As I Lay Dying

The New York City skyline seemed to rise from the distance with the backdrop of a fiery star illuminating the sky. Shawn Carter gazed out his bedroom window, mesmerized by the possibilities that lay ahead of his Marcy's Housing project building; built for people who were in the face of disparity, too poor to live on their own. A constant thought he hated himself for that he was stuck at the bottom of the barrel. Yet the walls of a structure could not contain the dreams and ambitions of the young…

When asked of his image of One Foot in Eden, he replied, “a farmer standing in his field, crops dying around him. He had a look of desperation of his face that transcended the drought” (Kingsbury). This is significant to the novel, there has recently been a drought that is causing the crops to slowly die and the local farmers to struggle. As a reader, a common question could be does these dying crops represent Holland Winchester? Holland’s life was a struggling drought, begging for affection,…

more people dying in the war. I looked at the image right beneath the headline. People were trampled to death, blood visible on the dirt roads. Bodies lay on the ground dead of dysentery as the devoted soldiers continued on. The image has haunted me ever since. All those people dead are men. I longed to join those brave and patriotic soldiers out there on battle front. It’s just that women can’t fight, but I know a way. Tonight is the night I have been waiting for. Tonight is the night I leave…

I used to think x-rays meant you had to sit in this box that had magical powers to be able to see my bones, and now that I’m older, I realize that that’s not the case. I’ve had one CT scan and about 8 x-rays done in my life. The x-rays were for the hereditary bunions I have, but the CT scan was way more scary than the x-rays. When I was about 12 years old, something really strange happened to me. Because I didn’t really know what was happening to me, I thought I was dying. I woke up one day…

I want to actuate you to support the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) to demand better working conditions. What is IWW? IWW is a union that challenged the American Federation of Labor’s (AFL) acceptance of capitalism and its refusal to included unskilled workers in craft unions. I believe that you should join IWW because we are making a difference in people lives and we are supporting them to want shorter hours, higher pay, and better benefits for their families. How are you going to get…

so hot today, I could practically hear death call my name (personification). I was, standing over the first fish that I caught, thinking to myself, “fishing is funner than I thought”. I had just caught a 4 inch sunfish with a cane pole of all things. I kept thinking “omg, omg, omg omg”. After about 5 minutes of thinking about this cool fish and how I was going to show it to my Uncle Jimmy and let him say “nice buddy, catch another big one”, but then I realized that the fish was dying because it…

“When I was younger so much younger than today, I never needed anybody's help in any way. But now these days are gone and I'm not so self-assured, now I find I've changed my mind, I've opened up the doors. Help me if you can, I'm feeling down. And I do appreciate you being 'round. Help me get my feet back on the ground. Won't you please, please help me? And now my life has changed in oh so many ways my independence seems to vanish in the haze. But ev'ry now and then I feel so insecure. I know…

I hate reading, and I hate writing. It takes me hours to start papers. It took me eight hours just to think about the topic I will write this focus paper on. Then it hit me. We all love to do certain things, and we all hate to do other things. I hate to read and write, but I to listen to music. A lady in Fahrenheit 451 burns herself alive, just so she can be with her books. She loved her books so much that she died for with them. If we love someone or something so much, we all should be willing…

was charged with second-degree murder for the role in a patient’s suicide (“Right to Die”). The right to die movement has become more important as many people live longer healthier lives. Today’s medicine does more than prolong living, but extends dying. We have great technology that can give us artificial organs and more. About ninety percent of individuals die from prolonged illnesses which include cancer, stroke, Parkinson disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and many more (Girsh). A patient who…

give way to pride. For a brief while your your strength is in bloom but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow illness or the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water or a jabbing blade or javelin from the air or repellent age, your piercing eye will dim and darken; and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away” (Heaney, 2000). I believe that this part in the book is a key moment to the book because king Hrothgar can tell that Beowulf is very a prideful person so…