Essay

A Story of Resilience
“I ran fast: that was my gift. If I did something bad, I would run. If something bad happened to me, I would run too. That night all turmoil broke out, I ran, like my mother had told me…”
Throughout history many people have faced hard times in their lives. One of these people is Benjamin Ajak, one of the Lost Boys from Sudan. He has learned from these hardships, and he shares his stories with others. Many people in our present community also experience these challenges. One such person is my aunt, Helen Brewster. She lost her house and her health, but she has stayed strong through all that she has faced. Both of these individuals have become resilient, and they appreciate all that they have now. They have taught me to look for the good in life. They have shown me to always stay positive, no matter how difficult the situation. They now talk about their past lives, and they share their joy for life with others.
Benjamin Ajak was born in 1982 in a small village in Southern Sudan. When he was five years old, his village was attacked. He and his two brothers fled with all of the other Lost Boys. They traveled 1,000 miles on foot across Africa. They had no food, and they faced deadly heat and animals. When he finally got to Ethiopia he suffered from terrible infections that would not heal. When war broke out again he tried to escape. He made his way back across Sudan. He was imprisoned by the Rebel Army and he tried to escape from their jails. After five months he was successful. He stayed at a refugee camp where he had no food, but was able to get an education. In 2001, he flew to America. He speaks at organizations and schools. He tells of his life surviving as a child of war. “I made myself strong like an elder. I made my heart strong. I told myself that I was going to make it.” He made a choice to survive, and he kept strong. He teaches others to appreciate all the good that their life contains. Instead of letting these problems get him down, he has become an even more resilient person. Another person who shares their positive outlook on life with others is my Aunt Helen.
In the last four years, my Aunt Helen has withstood two tragic events in her life. Her home in Scripps Ranch burned down Cedar Fires. After spending a year and a half rebuilding her house, the week that she finished, she found out that she had multiple myeloma, a type of incurable cancer. Although these experiences have been difficult for her, she has now been able to change her way of thinking and her outlook on life. “I always stay positive,” she says, “I accept situations the way they are and I don’t worry about the things that are out of my control.” She puts the pain out of her mind by focusing on everything that she still has. She simply enjoys each moment as it comes. My Aunt has learned from these hard times, and she now shares her positive energy with others. My Aunt’s ways have shown me a way to lead my own life.
When I leave this world, I want to have made a difference in other people’s lives. Benjamin Ajak and Helen Brewster will have left this world a better place; they will have left a legacy that changes others’ lives for the better. Now when I get upset and frustrated, I am going to think of how my Aunt would want me to deal with the situation. If I ever feel like giving up, I will know that Benjamin Ajak has been able to push through it all, so I should too. We will all leave legacies that have made our friends and families lives more optimistic. We will teach them to be positive, and we now know how to make our world a better place.

Resilience Ode

Ode to Resilience

At the age of five his village was attacked
He and many others fled
The lost boys travel across Africa
All were hurt and blood was shed

To Ethiopia he finally came
Was caught and hurt in this war
After five months he finally escaped
Got to refugee camp’s door

Many years later he flew to America
Speaks to those who do now know
Teaches other to appreciate all they have
Before they let it go

In the bad fires her home had perished
Everything she had was lost
She was forced to rebuild a whole new place
This was all a heavy cost

When she had finished she received bad news
She had cancer with no cure
She went to Arkansas for more treatment
Through it all her heart stayed pure

She will help others to stay positive
She has been through such hard times
See the good and all that you have
Her love for life still brightly shines

Now they teach us to be our best
They have left a legacy
They have bounced back from all of their hard times
They now share all of life’s glee

They take all their hard times and learn from them
This is what connects us all
I now appreciate how blessed I am
There’s no time for us to brawl

Helen Brewster and Benjamin Ajak
They have helped others to see the bigger picture
Enjoy our lives while we still can
Life is to short for a perfect plan

Art Statement

Resilience Portrait

This piece of artwork shows my Aunt Helen Brewster and one of the Lost Boys, Benjamin Ajak. These characters have gone through hard times that might have broken someone else down; they bounce back high from these hardships. They have taught many others to see the positive in life and appreciate all that they have. This artwork is made out of cloth and felt glued onto a piece of wood. Each section of cloth represents a different experience that they have gone through, even though these have been hard experiences. When you put all of these times together, you find a beautiful self, a beautiful life.

Trial Reflection

Trial Reflection
I think I deserve a one hundred on this trial because I did everything that was asked of me and more. I spent many days preparing for the trial. I spent a lot of time on the phone on my own time with Malia so that we would have exactly the right arguments that we wanted and needed. We typed up our entire outline for the trial so that we would be ready and prepared when it was time to do our job. Along with the other prosecuting attorney we typed and created the opening statements, made up all of the questions that we would ask our witnesses, typed up those questions, thought of arguments the defense would have and made counter arguments to those and we thought out then typed up our closing statements. I spent the night looking through my closets to find clothes that would be suitable for this role, once in my costume I worked hard to never break character. We spent time during school and outside of school to make our arguments as strong as possible. I worked hard on this project to make it the best that it could be and I feel that I deserve a one hundred on it.


Trial Outline
Opening Statements: If you are tempted by your more evil side, you should be able to control yourself. Jack Merridew let the evil overtake his good. This resulted in the death of the two poor young innocent boys, Simon and Piggy. Jack started this dance and chant when he knew everyone would lose control when they did it. He left and created his own tribe fueled by everyone’s wicked side. He ordered that the rock smash Piggy, even though he was only an innocent bystander. Jack Merridew is only power hungry and this leads him to commit deeds as evil as murder.

Witness Questioning:
Jack:
· Say quote, did you or did you not say this?
· Did you or did you not do the dance that led to the death of Simon?
· Did you stab Simon?
· Did you give Roger direct orders to roll the giant boulder onto anyone who passes?

Ralph:
· Do you think that Jack shows his violent side?
· Has Jack ever physically hurt you?
· You saw Piggy die. Can you describe to us what you saw?
· Did Jack say “find quote from Malia”?

Roger:
· Do you feel at all threatened by Jack?
· Did Jack have a history of torture and violence?
· Did Jack tell you to challenge anyone who came?
· Were you given orders to roll a boulder onto anyone who tries to come near your tribe?
· Do you think Jack would have killed you if you hadn’t killed Piggy?

Littlelun:
· Were you there when Jack killed Simon?
· Did you see Jack kill Simon?
· Can you describe to us the night that Jack killed Simon?
· Did Jack encourage everyone to do a dance and chant that led to the death of Simon?

Naval Officer:
· Can you describe to us what you saw when you first came to the island?
· What caused you to come to the island in the first place?
· Did anyone look hurt when you got to the island?

Counter Arguments:
“It was night, Jack couldn’t see, Simon should not have crawled around and scared them.” You can still see the outline of a person; you can tell that it is not a beast but rather a boy who you already know. Sense Jack got them all to do this dance and chant they were already in the killing mode. He should have used his power to stop him, instead he himself started to stab young Simon until he died.

“It wasn’t Jack who sent the boulder rolling, it was Roger.” Roger had orders to roll the boulder on anyone from Jack. Roger would not have rolled this boulder if it were not for Jack, making Jack the cause of Piggy’s death. In this case, Jack didn’t roll the boulder himself, but it is the same as if he held a gun to someone else’s head and forced them to pull the trigger.

“When Simon died Jack was not the only one hurting him. Everyone was stabbing and kicking him, it may not have been Jack who actually killed him.” There is one word to describe the reason why Jack is guilty for this crime… Responsibility. Jack wanted so bad to have full power and be chief and he got what he wanted. With becoming chief came responsibility and he did not fulfill the roll of not only being chief but protector of the tribe.

Closing Statement: In the Lord of the Flies over 30 british boys start out civilized but as soon as they get a taste of the thrill of the kill the face of evil rears its ugly head. Slowly like a black blanket evil engulfs the island and seals… airtight. Piggy and Simon were suffocated by that black blanket of evil and Jack was the one holding the blanket around their faces. Jack Merridew is at fault for the death of Simon and Piggy. He ordered that the boulder should smash Piggy; he suggested that they dance and chant as they stab and bite Simon to death, and he enjoys killing and slaughtering any living thing. Do not let anyone else be influenced by the wicked side of Jack Merridew. Your children should not be around a killer like this. Take a stance and accuse he who has done wrong, Jack Merridew.

Short Story

Title: Cursed

Author: Caitlin Choy, a student studying at High Tech Middle Media Arts.

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Four pages

Mentor Text: I found some of my inspiration from the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. I likes the idea of someone using super powers to control some else. I put my own twist on the story so that it was made the way that I wanted it. Another inspiration that I had was the Ella Enchanted movie. I liked how she could be controlled by being spoken to, and I wanted to add some of this idea into my own short story. These mentor texts really helped to give me a better final piece, and helped me through my brainstorming process.

Audience: This story would catch the interest of girls that are between the age of eleven and fifteen. Most of the characters in my story are that age, making it easier for my readers to relate to them if they are eleven to fifteen.

The Writing Process: I first started my writing process with a brainstorm with my classmates. I then wrote all my ideas into my journal. I got all of my ideas out so that I could edit them. I then typed up my story and had it edited by Ms. Staff. I had my parents and peers read it and tried to add more to make it easier to understand. I made the suggested changes and tried to make my writing piece better.

The Publishing Process: I published my story on sendstory.com where it can be viewed on the internet. You can view my online publication and story by clicking on the sendstory line above. Through this website I will now be able to recieve comments and corrections by internet viewers. It is also made available for anyone to see. I like that this story can be published for everyone and I am very proud of the final product that I have created. I strongly suggest going to sendstory.com if you are interested in Teen Romance. This story could change your life forever. Cursed by Caitlin Choy