Sholly,+A.

Sholly

Dear Friend, I experience guilt whenever I slip a word of gossip or slap my brother in a fight. How would I feel if a beat a person to their death? But more importantly, does the inhumane person who beat Emitt feel any guilt? My reaction to the decline in American intolerance against different races has resulted in shock and hatred to any being that would stoop at the level at even raising their voice at a person on the sole reason of their race. Why is America still like this? I am enraged, to be perfectly honest, but I don’t know anybody who isn’t. It is also clear, that I was burdened with a sense of loss at the funeral, and seeing the body. Everyone these days, especially those who were oblivious to the happenings in the southern parts of America have been especially angry and shocked. But I have learned one thing throughout this enormous tragedy. This one truth I have learned is that after this occurrence I will change my future behavior. Including the condolences I will pay to families who have lost loved ones in a similar manner, I will try to do anything to make my hope in America’s future more alive in the sense that no one will ever be beaten again just because of their background.

Love, Hope

I like how you mention how it shocked the people farther north. A lot of people are very naive and don't know (or care to know) about whats going on outside of their own communities. ~Helena I really like the beginning how you compared the guilt you feel when you do certain things to how guilty the man who beat Emitt might feel. -Milena

Very well done! Good word choices and intro. -Megan Pinkerton

The guilt was an excellent point because we don't really know if they experienced any guilt. The final thought was good. -Laura Maurer

What? That assignment was due today? Well, I must have not heard you say that yesterday because I had a head injury. Yes, two weeks ago this headache started, and I've been dillusional since. I promise that if you said that, I sure didn't hear it! See, I was washing the windows at home (spring cleaning and all) and suddenly my dog gets all excited. He bites me, my reflexes cause my fists to tighten at the pain, thus tightening the grip on my windex bottle, causing me to squirt some cleaning product in my eyes, and before I know it, I'm practically blind trying to find some water to wash in out my eye. Due to my lack of vision, I thrust forward my head in pain, destroying our three inch thick window to particles of dust. Luckilly, as you can see there are no scars or exterior pain, but inside my head (and eye) I can barely function! But that was only half of it. You see, after my cleaning incident I went to my best friends house. We were playing on the swings, and being the unlucky (and talented) human that I am, I swung myself around the swing set, it a perfect circle. Well, according to my friend, after swinging around the top bar of the swing set nearly five times, I lost control and fell on my head. And does it hurt! Anyway, when I regained my conciousness, I realized that I had a gigantic swelling atop of my head. Not only that, but at soccer practice the next day, we were practicing different moves-by using our heads. Needless to say, I almost started bawling the first five rounds, but I kept my head held high-or however high you can hold it with a huge bruise on top of it. So, now you can see, teacher, that I would have done my homework, if my multiple head injuries would have permitted me to remember that you even assigned the homework. Even if I did hear you-it would have been to hard to think(with my head of course) of a creative story outline last night.

I believe that human beings are inherently evil. If they were not, why would we have to teach them at a young age to do the right thing instead of the wrong thing. Children don't need to be shown how to be bad, they can show others. Children, on the other hand, need a good influence. The world right now shows that we are basically evil because everything from war to hatred shows that we need to strive to be a better influence. However, no matter how hard we try, I believe that humans in their nature will never live up to be perfect, even if war does stop. Finally, because it is our nature, we can become good in later years, but we all start out evil and are evil at times.

I saw the trigger. The thing that reminded me most of my dear Rebeca. The crashing waters against the rocks made me feel my anger crashing inside of my heart. When I am angry, I do nothing but stand still and stare. I am never really sure what goes on outside around me, but I know that it must look a bit odd to people. But I never care. All that matters at that moment is my memories of Rebecca.

A beautiful woman, she was, and very kind too. Whenever I see the waters that she drowned in, I want to burst into tears. I've tried, many times, but when I go blank, it is me crying inside. There is no other way to describe it. I go into my different world where Rebecca lived, and whenever I remember anything that she did, I stand still as a statue, and quiet as a mouse.

These blank phases only really started after she died. I remember the day of her funeral; weeping folk and certainly not a dry eye in the whole cemetary. Except for me, of course. I had already gotten back to my little world of spending time with Rebecca. I try so hard to remember her, and when I go blank I do see her, and talk to her, but all I feel afterwards is empty, since I know I will never see her again.

My first experience with Rebecca in my illusion was in the rose garden. In reality, I was in a cemetary, as the minister was talking by her grave, but in my mind, a more pleasant experience was with me. We were taking a lovely stroll, in the middle of the hot July day, talking of this and that. At one point she even made me laugh, and I believe that I did laugh at her funeral. How perfectly odd the people around me probably thought. And when I opened my eyes to reality again, the funeral was over. I dropped my rose, as a bid goodbye to her grave; even though I knew that I would see her shortly again.