How Important Are the Words, 'So What,' in an Autobiography?

The following is an essay for my English 1 course.
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     So what? These are more than likely the most important words in an autobiographer's vocabulary. When someone goes to write their autobiography, their mind is usually teeming with ideas, stories, and memories. Not all of these, however, will be allowed to make into the autobiography. Why? Because they're not important to the person's story! Oh, sure, they may seem important to the person, but not really to you, because you weren't there with the person when they had the experience. Reading a boring, or irrelevant, story makes a reader say, 'So what,'?
     An author/autobiographer can use this to his advantage. He can already guess how the reader will judge his autobiography. By asking himself, 'So what,' he can put the stories to the test, and see if they really need to go in his autobiography or not.
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-RPCStudent1414

What was Equiano's Attitude Regarding His Life in the British Navy?"

The following is an essay for my English 1 course.

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     Olauda Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, was a slave. Stolen from Africa at a very young age, he was bought by an officer in the British Navy. He was taken aboard ships, and was taught the sailor's way of life, which he quickly became accustomed to.
     I do believe that it is safe to say that Equiano loved life at sea. At first, he was terrified of the white man, and shuddered in fear at his every move. Life at sea, surrounded by Europeans, quickly cured him of this. He began to learn the ways of the British Navy, and even called himself, 'contented', with their way of life. After participating in a battle against the French, (something he'd longed for for a very long time), and happily escaping all harm, and danger, Equiano described himself as, 'happy', 'comfortable', and other things.
     Equiano's attitude was very positive regarding his life in the British Navy. He was well fed, well treated, and very contented with his life. His master was kind, and the Europeans aboard the ships were as well. He kept this positive attitude until he was unexpectedly sold by his master.

What Must I Do in My Note-Taking to Describe What is Going on Around Me?

The following is an essay for my English 1 course.
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    What should I do to describe what's going on around me? It's a valid question...and one that's been posed by hundreds and hundreds of writers. Here's my answer: adjectives.
    I love adjectives. I think they're descriptive, helpful, insightful, and easy to use. There, I just used four! Adjectives are commonly described as 'describing words'. They're words that provide details about something, namely a noun or a verb. I used the adjective helpful to describe the word adjective!
    The reason I would use them to describe the world around me, is that they are so easy to comprehend! Looking back on my notes and understanding what was going on when I wrote them would be a cinch. Just read the base sentences, and then add in the adjectives. They'll help you get a very clear, very detailed view of what was going on.

Has Any Event in Your Life Had the Same Impact that Learning to Read Had on Douglass' Life?

The following is an essay for my English 1 course.

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     Learning to read had an unmeasurable impact on his life. It was the beginning of his realization of enslavement, and the start of his longing for freedom. Indeed, this does seem like a pretty hard event to match, but I think I have one that might just put up a fair fight.
     Just five months ago, I left the Mormon church. It was a heck of an ordeal, spanning at least three of those five months. The Mormon church has hundreds of life-restricting values, rules, regulations, and practices. Once I started to realize this, with the help of the internet, and my parents, I, like Douglass, began to come to the realization of the terrible position that I was in. While Douglass' transformation took years, mine took only weeks. Within weeks, I started opening up my mind to freedom. Douglass had to long for years and years for freedom, but my search proved nearly instant gratification. I was soon free from the Mormon church, and am happy to report that I am a 'free man' now.

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As a Writer of an Autobiography About Life in the Woods, Would You Spend More Pages Describing an Ant War or Loons?

The following is an essay for my English 1 course. Enjoy!
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     If I were in the position of Thoreau, writing an autobiography about life in the woods, I would be more inclined to write more pages on an ant war than on loons. (In this case, 'loon' refers to an aquatic bird resembling a duck.) This is because since loons are rather close in behavior and appearance to ducks, people would not find them as interesting as ants. Thoreau aptly described the ant war, and I found it more interesting than the section on loons. Therefore, I believe it would be wise to include more pages on the ant war. Also, I believe it is easier to describe an ant war, than to describe loons. This would be beneficial, because better descriptions make for more interesting passages.
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I hope you enjoyed this essay.

-RPCStudent1414

How Important is it for a Person to Summarize His Philosophy of Life in an Early Chapter of an Autobiography?

The following is an essay for my English 1 course.

Enjoy!
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     How important is it for someone to summarize their philosophy of life early in their autobiography? I would say that it is very important! If you have an absurd philosophy of life, say, Thoreauian, then I don't want to read your autobiography. Plain and simple. However, if you don't warn me of this early in your biography, then I will waste my time reading your autobiography, of which is of no interest to me. Many people read the first few pages of a book before fully reading, or purchasing, to see if it is going to be worth his time or money. If you don't make those first few pages interesting, attention-grabbing, appealing to the reader, then they probably won't pick up your book! Thoreau certainly didn't make his first few pages interesting, and I wouldn't have read his autobiography if it wasn't an educational assignment. Perhaps if he had explained his philosophy of life, no matter it's absurdity, I might have been more inclined to read it.
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I hope you've enjoyed this essay. If so, leave a comment below. If you're viewing this on my 'main page', then you must first click the essay's title before being led to an area where you can comment.

Thanks for reading,

- RPCStudent1414

Would Walden Have Been a Better Book if Thoreau Had Supplied More Background Information on His Life?

The following is an essay for my English 1 course.

Enjoy!
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     Henry Thoreau spent 26 months of his life living in a shack, next to a pond, doing just about nothing, a mile and a half from Concord. Afterward, he wrote a book about it. I don't have to make a stretch to say that it was a quite disappointing. Thoreau is revered in my day as intelligent, keen, wise, and even as a good writer, but I see none of these attributes in his book, 'Walden'.
     What did he do before Walden? I'm not sure. Thoreau didn't exactly provide copious amounts of information on his life prior to living at Walden pond. Would the book have been better if he supplied more? I don't know. I really don't think so. It might have made it more interesting, but it sure wouldn't lessen his absurd theories later in the book, or make us not notice them. It would have been interesting to see what he was like before Walden, sure, but I don't think much could be done to make this book better -- it's beyond help in my eyes.
     He did give a bit of background information; he had been a schoolteacher, he lived with his mother, he never liked commerce, and he worked 6 weeks a year. It's not a lot, but it was sufficient for the story. Of course, he never went into detail. He didn't say why he lived with his mother. He never described why, 'trade curses everything.' We could only understand why it was possible to survive on $40 per year because we knew that he lived with his mom! More information expounding on the already existing information would have been quite helpful.
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I hope you found this essay interesting. Leave a comment below and let me know what you thought.

-- RPCStuden1414

Was Thoreau Dependent on the Division of Labor While He was Living on Walden Pond?

This is an essay for my English 1 course. Enjoy!
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     I believe whole-heartedly that Henry Thoreau was dependent on the American division of labor while he was living on Walden Pond. First of all, he lived in a shack. Even if he chopped down the trees to make lumber, he most likely didn't make the hatchet or axe that he used to do so. Also, he would have to have some way to affix the pieces of wood to one another...nails perhaps? I can almost guarantee that he didn't make those. When he built the shack, he would have to have had a place to put it. This was provided by someone else! As much as Thoreau wanted to be independent, he wasn't...at least not completely.
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I hope this essay gave you a little bit of insight into Thoreau's mistaken theory that you can fully escape the division of labor.

Leave a comment below, and let me know what you thought! (If you are reading this on my 'main page', then you will need to click on the title of this post to be taken to a separate page where you can comment.)

- RPCStudent1414

How Could I Adopt Northup's Technique of Using Contrasts?

The following is an essay for my English 1 course.

Enjoy!
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     How could I adopt Solomon Northup's remarkable technique of using contrasts? I'm going to be perfectly honest with you...I'm not quite sure. My first instinct says that this skill can be honed over years of experience. However, Northup didn't have years of experience. My next thought would be, 'It must just be a talent of his.' Well, that may or may not be true. I suspect that there are in fact a few things I can do to develop the skill of using contrasts.
     First, I've got to be able to recognize and pick out contrasts in my life. One example would be the rowdiness, distractions, and time-wasting of public school versus the quiet, focused, 'time-well-spent' environment of homeschool. Once I've found contrasts like this, I need to identify whether or not that specific contrast is useful in my autobiography. If I can pick out the more stark, sharp, clear contrasts, then I should probably use those, instead of 'blurry' contrasts. Second, I need to place these contrasts in meaningful spots in my autobiography. Using a contrast about school in the middle of a chapter on photography wouldn't make much sense. However, if I were describing my transition from public school to homeschool, this contrast would be logical, and helpful.
     Contrasts are a great literary device to convey a point to a reader. By picking out the stark contrasts, and putting them in logical portions of my autobiography, I will have a better chance of making my autobiography an easy to read one.
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I hope you enjoyed this essay. Leave a comment below and let me know what you thought. (If you are viewing this post on my 'main page', you must first click the title of this post to be taken to a separate page where you can leave a comment.)

Thanks for reading.

- RPCStudent1414

Northup's Response VS Eliza's Response

The following is an essay for my English 1 course. Enjoy!

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   Solomon Northup and Eliza were both forcibly separated from their children. While both of them underwent this sad experience, they reacted in two very different ways. When Northup was separated from his children, via his kidnapping, he plotted to return home to them...even if this required murdering two men, namely the Captain and First Mate of the ship he was on, to do so. He continued planning escape, and often described his sadness at being separated from them.

   Eliza's reaction, however, was very different. She did not plan on seeing her children again. She wept and wailed for days, seemingly inconsolably. She could be stopped, and was of no use to her Master or the trader during this time, unlike Northup, who continued working.

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I hope you enjoyed this short essay.

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Did Thompson Provide Persuasive Evidence that the South's Slave System was Morally Evil?

The following is an essay for my English 1 course. Enjoy!
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     I think that John Thompson did a remarkable job of giving evidence that the slave system was evil. He was constantly giving examples of the numerous, brutal whippings and other negative sanctions imposed by the white masters. In addition, Thompson said that he believed that God's wrath would be poured out upon the South because of the slave system. Also, he said that the masters beat them without cause, and gave sanctions for no reason other than to beat them. I think this gives more than enough persuasive evidence that the South's slave system was indeed morally evil.
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What Would I Do in My Autobiography that is Different from What Darwin Did?

The following is an Essay for my English 1 course. Enjoy!
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     Charles Darwin's autobiography places readers in a predicament. You see, most of the people reading his autobiography are probably already familiar with his work on 'The Origin of Species', and 'The Descent of Man'. However, if you are not, then the autobiography really does you no good at all.
     When I write my autobiography, I will be sure to include my interactions with other people, and how I went about living my everyday life. In Darwin's autobiography, we get no such information. We really only get information on his various books, and even then, he's not very clear. 'The Origin of Species' shed light on the whole of the scientific community's view of 'creation', yet we get one sentence to this effect. While it is clear that Darwin is being very humble, he appears almost ignorant of his remarkable influence on mankind's view of life. When I write my autobiography, I will include sections on all of my major accomplishments, even if they weren't major to the world -- and most certainly if they were! However, I should hope to make my autobiography a 'page-turner', for Charles Darwin's certainly was not. The last half of his life was spent in sickness, misery and work, and while that is the truth, it's not very interesting to read about. In my autobiography, I should hope not to dwell on the negative aspects of life, but to highlight the positive life-changing events.
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Should I Include Reconstructed Speeches in My Autobiography?

This is an essay for my English 1 course. Enjoy!
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     Speeches. We all give them at one point in our life, or another. The question is, are they important enough to include in my autobiography? I say that it depends. It depends on the speech's importance. I'm are more than likely not going to include a speech I gave while running for Student Council Secretary in the 7th Grade. It's just not that important. However, I would be more likely to include a speech that had a bigger impact on mine, and others, lives. Like, say, maybe at a high school graduation.
     Also, it is important that I only include speeches that help me make a point. If they don't serve the purpose of backing up what I said in a particular chapter, then they have no use. Then they go from a speech that someone would like to read, to a boring story with no real relevance. So, if they are of importance, and they help me prove a point, then, sure. I'll definitely include speeches in my autobiography.
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Plants and Seed Production -- Is it Worth It?

This is an essay for my Biology course. Enjoy!
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     From a plant's prospective, fruits are expensive to produce! It takes a lot of nutrients, sugars, water, and space to create these things that the plant will eventually get rid of. Is it worth it? I say, yes, it is. From a plant's prospective, producing fruit is an absolutely vital process. You see, if plant's didn't produce fruit, there would be no seeds. No seeds equal no offspring. This would be devastating to the plant's population. Just think about this: say there are 10 corn plants left in the entire world, and not one kernel of corn can be found anywhere. Once the 10 plants all die, without producing corn kernels, then the corn population is 0. There are no more corn plants. The population is now extinct.
     You see, without seeds, there would be no plants. They would have all died off by now. With seeds, however, in the right conditions, plant populations can thrive. From a plant's prospective, it is completely worth it. In fact, without the 'duty' to produce seeds, a plant would have no purpose. Even photosynthesis is to help produce seeds.
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I hope you enjoyed this essay on the necessity of seeds.

Leave a comment below -- I would love to know what you thought!

What Benefits Would I Get from Writing an Autobiography?

This is an essay for my English 1 course.
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Even if I don't write my autobiography for the public, writing my autobiography for myself would have several benefits. One of these is that is would give me a good writing experience, and help me become a better writer. Writing my autobiography would help me learn to organize my thoughts chronologically on paper. Another benefit is that it would help me remember the major, and even some of the minor events in my life. An autobiography is basically a book version of your like, and I think another benefit would be that it could make me happy when I read it. It would be enjoyable to look back and remember some of the fun events that I may not remember 20, 30 or 40 years from now.
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I hope you enjoyed this essay.

Comment below what you thought! (If you are reading this on my homepage, you must click the post's title to go to a page where you can leave a comment.)

What Can I Do Now to Make My Autobiography Less Disjointed than Mark Twain's?

This essay is about avoiding the stress and confusion of a disjointed autobiography. I hope you like it! :-)
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     While Mark Twain is remembered today as being one of the funniest, wittiest, and greatest writers of the 19th century, not all his works were well organized, and easy to read. Especially not his autobiography! Some of the events are out of order, and the facts don't always agree with one another. There are a few things I can do now to prevent this from happening to me when I write my autobiography.
     First things first -- keep good notes! This is obviously something Twain didn't do. If I keep notes about what happens in my day-to-day life, such as in a journal, then I won't have such a problem with facts not agreeing. They will all be written down so that I won't get confused on the details. Second, date these notes! Putting dates on the top of each entry will help me remember when things happened. Twenty or thirty years from now, I probably won't remember what happened yesterday. Writing a journal entry about it, and then dating it, will help me remember when events happened. Third, don't leave others out. Don't just write down what happens in your life, but also some things that happen in your friend's or your close family's lives. The important people around you are just that -- important. When you're older, you'll want to not only remember the experiences you had, but who you shared them with.
     So, those are the three things. 1) Keep good notes. 2) Keep track of dates. 3) Remember the people around you. If I follow these three rules, I should have little or no problem writing my autobiography.
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Water in Abundance, Water in Scarcity

This is an essay comparing and contrasting the desert and aquatic biomes. Enjoy!
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The desert and aquatic biomes are two of the most well known, and well researched biomes on Earth. We have the typical facts, like the desert doesn't have much water, but the aquatic regions do. Also, there's not much life in the desert biome -- it's too hot, but the aquatic biome, however, has some of the most population diversity in the world. These are just common, everyday knowledge...but below the surface, these two biomes may offer a few surprises.

The desert biome makes up 1/5 of the world's surface. This is much smaller than the aquatic biome, which takes up 3/4 of the Earth's surface. The most common type of desert is the hot and dry desert. Unlike its name states, it's not always scorching. In reality, it can sometimes dip down below -18 C in the winter months. However, in the summer, the daytime temperature can reach 49 C. In contrast, the aquatic biome's temperatures don't vary quite so dramatically. For ponds and lakes, the temperature usually only ranges from 0 C to 22 C. The ocean's temperatures vary a little more, but usually they don't go colder than 3 C.

The plant and animal life in the aquatic regions of the world is colorful, diverse, and fascinating. On the edge of the ocean, one can find crabs, clams, mussels, and jelly fish as the main animals, and coral, seaweed, and algae are really the only plants you'll find. (The waves keep other plants from establishing their roots.) Further out, many species of fish, whales, dolphins, sharks, and other animals can be found in abundance. Seaweed becomes the largest plant species out in the deeper parts of the ocean. The desert, however, is not abundant in life. Rather, only cacti, scrub, and low ground-hugging plants can be found here. Animal life is scarce too -- only a few species of reptiles and birds can fare very well out in the hot sun.

While they are very different, both biomes are important for human life. Cacti provides a source of food for the natives that are in and around the desert, and fishing the oceans is a major industry world wide. Be it hot and dry, or cool and wet, the world is full of diverse landscapes.
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Hope you liked it. Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below. :-)

--RPCStudent1414

Why Was Plunkitt So Open About How He Made His Money?

This is an essay for my English 1 course. Enjoy! :-)
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     In the autobiography of George Washington Plunkitt, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, not much attempt is make to conceal the way that Plunkitt made his money. He calls it, 'honest graft', but I think most people would call it, 'typical politician'. (He would get inside information on where city projects were going to take place, and would go and buy up all the land and property around the area up. The city project would cause the property value up, so Plunkitt could sell the houses for more than he paid, and make a buck.)
     I would attribute the utter 'openness' not to Plunkitt, but instead to Riordan, the man who helped him write the autobiography. I think it was probably a stab at Plunkitt, by Riordan. (Riordan was a reformer...and Plunkitt did not like reformers. However, the reformers were the book's intended audience.) I think it would be funny to the reformers, and also a bit of ammunition, to have Plunkitt's primary source of revenue so blatantly stated. Also, if people found out, which they did, once the book was published, that Plunkitt was making his money in this way, they would stop voting for him. And they did! The very next election, Plunkitt lost to a well-educated reformer.
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How Serious was Plunkitt about Patriotism's Connection to Obtaining a Job After Tammany Won an Election?

This is an essay for my English 1 course. Before you read this essay, it is important that you note that George W. Plunkitt was a New York politician around 1913.
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     George Washington Plunkitt had several very strong beliefs in the way of New York City Tammany Ticket Politics. One of these was that Civil Service Reform. Civil Service said that people could no longer just go in and get a job in Tammany Hall once Tammany was elected. They had to pass rigorous tests, that had nothing to do with politics. Plunkitt said that this would ruin a man's patriotism. He said that they would go to Tammany Hall filled with pride and patriotism, ready to get a good job to serve his party, only to find out that he has to pass a very tough test. Of course, the man has no college education where with to pass this test, and so he leaves Tammany Hall angry, and all his patriotism has been lost. He told a story about a man named Rafferty. He said that Rafferty fell upon the curse of Civil Service, couldn't get a job, and turned against his country. Several years later, in the Spanish - American war, he was found dead on the battlefield with a Spanish uniform on. Plunkitt said that this would keep happening as long as Civil Service remained in effect. Plunkitt said that Civil Service would ruin patriotism, ruin politics, and ruin New York City.
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