Why is it good to have a pet? By Natalie Earl

Many parents do not get pets for their child(ren) for different reasons, the most common reason they deny their child(ren) pets in my opinion is because the pet is a lot of responsibility. Animals are my favorite so I would like to argue why it is in fact a good idea to get your child(ren) pets. The most important lesson I would say to teach your kids is to be responsible and having a pet will teach your child(ren) that easily. When it comes to pets you must feed them, bathe them, give them water, take them outside, and those are only the basic responsibilities to come. Pets can also comfort your child(ren) if they need a friend around, it may allow them to be more active by playing around with the pet (only if the pet is not a fish most likely). Pets tend to relieve you of stress, especially dogs they are supposed to give a sense of security for the family. It is also possible to improve the child's reading skills by reading to the pet because all they do is listen and they cannot judge. When I was younger in second grade I went through a program at school where I would read to dogs and it helped me perform better in school. Pets can be a lot of responsibility but they have many positive affects on a family and I know from personal experience that my animals bring my family closer together.

My Essay On Music by Stephanie Downes

In class, students were recently asked to write an expository essay. The essay could be defining a word, categorizing different groups, or classifying a concept. I chose to write a definition essay on music. My objective was to make the reader understand my passion and love for all types and variations of music. In my essay I wrote;

“There's one language that everyone in the world speaks fluently; music. No matter who you are, what your background is, or what you stand for, it can be expressed melodically. That begs the question: what is music? Music is powerful. It has the power to bring people together, it has the power to let us express ourselves , and it has the power to make us feel.”

Throughout the essay I explained my own definition of music. I went on to explain that it was a powerful tool that was used all over the world to send messages, bring people together, and  bring us joy and hope.

Overall, I enjoyed this assignment because it gave my classmates and I the freedom to show off not only our writing skills, but our personalities as well. It was an enjoyable experience to be able to write about something that I really care about.

Old English vs. Middle English

Old English vs. Middle English

By: Sophie Venus

Old English is also known as Anglo Saxon and is from the 400s to 1066. Middle English is from 1066 to the 1400s. There are differences between these two types of English. One of the major differences between the two is that old English has different letters. In old English there are different letters including "edh" "ash" and "wynn". There are also little endings on the ends of words to show what that word is doing in that sentence and old English does not require a specific word order. In middle English spelling has not been formalized. And middle English contained some Latin terms like substania which is substance in modern English. Another difference is that old English is close to the German language but middle English is a lot closer to the English we have now.  
example of old English:

While middle English looks like this:

German Christmas Traditions - William Theilacker

Some people might assume that Christmas in other countries is the same as it is here, after all, why would it be different? However Christmas in Germany differs from Christmas in America in several ways. In Germany many of the children receive advent calendars. Advent calendars are cardboard or wooden calendars that count down the days in December till Christmas. Each day the child opens a box on the calendar and it contains a little chocolate or toy. In recent years the popularity of advent calendars has been rising in America however it is a German tradition. Christmas trees are a big part of the German Christmas as they are in America. However instead of decorating them as a family like we do in America the mother usually decorates them in secret if there are kids. Glass ornaments actually originated in Germany and weren't imported into America until the 1880s. Instead of opening presents on Christmas morning children normally open the majority of their presents on Christmas eve. Another German tradition that is becoming big in America are German Christmas Markets. These markets sell all different types of traditional German food and all of the goods the vendors sell are handmade, such as woodwork. On December 6th, St Nicholas's Day, the children leave their shoes by the door and he is said to leave small gifts and sweets in their shoes. In certain areas of Germany Krampus, a big horned monster with chains, is said to follow St Nicholas and punish all of the bad children. Another tradition is the Sternsinger or star singers . Children go out caroling in groups of four, three of them dressed as wise men and the last one carries a stick with a star on it to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem. They go around caroling and collect money for charity. So in the end, while the principle is the same, German and American transitions differ in varying degrees. And certain German traditions are making their way into America. So as they say in Germany, Frohe Weihnachten!

What Is Love? By Bailey Kellenberger

         As a child, our parents are our world. They are our first example of love. We attach ourselves to their hips from such a young age, but as we grow and develop we start to steer more towards independence. We still love our parents but we no longer depend on their love to get us through the day although our parents continue to love us the same way whether we are two years old or twenty years old. For a parent, this is extremely difficult. They want to hold their baby, cuddle with them, protect them, and love them the way the always did for so many years while their child was still afraid of shadows in their closets and monsters under their beds. A parent's love is unconditional which only causes their hearts to ache more as they watch their pride and joy grow so far apart from them.
           Whether you are talking about love between strangers or the love between family members, the truth remains the same. Love causes pain, heartbreak, and destruction but it brings you the most happiness, comfort, and security. Without love, without this feeling that takes control over your mind and body, there is no force pushing and turning the world around. Love never fails. Love never perishes and never falls. Love will survive any war waged against it, it will make a way through any obstacle, will move mountains if it has to, all in maintaining its existence. Love is not going away.



Question for my readers:
How could I improve the selected writing above?

Nelson Mandela and Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is a classic piece of Greek literature that tells the story of a courageous and determined king who tragically is both the savior and nemesis of his people. One trait that King Oedipus displayed was his persistence in spite of adversity. He continued to press on after the truth even after it became likely he would be discovered as the killer of Laius and his reputation tarnished. Oedipus is a figure analyzed and read by many readers. His actions are scrutinized by everyone from high school students to college professors. Overall, Oedipus's fearlessness and persistence led his people out of the plague. Another modern day leader that demonstrates this trait of heroic persistence is Nelson Mandela. 

Mandela grew up in a poor tribe and worked hard in school. He rose in South African Politics, championing the black people in society and their fight against the unjust apartheid system. Mandela devoted his whole life to leading South Africa out of the system. Mandela braved bombings, shootings, and other attempts on his life. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and tortured. However, Mandela organized strikes and uprisings from prison. He continued to fight on despite all the people trying to kill him. He fought on against the imprisonment and injustice. He said, "the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities...is an ideal for which I am prepared to die". Mandela fought for his people just like Oedipus fought for the truth. 

Oedipus the King and Nelson Mandela are similar leaders that saved their people through immense personal sacrifice and persistence. Both leaders lead their people away from plagues, one a disease and the other racial prejudice. By continuing to fight no matter what the obstacles were both leaders were able to obtain success. 

Thanks for reading

Billy Stoddard

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: a review by Kasey Senatore

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

A review by Kasey Senatore

On the 19th, my family and I went out to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. We’ve always been avid Harry Potter fans, my sister and I having read all the books and my parents having seen all the movies, so we were really excited to see the next installment in the Potter franchise. But before I can talk about it more, I feel as though I should explain what exactly it is.

So to start off: it is not a sequel to the Harry Potter series. It’s set in the same universe, of course; Newt Scamander wrote Fantastic Beasts, a textbook which Harry buys in his first year at Hogwarts. It’s also mentioned that Newt, the main character pictured above, was one of Dumbledore’s favorite students back before he became Headmaster. However, understand that Fantastic Beasts is set well before Harry Potter was born, with a completely different plot. If you walk into the theater expecting a sequel, you will be disappointed.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a film adaptation of a fake textbook released by JK Rowling in 2001. The movie follows Newt Scamander, a charmingly awkward, British magizoologist and aspiring author who finds himself in 1960s New York. As Newt makes his way through New York, he accidentally releases a few creatures and finds himself in deep trouble with the American magical government. At the same time, sightings of a strange, malevolent creature demolishing buildings have begun to spread through the city. You can view the trailer right here. Now that the exposition is over, let’s get right into the details.

Characters

I could write for ages about the characters of Fantastic Beasts. This, in my opinion, was the strongest part of the movie by far -- there was chemistry, relatability, and a certain sense of charming imperfection found in each of the characters that made watching the movie most enjoyable. The protagonists are organic and lifelike, as are their interactions.

However, I say the protagonists specifically for good reason. The antagonists of the movie are at best poorly developed and at worst confusing. What I mean is, you see this guy in the beginning of the film, and you instantly know he’s the Bad Guy. There’s no way for you to see this man’s face, and not say, “yeah, he’s definitely a villain.” Graves’s demeanor, speech patterns and looks all point to him being a bad guy. However, therein lies the flaw: Graves is a completely forgettable, cliched villain. Not only that, but his motive as a villain is completely unknown for the majority of the movie. I, for one, didn’t understand it at all, and still don’t. He just seems to be a bad person, and the movie hopes you’ll just accept that and not question it.

Graves is also involved in a hugely butchered plot twist near the end of the movie; this part of his character is a spoiler, however, and if you want to avoid it, I’d steer clear of the plot section of this review.

Special Effects

The special effects were also an extremely strong part of the movie. In a film full of thunderbirds, nifflers and bowtruckles, it’s an essential component to make the world feel truly alive. If you go out and see Fantastic Beasts, be ready to be dazzled by the handsome detail and care taken with the creatures’ presentation.

Plot (contains spoilers)

This is definitely where Fantastic Beasts suffers the most. In a two-hour long movie, you have to make the plot interesting and easy to understand; if someone starts getting confused in the beginning of a two-hour movie, the rest of it probably won’t make much sense to them either. And yes, I did, most definitely, get confused during the movie. It seemed to want to focus on the characters and give each their due time, while at the same time attempting to paint a rich world and detailed plot. In the end, it turned into huge scenes of Newt and his new friends searching for creatures, spliced with clips of Graves urging Credence (in a dramatic, gravelly whisper) to find “the child” and scenes of a gigantic shadow monster rampaging through the streets of New York. What I’m saying is, it wasn’t well done. Exposition was laid on heavy-handedly, while at the same time managing to be vague and under-detailed enough to confuse the viewer.

Possibly the most notable example of plot-holes lies with Graves. After Credence and the obscurial are killed, there is a facial reveal involving Graves. Somehow, Newt is able to realize that Graves isn’t really Graves, and turns his wand on him as he goes to leave the scene. The head of MACUSA then pulls a magical disguise off of Graves’ face Scooby-Doo style, revealing him to be...um...a white-haired Johnny Depp with an undercut?

The characters then comment, awed and terrified, that Graves was really Grindelwald in disguise. Yeah, that random Johnny Depp character is Grindelwald. Graves, for any fans who don’t remember (as I didn’t), is a dark wizard whom Voldemort killed in his search for the Elder Wand. However, even if you did know who Grindelwald was, this reveal would still be meaningless to you. Why? Because Grindelwald was never shown in any of the movies! We never knew what he looked like. This bugs me more than anything else in the movie -- you can’t do a facial reveal in a movie and expect it to be effective if the face you’re revealing isn’t significant to the viewer!

Historical Inaccuracies

Another issue in Fantastic Beasts that I’ve seen pointed out is the universe. Fantastic Beasts is set in 1920s New York. This was not a time of great respect or safety for black people in America. As such, the fact that the movie never explains how Seraphina Picquery, an African American woman, could be respected as the President of MACUSA in 1920s America, is rather jarring.

New York in the 1920s was also the host of the Harlem Renaissance, in which the African American population and culture of Harlem, NY, was booming. One of the biggest critiques I’ve seen of the universe setting is not that lead roles were not filled by people of color, but that the movie itself never included black people in background roles, filling the streets of “New York.” Even the Great Gatsby, a movie whose focus was entirely on rich white people, included black people in the world (an example of such representation pictured above). This is a flaw seen in many fantasy novels and movies, including well-respected novels like the Lord of the Rings. Working toward world-building diversity would be an important step in the right direction for modern fantasy, and it is my hope that the coming movies will seek to improve on this historical error.

Overall

Overall, I felt the movie was a promising start to the new installment in the Potter world. The characters are relatable and lovable, the special effects are to die for, and the developing American side to the universe is a breath of fresh life to the aging franchise. Though the plot is more than a little hard to follow and the historical accuracy could use some touching up, the film overall is definitely a decent start. 6.5/10 -- I’d definitely recommend seeing it -- just don’t expect another Harry Potter just yet.