? What would you want to see, and whom would you want to meet? Explain.

I would want to go to my birthplace, Carbondale, Illinois, 1 million years into the future. I would want to see the exact same spot where my house was (Which was 2110 Partridge Lane. How I know this is that it is on a pencil case I own) and the hospital in which I was born. Then I would know what the future would look like for my previous home. I would want to meet whomever were running the USA, if the USA still even exists! I would also like to meet my descendants. I would want to know if I would be a successful man, or if I would end up on the streets. I would also like to meet the rulers of all the countries at the time.

Five Senses, Minus One

Most people are born with five senses-sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. If you had to give up one sense for the rest of your life, which would you pick, and why?

I would give up smell, because not all smells are good. For example, a certain dog we know, I won’t mention any names (Nap-o-le-on) doesn’t smell very nice. Neither does my Dad’s shoes. That’s what Dad would call “ripe”. Smell is the least important sense, as you don’t need to smell. Good smells, however, are sort of addicting, so it would sometimes suck to lose your sense of smell. I would hate to be not able to smell my mom’s cooking, especially her pork chops with orange marmalade. But still, I would rather lose smell than, oh, lets see, sight or hearing. Taste would also be one I would love to keep. Touch is another. So it’s a fair bet between smell and smell. Since it’s the same choice for both of them, I’m going to go with smell.

A Star is Born

If you were allowed to star in the movie of your choice, what kind of movie would you choose? Pick out your co-stars, your shooting location, and your wardrobe. Include, if you like, your action sequences and the martial arts you’ll learn.

I would be in a movie based of my Super-Kid idea. My co-stars would be my friends Dakota Porter, Josh Bell, Cody, and Jared Porter. As for shooting location, I would probably shoot at Mt.Everest, and Carbondale, Illinois (For the scenes in the house), and also on a special set in a soundstage, and finally in Saguaro National Park. My wardrobe would consist of my super-hero out fit and clothes a normal kid would wear. Same for my friends. My action sequences would be the battle scenes and the scene where whomever is Fire-Girl is lost in space after a mission to destroy the bad guy goes wrong. I would have to learn karate if I wanted to act in the movie.

Secret Camera

Suppose you’ve been given an invisible camera. You can put it anywhere in the world-the Oval Office, the teacher’s lounge, a movie star’s apartment-and see what happens. Where would you put such a camera?

I would put such a camera in a cooking school. The reason for that is that I would LOVE to learn to cook. The problem is I can’t go to cooking school because I’m only 9 years old! I would preferably like to learn how to make pizza, hot dogs, and steak, of course, not in the same meal, at the same time.

The Common Shakespeare

Shakespeare had an enormous working vocabulary; he used about 29,000 different words in his plays and poems. (By contrast, most people today have working vocabularies of only 9000 words.) Many people think of Shakespeare’s language as difficult to understand, but he invented many words and phrases we use nearly every day.
Below are some common phrases from Shakespearean plays. Choose one phrase, and explain what you think it means.

Apple of her eye
Eating me out of house and home
Good riddance
Green-eyed monster
All the world’s a stage
To thine own self be true
Tower of strength
Wear my heart on my sleeve

I picked the phrase “Good riddance”. I think it means the same as “I never want to see you again!”.