Gerard K. O'Neill

Sarah Huller Ms. Landram Informative Paper December 17th ,2016 J.K. Rowling: Perseverance Not Failure Could you even imagine living on little to no money, having no job, and being a single mother? J.K. Rowling is a very popular British author that wrote best-selling books but only after being rejected many times by publishing companies, she finally got her book published, and she then got out of welfare, got over her divorce, and became the 13th richest woman in Britain (richer than the…

When James Polk ran for President, his platform was that of westward expansion. He wanted to claim the southern part of Oregon territory, annex the American Southwest from Mexico and annex Texas. The Whigs nominated Henry Clay. Clay’s platform was opposed to expansion, but his tactics alienated antislavery supporters and enemies of expansion. Electoral votes gave Polk the presidency. His vision was to annex Mexican territory, Texas and Oregon. Texas was a slave state and popular in the…

After five years Rowling finished the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone the first book of the series. She had a very hard time finding a publisher for her book. Twelve publishers turned back her manuscript. Finally, Bloomsbury agreed to publish her book, but they asked Rowling to write her initials and last name to attract more male readers. She didn’t have a middle initial so she used the name of her favorite grandmother creating her pen paper J.K. Rowling. After a year the book was…

First and foremost is their instinctive animalistic trait for survival. These humans are the ones that made it through World War Terminus and continue to live on a residually radioactive planet, so their survival instincts have taken over and arguable lessen their other aspects of gentile humanity. The society values of these times are also radically different from pre-war times. In so small a population, social status has become even more important to attain. And the way to attain said statues…

Throughout American History many innovations have occurred that have changed the ways of the lives of the people thru time. Most, if not all, of these occurrences have been rough aggression, like the Manifest Destiny. The Manifest Destiny was an aggressive imperialism because of removal of inhabitants, and the expansion of territory. Though some of the instances were less aggressive than others, the Manifest Destiny was overall aggressive. The removal of the inhabitants of the territories taken…

Much of Karim’s identity crisis is due to his split heritage. Despite being half English, it is difficult for Karim to fully assimilate into British society since the definition of ‘Englishness’ did not extend to those with multiple ethnic backgrounds. The differences between first and second-generation immigrants in the novel illustrate the tensions and anxieties of being caught between belonging and not. For Haroon, a first generation Indian immigrant, the shock of displacement came from being…

What is grit? No, not the small pieces of sand and stone, but the trait that many of us are oblivious to. Grit isn’t something you can purchase at your local grocery store, but a quality that is acquired through determination and perseverance. In the Ted Talk, “The Keys to Success? Grit”, Angela Lee Duckworth goes on to explain in depth the meaning of this complex characteristic. She states, “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking…

The Martian: grace under pressure. In the book the Martian, we follow the journey of a stranded astronaut in mars after a windstorm, his struggle for survival and subsequently rescue. We are privy to his thought process and problem solving abilities through a series of log entries. We learn how he overcomes trial after trial until help arrives. He manages to do this as a result of grit, by fostering a growth mindset which allows him to maintain his optimistic outlook, despite the fact that he…

Introduction I did not choose this path. I did not choose Accelerated English ¾. I did not choose to stay in this class. However, I did choose to excel in this situation. Sometimes, we are thrust on a path not of our choosing. For me, this path was Accelerated English ¾. But as this class comes to an end, I am glad Fate handed me this opportunity. In this class, we have completed a variety of assignments from which I have gained a multitude of writing, reading, and oral communication skills.…

“This is infinitely disappointing,” remarks a young man, in a bored tone, standing before one of the world’s most recognizable paintings. “Monsieur, surely you realize that is Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa you have slandered,” retorts a rather indignant Frenchman. The young tourist turns. “Oh, I know.” He shoots back flippantly. “I thought it would be more impressive, less boring.” He adds offhandedly. The Frenchman smiles to himself. “I believe Da Vinci’s Lady would say the same things about you.” He…