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December 2018

Exam posts

             Norton Christmas

 

Image result for happy holidays

It the family who you don't know that are the most fun to see-Unknown

 

     Family is important Even if you don’t know them. Family has always been an important part of my life. Every year me and my family have a “norton family Christmas” (moms side last name) at my Grandpas and Memeres house. While I don’t know a lot of the people there I still enjoy seeing distant relatives. Sure it’s awkward at times and I always hear the comment “wow, your so tall!” I still love it every time. I especially love my cousins Elle and Easton who are six and one and a half. Easton for some reason loves me and my dad a lot. He screams whenever he sees me or him. Whenever he’s in someone else’s arms he screams or whines a little and reaches out for me or my dad to hold him. Elle is a six year old imaginative, playful, and enthusiastic ball of energy-don’t let her have chocolate! She bounces off the walls for hours-. At this party there is delicious food and dessert (made by my Memere). But the best part is the gifts because every adult is assigned a is assigned a kid to by a gift for. It’s halirious because the adult who’s assign kid is opening the gift has a bead of sweat dripping down there forehead, they are so nervous about weather or not the kid will like the gift. The kid always reacts graciously sometimes they look at the gift and say “oh, thanks”, having no idea what the gift is. While this tradition is so much fun the best part is I get to see family that I don’t see a lot I can catch up with everyone and ask how there year is going. In reality while everyone changes year to year and new things happen they will always listen to your story’s and your boring (but fun to tell) story’s. I love this tradition and I hope it continues years to come.

 

 

Literary Analysis 

Image result for camp fire in cold weather

Ignorance will be the death of many- unknown

        We’ve all been ignorant before, but sometimes our ignorance will get us hurt. In the book, To Build A Fire by Jack London a man tries to travel of the Yukon alone. He is unprepared for and ignorant of the -75 degree weather. He is alone with out any back up and only a meal and some matches. He acts like he’s trying to show off to someone, that he is tough and he can survive alone, but there’s no one to impress but himself. Eventually his bad decision catches up with him and he gets himself into trouble. “the sun was absent from the sky. This fact did not worry the man.” this quote shows his attitude towards the Yukon, he’s is unfazed. He was on a trip with his friends and they were going to stick together but the man wanted to get some wood, so he split off from them. Even though a wise man had told him never go alone, he was unwise not to listen to him. He was inexperienced and unprepared for the elements. He had little to no experience out in the wild like this, but while he was inexperienced he still thought that “he was glad without a sled.”. He had nothing to cover his freezing face and he had very little food. His ignorance and pride affected his decision making negatively. A dog was trailing along with him and even the dog’s instincts told him of the danger, but the man kept marching on to prove himself.

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“The dog did the brute had its instinct. It experienced a vague but menacing apprehension that subdued it and made it slink along at the man's heels, and that made it question eagerly every unwonted movement of the man as if expecting him to go into camp or to seek shelter somewhere and build a fire. The dog had learned fire, and it wanted fire, or else to burrow under the snow and cuddle its warmth away from the air.

Excerpt From
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The dog was smart enough to realize that the weather was bad. The man had no care for the weather. His pure stupidity ended up getting him killed. The mans dog who was following him followed him for fire and support. The man had nothing to give the dog. The man hadn’t listened to the old man who told him not to go alone, he had scoffed at him. He died because when he failed and he was unable to support himself he had no one to help. This man should have listened to the old man, but his pride got the best of him.

 


The Magi Reflection

The Greatest Gift Is Giving 

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it is more blessed to give then to receive 

Jesus

 

       The Magi is a story about two people who care for each other very much. They love each other so much they will give things of there’s away to get the other a gift. This book reminded me that while it was a realistic fiction story there are people out there who really care for each other and they are willing to sacrifice something that means a lot to them for someone else.

      In the Magi by O. Henry two people, one named Della and the other Jim are married/dating and they want to get each other a meaningful gift but they both are to poor to buy each other something. So they sacrifice something of theirs that means a lot to them just to get the other a gift. Della sells her long hair that is full and gorgeous, and Jim sells his fathers watch. Very cute and nice, right they both sell something that is very important to them. But here’s the twist that makes this story so special. Jim buys Della a comb for her hair, and Della buys Jim a new shiny watch chain. When Jim sees that Della has cut her hair he stares at her in shock. She is nervous that he thinks she is no longer beautiful to him. He quickly realizes what she thought and says no and he takes out his gift shows it to her. She says that the combs are beautiful and that they are perfect. Then she pauses thinks and remembers that she sold most of her hair. She interrupts the silence and says well my hair grows back. The she takes out her gift says look at this watch chain isn’t it gorgeous, here put it on. He says Dell I sold the watch to buy you the comb. They both realize that while gifts are nice the best gift is giving and each other.

      When someone cares for you they will sacrifice anything for you. In the short story The Magi characters Della and Jim sacrifice very special things to try and make the other happy. On Christmas Jim and Della a couple want to buy each other something meaningful to each other but they are very poor. So they sell something important of there’s to buy the each other something. Jim’s decides to get Della something by selling his fathers watch. Della gets Jim something by selling her long beautiful hair. But Jim gets Della combs for her hair and Della gets Jim a chain for his watch. They give each other there gifts and realize they there gifts aren’t useful anymore. They realize that while they sold things that meant a lot to them that they have each and that they cared about each other so much that they sold something meaningful just to try and make the other happy.


"Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on

      Della and Jim care about each other very much, they sacrifice something that means so much to them just to attempt to make the other smile. This couple is truly the embodiment of the holiday spirit, not to receive but to want to give. They cared about giving so much that when they didn’t have enough money they sold their most prized possessions so they could buy some a gift they would care about. Even after they realize the gift will be useless because they sold the object it would be paired with they are still happy because they have each other. If everyone on the world was like these two characters there would be world peace. No one would think about themselves they would only think others.

      This book reminds me that people care for each other very much. With the holiday season coming up I encourage everyone to at least consider giving instead of receiving. Trust me the reaction on the persons face when they get the gift is truly a miracle. The Magi was a helpful reminder to give and not to always receive.