Literary Distillation

      In the expert from the AP English Literature and Composition, the narrator expresses a judgmental and disapproving attitude toward scientists for experimenting with natural things by using harsh, negative diction, switching point of views and imagery. Switching between the three major points of view, the narrator uses words and phrases such as "nasty pursuit", "miserable wretches", "cruel nastiness"and "nasty", and uses strong imagery to create a to create a negative and almost reprimanding tone of voice. This harsh, insulting tone creates a strong message to the audience that he does not like what they are doing, experimenting with nature and creatures, and that they need to eventually stop their acts against insects. The excerpt is a dismissive and somewhat ignorant "smack-talk" to the intellectual scientists, trying to better understand the natural word and its species living there.

200 word sentence

Many days, whether it be a weekend or a weekday, us teenagers spend our days lonely and bored staring at our vibrantly colored walls, occasionally with a chip or two in the corners, or refreshing our social media over and over again, waiting for someone to post something new and exciting, but nothing is every exciting enough to keep us entertained for more than a minute or so, or staring in the fridge, looking deep into it, opening it and closing it, expecting there to be something new and delicious every time it is opened, but of course it is the same old boring food mom bought last Sunday, eggs, milk, a few bagels, Jell-o, some fruit, apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, one orange that no one has eaten yet because it was dropped on the floor or its too old to be attractive anymore, then, losing interest as easily as all of us teenagers do lately, we move onto something new, like maybe making some cookies or making cupcakes, or doing something helpful for our parents or siblings, like cleaning our rooms or cleaning the putting away the pile of laundry that has been piled up for weeks, but once that ends, we end up right back where we started, with our phones in our hands, refreshing and refreshing, looking for something new or interesting, but not finding anything worth the focus or entertaining enough for us.

Angry Letter

Dear Barbara’s Florist Delivery Man,

Walking into your florist shop, we were pleased automatically. Very nice customer service, great environment, positive atmosphere, and a welcoming staff. When visiting many local florists, my fiance and I were most impressed by your selection of flowers. Ranging from lilies to sunflowers to daisies to hydrangeas, we loved all the options we could choose from to make our big wedding day beautiful. Living in the city, we did not think that we would find many good places that would have live, vibrant flowers. Especially because our wedding was planned to be in the winter, we were skeptical about whether the flowers would last through the harsh weather, but you reassured us that they would be just as beautiful at our special day as they were when we saw them in mid spring.

Although we were impressed at your shop, we were even more impressed on our wedding day. All the purple hydrangeas were now beautifully dried out into shriveled up, brown, fragile petals, breaking with one breath on them. Also, we loved the fact that your delivery truck drove straight through the lawn of my Lake Pearl, where my reception setting, and ruined their lawn. Although you generously apologized, you showed much remorse when you came out of your truck laughing. When setting up the flowers, standing on the tables was probably your best idea since you broke nearly half the tables by jumping up and down on them. Although the music playing was loud and fun, dancing on a table when you are well over 200 pounds is not a good idea. Thank you for eating 76% of the food that would be provided at the reception as well! We were so glad that our guests had to stop at Friendly’s on the way to the reception and most of them also stopping at a near by McDonald’s or Wendy’s on the way home. At least we had the cake though! Oh wait, you accidentally knocked that over too while trying to run out of the room as quickly as you could so you could go home and watch American Idol. My husband and I greatly appreciate everything that you did for our wedding, but I do not suggest anyone else with a right mind to ever use any of your services.

Yours Truly.

Apostrophe, Synecdoche Metonymy

Sun

I sit here,

In the dark of my days.

I lay here,

feeling empty and tired.

I need you

during the days and the nights.

For you are the only thing to cheer me up.

For you are the only thing to make me happy.

This is to you,

Sun.

Wishes

I wish for her hair in the shower drain.

I wish for her clothes on the floor.

I wish for her tooth paste in the sink.

I wish for her perfume splashed on the bathroom sink.

I wish for the smell of her hair after it had just been washed.

I wish for her biggest smile after she had just sung her favorite song.

I wish for her.

I wish for all of her.

Unreliable Narrator or Unorthodox Point of View

The Letter

I was walking home from school one day when I came across a wet, but readable long piece of brown paper. The paper was crumbled up and damaged. I was seconds away from my house. I could not stop looking at the ground at this paper. Finally I picked up the paper off the ground and sat on the curb. I began to read it. I began to read the story of Jane Wright.

“Anyone who lives in Lakely, Michigan has heard the story of Jane Wright. Anyone who has visited the town, looked up Lakely, or watched the news in the past year or so knows Jane Wright. No official story has ever been confirmed and her parents have never confirmed nor denied any story to the public, but everyone knows the basis of the story of Jane Wright.

Jane had long blonde hair and vibrant green eyes with few freckles on her cheeks. She had long legs and was not exceptionally tall, but taller than most of her friends. She lived an ordinary life. Two parents, two siblings, a big dog with fur matching her hair, and a nice big house with a white picket fence and a green lawn. Jane was ordinary, but she was beautiful, often in different ways than most people were. Jane was brilliantly literate and extremely smart. She was brilliant. Not only academically, but she was smart in all ways imaginable. She had a deep vast mind with so many thoughts and ideas that trying to understand her was like trying to put a one thousand piece puzzle together while missing three of the pieces.

It was in 2010 when she left, or went missing. No one knows for sure what has happened to Jane. She was happy. Happy with her life, happy with her family, happy with her friends, happy with school and her part time job at the grocery store down the street. Happy. No indications of discomfort or fear or misfortune happening to her. Jane lived by the same schedule every day along with most kids. She woke up at 6:09, got to school at 7:27, got home at 2:12, did her homework for about 40 minutes, walked to work at 3:51 to start her 4 to 7:45 shift at Walts’ Grocery, her mom picked her up at 7:50 and then she was home for the night. On the weekends, this was not her schedule. She was not as innocent as she appeared to be. She went to parties in different towns with her friends every Saturday night and spent hours Sunday morning getting back to a right state of mind, cleaning herself up, and heading to work at 4. One weekend was not like the rest though.

June 7, 2010 her friends, Madi, Raegen and Mallory, and herself all went out, looking forward to having a good night. They pulled up to what looked like a frat house. It was big and a bit intimidating. It was about an hour away from Lakely. They had never been to a college party before, but they had all become sick of the town parties, doing the same thing over and over again.  Immediately getting to the house, there was a noticeable difference than most parties they had gone to. The house they were at was packed. No more than 6 inches in between every person in the entire house. They were all used to being with older people, but these people were old. Some of the guys looking like they should be at their full time job or home with their families or at jury duty right now.

‘Hello. I’m Greg, Why have I never seen you here before? I come here quite a bit on the weekends, but I would have noticed someone like you before’.

Greg was unfamiliar to Jane. He was tall, lean and looked harmless. He was handsome and confident, maybe a bit drunk at this point, but seemed to be in control of himself.

‘Hi. I’m Jane. My friends and I have never been here before. We aren’t used to this scene. We are more into just town parties, but we decided we wanted a bit of a change’.

‘Well’ Greg started, ‘I support your decision. You are surely beautiful, Too beautiful to be here alone, that’s for sure’.

‘No, I am’ Jane said with a laugh.

‘I just came with my three friends who I can no longer see at the moment. But I have no boyfriend if that is what you’re asking’ Jane said, a bit flirtatiously for the first conversation with someone.

‘I guess I am asking that, Jane. Here, come with me. Are you scared? I can tell you’re intimidated by all of this. You shouldn’t be. The whole party scene is just a bunch of kids with their own problems that need some fun to distract them from what is happening. Don’t be scared. I can take care of you. I will take care of everything’.

Greg was confident in a way that Jane couldn’t explain. He knew exactly what to say to instantly make Jane fall in love with him. A mesmerizing trait that he took advantage of.

‘Come with me, Jane. Have a drink and relax with me. If you get tired or sick then just tell me and we can slow down. I will take you upstairs or to my dorm to let you relax. When you’re rested up, you can come back’.

Greg was so reassuring for Jane. They walked outside to the cooler and both took a drink. One after the other after the other, Jane felt different. She wasn’t her usual drunk that she had been used to. She felt good, like she could keep going, but her body told her differently.

This is fun! This is good! You’re happy. Keep going. Keep going. You can last so much longer, Jane screamed her brain to her.

Stop! You can barely function. Stop while you still can, Jane said her body.

Jane walked toward Greg’s dorm, or what she thought was his dorm. Jane walked slowly then started to run, losing her mind to her drunken thoughts eventually taking over her actions.

‘Greg! Greg! Greg!’ she yelled over and over again looking for guidance and security that she could not find.

June 9, 2010 Jane Wright was reported missing after not returning home or being seen for about 40 hours. Nothing was found of her. Not a hair from her head or a fiber from her clothing. Some people think she stumbled away somewhere in a drunken confusion and she is still trying to find her way back. Some people think she ran far far away from her too predictable and scheduled life. Some people think she did something stupid and died, ran into the street, drowned in a puddle.

Frankly, I am not that dumb. I did not drunkenly run away to a far away land of confusion. I did not try to hide from my average life by leaving everyone. I did not die. Maybe I am dead by the time this is read by an outsider, but now, I am alive. I am in a cold, wet, one window, no bathroom, no bed basement of my kidnapper, Greg. The once handsome and devilishly charming party guy had taken me. I have no idea where I am. Maybe I am out of the country. Maybe I am in Lakely, seconds from my parents. My parents’ names are Terry and James Wright. The last time I was home they lived at 334 Elm Street in Lakely, Michigan. If this letter is ever read by anyone, please give this to my parents for closure they need or evidence the police might need, if they are even still looking by the time this is read.

Thank you,

Jane Wright

January 25, 2012. 3:12 am”.

I had just read the letter about Jane Wright’s kidnapping that she wrote herself. An autobiography about her own tragedy. The worst part about the entire letter? Jane was my sister.