Winter

When winter hits it drives us inside
but not for long as
it breaths fall a cold goodbye
the days are short
the nights are long
the snow starts falling down
a warm fire is built
hot chocolate is made
and snowmen pop up too
the ski hills begin to open
people zooming down
kids build forts
and stash their snowballs
waiting for someone to come around
everyone is merry
ice fishers on the lake
people say that winter is bad
but I say that's a mistake

Point of View

Single Combat

“Hold your ground men it’s about to get bloody,” I yelled.

“Sir, Paris of Troy has called for anyone to take him on in single combat,” said my lieutenant.

Hearing this I roused my horses and powered to the frontline to see the scoundrel’s surprised face. I watched him sink back into his lines as I leaped out of my chariot.

“Is he afraid to fight me for what is truly mine”

“He is not afraid of a man who isn’t worthy to be a king,” shouted Hector from the Trojan lines

“What then, did he see a field mouse”

Hearing this my entire frontline burst out laughing. Then Paris emerged from the Trojans with armor that barely fit him.

“ What are the conditions Sir Paris”

“If I win your army leaves to where they came”

“And if you lose”

“Helen is yours”

“Fair enough”

“Hold on we must make it true to the gods, bring two lambs from the city and build an altar,” said Hector

 Then he pulled out his sword and began to draw the fighting area. My men built the altar and the lambs were sacrificed. Hector put our names in a helmet to decide who had the first cast of the spear. Paris’s name was picked. He cast his spear. It sped towards me, heading straight at my chest. It would have easily killed me if I hadn’t raised my shield. The point of his spear was blunt and harmlessly bounced off.

“Great Zeus! Grant me my rightful vengeance on this man who did me foul wrong, even while he ate my salt and slept beneath my roof!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

Then I cast my spear with all my might at the man who stole my wife. It pierced his shield like butter, broke through his breastplate and came to a halt just before it pierced skin. My spear should have gone straight through him but as I threw he had dived to the side saving a fatal wound and leaving a spear head stuck in his tunic.

I was mad and not just mad but furious. I pulled out my great sword and swung at his head. As my sword met the bronze comb of the lucky kid’s helmet it shattered into four pieces. Paris became dazed by the blow so I pounced on him in rage and drug him by the helmet to our lines to finish him. Then the helmet strap broke by some kind of magic and I flung the helmet into my men but when I turned to finish him he was gone.

“Has he become afraid. Does the little boy not want to fight any longer.” I beckoned to the Trojan lines.

“Does this mean a Greek victory?” Asked my lieutenant aloud.

But we were answered by the sound of armor being fastened.  

The Beach

The waves stop you.
The soft sand holds down your feet.
the warm breeze stunts you
The crimson horizon captures you.
You can't escape the beach
It can't escape you

Who Said You Were in Charge

Author's Note: this is a theme essay about the theme of government takeover in three books. The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Fahrenheit 451 

Government takeover is a theme used in many books. Many authors use it to create action or adventure stories about rebellion. I found that this theme was in the Hunger Games, Divergent and Fahrenheit 451.

 There is an obvious theme of Government takeover in the Hunger Games. No one is free unless you live in the Capital. The government controls everything and everyone in the districts. Not to mention that every year they terrorize the districts by taking away their children. Then they go make them fight to the death on national television. President Snow is the driving force behind this. He thinks of not even having the hunger games and just executing the tributes on the spot. All to make the districts bow down to him and give him anything he wants.

Unlike making their people fight to the death, in Divergent they have a different system. Everyone has a faction and that faction determines what you do with your life. Even though people have the choice of their faction, if they choose to change factions they never get to see their family again. You only have a small amount of job choices. Not to mention that the government tries to keep the people in the city, when they say they are trying to keep evil out.

Fahrenheit 451 has the same theme but with a different twist. The government has major control. They create strict rules on what people can and can’t have. Particularly books. If someone gets caught with books, they are sent to jail and their books are burned. The government has the power to modify any situation, like at the end of the book. They send a search for Montag and when they don’t find him they kill random man walking down the street to avoid embarrassment.

All of these books have the same theme but they warn us too. They give us signs to watch for and if we see them some of these events in the books could possibly happen to us. I don’t know about you but I don’t think I would like watching people fight to the death on TV. 

Hunting

Do you love the outdoors or just want to get out more? Then I encourage you go out and try hunting. It’s exciting, a good way to try new things and great for those times when you just need to get away.

If you want to get your adrenaline pumping, one of the best things to do is big game hunting. That probably doesn’t sound like a lot of fun but trust me when that big deer steps out your heart is going a mile a minute. There is always the feeling of never knowing when your opportunity to shoot will come. It just adds to the excitement. You also never know what is going to happen while you are out hunting. Who knows, you might witness something amazing.

Along with the excitement involved in hunting, you get to try many new things. Shooting guns, shooting bows, trying new meats, seeing new terrain and so much more. When you shoot for the first time you are hooked the instant the trigger is pulled. People always worry about kick on a gun but when you have your sights on an animal you don’t feel a thing. Once you can shoot, you get to eat what you’ve shot. That is the best part. I’ve always loved wild meats they are just way better than the normal meats you get. The reasons, they are fresh, lean, and have more natural flavor. Studies actually show that fresh meats like this are better for you than store bought meats.

Overall hunting can be really good for your health. Between confidence, healthier foods and walks though the natural terrain it can really help. Trust me walking through the woods burns a lot more calories than walking on a flat sidewalk.

Of all the things hunting can do for you many people love it for one big reason. It helps your mental health. Think about it. If you’re in the woods you don’t have to worry about people or jobs or school. You are just hunting and it gives your brain some time to relax.

Hunting can be very good for you in many ways and it could be bad, it mainly depends on the person. Sure it’s not for a lot of people but it sure is for me. The last thing I want to say is that it’s stupid when people hate on hunting. Don’t tear down something until you’ve actually tried it. 

Life of Don't Die

Author's Note: This piece is a prediction on what I think will happen at the end of Life of Pi.

My stomach fells like a empty pit never to be filled again. The days have been long and Richard Parker is becoming more and more hostile each day. But finally by the grace of God I see the coast and the small boat slowly inches closer. I reach for a flare but sorrow fills me as I find they are all gone. I begin to dose off purely of exhaustion and not know if what I'm seeing is real. I awake to the powerful steps of Richard Parker. My eyes open from my daze to see a blur of orange and black. The water stings when I dive out of the boat. I can't tell why it stings so bad, then I notice the huge gash made by Richard Parker's claw. The boat flips from his massive weight and I find that he is stuck under the over turned vessel. I hear him frantically trying to swim but sadly failing as he sinks further into the water.

There is no way I can flip the boat by myself so I decide to put my head down and swim. The coast doesn't seem far but after an hour of swimming it doesn't feel like I've made any progress. I flip onto my back, I feel like my arms and legs are no longer usable. That's I notice a fin sticking out of the water to the right of me. At first it looks like a dolphin but it's moving to fast. I remember what to do just as the shark leaps out of the water. I give the strongest right hook I can and hit it square in the nose it sinks to the bottom unconscious. I lift my arm and see the spot where my hand used to be and pass out. 

When I wake up I find myself in a mix of sand blood and water. I hear people shouting but I can't seem to make out what they are saying. When I turn my head I can just make out the sign of the Canadian Coast Guard on the shirts of three people. I'm saved.   

Patriots Pen

Imagine placing your signature on a document that could be completely turned against you. Would you stand for what you believe even if it meant possibly having a bounty on your head? Our founding fathers had to experience this first hand and they truly deserve to be honored.

The founding fathers were very brave during the revolutionary time. Without the founding fathers we probably wouldn't be here today. They created the spark that slowly set fire to the twigs and brush around it until it was full out raging, demanding independence and respect. It wasn't the shot heard around the world that started the war, it was our founding fathers. They had the guts to stand up for what they believed and began our surge for freedom.  

Our founding fathers not only did a great job of starting the revolution. They did an even better job of setting the base for our country with the constitution. I am very thankful that they gave us many of the rights we have today. Otherwise life would be so much different. Like if they didn’t give us the right to bear arms, it would completely change my life. I say this because I love hunting and I don’t know what I would do without it. Also the right of freedom of speech because you have to be able to express yourself otherwise things wouldn’t anywhere close to what they are today. Imagine if people couldn’t say their own opinion on things. Just think of all of the things that wouldn’t be around.  Many movies, talk shows, maybe even social networks. All of those things plus more.

With all of the things the founding fathers did right I have a few things that I disagree with them on. Like not letting women vote or allowing slaves. They are people too. Shouldn’t they have the same rights? At least there are amendments. I guess you can’t get everything right the first time.

Either way you look at it our country has fixed any flaws and pushed our way to being the strongest country in the world.