Belonging

To belong somewhere means to be accepted and feel comfortable there. I didn’t go to Fishers High School because I felt like I didn’t belong in that school district, so I came to University. Here, I feel like I belong because my friends accept me and treat me like I belong here. I also like being here, but I didn’t like the Hamilton Southeastern school district. Although I like this school, I don’t feel like I belong in Indiana. Most of my family lives here and has lived here for a long time, but in my opinion, Indiana is boring and there are so many other exciting things and opportunities out there in the world. When I’m old enough, I am going to move somewhere else where I think I belong. It’s important to feel like you belong somewhere because it gives you a sense of security, or safeness, because you have people supporting you. I think that everyone belongs somewhere, but that place might not be found right away. The place where you belong is what you can call home. It sometimes takes time to feel like you belong somewhere, but in the end, that place can feel like the best place in the world because you belong there and you feel comfortable and accepted there.

Euthanasia

Euthanasia is the somewhat humane way of killing something. I don't really like the idea of euthanasia, but sometimes it is necessary or better than letting someone or something that is dying die a painful death. I think euthanasia is okay when an animal is sick or hurt and dying. It is better than letting the animal suffer. Euthanasia in humans is different though. I don’t think humans should be euthanized unless they are only minutes from dying or they have been in an irreversible coma or are on life support. If the person has a disease such as cancer or AIDS and they know they are going to die eventually but not right away, I don’t think they should be euthanized whenever they want to if they still have time left. Even if the patient refuses to receive medical help, they shouldn’t be euthanized. They can’t just have an easy way out of life. I don’t mean that if they refuse treatment that they deserve to have a painful death, but if that’s the decision they make, then they should be prepared for it. Another place that euthanasia is commonly used is in animal shelters when they are overcrowded. I think it’s wrong because the animals don’t deserve to die. It’s not their fault, so I think shelters that euthanize their animals when there are too many of them should be illegal. In my opinion, euthanasia should be used as a last resort if there are no more treatment options available.

Why Do Dreams Fail?

Dreams fail because they aren’t real. It is rare that somebody’s dream will ever come true because people often think too much about a dream and get their hopes up and think it will come true. Dreams are different from reality. Dreams happen when someone is sleeping. Most people’s dreams are unrealistic and they aren’t possible, so they fail. Some dreams are doable though if the dreamer works hard to make it come true. In the book Of Mice and Men, I think Lennie and George’s dream is going to fail because something will go wrong. Their dream of having their own ranch with lots of animals and crops and things was possible, but not under the conditions they are in. They barely have enough money to afford anything so that would make it hard for them to accomplish their dream. In real life though, I know people as well as myself whose dreams have been made into reality because they worked hard to make them come true. It is difficult but it can happen. Many dreams have failed though because they were thought about too much and people think that if they think it can happen that it will happen but that’s not true. Dreams are almost never made into reality.

Romeo and Juliet responses

Was it right for Romeo and Juliet to run off and get married? Or was it foolish? Or both? Explain your response.
I think is was foolish of them to just run off and get married right away, after knowing each other for only a few hours. I know they fell in love at first sight and everything, but I think they should have planned it out a little bit better and not rushed things right away. They were also very young. I think they should have waited at least a few years until they grow up a bit more and they can take the marriage seriously, because obviously they don't see marriage as a big deal if they are getting married so young and after knowing each other for less than a day.

Should Romeo have been punished for killing Tybalt? How should he have been punished? Explain why you think this.
I don't think he should have been punished at all. The Montagues and Capulets were even after Tybalt was killed, because Mercutio was killed too. The Capulets were over reacting when Romeo killed Tybalt.

Do you think Juliet should have faked her death? Why or why not?
I don't think she should have faked her death. If she had just run away with Romeo or if she had been honest with her parents about him, then she most likely could have lived. When somebody fakes their own death, it's almost certain that something is going to go wrong.

Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Response

I really like Romeo and Juliet. Sometimes the language is hard to understand, and it's hard to get what's going on sometimes because it's not an actual book, it's a play, and it's meant to be acted out. I like the general idea of the story though. I read it last year in 8th grade, but we didn't read all of it in class. We stopped about halfway through it. The way my teacher taught it wasn't very good, she didn't really explain some of the language. This year, I understand it a lot better. I can actually understand some of the jokes and puns. There are a few reasons why I don't like the story though. One of them is that it's very unrealistic. 2 people don't usually fall in love right away, then decide to get married 2 days later. Another thing is that they are extremely young. They are about 13. I know that back then people got married a lot younger than they do now, but I think being married at that age is kind of ridiculous. I also think that the story seems longer than it actually is. It's only supposed to take place over a course of about 5 days, but it seems like it takes place over at least a month. That makes it kind of confusing. The good things about the story are that it has a good plot and it makes sense. Some stories are random and nothing fits together, but Romeo and Juliet does. If Romeo and Juliet was in a different format that's easier to read and understand, it would be one of my favorite books.