There once was a boy

Who was accepted into Saints

He was filled with joy

And there were no complaints

He went to all the games

Volunteered for the school

He flattered all the dames

And was never called a fool

But then he was beat up

Punched in the back

Kicked in the butt

Hit with a bat

But the attackers were suspended

And his wounds were mended

We are the ones who play America’s favorite pastime

We play fairly

We are not sore losers

The swing our bats hard and run fast

We practice often

And when the game day comes

Will we give it our all

If win we are humble winners

If we lose we are not sore losers

This respect for our opponents makes us true ball players

Not our skill or talent

He rolls over on his back

And slowly gets out of bed

He stretches out his paws

And scratches his head

He goes to his bowl

Eats his Fancy Feast

And when he finishes his meal

His hunger is ceased

Then he goes to driveway

And rest for while

He takes a dump

Then covers it with a pile

As the dog walks by

He climbs up a tree

The may bark

But he does not flee

He stalks around the yard

Looking for his prey

Then he comes inside

And with string he does play

By now it is dark

So he climbs back in bed

He stretches his paws

And scratches his Z Z Z.

The big apple

The city that never sleeps

The capital of the world

New York City

You’re the city that’s totally diverse

No one is exactly the same

On your streets a legendary item can be found

Know only as a New York City hotdog

They say that your police force is racist

But I reply; every organization has its bad seeds

They say your crime rates are high

But I answer; just more opportunities

To apprehend vigilantes

Its many fingers reach the sky

As majestic as an eagle soaring above the clouds

In the streets there is the sound of hard working men

Building

Bartering

Profiting

Its pockets full of the hard earned cash made by its people

The people of America’s greatest city

They call it:

The big apple

The city that never sleeps

The capital of the world

I call it home

Chicken is a thing that’s delicious

That decreases your life expectancy

It clogs the veins in your body

And never stops at all

And tastiest, in hunger, it’s eaten

And sore must be the FDA

That could disclaim the chicken

That keep so many full

I’ve tasted in the ghettos

And in the richest city

Yet always in extremity

I order it from KFC

Dear Old Spice,                                                                  Jan 27,15

My name is Richard and I am an eight grader at Old Town Academy.  My school is having an gala to raise money for my school. This fundraiser takes place on April 25 and since my school does not get much government funding, fundraisers like these are the only way my school receives money. Yesterday, my teacher told me to brainstorm some companies to ask for a product to put in the eight grade basket and I decided to ask Old Spice. Being boys at our age, our natural aroma isn’t exactly pleasing to the nose, I thought Old Spice man fresheners would be a good basket item. For the basket, I would appreciate it if you sent one of your “smellcome to manhood” packages or any other product that would subdue the scent of BO. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Richard

Dear Mayor Faulconer,

My name is Richard Squillaro and I am from Old Town Academy. I’m in the eighth grade and interested in politics. For a school assignment, I had to make a poster about an issue pressing America. I choose Social Security. I believe it has to be reformed, or canceled altogether. If cancelled, I believe that the  people who are currently retired or have paid money towards Social Security should still receive it, but people who haven’t paid any would instead of putting that money to paying for someone else retirement, they’d put it in their own retirement. Given some chunk would go to families in need. Unfortunately, if it is not reformed, it might be totally eliminated. Social Security has caused over one trillion dollars in debt. If this continues, the government is going to keep accumulating debt. Making things worse, the increasing life expectancy will make the government tax even more. My point being is that soon or later Social Security is going change. People can not longer count on this program being here for them in 50 or so years. I believe that kids should be encouraged to save their money in case the system fails. Even mentioning this issue in one of your next speeches might help persuade kids to save up for retirement. This is an important issue that isn’t talked about much. It really appreciate it if you took this into consideration. Thank you for your time.

From,

Richard

Before WWII, countries like Vietnam were French colonies. After the war, Vietnam wanted its independence. Ho Chi Minh, in the North, fought for its independence against the French in the South. Aided by America the French stayed in the war for a bit, but soon dropped out, leaving America to take charge. Between 1958-1965, the war is in high gear. Half a million troops were sent. America dropped large amounts of bombs, along with grenades and napalm. The Vietnam used guerrilla warfare, a method of using small, surprising attacks. People started to protest against the war. In 1969, a huge anti-war protest took place in DC. In 1968, Nixon was elected president. He promised to end the war, but continued fighting to 5 years. He dropped more bombs than any other president. In 1972, burglars broke in the Democratic Party headquarters and stole information. Because of Nixon’s tie to the break in, he resigned in 1974.

Scientist are thinking about using beavers to bring back the wetlands. During the summers in California, the wetlands dry up, a reason why were are in a drought. Beavers are able to make a dam that prevents water from going down stream, preserving it. In this article the author was unbiased.  I think it is cool that scientist might use a animal to fix their problems. Riffle thinks “its good.”

Martin Luther King Jr. and John Fitzgerald Kennedy were both extremely charismatic and passionate speakers. During the Civil Rights Era, King and JFK wrote two of their best pieces, the “I Have a Dream” speech, and the Civil Rights Address, respectively. Their pieces flow well and are able to convey emotions by using rhythm and metaphors. It’s no coincidence that both these American heroes who are famous for their speeches use the same writing techniques.

Rhythm is an important part of a piece. It helps sentences flow. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and JFK’s “Civil Rights Address” both use a combination of short and longer sentences to create rhythm. King said, “We cannot walk alone. And as we we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back”. He starts off with a short sentence, then follows with a long sentence, then finishes with a short sentence. JFK also used this in his speeches. A paragraph in his speech reads, “This is not a sectional issue. Difficulties over segregation and discrimination exist in every city, in every State of the Union, producing in many cities a rising tide of discontent that threatens the public safety. Nor is this a partisan issue. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics.”  If you read these parts of their speeches out loud, you will notice that varying the sentence length creates rhythm.

Metaphors and imagery are also important to a speech. They can help paint a negative or positive picture in the listeners head. For example, if you said, the chairs are as soft as marshmallows, this paints a good picture. If you said the chairs are like sitting on sharpened nails, that would paint a bad picture. In Kennedy’s speech, a line reads, “They are not yet freed from the bonds of injustice”. Since bonds are used to hold a prisoner, this paints the picture that injustice is imprisoning the innocent black people of America. King’s speeches also include lots of imagery. “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice,” King says. In this line, he likes sweltering heat to injustice, which makes the listeners have a negative outlook on the injustice.

Rhythm and imagery are important parts of a speech. They can make or break an argument. Rhythm helps the piece flow in the air. A choppy piece isn’t going to be remembered or even worst, will be insulted. However a fluent speech will be remembered. Imagery helps support a piece by creating a positive image in a reader’s head. This also will make a speech memorable. By using these techniques, King and JFK gave two of the most memorable speeches of the 20th century. Without their motivation, the U.S. still might be struggling for equality.