" There is a more calm feeling to his description. This is not to say that the author was portraying war as being a patriotic act, but the author was not as graphical in his describing what the soldiers were seeing and going through. The reader is more connected to the actions of the poem and not the fact that someone is dying. He ends his poem by referencing "hell" and the reader is left wondering whether the hell that he is referring to the war that is being left behind, or to dying itself. 3) Rites of Passage Activity

In speaking to my grandmother, I was able to find out what it was that she took when she first left her home. At the age of sixteen, she was married to my grandfather and was getting ready to start her knew life as a wife and very soon, as a mother. However, she took something she still had to this day: a golden necklace with a golden rose pendent. She never let go of this item. It was given to her by her mother when she was just seven years old. She told me that she has never taken it off since then. It gave her the confidence that she needed throughout her childhood and adolescent years. At one point in her childhood, she even thought of it as possessing magical powers. Having this necklace around her neck gave her a sense of protection. It assured her that she was forever taken care of and that she had no reason to fear anything. She said that it was nothing practical about the necklace, it was the sense of self-confidence that it helped her attain that made it so special. Upon leaving her home, she knew that she needed to hold on to this necklace more than anything, so even on her wedding day, she wore it with her dress. It continues to hold a special meaning and has always been with her.

When I leave home, I expect to take my journal with me. It does not hold any special meaning as my grandmother's necklace does to her, but it is just as special and holy to me. It holds my greatest thoughts and my biggest fears. It gives me comfort in knowing that whenever there is something that I want to express, something that I want to let go of, I could easily go and write it down in my journal. It provides me with the comfort that I know that I will need once I leave my comfort zone.

4) World War II (Read p. 849-851)

a)

Churchill chooses to portray his speech in a certain way in order to get the attention of those who he wanted to appeal to. The techniques used by Churchill overlapped greatly, but that only added to their effectiveness. First and foremost, his word choice was very particular. In the line, "You ask, What is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory -- victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for with victory there is no survival." The word "victory" is a very strong word with a positive connotation. It immediately gives a sense of positivity and reinforcement. Using this word allows this statement to be more persuasive, since it is full of positive vibes. Another technique of repetition is also seen in the line mentioned previously. Repeating this strong word, that already is associated with positivity and strength, allows it to be even more effective by repeating it multiple times in order to signify its importance. A third technique in this line alone can be seen with the emphasis that is put on the word "victory." Whatever answer was given, the word "victory" is the one that stands out. It is what people will remember when thinking back to the end of this piece. This emphasis allows this technique to be one of the most persuasive ones. It allows for an emotional reaction to be had about the situation. A fourth technique can be seen is a personal reference, which also incorporates the previously mentioned techniques. The line, "Let that be realized; no survival for the British Empire; no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for; no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward toward its goal." In this line Churchill is calling for people to remember what the British Empire has always stood for and calls for people to act on the impulse and support its country. This technique itself is not as effective as the others, but in combination with them, it allows people to get persuaded. The perfect way to end is with a call for action, and that is exactly how Churchill uses his final technique. He states, "Come, then, let us go forward together with our united strength." This alone allows for persuasion as one gets caught up in the moment and wrapped up in his words.

b)

These three pieces are related to each other thematically because they are all portraying the eventual loss of life that comes from war. Fighting for a cause does not only raise patriotism and pride in one's country, but it comes at a heavy price. Individual's who go out to fight in a war feel honor for having the opportunity to serve and fight for their country, but at the end of the day, it takes a toll on

Those who are forced to fight directly feel the horrors of war, which the first two pieces clearly depict, and they can sometimes lose faith, which the third piece addresses. Their themes overlap in their portrayal of war as being something that comes at a heavy toll and at a high price.
5) Writing a Persuasive Essay

Obesity has become a great concern in today's American society. The United States is a nation where heart disease has become the number one killer and diabetes is becoming a common phenomenon; this is all caused by the rapid growth in obesity. The problems that obesity have caused can be easily remedied by putting more attention on to the causes of obesity to begin with. When these root issues are solved, we may then be able to attack this problem and completely resolve it. Obesity can be resolved, if not eliminated, by taking control of some common issues. First, improving the lunch given to the nation's children at their respective schools, will allow for them to have a healthier source of food. Secondly, giving children the opportunity to exercise and move around during the school day, will allow them to burn off the extra calories. Lastly, bringing down the cost of healthy food and raising the prices in food that is deemed as being unhealthy, would greatly reduce the rate of obesity. If these simple mechanisms can be implemented, we would be living in a much healthier nation.

Children are our pride and joy. They represent the continuation of our species and we want them to be as healthy as possible in order to excel in everything that they set their minds to. This is exactly why it should be only logical that we feed our children the healthiest food possible. By giving children food in their schools that are high in sugar, fat, or sodium, we are putting them at a disadvantage for anything that they will have want to do in their lives. Feeding children fried french fries when they could be baked, or giving children pieces of pies when we could be giving them fruit, only causes them damage. Obesity can be avoided at an early age. We have the power to change the food that our children end up eating in our educational system. Let's give them a chance to live a full and accomplished life.

Exposing children to healthy food is only half of the battle. Teaching them proper ways to exercise and to take care of themselves is also a way to combat this growing problem of obesity. If we give our children more time to exercise during school hours, we could teach them this behavior so that they are able to do it at home as well. Physical education needs to be funded better, instead of trying to eliminate these programs from our school system. Instead of having children sit in a classroom all day, let them go out and run around a bit. What good is an education if they do not live long enough to enjoy their lives. We have to look at the entire picture and realize that changing people's exercise habits at an early age will completely eliminate obesity from the United States.

Although children should be our main priority, it should not be too late for adults to also make a change in their diet so that they may avoid developing diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.…