As I drive up the hill, passing the mailbox and the meticulously groomed lawn, I find myself taking on a transformation. I breathe a sigh of relief and feel the tension drain from my body in anticipation of seeing "my place." As I turn the corner I see it, to anyone else it just looks like a simple field. But to me, it is my sanctuary that I can escape from the hectic world. This is where I can relax and feel like I’m a kid again. In my field, for a short while time stops, and I don’t have to worry what needs done next. This place also holds many wonderful memories as well as making new ones each year.
The field right next to my mom’s house and this is an area where I grew up, living there until I moved off to school. I enjoyed the field by myself just as much as when I was with a group of people. The field sits on the top of a hill and through a clearing in the surrounding woods, farms and other fields offer a panoramic view. In the winter, when the trees are bare of leaves but covered in snow, one can see for miles in any direction. In the summer, the field was the location of the weekly neighborhood baseball series, as well as tackle football with the boys. We spent most of the day running up and down the field and imagining we were the best athletes. The boys would get carried away and take advantage of the girls’ size. They would zero in on the girls and see how hard they could slam them into the ground. There were quite a few times when I was slow to get up because I was hit so hard that it blurred my vision and knocked the wind out of me. When the boys saw my agony they were amused. They saw this as more incentive to hit even harder. This is one of the many reasons that the girls learned early to fend for themselves. J...
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...t to get together, touch base, and catch up with all of the old friends and family.
The field is also where I liked to go when I was upset or needed a place to be alone. I went there often in my early teenage years when I was frustrated and needed time to sort out my confusion. It was my own personal, quite place that no one invaded, unlike my bedroom in the house. The field’s view and serenity somehow made me think more clearly and made my problems feel less like the end of the world. This is one of the comforts that I miss from my parents’ house, so when I visit my parents, I visit my place as well.
Now when I look back at all of the good times and the peaceful ones also, I feel at ease. I know that every summer at the beginning of July that I will see everyone just the same as last year. And we will create more memories for me to look back at and smile.
Girls are told to stay indoors and play with their dolls or bake, while boys are encouraged to go outdoors, get dirty, and be adventurous. Wade and Ferree also state “sports are squarely on the masculine side of the gender binary” (Wade and Ferree, 174). Hence, we are brought up with the understanding that playing and talking about sports is a boy’s thing, which further promotes the notion that sports are a very masculine thing. Furthermore, as playing sports is competitive and is a way to show excellence, young boys are considered as “real boys” and “real men” later on. However, when boys do not talk about or play sports, they are considered feminine or “not real men.” The same rule applies for young girls. If young girls are too into sports, they are considered to be “too masculine.” This is true for me too. When I was younger, I was told to not play too much outdoors and to behave “like a girl.” The stigma that only boys should be allowed to play sports and it is not a feminine thing needs to be erased for us to welcome a more gender-equal
The Logical appeal of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address is substantial. In multiple points of the speech he uses comparisons to say five main commodities: to unite the country after the split of parties from election, his generation isn’t that of World WarⅡ, to call the Americans ready for war, forced the other countries to choose an ally, and individually address the USSR to make them aware of the potential problems that will arise. At the very beginning of the speech Kennedy states “...we observe today not as
Persecution happens to many different religious groups worldwide – not just one in particular. In North Korea, Christians are treated horribly. They are not allowed to express their religion, or even own something as harmless as a Bible without severe consequences. In North Korea, “Being caught with a Bible is grounds for execution or a life-long political prison sentence. An estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians live in concentration camps, prisons, and prison-like circumstances under the regime of leader Kim Jong-Un” (Miller). Christians are living in awful circumstances and in some cases are being put to death, all for something as innocent as owning a Bible. In addition, Atheists are being persecuted in many areas in the world. Throughout the world, “Restrictions are many. IHEU figured that ‘in effect, you can be put to death for expressing Atheism in 13 countries’” (Bandow). Not following or identifying with a religion is something that cannot be controlled– yet in 13 countries, Atheists can lose their lives for choosing not to believe in any faith or spiritual deity. Murdering a human being for something beyond their control is not a humane thing to do. Sunni Muslims are persecuted against in many parts of the world as w...
Participating in a sport at an early age can be essential to the overall growth process during a child’s upbringing. Whether the participation is through some sort of organized league or just getting together amongst friends and playing, the lessons learned from this can help teach these kids and provide a positive message to them as they develop. There is a certain point, however, when organized sports can hinder progress, which is when adults get too involved and forget about the underlying reason to why they are helping. While adult involvement is necessary, adult involvement can sometimes send the wrong message to children when they try to make participation become more than just about fun and learning. According to Coakley (2009), “organized sports are worth the effort put forth by adults, as long as they do what is in the best interest of their children and put that thought ahead of their own agenda” (Coakley, p. 151). This is a valid argument because once adults put themselves in front of the children and their values, it needs to be re-evaluated as to why they first got involved in the beginning. Partaking in organized sport and activity from a young age can be beneficial to the overall development of children, as long as decisions actions are made in the best interest of the children and not stemming from ulterior motives of adults.
new friendships, my summer was full of new and old experiences. Though over too soon, I
...have apostatized from Islam, and who actively proselytize. For nearly two millennia, starting with the Sassanians in the 2nd century and extending to the current Islamic regime, Christianity has been a main target of the state. In recent decades the Iranian regime has actively attempted to destroy the Church of Iran, and root out all Christianity from their country, but they have desperately failed, as the church continues to grow to this day. Yet the United States and countries of the West do not address this issue nearly enough, or take any action against it. The persecuted should not be ignored, and the persecutors should face punishment and justification for what they have done. If the silent majority who oppose the persecution of the minority would simply let their voices be heard and insist on engaging those who oppress, the world would be a better place.
It was a few days before I left for school and my best friend, Kate, was throwing a good-bye party for our group of friends. I was so excited for this bash seeing that it would be the last time our group would be together for a while. It was a time for all of us to move on and embark upon futures that held so much for all of us, and to say farewell to the people and memories that had shaped us.
Tompkins, G. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach. (5th ed., pp. 12-286). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
“There are Countries that ban religion, only allow one religion, or make Christians register like China, then the people who are registered get the lower paying jobs”(Bureau of Democracy, Human rights, and Labor). According to The Pew Research Center, (The Economist) “Christians today are the most persecuted religious group in the world”. There are groups who are fighting for this people so they may h...
Strozzi, Barbara. Cantate, ariete a una, doce, e tre voci, Opus 3. Ed. Gail Archer. In Recent Researches in the Music of the Baroque Era. vol. 83. Ed. Christoph Wolff. Madisono: A-R Editions, Inc., 1997.
Persecution is widely considered synonymous with Christianity. Paul says it himself in 2 Timothy 3:12 that Christians who seek a godly life will be persecuted. (ESV) This, however, could be a point of contention for many modern Christians, particularly Christians in the United States. Persecution simply is not experienced in the same way in the modern west as it has been throughout history in other areas of the world. Shusaku Endo writes of a man named Sebastian Rodrigues who experiences this very persecution in his novel Silence. As a missionary to Japan, Rodrigues sees first hand some of the most horrendous styles of Christian persecution in history. Ultimately, in the face of this persecution, Rodrigues is forced to choose between apostasy and the lives of Japanese Christians. In the face of this decision, Rodrigues shows genuine, committed faith through his fortitude and his selflessness.
I stood at the end of the driveway with a bag of clothes and my little sisters by my side. My dad pulled up, we got in the truck, and we drove about 10 minutes until we got to his shop. This would seem like a normal day, but things were different this time. We weren 't at the shop to ride the four wheelers around or to play basketball in the garage or to mess with the pinball machines. There was a gloomy feel about everything around us. Even though I didn’t say anything, I knew things were changing.
...e that trip to Cape Cod, but not sit at a bar and wish it.
Everything seems like it’s falling out of place, it’s going too fast, and my mind is out of control. I think these thoughts as I lay on my new bed, in my new room, in this new house, in this new city, wondering how I got to this place. “My life was fine,” I say to myself, “I didn’t want to go.” Thinking back I wonder how my father felt as he came home to the house in Stockton, knowing his wife and kids left to San Diego to live a new life. Every time that thought comes to my mind, it feels as if I’m carrying a ten ton boulder around my heart; weighing me down with guilt. The thought is blocked out as I close my eyes, picturing my old room; I see the light brown walls again and the vacation pictures of the Florida and camping trip stapled to them. I can see the photo of me on the ice rink with my friends and the desk that I built with my own hands. I see my bed; it still has my checkered blue and green blanket on it! Across from the room stands my bulky gray television with its back facing the black curtain covered closet. My emotions run deep, sadness rages through my body with a wave of regret. As I open my eyes I see this new place in San Diego, one large black covered bed and a small wooden nightstand that sits next to a similar closet like in my old room. When I was told we would be moving to San Diego, I was silenced from the decision.