The Traveler

Courage is a traveler
Ready to take on the world
Step by step

The feeling that comes to you
A mixture between fright and excitement

Stepping out of your comfort zone

Exploring
Discovering

Doing more of what scares you
Not knowing what's coming next
Yet being ready for whatever life throws your way

Feeling your heart beat quickly
To the sound of your feet
As you step onto land foreign to you

Doing it even though it scares you
Because the feeling of satisfaction in the end is something you can't resist

Going beyond the limit
Because you have the power to do so

Nothing standing in your way
But your fear itself

Realizing that your adventure starts just by opening the front door
Courage does not wait for the opportunity
A traveler does not wait for the right moment
Because that moment is now

That good feeling you get in the end

Courage.
Taking risks so you don't spend the rest of your life thinking you're incapable of anything

Traveling.
Taking risks so you have memories to look back on in your old age

Courage comes in many ways
Whether it's climbing a mountain
Or trying something new

Courage is an essential part of life
Through courage

You grow,
You experience ,
You live.

Disappointment

Disappointment triggers powerful emotions

The feeling of determination 

in fear of letting a loved one down

or hopelessness when waiting

for a moment that never comes

Disappointment is complicated, yet 

it is what keeps us moving through life

There is Always Hope

Throughout book one of the novel I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak, Ed goes on a mission to help those in need. One particular event really stood out to me. It was when Ed helps a woman out of an abusive relationship. This woman does not feel as if she can do anything about her situation. Even worse, her eight year old daughter has to see everything. I loved the fact that Ed took matters into his own hands when the woman could not. I am really proud of Ed for putting someone else’s need before his.

The women is the darkness, and Ed is the light shining in her life.

I believe Ed made the right decision when he shot Angelina’s abusive father. He gets rid of the father for good. The man is no longer able to hurt Angelina and her mother anymore. Ed helps pave a better future for them. I do not think any other method would have worked the way the gun did. The gun helped get Ed’s point across and without it, the wife and Angelina would have to keep suffering.

The man promised Ed something. He said “ I’ll stop doing it. I promise” ( Zusak 90). I do not believe that the man would just all of a sudden stop doing what he was doing. He was in a life or death situation and he was willing to say anything as long as it meant he would escape alive and unscathed. I think if Ed had listened to his word and left, the man would see that Ed poses no threat. Then he would continue repeating the same tasks that he promised he would not. The man tells Ed “ I feel like my wife does every night when I come home” (Zusak 91). At this moment, Ed is finally able to get the man to understand how his wife feels every night. I do not believe that this is enough to keep them man from continuing to do what he does. I think that in order for Ed to get his point across, he has to show the man that he is not joking around. He will do whatever it takes to make sure the man finally understands what it is like to be in the wife’s position. Ed is finally able to gain the confidence he needs. This is shown when when Ed pulls the trigger. Ed does not kill the man, but he still gets him to leave.

Ed gives the woman hope for a better life

Ed is finally able to truly sees how much pain the wife is in when Zusak writes “ I see her fall silently to pieces. She crouches there, dying to fall to her knees but not allowing herself” (44).  This woman is feeling hopeless. As if she will never be able to escape the pain she has to go through everyday. Although she is scared, she puts on a brave face.  She can not left anyone see how broken she is inside. How vulnerable she is. She has to keep moving forward, for her daughter.

Angelina’s feeling towards the situation is shown when Zusak writes “ A little girl appears on the porch. She cries...She must be about eight’ (42). The father’s abusiveness is not just affecting the wife. Angelina, the daughter has to suffer too. Having to experience something like this is too much. She is only eight. No child should have to watch their mother suffer. It is wrong and she is too young to be exposed to this. Ed did the right things by pulling the trigger. Not only does he ensure that the wife will no longer be raped every night, but also that Angelina will have a better future.

Charles Darnay

Charles Dickens uses many quotes in the novel to describe Darnay’s character. The first example is when Dickens writes ““He was otherwise quite self-possessed” (Dickens 46). Darnay is described as a calm and confident person. He know that there is a chance that he will die, but he doesn't let that get to his head. He remains composed all through the trial. The second example of Dickens describing Darnay’s character is shown when he states “ If it ever becomes mine, it shall be put into some hands better qualified to free it slowly (if such a thing is possible) from the weight that drags it down, so that the miserable people who cannot leave it and who have been long wrung to the last point of endurance, may, in another generation,suffer less” ( Dickens 95). This quote shows that Darnay is a virtuous person.Many people hate his family and he doesn't want to be apart of it. This is the reason why he changes his last name. He is better than his family and he has no intention of being like them. He says that he will abandon the property if it's given to him. He wants it to be given to someone who can actually make a change. Darnay knows that because of his family background, he isn't the right person. The last quote Dickens uses to describe Darnay’s character is when he says “ “He had loved Lucie Mannette from the hour of his danger” (Dickens 99). Darnay is a loving person. This quote shows that is he capable of loving someone else. He is a good person and nothing like his family. He know that people will automatically assume things because of his last name. Darnay is a loving, virtuous, and confident person. Dickens does a good job of describing his character in the novel.

Light and Dark

Charles Dickens uses light and dark to set a hopeful tone on Lucie and Dr. Manette’s relationship. The first example of light and dark is when Dicken says “ I want ‘ says Defarge; to let in a little more light here. You can bear a little more?” (Dickens 30).  The light in this quote is referring to Lucie. If Dr. Manette is willing to let some light in his life, then Lucie will have the chance to heal him. After everything he has been through, trust will not be something he is just going to give out. Lucie has to earn it. She has to show Dr.Manette that she has his best interest at heart. If there is trust in a relationship, then there is definitely hope. The second time Dickens uses light and dark to describe Lucie and Dr. Manette’s relationship is when he writes, “Some long obliterated marks of an actively intent intelligence in the middle of the forehead, gradually forced themselves through the black mist that had fallen on him” (Dickens 32). Even though Dr. Manette is not physically imprisoned, his mind is still locked up and it is being guarded by his own depression. The marks on his forehead are nothing but a memory. When asked by Mr. Lorry if he cares to be recalled to life, Dr. Manette replies “ I can't say”. Prison has that effect on people. What it doesn't have is the ability to control how you choose to move on. Dr. Manette’s only way of getting through this is if allows Lucie to be in his life. The last quote about light and dark is when Dickens states, “Trembling with eagerness to lay the spectral face upon her warm young breast, and love it back to life and hope” (Dickens 32).  It is like Dr. Manette wears a coat of depression that has no way of letting hope through. Being imprisoned for so long affects him in that he thinks he will never be happy again. That things will never be the same. What he doesn't realize is that there is someone who can change his future. His daughter Lucie, the light in his life that will guide him through all obstacles. Lucie is willing to help her father, even though she barely knows him. This sets a hopeful tone because if Dr. Manette lets Lucie in his life, he has a chance at changing his lifestyle for the better. In this novel, Dickens sets a hopeful tone by using light and dark to describe Lucie and Dr. Manette's relationship. 

Wine Shop

Charles Dickens shows a lot of foreshadowing within the novel A Tale of Two Cities. For example, Dickens writes “ The wine was red wine and had stained the ground of the narrow street” (Dickens 21). The red wine represents blood. The war is coming and it's sure to be a bloody battle. The blood will stain everything during the Revolution. That is why when the wine spilled it stained. Dickens is trying to tell us what will happen in the future. Another example of foreshadowing is shown when Dickens states, “ It had stained many hands too, and many faces, and many naked feet” (Dickens 21). The French Revolution is going to affect many citizens. The blood of all the dead people will stain their memories for a very long time. The red wine on the hands, feet, and faces is showing what is yet to come. The last example of foreshadowing is said by Dickens, “ There was a special companionship in it, an observable inclination on the part of everyone to join some other one” (Dickens 21). This quotes foreshadows how the people will act during the French Revolution. They are going to have to stick together is they want to overcome any obstacles in their way. Foreshadowing is shown throughout the book. The wine shop is just one of the many parts that represent the French Revolution.

The wine shop scene in the novel A Tale of Two Cities.

Family

Family can mean something different to everyone. Whether it's the people who share the same blood as you or those who are close to you, everyone has a family. "Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten"(Lilo and Stitch). They are the people who support you through thick and thin. The type of family you have can vary. There is not a single family who is exactly alike. Barbara Kingsolver shows a good job of this in her essay "Stone Soup". People in a family love each other. They support one another even when times get rough. To be a family does not just mean to be born into one. Having a family means knowing that there are people who you have your back no matter what happens. The function of a family is to care and to be there for each other. The purpose of a family is love and help one another succeed. Not to tear each other down. Family is shown a lot throughout the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. 

An example of family is shown in the essay "Stone Soup", " The sooner we can let go of the fairy tale of families functioning perfectly in isolation, the better we might embrace the relief of community" (Kingsolver). Not every family is perfect, but people are so caught up in the times where every family was alike. When they see a family that is not traditional, they automatically start to judge. People don't realize that times are changing. Not every family has to be "perfect" to be a good family. The quicker we realize this, the quicker we will be able to accept families for who they are. 

Another example of family shown in "Stone Soup" is "The cheering section includes his mother and her friends, his brother,his father and stepmother, a stepbrother and stepsister, and a grandparent"(Kingsolver). This quote shows that even though this family isn't traditional, these people are still happy. Everyone came to support that little boy and that's the true meaning of family. Others may see this family as broken, but in reality it is as strong as ever. 

The third quote shows that family is found in the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn " The card said: For Francie on graduation day. Love from Papa"(Smith 351). Johnny was an alcoholic, but that didn't stop him from loving his family. The Nolans loved and cared for each other, even if they weren't the perfect family. Francie knew that her father still loved her, though he had been going through a rough time in his life. The purpose of a family is to love even if someone is going through something. None of this stopped Francie from caring about her father. 

The final quote about family is stated in the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn " put her head down on the table and cried in great ugly tearing sobs. Sissy put her arms around her and spoke in her gentle caressing voice"(Smith 293).  A family is a group of people you can go to when times get rough. Johnny had just died, which was a devastating moment for Katie, but at least she had her sisters and kids by her side. She didn't have to face anything alone. 

In conclusion, every family has a purpose. It can be to love and support or to help each other grow. There is no such thing as a "perfect family". A family with stepmothers and siblings is just as good as a family with a mom and dad. Family is important because they help you through everything and they support you.