Crime is Pride

Think: all men make mistake

But a good man yields when he

Knows his course is wrong,

And repairs the evil: The only

Crime is pride.

In this quote by Teiresias in Antigone, she shares her belief on wrong doings. She states that all men make mistakes but a good man knows to own up to his mistake and that the only evil is pride. I agree with statement by Teiresias because I believe all men are good except those who believe they are above others.

In modern society we are faced with a wide range of crimes and punishments. In the ghettos of major cities children are taught at a young age the violence is the answer. Gangs run the streets by placing fear in the neighborhoods. In the quote, “all men make mistake but a good man yields when he knows is course is wrong” Teiresias shares her belief, which I also agree with. Crime is done through desperation or not knowing any better. Young boys join gangs because they give them food and clothes. People steel because they don't have any other way to feed themselves. I believe that all men are good, even the ones the commit minor crimes.

One the other end of the social ladder are those that believe they are better than others because of achievements, money, family status, etc. They have too much pride. “The only Crime is pride” speaks to the core of America's upper class. While this isn't true for all, some believe they rule the world because they are of a higher status. I agree with what Teiresias said that the only crime is pride. Being pride-filled is just as bad as committing a crime except the difference is inside the man. A man with too much pride chooses to believe he is better.

Teiresias's wise words can be applied to modern society. Overall, I agree with the statement and that a good man is measured by who they own up to their mistakes. The only crime a man can make is to believe he is better than others. (415)

Movies

We all love movies. Young, old, skinny or fat. The great thing about this day in age there are so many different options and genres to pick from. There are the main categories like romance, action or comedy but also more specific genres like children's, sports and scary movies. Everyone has different taste and its always hard to pick a favorite. But there are also certain movies in which almost everyone enjoys and can relate with. There are the timeless classics, the ones that our parents watch, we watch and our children will watch. For example, Forest Gump is just one of those movies that everyone has to see before they die. So I'm creating my own genre here called, “Must Sees.” Here the a few examples of the movies in my category.

The Harry Potter Series- Wizards, witches, magic and more. This series is based off books written by JK Rowling and follows a young wizard that grows up without knowing about his magical gifts. He goes to a boarding school, Hogwarts, and meets some amazing friends. They spend seven years at school while fighting many mystical creatures and their main fight is the Dark Lord, or Lord Voldemort. The series is split into eight movies, the last book was made into two movies. They are great because everyone kind of person will enjoy it. Considering some of the movies are a little scary for younger kids, they will still fall in love with the story and the characters. Harry Potter is must, must see!

The Titanic- It was sad, oh it was sad, it was sad when that great ship went down to the bottom the... Everyone knows the story. A ship called the Titanic set sail and was known as the ship that would never sink but it did. Tragically, a thousand people were killed when it sank. This movie depicts the events leading to the sinking of that great ship. It follows the story of a young women and her secret relationship with another man on the ship. This movie was one of the highest grossing movies in history. What makes this movie so great is that its not only a great love story, it tells the story of a major event in history. To this day, its still considered one of the greatest movies made.

Elf- This movie is one of those cheesy, yet hilarious, Christmas movies. Its one of those that you watch Christmas day and that everyone enjoys. It is about an elf from the North Pole and he goes to New York City to find is biological Dad. The twist is he actually isn't an elf. He is a full grown man, raised by elves. In the movie, its his first time in the real world. Its hilarious, totally hilarious. All ages will love this movie. I watched it with my 80 year old grandparents and I have never seen them laugh so hard. Watch Elf, you won't be disappointed. (407)

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey is a very odd novel. It follows a girl named Anastasia as she meets a new, mysterious man. She finds this man, Christian, attractive and for some reason she just can't stay away from him. Once their relationship progresses, she finds out that there is a very dark side to Christian. He believes in BDSM which stands for bandage, discipline, sadism, and masochism. She is torn between her love for him and his dark sexual practices

This novel is definitely something that people don't read everyday. It is very out of the box. In the beginning, Anastasia seems like a relatable girl but once the she meet Christian all I wanted to do is to yell at her to run in the other direction. This feeling a reader gets is what makes a book hard to put down, and that is exactly what happened. The novel was easy to read and the diction was mostly colloquial. It wasn't written as well as other books and some of the scenes were pretty inhumane.

I would only recommend Fifty Shades of Grey to mature teenagers and above. Parts of the book are disturbing and which is why this book should be read with caution. Overall, I would not recommend this book because it really isn't written well. There are much better books out there. (380)

The Best Part of Summer

I am a strong believer in the benefits summer camp. It is one of the best decisions a parent can make for their kids and I can't thank my parents enough for sending me away to camp because I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for it. Over the years, camp transforms from a just an average place to the place I call home. It is the place that teaches self-confidence, love, and friendship. It is an environment where people accept everyone and laugh uncontrollably. It gives children the chance to try new things while having the time of their lives'.

Because I feel in love with camp, I kept going back. I did the leadership in training program then counselor in training program. Over the years, I have spent closed to 14 weeks at camp. Those 14 weeks taught me more than all of my years in school and in sports. Now that I am to old to be a camper, I hope to be a counselor this coming summer. Being a camp counselor is more than a job, its who we are. Everyone has similar reasons to be a counselor. I want to be a role model and help kids grow and learn.

This past summer while I was in the counselor in training program, we were given a paper titled “What is a Counselor?”. It is an essay that speaks right to the meaning of camp:

“A camp counselor is a rare combination of doctor, lawyer, Indian and chief. They are an excellent child psychologist with sophomore textbooks as proof. They are an underpaid baby-sitter with neither a television nor a refrigerator.”

“You wonder if they really know how much they are worth and you realize that you can never pay them enough. Yet when they leave, they wave good-bye and say, “See ya next year!””

So its hard to put into words what camp means to those that love it but this quote pretty much sums it up:

“For a moment you will be reminded of your summer here. You will think of a child with whom an interaction deeply affected you. It will be the child you helped learn to swim, or the child who so desperately needed a friend to take care of them. And you will not be able to figure out if the true gift was the one you gave to them of yourself, or if the gift was, in fact, given to you.”

(405)

Grey's

As I was watching my favorite show, Grey's Anatomy, I remembered a tragic event. On this episode of Grey's, a shooter comes to the hospital and commits a mass murder. The shooter is upset because he believes that one of the doctors killed his wife. What really happened was that his wife was brain dead and she wasn't going to wake back up. The man files a lawsuit but loses because of medical evidence. Overcome with grief, this man sets out to the hospital to kill the doctor that “killed” his wife.

This episode aired in May of 2010, years before the tragic event in Newtown, Connecticut. While watching, Newtown was all I could think about. I usually don't cry during movies or TV shows but this episode seemed to hit close to home. It was almost unbearable to watch. Watching the terror on the character's faces and the evil in the shooter's eyes was horrible. I pictured the overwhelming fear the kids, teachers, police officers, parents, and the whole community must have felt during that horrible Friday. I can't even imagine what they went through, and are still dealing with. My heart aches for everyone who lost a loved one, or had to experience the shooting.

In Grey's Anatomy, the characters experienced post-traumatic stress disorder and survivors guilt. Some of the doctors couldn't even go back into the operating room or couldn't sleep and had night terrors. The kids at Newtown probably still feel fear when going to school, I think even the strongest person would after what they experienced. The horrible thing is that school should be a place where everyone feels safe. A place where we grow and learn, not a place filled with horrible memories. As the kids grow older, they will start to overcome the event but will probably never fully recover.

Its horrible that the country to experience the loss of children to figure out that something needs to be done. This should never happen again. The event also, in a way, opened our eyes to whats important in life. Family and community. I know my parents tell me they love me more than the used to. The country, and world, will never forget Newtown and they will always be in our prays.  (380)

Words of Love

Dear Lord, Thank you for Nicholas Sparks. Nicholas Sparks knows who to write to the heart. His books are those books that once you start, you're screwed. And by that I mean you won't be able to put the book the down until it's finished. He is the master mind behind The Notebook, Dear John, and The Last Song. His books are for the “hopeless-romantic” type. Which, lets be honest, everyone is a romantic at heart. Almost every one of his books have been made into movies and have been very successful.

Perhaps the most famous of this books is The Notebook. This is a story of two teenagers that feel in love. Then girl moved away and the boy never recovered. Of course, they meet again years later and rekindled their love for each other. TWIST, she is engaged! Many events happen but they end up spending the rest of their live's together and have children. Happily ever after! In the movie, Ryan Gosling plays the man, Noah. Ryan Gosling, I love you. So does the rest of the female population. The best line of the whole movie is when they confess their love for each other:

               "So it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, everyday. Will you do something for me, please? Just picture your life for me? 30 years from now, 40 years from now? What's it look like? If it's with him, go. Go! I lost you once, I think I can do it again. If I thought that's what you really wanted. But don't you take the easy way out."
So romantic!

Another great novel by Nicholas Sparks is The Last Song. This is the story of a rebellious girl who is forced to live with her Dad all summer. She meets a rich, hot guy and they fall in love. Much more happens but I don't want to spoil it!

Overall, Nicholas Sparks books are great reads for anyone. Well maybe not anyone, but if you're a guy go for it. I promise, you won't be disappointed. Warning: don't start reading unless you have all day to finish! Happy reading.  (409)

Hockey>Tennis

The best athletes are those that play multiple sports but most have one they are most passionate about. I get the joy of spending the spring playing tennis and I'm going to be honest; I hate it. I keep playing every year because I don't want to be a one sport athlete.

There are many reasons I like hockey more than tennis. First off, tennis is so boring. Really, really, really, boring. At times it will be exciting but you just hit the ball back and fourth for an hour straight. That's not much fun! Hockey on the other hand is fast-paced, exciting, and action packed. Tennis is more fun to watch, especially if the match is close. I almost enjoy not playing varsity singles because I get the chance to watch the other girls play.

Another reason I like hockey more is because it is a team sport. Yes, I know you compete on a tennis “team” but let's be honest it really isn't a team sport. Doubles is somewhat team-like but only with one other person. Hockey on the other hand is 15 girls competing together as one. We have each others' back as we go into battle. In hockey there is six players on the ice together. In tennis there is one person. You are on your own.

Also, hockey is played indoors so there isn't the weather aspect. This year has been unusually cold so we've had many meets in 40 degree weather which is not enjoyable. What is even worst is when it starts to rain in the middle of a meet and then you slip and slide all of the court.

I wish I enjoyed playing tennis, I really do but its just not who I am. I am a hockey player and always will be. It's in my blood, I was born to do it. I am competitive, passionate, and I always give 110%. I'm going to be so happy when the season is over and I can go back to playing what I love most: hockey. (393)