Research Paper

From doing the research paper I learned a lot about the Vietnam War. I didn't realize how harsh Americans were to those that returned home. It was extremely sad to hear of all the stories of men being spit on and told that they fought for nothing. In addition to that they suffered many health problems, and many were left with extreme Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most of them were homeless and struggled to maintain relationships with loved ones. It was also very hard for Vietnam veterans to find or hold down a job. Our Vietnam veterans should have been shown with respect when they returned home, because they risked their lives for our country. It upsets me to think that they have lost everything due to a war that very few supported.

Romantic Poem Reflection

The Chambered Nautilus was my favorite poem that we read this semester. I liked how it related the Nautilus building it's shell, to a Christian building their faith. It talks about how the Nautilus slowly adds new parts onto it's shell, while getting rid of the old parts. I think this relates to our faith because we also slowly grow in our faith, and we rid ourselves of the bad habits or things we have done in our past. I think this poem does a great job in portraying that message and showing us that we should live to grow in our faith. Also that we should rid ourselves of our past habits and move on to bigger and better things.

Connection to Nature

In nature I observed the many animals that were preparing for the winter/cold weather. The squirrels gathered their nuts and burried them in the ground. The geese flew south in hope of warmer weather. I connected to this because I feel like humans also prepare for many seasons in their lives. As highschool students, we are all preparing for college and then a career. At the time it may seem important to graduate highschool, start a career, earn a lot of money, and all the other things that life has planned for us, but in the scheme of everything all that is important is how we are preparing for what happens after our earthly life. We should be focusing on our life after death. Just like the animals preparing for the winter, we are preparing for things that are important, but not as important as what we should really be focusing on. People tend to stress way to much about things in their life that are insignificant compared to building their relationship with Christ. I'm not saying you shouldn't prepare for highschool and your career. I just think preparing for what comes after you life here on earth is more important, and in the long run will be worth your time.

What Were You Thinking, Edgar?

The walls were growing nearer and nearer. Soon I found myself right on the edge. I took one last breath and soon found myself in a free fall. Time seemed to stand still. My thoughts grew cold. My body was limp as i was being thrown through the air. One thing was on my mind. ...What was at the bottom of this pit? Before long my body slammed against the water and I found myself sinking to the bottom. I used all the strength I had to reach the surface of the water. I gasped for air and grabbed onto the side of the wall to help pull myself out. It was pitch black and I could hear the rats scampering around on the stone ground. I followed the curves of the walls to a small room that had a little crack in the wall with a stream of light piercing in. I grew excited, thinking that there had to be a way out. Then I saw all of the skeletons that filled the room. Some looked as if they had been there for years, whereas others only for a few days. Rats were crawling all over them, feeding on the decaying flesh. This is when I knew that I may never make it out alive.