More than Meets the Eye: O. Henry

Authors are not just authors. They are not people who just sit around and write all day. They are all people, individuals. They have a story. It may be a very touching one, a surprising or extraordinary one. Also, it may be surprising to learn the motivations that made them authors. There must be a reason. There must be a whole new story, and it is definitely more than meets the eye.

O. Henry was an American author. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He lived from September 11, 1862 to June 5, 1910. His mother died when he was young, and he lived with his father and maternal grandmother. William was always reading during his childhood. He worked as a pharmicist, draftsman (professional drawing-arts), bank teller, then a journalist. He also acted and sang with a group of other singers and actors. When he started his work as a draftsman, he started writing stories with characters based on his job. He was arrested for five years because of embezzlement (to take money/property in other's care, with deception) During the time he was in prison, he worked as a night druggist there. He published several books under different pen names but the most famous one was O. Henry. O. Henry moved to New York where he was close to his publishers and wrote about 381 short stories. His short stories were famous for their unexpected endings and witty (clever) narration. Some of his famous short stories are: The Gift of the Magi, The Last Leaf, and After Twenty Years. Unfortunately, he was a heavy drinker and had abysmal health, and he died in 1910. (He died of cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, and enlarged heart.

Cherished item

What is your most coveted treasure? Some people may say, "My laptop, of course!" "My iphone 4s, duh!" Well, laptop, you say? Laptops, they are machines afterall, electronic devices. Once in a while, they do not work right.As for phones, it goes the same way. Let's see, the most cherished item. Well, it is really hard to chose. Dont people say, "You dont know how much something means to you until it is gone." Well, then I can name many! Heaters, Air conditioners, socks, clothes, blankets, hats, warm water, cold water. However, our teacher specified "things." The thing I treasure the most, are memories. If it has to be a solid item, then it would be a camera (with all the pictures and videos of my life, my family and friends) Well, my most cherished item could be a USB with huge capacity. However, that leads to the need of laptops to display the pictures and videos, and I dont even want to go there (Again). My most cherished thing in this whole entire world are memories, and if it is a thing, then it is a USB with all the photos and videos of my life.

Should we have universal education?

Should we have universal education? Why, of course! When did it start? In Scotland, universal education started in 1561. In England and Wales, the Elementary Education Act (Forster's Education Act)was passed in 1870, where children of 5-12 had to recieve education. Why did it start? Why do we need universal education? We need universal education because then we would have the basic knowledge to live through our lives without hardships. If people recieve education, then they would learn to think more critically, and figure things, solve more problems by themselves. Education leds to revolutions (Like the French Revolution), which is a bad effect, but thinking on the bright side, they also had the Enlightenment, and had more and more people thinking and improving their society! Also, universal education is tied with fate. A little education can change peoples' lives! In alot of places in Southern Asia, poor families are tricked by the sly and wealthy businessmdn and sell their children in exchange for money. However, the families hardly know what would happen to their children. The children who were sold often work harsh jobs, requiring heavy labor. Many others get decieved to abandon their country to work in another. Which most of the time, is worse, where jobs are very difficult and harsh. These people are in desparate need of education. They need to know, that one imprudent choice, can change their lives forever. Universal education is very, extremely, and infinitely essential.

Compare and Contrast Between Two versions

Cartoon Version
-Bob Crachit is portraited as small and weak
- Bob Crachit: only watches the coal box with yearn.
- Scrooge is counting money (seems more luxurious/carefree)
-Scrooge's dialogue with Fred : Not a penny richer, fellow passengers to the graveyard,open shut up hearts
-Scrooge stops infront of a choir raising a fund, until they stop.
- The Spirit spinkles magic dust and flies to the past.
-Ebenezer met his lover in the ball
- Ebenezer puts the hat on the ghost and flies and falls, wakes up on the floor.
-Christmas Present: Fred's party: Uncle Scrooge guessing game: no drinking to him
- Mysterious (mystical figures, carriages and horses chase him)
-Bob's family cries about Tim
-Says merry christmas to the maid
- Tags along behind carriage
- -Scrooge sings with the Choir
-Bob narrates at the end.
-Story ends where Scrooge carries Tim down the street

Patrick Stewart version
-Bob Crachit seems tall and powerless. (Bold but fears Scrooge)
- Bob Crachit asks Scrooge if he would removed Marley's name: No.
-Attempts to put more coal
- Scrooge is writing (seems more serious)
-Scrooge's dialogue with Fred: Not an hour richer, a time for good, not for profit, time of kind, of forgiveness, when men and women can think of others.
- (A little boy) Caloring (from door to door): Sings at Scrooge and Marley's: Scrooge comes out with a stick and attempts to swing it.
-Bob accidently slips the word "Merry"
-Fund raisers askes Fred for directions to Scrooge.
-Painting on the wall moves (Jacob's face)
-Thinks is seeing Jacob because not digested food.
- The spirit simply transforms the past.
-Explains why he didnt go home as a school boy
-Young Ebenezer shows Small Fezziwig a trick.
-"When happiness shows up, always give it a comfortable seat"
-The ghost actually brings him home, and scrooge puts hat on him, wakes up.
-Chirstmas Present Ghost Gives blessings to people (poor) (like in the book)
-The pudding is small, and children would blush to mention the small size.
-After visiting Crachit a storm comes and sweeps them away past a lighthouse, to a ship, then to a coal mine (factory) at last, to Fred's house.
-First they plan to go, but stays outside for a while to watch Fred's party plays games
-Ghost told him that he should have accepted the invitation just for Fran's sake
-Visists Prisons, sprinkle dust, show people sing and play chirstmas carols.
- Meets Ghost of Christmas Yet to come (simply appears on street): goes to Stock Exchange
-Two old women and One man come visit Joe to sell Scrooges' things for money. (broch, blankets, boots, curtain) (took of his clothes made of silk, to sell to Joe)
-Bob's family stays calm and happy and thinks of Tim, and now Fred was nice
- In the coffin, was really Scrooge inside.
-Throws snowballs at kids
-Goes to Church and sings
-When visit Fred's house, it was ironic how the song Fred's friends were singing repeated the word "Shy" while Scrooge was "shy" and tried to sum up the courage and go in.
-Bob holds up stick for defense when Scrooge offered raise in salary
-Fred narrates at the end.
-Story ends when Bob's family visits Scrooges' house

Similarities:
- Both starts with the funeral of Jacob Marely
-Scrooge is portraited as a mean and cold hearted man
- Both Bob Crachit tries to warm up (by candles)
- Nephew Fred comes in after Scrooge shoots a glare toward Bob who was trying to get warmer.
-Both Scrooge says "Humbug"
-Crachit applauded when Fred finishes his speech
- The fund raisers comes in after Fred
-An image of Jacob Marley on door
-Bells ring
- Double locks the doors
-Sees many spirits (Jacob Marley goes)
-Christmas past, appears at his house
-The man didnt come and fetch him like in the book
-Christmas Present ghost mentions his brother (appears just in scrooges house)
-Christmas ghost of yet to come doesnt talk only points (shows the people who were in debt under Scrooge).
-Wakes up from falling into his coffin, he changed totally.
-Sends turkey to Bob

The ghost that most affected Scrooge

In my opinion, the ghost that affected Scrooge the most is the Ghost of Chirstmas Yet to Come. It is because, after the visit of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, which Scrooge saw his own death,  his happiness was overwhelming him. The happiness of being alive overwhelmed him that he attended his nephew's christmas dinner, sent a turkey to Bob Crachit, his employee. Also, he raised Bob's salary. He took care of Tiny Tim, who was very weak and who was about to die. Fortunately, Tiny Tim did not die, and Scrooge was like a second father for him. And he totally transformed to another person. Scrooge changed so much and spent Chirstmas so merrily, that it was said that no one knew better about how to spend christmases.

Workhouses: Hell

First, the Acts of 1572, 1597 and 1601 were set to help the poor. In 1601, the Poor Law Act was passed, and the poor that was receiving help could live at home. However, the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1834 made the poor that who were receiving help live in the workhouses and work hard for the people giving them help. People who were aged, mentally disabled, orphaned, poor, umemployed, unmarried women worked in the workhouses. The workhouses provided free medical care, shelter, food, and training for certain skills (did not include reading and writing). Inside the workhouses, were everthing peole needed: bakery, clinic, classrooms, dining rooms, and many other stores. The workhouses were feared because the government (which feared encouraging umemployed people) so that they made sure workhouses were feared so umemployed would keep out of it.The people would be first separated into different groups according gender and age (families were split up. The people had to wear uniforms (so the other people outside knew they were working in workhouses) after being stripped and bathed. The working conditions were harsh and food had no taste. Children were often sold to mines and other factories. One of the jobs was oakum picker, which was pulling part ropes that are old and covered with tar, which injured the fingers alot. If the worker was healthy and young, they would break rocks into small portions for roads. They would only receive a bed and small portions of food, without being paid. Other jobs were digging, cutting wood, grinding corn, bone crushing (banned in 1845 because workers were eating the flesh), cooking washing, scrubbing and cleaning. Males usually had to break 350 kgs of stones, and to pick eight pounds of oakum, or nine hours of cutting wood and digging. Females had to pick four pounds of beaten oakum, or nine hours of cleaning, or needlework. At last, in 1929, the Local Government Act was passed, which abolished the activity of workhouses, and responsibilities of giving help to the poor were assigned to county councils. However, in Victorian era, the workhouses were viewed as hell, and the word was avoided like the plague: the place that is worse than prisons.

Theme for Liberty and Exile

Assignment: Theme for Liberty and Exile by Jullia Alvarez
list out all the steps of thinking of the theme:

The theme for liberty.
-the subject and title is liberty
-The main characer experienced: having to escape and leaving her best friend (dog) behind.
-Theme: Escaping for liberty and leaving everything you had behind is difficult.
     -Reason: The character leaned through the story that they had to escape for liberty to America, and it was hard leaving Liberty the dog behind.

The theme for Exile.
- Title is Exile
- Subject/topic is escaping for freedom
- The main character experienced: running away, hurriedly, is frightening.
-Theme: Escaping for freedom may be frightening and strange and new
     - Reason: The main character's father was anxious while boarding the plane, once they arrived, they had to understand elevators and other new things they havent seen before.