User:Ryanklervick

Compare/Contrast
Compare & Contrast “Huck Finn & Road Not Taken”

I think the title “The Road Not Taken” can apply to both situations. Robert Frost takes the path not taken and because of it expands his learning & what he has seen by taking the different road. The same thing can be said of Huck Finn in the fact that he took the road not taken by the rest of his family which involved school, learning and domesticating himself. At first he didn’t much like the lifestyle, but the more he immersed himself in the more comfortable he became living that lifestyle. That is, until he decided it bored him, in which case he wandered back to the road he used to travel.

Robert Frost wasn’t as hesitant in the poem about which road to take, but whenever one is asked to make a choice, there is always a lot of thinking involved, and a lot of times conformity is the normal action, but a lot of people do tend to choose the road less taken because it is not clear what you will find down a previously unknown path. Ones thirst for adventure that comes with the unknown is a powerful selling point to get you walking down that unknown path instead of the one less traveled. This similarity is evident as we see Huck constantly wanting to do something new as repetition constantly bores him. The same lifestyle day in and day out is what pushes Huck to become a wanderer. He doesn’t seem to be moved by money since he has a lot and willingly will get rid of it to stop his dad from getting it. He feels much more at home in the woods, camping out, but the adventure of the unknown is what convinces him to try the life in town. School even became something he could get used to as we see in this excerpt : “At first I hated the school, but by and by I got so I could stand it. Whenever I got uncommon tired I played hookey, and the hiding I got the next day done me good and cheered me up.”

I can see how him and Tom Sawyer became friends, with Tom always searching for adventure, and more often than not, inventing his own fantasies which at first Huck didn’t mind, but when the gang they started went without adventure they all grew bored and left the gang. An Example of the adventure Tom creates is when they create there gang, they’re talking about what they will do for there first robbery, and Tom refers to his books so they can conform to proper gang format and Huck just listens because it is new and interesting to him since he ain’t read no books of that sort. This excerpt shows of the conformity:

“Must we Always kill people? “ “Oh, certainly. It’s best. Some authorities think different, but mostly its considered best to kill them--except some that you bring to the cave here, and keep them till they’re ransomed.” “Ransomed? What’s That?” “I don’t know. But that’s what they do. I’ve seen it in books; and so of course that’s what we’ve got to do.”  I think that this shows that even in new adventures, conformity still appears quite often. While something like creating a gang and robbing is new and adventurous at first thought, it still in this way follows conformity to the norm of what you do when you rob a coach or something that a gang does. In the end, this goes nowhere because Tom is so content on setting up parameters and rules that everyone just seems to wander away from the idea.

Now that I think about it, Huck tries a lot of different new paths, but because of his simple ways that were inherited from his drunk dad he tends to take things people say to literally and when that new path doesn’t work, he pretty much gives up on it from lack of it working the way he wants. One time this happens is when he is taught to pray by Miss Watson. “She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it. But it wasn’t so. I tried it. Once I got a fish=line, but no hooks. It wasn’t any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn’t make it work. By and by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool.”  From listening to Huck there, he tends to take a lot of stuff literally, and not quite keep interest if it doesn’t do what he thinks it should. When comparing this to Robert Frosts’ Poem “The Road Not Taken” we see Huck has constantly tried to take the road that from his point of view is the one less take, but in fact is the one more traveled from the view of Miss Watson. He tries to do as Robert frost did, by trying something different but unlike Frost, Huck will take that path and then go back to the other path once he’s explored the different path. He often does this many times with religion, living in a civilized fashion, and even living the simple life in the woods.

When I compare both men, I tend to draw the conclusion that while both are looking for a change to something new, Huck seems to be more of the wanderer with not much thought involved. He is more inquired to just take the path for the hell of it. Robert Frost on the other hand seems to be more of the thinker of the two. He describes both paths, and even considers taking the same path he’s taken before, but in the end, persuades himself to take the road less taken. In this following passage from the poem, you see where he comes to a decision, you can tell there is considerable thought involved in his decision.

“And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.”

So in the end we must ask ourselves, which road will we take when the choice comes to us? Will we jump in without thought of consequence, just ready for the change in our normal everyday life, or will we put considerable thought into our decision to change our lives, knowing that we might never be able to return to the old ways? Will you be The Huck and just jump in, or will you consider what you’re giving up before you take the new path? Or will you forsake both ways and conform to the normal and just take the path you are most comfortable with? “Two Roads diverge in a wood” Which one will you choose?

Ekphrastic
CASE FILE # 446321

Unidentified Object: Frank James -- (Area 51: Special Projects Investigator assigned to case)

The Following is the case study received one week ago from the Seattle investigation concerning an unknown event that took place 2 days ago right off the waters of the Puget Sound.

May 20th, 2009

I’ve never seen anything like it. At first glance it appeared to be just another sculpture in the sculpture park that was put together, but according to authorities and the director of the sculpture project, no one can figure out how this object arrived here, and how something so big was moved in seemingly overnight. According to local authorities the night in question was foggy and limited visibility due to the fog aided in the lack of witnesses of the aforementioned event. The director of the park assures me that this is not some hoax to draw attention to the new park, and has provided me with documentation proving that all other works are part of the project except the one I am here to investigate. The object seems to be of a mineral I have never come across in any of my previous geological studies. Upon first sight it looks to be possibly a polished metal, or even the texture of a cut marble, but upon examination of the samples we took from the structure, the metal contains no elements that we have cataloged as being of this earth to date. It is also unclear what the exact size of this object is. Upon first observation we thought that the only piece was the large structure nearest to the street. It is a hard shape to describe. Its shape is a diamond, but it extrudes outward and forms a square that seems to form the outer wall that then turns in on itself. The entire length keeps the diamond shape in tack, and stands about 7ft tall from the ground skyward. The weird thing about this artifact is not just the Shape and material it is made of, but it seems to also emit a chemical or some kind of regenerative ability that allows for advanced growth of plant life around the object. Whether this is to camouflage itself or just a side effect I can’t determine, but the area around the object seems to have a small forest of saplings that appear to be in there 3rd year of growth. The director of the park assures us that the area along the road had yet to be created and that neither the object or the plants around it were here two days ago. It is very strange indeed, and just keeps getting stranger. Upon inspection of the surrounding area we came upon more of this unidentified material protruding from the ground not more than thirty yards from the main Structure. There is continued tree and plant growth continuing from the original structure all the way to the area containing the protruding fragments. I’ve sent samples of the material along with soil samples so that we can have hope of making light of this strange situation. There is no telling how far down this object goes into the earth or if what we see is all there is to it. I am requesting an excavation team to accompany me and resume an exhumation of what I think could just be the tip of the iceberg of something much bigger. Scorch marks appear around the top edge of the main square shaped part of this artifact possibly leading me to believe that what we have here is not the completed artifact, but possibly just one part, possibly a landing dock of sorts. It is too early to tell, but strange things have happened the night after I arrived and was doing a fact finding mission during another of the cities many foggy nights. The object appears to emit a low level hum accompanied by a slight vibration I almost didn’t sense,  It only is felt during the fog as the following day, I sense nothing with the equipment I brought along. Please reply immediately as to whether a team will be sent to accompany me. According to the local weather forecast, a fog is due to roll into the park area tomorrow evening and I am curious to find out whether the hum will again appear. I have a feeling about this, Something just isn’t right, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. The vibration seemed to have come from deep down in the earth. Almost as if something beyond my guess of size were buried below us. Possibly in comparison to the Great pyramids that were once buried below the sands in Egypt.

I await your reply,

Frank James (special Operations Investigator)

This was the only report from our agent as the team was approved to excavate and was sent to Seattle only to find out that all of Mr. James luggage was still packed in his suitcase inside his hotel, but no whereabouts have been made as to where exactly Mr. James himself actually is. A search of the area has picked up nothing. It is as if he just vanished into thin air. Last sightings were by the valet who pulled Mr. James rental around for him the evening he mentioned concerning going back during the fog that was supposed to take place.

Suggestions: Case #446321 appears to be much more than meets the eye, excavation to determine the extent of this formation is due to begin next week, The area has been sealed off and construction is underway to cover up any ongoing dig we partake in. What has happened to our agent is as baffling as the report he sent.

Case Status: OPEN

Sequel/Prequel
The GoonDocks

Journal Entry #360

Its been almost a year since that unfortunate day that we were sealed here in our tomb to become father times latest casualties. We were chased in here as we sought escape from the British. If I would have known now what would have become of us, the others and I would have surely chosen to stay and fight. I am the lone surviving crew member from a crew of more than 50. Willie and I were the only two to last into the 10th month of imprisonment and about a month ago I made good on my one promise that I made to my friend and leader, I buried him in the captains Dining hall. It wasn’t just any burial, but buried in the looted booty that was to become our nest egg. Little were we to know it would seal our doom and become the burial dirt of our leader. At first we thought to escape and began extensive digging on multiple systems of tunnels that we hoped would someday lead out of this god forsaken Cave. The cave was like a small lagoon enclosed inside a rock shell. Our ship had been supplied well, but not for such a duration as we ended up enduring. As the last of my crew died off, the tunnels had gone for miles, but to no avail. We are close to daylight, or I should say “I” am close to it. The air in one of my tunnels has become moister somehow, not as stale as we have become used to. Along this certain tunnel we have layed out many traps and tricks to protect our treasure should someone ever stumble upon the entrance to our tunnel system. You would not believe the ingenius ideas some of our crew had. A set of pulley’s that held up enormous boulders that would sequentially drop on any unsuspecting person who happened across a hidden trip wire. One man even went so far as to set up a Piano/Organ made of human bones. After many months inside, I don’t know if I am hallucinating or just reaching the end of my time here as well.

Journal Entry #361

This could be my last entry in captivity if all goes well. I’m almost out of food, and have decided to see where that tunnel leads out to if an exit does loom close. I have gathered my extensive collection of drawn tunnel maps and information needed should I have to find my way back through the many traps. I also have taken enough loot to ensure that should I manage to escape I can live my life without ever having to revert back to piracy. I’ve heard these lands around us are open and uninhabited for the most part, and I wouldn’t mind making a life where no one knew my past or what I’d done in my youth. Should I make it out alive, I think I will settle myself into my own little Oceanside town and name it after my beloved wife who passed away years ago, Astore. Astoria, yes, that sounds like a good name for a town. It’s time to get going, I never much believed in luck, but I’ll wish for some now….Godspeed

 (this was the only page found among many interesting maps and jumbled papers. Other pages survived, but wear and tear have made them impossible to read until further restoration has been made.)

Analysis
Self Analysis:

I think the biggexst thing i took out of the literature class was to have a little patience with the things you don't understand and use that patience to duelve deeper into what the author is trying to express. Alot of things i might originally pass over because of their complex language and tricky wording could have a solid story if you only take time to look deeper.

I truthfully don't believe that my writings did or will contribute to the knowledge of my fellow students only because of the "Fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" style with which i write. Unless i'm writing a structured paper, hits paper as quick as it shows up in my mind. I just write about what i feel and make slight adjustments along the way. I think that if i could learn something else that i would like to be able to write a strong piece of literature with the powerful underlying meaning that the more famous writers of the past and present can achieve.

I thank our teacher for making us slow down and look deeper into what a particular writing is really saying at its core.

Personal
This is a link When Was I Last Really, Really Cold?

Thinking about the cold immediately takes me back to two years previous when I was rounding out the end of my trip to Europe. It was October of 2007, and summer was ending with winter right around the corner. We had been in Norway for about a day and the next part of our trip took us far north and out into the fjords to a city called “A” on the Lofoten Islands. This string of islands are located in the Arctic Circle, and just by where it’s located you can guess what the weather was like.

The day started out rainy and overly windy as we began our walk from the airport through town to the ferry terminal on the mainland which would take us on the 4 ½ hour boat ride to our destination. The weather on the ride out left our boat bobbing in the ocean like a pair of pants put into a dryer and set on tumble. This was a giant boat which resembled a large cargo ship because of the fact that truckers and there trade goods often made this trip.

Four and a half hours later we arrived half sick in the small port some half hours drive from the town of “A”. It was now pitch black out. Being as unfamiliar as we were with the place, we thought we could just find a taxi to our destination. This left us standing in what felt like a monsoon of bone chilling wind and sideways rain with no clue how long we would be walking to our destination in this odd desolate place. It turned out that nothing close to buses or taxis were anywhere to be found this time of night. Once it goes dark here, everything shuts down. As we hefted up all of our full luggage, we started through the pounding raind towards the main road, wondering how long it would take when our savior arrived. A group of guys that had been on there way home from the mainland pulled up next to us seeing us about to walk away from the pier and asked where we were headed. Luckily they offered us a ride because they told us that the trip was more like a half hour drive down the coast, and more like a 1 ½ hour walk or more down to “A”.

We arrived at a town that resemble more of a few huts and one big 2 level house on the road than a town. The town was arranged on rock slabs jutting out from the mountains into the water. We thanked the men for the ride and made our way through the pouring rain to the door marked office. After 10 minutes we were able to get in touch with the owner, since most places were closed when the sun went down. We were shown to our room which ended up making us the only ones in the inn. That night, we tried to recover from the bonechilling cold that we had experienced earlier that day. Little did we know that both of us had come down with the flu or a viral infection. To go along with that, the bump on my back that I was told by the doctor was nothing but a calcium deposit and nothing to worry about ended up being a cyst, which had begun to swell up and ended up being where the infection got into my system (and that is a whole other story for another time). We both sat there that night sweating through the chills of remembering that day, coupled with the onset of major colds runninug through us.

Normally when you have a cold like we did you stay in and rest, but being one of our destinations that a lot of planning went into, and the ancestrial home of my friend, we couldn’t just lay around and so we woke up early the next day to check out the area. We hoped that the weather from the day before had left, but we were not so fortunate. We headed out into the familiar pounding of the rain accompanied by the wind which felt like if we lost balance would push us right off our feet. Because this trip involved so much traveling, neither of us had thought to pack a large cold weathered coat, so we both had on our windbreakers which in minutes had been completely drenched and of no use for keeping out the wind or stopping the rain from soaking our clothing underneath. Not a soul seemed to be outside, and for good reason. I can only imagine what they thought of these strange people walking around town. As we made our way along the coastal road to find a bus stop and a schedule, we fought the feeling of our sickness setting in and finally found a schedule. We had originally planned to stay 2 days and leave the next morning so we wanted to get to the other side of the island and see the old Viking town that re-enacted what times were like back in the days. It turned out there was only one bus, and it traveled only 2 times that day and the second would get there after the place closed.

Our colds set in hard core that next evening, and we finally gave into them and as we walked back to the inn, we felt like popsicles that never would though. We got back and called down for some extra blankets and commenced to bundle up as much as we could to stifle this unending cold that felt like it coursed through our veins. We made a few calls and found out that the next day there was only one boat going out to the mainland, and no buses ran early enough to get us there, so we were forced to spend one extra day confining ourselves to our room.

Needless to say the trip back on the boat the next day was one of the worst rides I have ever had to endure, due to the infection that was reaching its pinnacle and my friends flu, we both felt like death had truly come to take us away. And if that wasn’t enough, it was still a 2 mile walk back to the airport and wouldn’t you guess, it had started up again, and the storm we got on the island must have followed us back. When we arrived at the airport, we pretty much were down to our last pair of clean clothing, and it now held water like a sponge.

This short stop on our European vacation would have been a beautiful place to see and even with what happened was still a site to see, but it made us long for the warmth of Seattle (as hard as that is to believe). Now just imagine 1 day later having to fly a total of 4 flights lasting 18 hours, with a 6 hour layover in Chicago because of a late flight arrival. But that is a different story for another time. All I can say is if you plan on going to the Arctic circle, remember why it’s called that and pack accordingly.

Perspective
Dear Minister of Magic:

I am writing this most humble letter in the hopes that after the turn of events that have reshapen the wizarding world and repelled the attack of the group known as the "Death Eaters", that the ministry may have changed their views on the discipline policies that must be administered here at Hogwarts. For a long time I have lived as a squib in a world where magic and the use of it defines a person. Being a staff member of Hogwarts, i can also attest to the length at which young miscrients without proper discipline will go to torment the half breeds and squibs such as myself, if not shown the sharp edge of discipline.

When discipline was prompt and swift at Hogwarts there was order from the chaos that free-weilding, undeducated wizards possessed. nowadays, students like those Weasley twins have free run of the castle and the adhoration for what? For being Rulebreakers! There is nothing that can't be fixed by being strung up by your thumbs down in the dungeons for a day or two. I believe that the switch along with the shackles and a solidly built stretch rack are just what this school needs.

I have appealed my case to the new headmaster but believe that she has a clouded view of what is acceptable punishment because of her many years of service under our previous headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. i await your response and eagerly hope to see ministry action in the near future, as i believe this is the only way to halt the abundant miss-use of magic that goes on beneath our noses here at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft & wizardry.

I have also attached an updated list of banned items from Hogwarts grounds and would urge that the ministries "Miss-use of Muggle Artifacts" & "Miss-use of Magic" offices should take swift action against the culprits listed below.

Your humble servants:

Argis Filch & Ms. Norris

Memorization
My Memorization piece is going to be From Lewis Carroll. Titled "Jaborwaki" Sorry bout the spelling. I'm gonna revise this, just doing it while i'm near the comp. I talked about this one with you in class and you said it should be a good size. and there are quite a few tough words to remember so should be interesting..lol <>