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“Didn’t Do It!?”
I consider myself really lucky. Compared to a lot of people I’ve talked to, and who’s blog posts I’ve read, my teacher “horror” stories seem to not even come close to matching up! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some bad encounters with several educators, but none even come close to being forced into a dark card board box in the back of a classroom! However, after some amount of thought, I stumbled across a memory that sticks out in my mind. Like I said, compared to being shut up in a card board box it doesn’t seem so bad, but at the time, I was pretty traumatized.
It was time for math in Ms. Waldman’s fifth grade classroom. As the clock ticked past two o’clock, (or at least I think it was around that time) Ms. Waldman instructed her students to remove their math homework from the previous night out of their bottomless-pit-like backpacks. Now, before I go any further I need to clarify something. My fifth grade self was not even close to being as responsible and motivated in terms of school as my senior self is. I was one of those kids who just didn’t really care about school that much. I would do my homework usually, but the amount of effort I put into it was mediocre at best. That being said, when Ms. Waldman gave the instructions to take out our homework I started to sweat. I had nothing to show, and we had had literally a week to get a small math assignment done. I thought to myself, ” Self, if Ms. Waldman calls on you to share your work your doomed.”
I devised a plan. I would pull the old Jell-o man trick, and sink as far down as possible into my desk in an effort to avoid becoming a blip on her “who to ask” radar. In my fifth grade mind the plan seemed flawless. I mean, if the teacher can’t see me she can’t call on me, right? Wrong.
I don’t know if my sinking down as low as possible in my chair made me more visible, or if I was pre-destined to get called on, but as soon as Ms. Waldman began looking for volunteers her gaze fell upon me. “Nick” she said, “Would you care to share your answers from the homework with the class?” As she uttered these fatal words my world stopped spinning. I swear everything turned slow-motion, and all I could hear was my heart as it fluttered faster then the wings of a humming bird. I tried to respond. “Uhhh…I…..uhhh….didn’t…..do….uhhh.” “What!?” She responded, “Didn’t do it! Nick stand up and look at me when I’m talking to you!” I stood up, my face as red as a tomato, and my knees wobbling like I was on a sea liner in the middle of the Bearing Sea, knowing my fate was looking pretty grim. As I stood there, Ms. Waldman unleashed a (what seemed at the time) vicious array of verbal attacks. “You had a week……Be responsible…..I’m disappointed….blah blah blah…” It all was blending together now. There was nothing I could do. The only action I could take was no action. All I could do was just stand there and take the attack head on. I was utterly defenseless.
After what seemed like an eternity her rant came to a close. I sat down, berated, depressed, and ultimately defeated. I felt terrible. For the final few minutes of the school day I sat at my desk, staring off into space, and dreamt of a life free from the insults of cruel teachers. It took all the strength I had to hold back the tears that were pulling on my eyelids, doing anything and everything possible to escape their pupil prison. As soon as the bell rang, I made fast for the door.
As I walked home from school that day I pondered why Ms. Waldman had done this to me. All I could come up with in my fifth grade was mind was that she probably hated me. When I got home, I remember laying on the couch and balling my eyes out! I was so hurt by what she had done to me I just couldn’t get over it.
After several days the pain I felt from the incident began to fade, and my reason began to over rule my emotion. I figured That if I did my homework I could avoid that ever happening to me again. And let me tell you, as soon as I connected two and two and made this realization, I didn’t miss a single homework assignment for the rest of the year! Even though this was really traumatic for the simple minded fifth grade version of me, the event taught me a valuable life lesson! Meet deadlines and be responsible, and the chances of you getting berated by the person assigning your deadlines decreases exponentially!
The Power of Food
I won’t lie, I love food. And its not just one kind of food I love, its literally anything and everything that is put on a plate in front of me. From sauteed asparagus to fried chicken, and lasagna to Kim-chi (a traditional Korean dish of pickled cabbage) I just love it. Its not only the taste of food I love, but also the power, and tradition, that food has carried with it in all different cultures throughout the centuries!
For ages food has been the cornerstone of social events. Ancient civilizations ranging from the Mongols to the Mayans, and the Romans down to the Ancient Egyptians, used food as a way to bring their people together. Food has the ability to heal wounds, increase moral, and ultimately strengthen the bonds held between fellow men. As the great civil rights activist Cesar Chavez once said, ” If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him…the people who give you their food give you their heart.” It is no lie, food brings people together.
Not only do I love the power food has, I love eating it! Every time I sink my teeth into a tender slab of home cooked teriyaki chicken, or engulf a salty mouthful of chicken pot pie, I feel warm inside! If you don’t believe me you can ask any one of my friends, I’ll eat literally anything and everything that is put in front of me. The food I eat takes me on a journey. If I’m eating a sweet, yet slightly spicy piece of lasagna (preferably with a hint of basil) I imagine myself on a street corner in Venice Italy. While I eat Injera bread (an Ethiopian delicacy) I envision myself soaking up a beautiful sunset overlooking the treacherous (yet beautiful) Blue Nile River. As I eat batch after batch of my Mom’s scrumptious Monster Cookie recipe I feel…well…I feel a little fat, but soooo good at the same time! Whether the food I eat makes me feel as if I’m traveling in an exotic country, or a little on the tubby side, I love it!
Food is pretty much amazing. Not only does it have the power to bring mankind together, but the right dish can take you halfway around the world with a single bite. On top of all of this, food has the ability to work miracles in regards to peoples moods. I often wonder what would happen if all the leaders of the great powers of the world, sat amongst one and other at the same table over a hearty meal. Just imagine what could be accomplished if the entire world recognized the power of food!
To Survive or to Have Fun?
Reading is a peculiar thing. Ever since humans gained the mental capacity to read, (and subsequently write) the ability to do so has been a sign of elevated status and power. But, are the hopes of gaining this power the reason why humans read? Is reading a hobby, or is it part of human nature to do so? People always say humans (and other species) evolve and adapt as the world changes around them, to better their chances of survival. So, is learning to read an important part of the natural selection process of today’s society, or, as I said before, do we read just for fun and as a hobby? Personally I think both sides have an extremely valid argument!
As the world changes so does it’s inhabitants, thats the way its always been. Back in prehistoric ages humans had to adapt as their ancient society evolved (both in terms of brain power and environment). As climates grew colder during the ice ages, humans had to adapt to the world changing world around them in order to survive. Instead of dressing in small garments made of smaller game, humans learned to create clothes and shelter from bigger animals, with thicker pelts, in order to keep them warm, and increase their chances of survival. If it weren’t for innovations like the adaptions made by humans to survive cooler climates, the human race could easily have died out. Bringing this back to reading, I don’t think it is entirely unrealistic to say the ability to read can be compared to the thicker pelts and other survival methods learned by humans of prehistoric times. Both the pelts we once used for shelter and warmth, and the pieces of writing we learn to read today, help us survive. Honestly, do you think you could survive in today’s society without any ability to read what-so-ever? From a purely natural view of the concept you could survive with no problems, but, if you strive to be a functioning member of society it would be extremely hard! A mere trip to the grocery store would be like deciphering ancient hieroglyphs, and making any kind of payments would be near impossible. When describing the importance of reading in today’s society, words like imperative, necessary, and beneficial are all extreme understatements.
On the flip side, people could also read just because its fun. I know plenty of people who read for no other reason besides the fact that they just flat out enjoy it. If I were to ask these individuals if they thought people read because it is part of natural selection in today’s society, they would probably call me crazy, and tell me I’m over thinking this prompt! I mean, I occasionally read just because I feel like it. If I find a book I really like, I’ll read it whenever I can, and there is no way in heck that me enjoying reading some random book is part of some greater scheme of natural selection. Really, in my opinion, reading just because you enjoy it has no correlation to the survival of the fittest in the society of today.
All of that being said, I think there is no strait answer to weather reading is just a hobby, or a way of survival. I thoroughly believe it all depends on what lens you view reading from. From a scientific standpoint, reading could easily be seen as a way to survive. However, from the viewpoint of your everyday reader, reading could very simply be viewed as just a way to pass the time. Either way, reading is present in society, and the decision to ignore it, or embrace it, is purely up to the individual.
Decisions
Fast. That one word is the best way to describe my past three years of high school. It all seems like one giant blur. I feel like just a second ago I was a socially awkward and nervous freshman, walking down what seemed to be the “giant” halls of HHS for my first time. Since that first day time has flown faster then the speed of light! The halls of the high school gradually appeared smaller and smaller, and my social skills steadily grew (not to say I’m not still a little awkward). The thought that this year marks the last year I will EVER spend in high school is just astounding. I mean, I really still feel like a freshman! Really the only difference I feel from freshman year to today is that I can sort of grow a beard now! Unfortunately (or fortunately, I cant really tell which) for me though, a spike in my responsibilities combined with a huge load of work I have to complete this year, constantly reminds me that I’m no longer that funny looking, awkward, and for the most part care free freshman. I have decisions to make and dreams to chase. All of these decisions and dreams have me on edge, but also have me quite excited.
Despite the importance of these decisions, and the impact they will have on my future, I’m really looking forward to making them. I can’t wait to find out where I’ll be attending college next year, if I’ll be playing sports, and where I’ll be living. I’m nervous about having to make these decisions, but really excited to see the results they have on me. I can only hope I make the right decisions. One of my biggest fears is that I’ll end up at a college that I absolutely hate, and as a result hate my first year of school. I really don’t want that to happen to me. In making these decisions I’m going to have to trust my gut, and for one of the first times in my life make a decision that is solely based on what is best for me. Not going to lie, the thought of that makes me a little nervous. Really, the big decisions I’m going to be making this year have me both excited and nervous!
On a less deep note, I’m looking forward to a lot of activities this year! I’m stoked for football season, and I can’t wait for Track to start! Also, I decided to do cheerleading this year during the winter sports season, so I’m really excited for that as well! Something else I’m really looking forward to is coaching Special Olympics basketball again! I coached last year with my good friend Taylor Guzman and we had a blast! It was great, one of the teams we assisted with qualified for the state tournament, so we got to go and help supervise the players for an entire weekend while they competed! It was exhausting but extremely fun!
All in all, I’m both nervous and excited for the different decisions and activities I have ahead of me this year! I can’t wait to play, and coach athletics, and I’m really looking forward to finally ironing out my plans for college. The big decisions I’ll be making have me nervous, but I realize their importance, and I plan on making them with confidence, and making the best out of wherever they take me.
Lil Pain and Miley
Alright, not going to lie, I’ve been in an extremely opinionative mood today, so please excuse me if this post seems more like a rant than a short essay. I’ve come to realize over the past couple months that there are a few select prominent (and It kills me to call them that) people in our society that I just can flat out not stand. I mean literally everything these people do just grinds my gears. Unfortunately for me, both of them are singer/songwriters so almost every time I tune into the radio I’m forced to hear there god awful voices, and be reminded of how much I loath them. The two individuals I’m referring to are Miley Cyrus and Lil Wayne.
I’m going to start with Miley Cyrus. If I have any advice for her it would be to just stop. I realize in her new “hit” We Can’t Stop she emphasizes the fact that she can’t stop, and that she won’t stop, but for the love of God I hope she does. Not only does her voice sound just flat out awful in the song, but, if your brave enough to watch the music video (and trust me, I’m not exaggerating when I say brave enough) you’ll see how disgusting of a dancer she is too ( that is if you didn’t already have to endure her performance at the VMA’s). Due to the fact this is a school blog I won’t go into details in regards to how she was dancing in the music video; all you need to know is that the video (in my book) receives a score right on par to her whacked out performance at the VMA’s on the “freak scale”. I mean Miley Cyrus just really ticks me off! She is a terrible role model, an awful singer, and an even worse dancer. The final piece of advice I have for Miley could also be viewed as a request. Miley, please, for the sake of the entire world, do some research on what distinguishes an entertaining performance from a freak show.
On to Lil Wayne, or as I like to call him, Lil Pain. Do you want to know why I call him this? The answer is quite simple really. The majority of his music is so bad its painful to listen to! Every time he opens his mouth to “sing” I swear a little piece of me dies. The dude drinks cough syrup to make his voice sound “right”! How weird is that!? He sounds like a pre schooler with a terrible smokers cough. And in some of his songs he like grunts and makes these weird noises, that accomplish nothing more then making the listener think he needs to adjust his fiber intake (if you know what I mean). In more then one of his songs he claims he is the “best rapper alive”. Honestly all I can do is laugh when I hear him say this. I mean seriously Lil Wayne!? Do you honestly think your the best rapper alive!? I’m a seventeen year old caucasian boy, from a rural farm town, who admittedly knows absolutely nothing about the “rap game”, and I can name at least ten rappers that are better than you! For me Lil Wayne’s horrific voice and his bizarre feeling of entitlement make him near unbearable to listen to.
I’ve got two pieces of advice to bring this rant to a close. One is for Miley, and the other is for Lil Wayne. To Miley, I just want to reiterate the fact that you need to STOP! Please!! You obviously have some issues to work out, so for the sake of your health, and the mental health of society, please take a break from dancing seductively with giant teddy bears and just disappear for a while. To Lil Wayne, lay off the cough syrup bro. If a chain smoking pre schooler is the sound you want then your doing great, but for some reason I feel like that wasn’t your original plan. Anyway, thank you all for putting up with my rant! If your a fan of either one of these people mentioned above I want to apologize if you were offended by anything I said. See you all wednesday!
Senior Strength
Over the course of my last twelve years in school, I’ve discovered a lot about myself as a student. I’ve realized I loath math and that I just can’t seem to get excited about the laws of physics and other sciences. But I’ve also discovered that I love foreign languages and cultures, and also history. All of these discoveries I’ve made about myself as a student have gradually revealed to me my strengths and weaknesses in school. Its funny for me to think back over all the years of school I’ve been through. I mean, it seems like just a second ago I was a second grader, walking down the concrete path of the primary school, daydreaming of how awesome life is going to be when I get to high school. The thought that my high school years are so close to being over just seems baffling. That being said, I really want to make the most out of this year. I’m determined to not let my weaknesses deter me from leaving my mark on Hockinson, and having an awesome year.
So, what are my weaknesses? One word, MATH. I absolutely hate it! I’m not terrible at it, but I work myself up so much trying to do it that math just gets flat out frustrating! I’ve always been extremely confident in all my classes other than my math class. I don’t know why math is like this for me, but for whatever reason it is! Its just so frustrating! In any other class I can doze off every once and a while, and miss part of a lesson from time to time without having to worry much at all. Not in math class though! For me to be successful in math I have to be firing on all cylinders whenever I step into the classroom. Its exhausting! Luckily for me though math seems to be the only subject that treats me so ruthlessly, as I feel like my strengths appear in other classes quite often.
Other than having math as my sort of achilles heel, I am quite pleased with the strengths I have in school. I’ve always been a pretty good writer. I’ve never let long writing assignments scare me away from a class and, in fact, I often try and embrace these assignments. I also seem to be pretty good at communicating in Spanish. I love being good at this because not only do I feel pretty darn cool when I’m speaking another language, its also just flat out fun! All that being said, my strengths seem to all fall into the language category, no matter if that language is English or Spanish.
Really, the biggest strength I posses in school is my work ethic. I’m not afraid to put in hours upon hours worth of work in order to get a job done. Hard work doesn’t scare me off, and I don’t intend for it to ever. My drive to work as hard as I can is by far my biggest strength in school.
All of my strengths and weaknesses aside, I plan on making my last year at Hockinson a memorable one. I want to leave a positive mark on the school and community. I’m going to do this by being the “cool” senior. I don’t mean cool as in “to cool to talk to you”, rather cool as in being that guy who takes time to say hello to everyone, and isn’t afraid to make everybody feel welcome. The last thing I want to be is that idiot senior who is to much of a jerk to take time out of his or her day to be friendly, and to self absorbed to have the backs of other people at the school. Really, I just want to be a friendly and easily approachable guy. On an academic level I want to finish strong. I know its going to be hard to stay focused, but I really want to finish my high school academic career on a good note.
All in all I feel like I am a strong student. My weaknesses are overshadowed by my strengths, and I’m not afraid to work hard. When added to my desire to be a friendly senior, I believe a perfect recipe for an awesome year is created. With that being said, I can’t wait to get this year going!
Life Could Be So Different
Life isn’t always easy, nor is it always fun. At some point there will be be hard things that you are going to have to say or do, despite the fact that every tiny little microscopic bit of you doesn’t want to do them. Yesterday I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends, as he leaves for college in the coming days. Let me tell you, this was one of those times. As we sat for 2 1/2 hours along the backside of the Hockinson Market, drinking Darigold chocolate milk (a tradition started three years ago during daily doubles week in football) and reminiscing on the “glory days”, the same thought kept popping into both of our heads. Life could be so different.
It really is a deep thought; one of those things that is almost too intellectual to think about. Every single decision we, or any of our ancestors ever made got us to where we are today. What would of happened if one of those decisions wasn’t made, or was a wrong one? What would your world be like if your Grandpa had decided to lift his head while fighting the Nazis in Europe during Word War Two, instead of staying low in his fox hole? What would your world be like if your mom thought your dad was a creep, and never had anything to do with him? Would you still be alive if your parents never met, just with another family, or would you not exist? What if your parents had decided to move (or not to move) houses when you were just a child? What would your life be like?
I won’t lie, as my friend and I sat there, talking about how the decisions we’ll be making in the coming years are going to be instrumental to the success of us in the future, I got a little scared. I mean, life can go so many ways! I can make hundreds of great decisions that bear extremely good results, yet it only takes one bad decision to destroy all the benefits of the good ones. Another deep thought. A person can work their tail off all their life; get good grades in high school, excel in college, get a job they love, and marry the person of their dreams. All of that takes years to accomplish. Yet, it can take mere seconds to destroy it all. All it takes is one poorly timed turn at an intersection, one night of thinking your capable of driving drunk, or a little bit of carelessness at work and all of a sudden you’ve lost it all.
The scary thought of how easy it is to lose everything you have ever worked for and love in life leads right into the big idea behind this post. I’ve always heard this saying, but for whatever reason it never hit close to home until yesterday. While sitting in the same place my friend and I had gossiped (for three years) about football and school, and where we counseled each other after relationships had fallen through and tough games had been lost, I discovered the true meaning of the phrase, “life is precious.” Not only is life precious but so are the people in it. If your religious thank God for having your ancestors make the decisions they did, and for the people in your life. If your not religious take a moment to reflect on what your ancestors, and the people in your life have done for you, and simply thank them. Life could be so different, so be grateful for what you have today, and never stop striving for a better tomorrow.
“Summer” Reading
Okay, Im going to start this post off being brutally honest. I’m not going to start by saying “over the course of the last three months I read this for my summer reading,” because it hasn’t been over the course of the last three months that I have been doing my summer reading. In fact, its all been going down over the course of the last three days (hooray for procrastination) ! I’ve been enjoying my summer so much that I nearly forgot to do my summer reading! It wasn’t until last week when I looked at the schedule for upcoming blogs, that I realized my days to finish the summer reading assignment were so numbered! That being said, the “relaxing” summer reading assignment has been more of a late summer sprint to the finish for me than a calming way to keep reading over the summer months (for some reason I feel like I’m not alone in this struggle). All that aside, I did manage to complete two books off of the A.P. reading list. Those two books are Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot, and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Let me tell you, both of these books told terrific stories, both of which questioned the morality of humans in an extremely deep way! I mean every time I sat down to read one of them (despite the fact that I was in a rush to finish them) seemed like a miniature appointment with a psychologist. They both got me thinking at a really deep level about human kind and the power (both good and bad) that the people of the world posses. Intertwined within the plots of these two stories were powerful themes that not only pushed the story forward, but made me think extremely hard as a reader about my life, and the life of all humans around me.
Loyalty. That was the main theme in T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral. Throughout the entire novel the stories main character (Archbishop Thomas Becket) and various other smaller character displayed tremendous amounts of loyalty. The Archbishop demonstrated loyalty to the Catholic Church and the followers of the Catholic Church, by preaching the word of God, despite death threats from King Henry of England. At the end of the story it is this loyalty that gets him killed. The Archbishop being killed leads perfectly to the next tremendous display of loyalty in the story. The knights of the King that came to murder the Archbishop were extremely loyal to their king. After killing the Archbishop, the knights stood before the crowd that had gathered to watch and explained themselves. They reasoned that they in fact did not want to kill the Archbishop at all, and that they actually believed he was a good man. However, out of loyalty to their King, they could not refuse to kill the man. Both of these outstanding displays of loyalty really made me think about the morality of us human beings. How far will we go to prove loyalty to someone or something? How far is too far when being ordered to act by a higher power? Questions like these made Murder in the Cathedral a very intriguing read.
In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness a primary theme is confusion. This confusion seems to stem from two main sources. Confusion in regards to imperialism, and confusion in regards to race. In the novel, as the stories main character Marlow ( a riverboat captain and a trader) travels up the Congo River to meet Kurtz (basically another trader and an idealist) he encounters some extremely horrific scenes. He often witnesses natives being beaten to death by other European traders, who justify their actions as being all part of the trading process. They believe that they are part of a “divine” conquest by which they can ruthlessly pillage towns and destroy families, and justify their actions by labeling them as part of a process. Seeing these acts of cruelty leads Marlow to be extremely confused on the ideals behind imperialism. On a similar note, the terrible way Marlow sees the natives of Africa being treated causes him much confusion in regards to the importance of different races. Should one race be more valuable then the other? Or, should all races be equal? Questions like these pulse through the mind of Marlow as he journeys through the Congo. As a reader, witnessing the psychological turmoil endured by Marlow on his adventures makes the story seem extremely real and very relatable. It is because of the relationship built between Marlow and the reader that this book is so interesting to read.
Despite the fact I was a little pressed for time while reading these books, I did really enjoy them. Personally I like it when the books I read make me think. Now I don’t mean think in a boring way, like how a textbook makes you think, rather in a creative way. Both T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness made me think in a good way. They forced me to ponder human nature, the relationships between governments and people, and the reasons as to why us humans act as we do. All in all, both of these books were very deep reads. Both of which had me not only thinking about the meaning of life, but questioning it, with the turn of each page.
Goals
As the days grow shorter and the summer nears its end, the inevitable reality of school starting back up starts to become more and more real. Along with the realization of school resuming once again comes the realization that my days of ignoring anything and everything that is at all school related are coming to a close. In other words, In about three weeks I’m going to have to start using my brain again. In the small amount of thinking I have done this summer in regards to school, I have come up with three concrete goals that (if accomplished) should lead to a fun and successful year in A.P. Literature. I hope to learn to enjoy classic literature, shorten the length of my essays (thats a big one), and pass the A.P. test at the end of the year with a score of four or (god forbid) a five.
I really want to learn how to enjoy classic literature, I mean like really bad! There are so many books out there that tell fabulous stories but are so bogged down with old English terminology that reading them is worse then trying to read old hieroglyphs off the side of a pyramid. If I could figure out a way to better understand these books so I can actually enjoy them I would be thrilled! On top of that, I just hope to learn how to enjoy reading in general more. I’m not to sure if its possible to learn how to enjoy something, but hey, I figure its worth a try. This is kind of a side note but I think it would be awesome to get to read some horror stories this year! I saw frankenstein and the Invisible Man on the list of books that were on the A.P. test, and if we get the chance I definitely think the class should read them!
I also really want to learn more on how to shorten the length of my essays and ultimately make them more concise. I won’t lie, sometimes I just kind of go off when I write, and sort of rant for a paragraph or two about things that do pertain to my topic, but don’t necessarily have to be in the piece of writing. I would love to learn more on how to weed out the unnecessary parts of my writing. I mean there have been times when the class has been assigned 500 word essay and I go off and write a 1000 word essay. I’m not saying thats a bad thing, but I would really like to be able to say all I say in 1000 words in 500 words. I know I can, its just a matter of practice.
On top of all of that I have one extremely generic goal. I’m sure everyone in the class (who plans on taking the A.P. test) has this same goal. I want to pass the A.P. exam with a 4 or a 5, that way I can save myself some time (and money) next year when I go off to college. I’ve come to realize that college is freakishly expensive and that every dollar saved counts. That being said, I’d love to knock off the costs of a few textbooks by getting college credit for an English class this year (while its still free).
All in all I feel like I’ll be very satisfied with my year if I can make these goals happen! I forgot to mention above that I also want to have fun this year! This is my last year EVER in high school, so I want to make sure its my best year. I don’t see how thats possible if I’m not having fun. Really, as long as I figure out a good balance between fun time and work time this next year, I see no reason as to why this won’t be the best year of high school yet.
The Reader In Me
Books. At first glance this noun seems like a simple word; one with a shallow meaning and a lack of significance. Sure, all of us know what books are, but it is very rare to come across a person (especially in high school) who understands and appreciates the true meaning and value of the book. I know for a fact that I don’t, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if I don’t for many years to come. Now, that sounds extremely disheartening and a tad bit depressing, however it really isn’t. In fact I like to think of it as encouraging. You see, buried underneath those five letters there is an incredibly deep meaning. A meaning that is a mystery to most and a treasure for those who understand it. Once found, this treasure becomes more valuable than the vast treasures of ancient people before us. The incredible thing about books, is that it can take a person anywhere from a few months to a hundred years to uncover the mystery behind them, and discover the treasures books hold. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been one of the people who views books as a mystery. I have never been able to put my finger on the reason that books are so special. Weather that is because there is too many reasons as to why books are comparable to treasure, or because there is no reason, I couldn’t tell you. I just don’t know. Throughout my travels through books and other literature, I have discovered a constant in my reading. No matter the setting, plot, or characters in a book, I’ll enjoy it as long as its a good story.
When I first started reading way back in pre-school and kindergarden I was all about picture books! Picture books on butterflies, cars, monkeys, trains, Polar Bears, and really anything else; If there was a picture book on something I guarantee you I “read” it! The simplicity of the picture books, along with my love for animals and cool looking cars made them an easy choice for me whenever my teacher would give us free time for reading. The pictures in these books told stories beyond what words could describe. You see, even back then books were a mystery to me. The amount of cool pictures and awesome animals I could discover in books were uncountable! The mystery of what I would discover next drove me to read more and more, and fueled my fire to advance to bigger and more complex books.
Throughout middle and elementary school I discovered a love for historical fiction and true historical stories. For me, historical books that weren’t boring and formatted like a textbook seemed like an eighth wonder of the world! At that point in my life I was obsessed with the history of the United States Military (as I am to a certain extent today). Because of that I read shelves full of books that were written about World War II, The Korean War, Vietnam, and even the Civil War. My love for historical books soon spread from just U.S. Military history to World History. Books about the Pharos of Ancient Egypt made my heart stop, tales of the raw power of Ancient Rome made my jaw drop in wonder, and horror stories of brutal Aztec sacrifice made me afraid of what mankind can do to one and other other. All of these chronicles told a story to deep for me to fathom. They indirectly told of how the world came to be what it is. I was baffled by the thought that if these stories never occurred the world would not be as it is today. Once again, The mystery behind books drove me to continue reading and discover new things about myself and the world around me.
Ever since middle and elementary school my taste for books has stayed the same. The only way to describe to you why my taste for books has stayed the same sounds so incredibly corny its not even funny. I mean, this is so corny and cliche your going to be embarrassed for me, and it would not surprise (or offend) me if you laugh at me the next time we have a conversation. Anyway, all pride aside, the reason my taste for literature is the same as it was in middle and elementary school, is that it was during this time I discovered historical fiction and historical based books. And it just so happens that this genre of book had me from hello. I fell so deeply in love with this genre that I love it more today than I did seven or eight years ago when I discovered it. Every single book I have ever read that is based in a historical time period tells an amazing story, and more times than not the story being told has a direct impact on something in the world of today. As a reader who loves a good story, and views books more as a mystery than a treasure, the puzzling air of uncertainty that surrounds many historical time periods, combined with the stunning tales of the times before us, makes historical based books the perfect blend of deception and adventure to satisfy to reader in me.
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