Starvation

We stand naked with our ribs protruding out of our skin and our bellies round and bloated. I hear the rumbling of my stomach and the wailing cries of others amongst us. Rainwater collected in puddles and morsels of food found in the streets is our main source of nourishment. My tongue is dry and heavy as I try to bring some moisture to my cracked and bleeding lips. The dense, stale bread we had been given by the men and women that came to see us scrapes down my throat as I quickly try to swallow my last piece. The bread helps to stop the hunger but it only tastes of parchment and dust. They are here again and I reach out to them. They look on at us with sorrow in their eyes but they step away in fear as if we are a contagious disease they don't want to be exposed to. The other children jostle each other, trying to get the biggest scrap for themselves. It is the first time I will eat today and I need to fill my belly with as much as I can get. My stomach churns and screams of pain explode through the taught skin of my abdomen. No one hears; no one cares; no one comes to comfort me. The others are too focused on their own survival. We can only endure so much suffering before our bodies give in.

Synthesis: "The Book of Negroes" and "To Toussaint L'Ouverture"

In William Wordsworth's sonnet "To Toussaint L'Ouverture" he is speaking to Toussaint but because their situations are so similar, you could say it was written to Aminata from the novel "The Book of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill. Both Toussaint and Aminata were enslaved and fought for their freedom. They are both inspirations to the people around them. Something that no one would have thought possible for them to overcome, they were strong enough to. Born into slavery, Toussaint's hard work eventually earned him the position as the governor of Haiti, demonstrating how he conquered the horrific event of slavery. Aminata was taken from her homeland and sold into slavery as a child. After enduring around 20 years, she was given an opportunity to escape and took it. When Wordsworth says, "live, and take comfort. Thou hast left behind powers that will work for thee" to Toussaint he is telling him not to worry about what has happened, he has made a difference in the lives of many. Aminata could also take this advice. She has impacted and influenced many people throughout her journey because of her strength, determination and intelligence. Others will always remember this and be thankful for her teaching. Both of these pieces of writing are about slavery and the strength and willpower necessary to fight for freedom.

Rant: Driving

Too many people are on the roads driving that should not be. There are posted speed limits for a reason but yet people do not follow them. It tells you to go 50 km/h, not 35, 40 or 45 km/h so why do they drive that slow? When people are riding your gluteus maximus its a sure sign you need to speed up. It wont hurt you to go a notch over 50, it will only help those infuriated drivers behind you. You may not have anywhere to be and are just on a nice leisurely drive but there are other people on the road that are trying to get somewhere. Signals are also put on vehicles for a reason. It isn't like moving your finger off the steering wheel for a brief second and flicking on your blinker is such a hardship. Drivers behind you need to know what your doing when you all of a sudden unknowingly slam on your brakes. I experienced both of these horrible attributes of drivers all in one. Driving down Main street on a Wednesday afternoon on my way back to school, a vehicle in front of me decided to slow her pace to 35 km/h for no apparent reason so of course I was driving quite close behind. Without her signal on to give me any warning she would be slowing down again, she put on her brakes and stopped in the middle of the road to make a left hand turn. Then I suppose she rethought that idea because she slightly crawled forward again. Slamming on her brakes for a second time and swerving with the nose of her vehicle onto the other side of the road with oncoming traffic she stopped again. After finally finding a break in the traffic she made her turn and aloud me to continue on back to school with no more delays. She is a prime example of someone unfit and incapable to be on the road. There are grounds behind why people are made to pass driving tests in there youth. Driving capabilities deteriorate with old age and these people should be made to relearn how to drive properly if they are still on the road.

Novel Research

Lawrence Hill is a creative and inspiring author who has captivated the attention of readers around the world. He was born in Toronto in 1957 into an interracial home; a black father and a white mother. His parents are involved in the human rights movement and have greatly influenced his writing. He has written seven critically acclaimed novels which mostly touch on issues of belonging and identity. His bestselling memoir Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada tells the story of his parent's life and raising a family. He has won numerous well-deserved awards such as #1 Canadian Bestseller for his 2007 novel The Book of Negroes and was named one of the top 100 books of 2007 by the Globe and Mail. He is married with five children and often speaks at conferences and universities. Hill is an exceptional writer who has received much needed praise and will continue to be recognized for generations to come.

Review

"Twilight" - the movie
In comparison to the book, Twilight did not live up to the hype it was given. It didn't have much of a chance from the get go though because there were so many fans of the book with all of their own opinions about how the movie should be and what the characters should look like. Many scenes were changed and others added. The acting should have been better to make the story line more believable. In certain scenes, for example when Bella first came into Edwards class and parts that took place in the forest, the acting should have protrayed the meaning behind what was taking place. The facial expressions and depth of emotional connection to the character they were playing was not present. Edward and Bella physically matched their characters but Bella was very one dimensional and monotone. Another issue that was not the fault of the actors but of the make-up crew was the bad halloween facepaint they put on them to make their skin look white. Through the movie there were key scenes to help viewers understand the gracefulness, speed, and strength of vampires such as Edward and that didn't come across as it should have because of poor special effects. It seemed as though they were expecting everyone that watched the movie to have previous knowledge of the book which many did, but for those that did not they left a lot unexplained and it was hard to follow the story line. Overall it looked like they tried to save as much money on the budget as they could. I don't understand how the author of the Twilight saga can be truly happy with how her book was portrayed in film. The director deffinetly had a huge influence on the movies creation and its many downfalls which led to her thankfully being fired for doing so. Let's hope the new director for New Moon does a better job.

Superpower

The ultimate superpower in the world is definitely the ability to read someones mind. Many people think this would be too confusing because you would hear all the thoughts of people around you at once. This is why you would be able to choose the person you would like to listen to and drown out all the rest. When battling your arch enemy you wouldn't need to worry about whether you're stronger or faster than him. You would already know his plan of attack against you so you would be able to counteract his moves and defeat him easily. When you're not defending the world with your superpowers, you would be able to use your advantage of telepathy in other situations in your life. When differentiating between who your real friends are and who have ulterior motives, you would be able to read their minds and know who is lying and who is honest. Knowing the thoughts of anyone you would ever want to would be an extreme advantage in any aspect of your life unlike other superpowers that only come in handy when dealing with your enemy.