In the Air Tonight

On a cold chilly winter day the wind howled blowing snow that whipped hard against Westfield high school. It wasn’t normal for the weather to be this cold as Canada didn’t exactly have the stereotype Canadian winters people perceived, but a 12th grader named Ryder knew he couldn’t use the -35 degree weather as an excuse to skip class because there he was sitting at the back of English class with his feet propped up onto the desk and his arms behind his head. He did not want to be there. “Ryder,…

At the start of the novel the conch shell symbolizes order. Soon after the boys arrive on the island, Ralph blows the conch and they gather on a large rock and form an assembly. After selecting Ralph as their chief, the boys quickly realize that with so many of them trying to talk during the assembly at once, no one can be understood, and with no adults around, they must establish a working society. Ralph suggests “‘I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s…

We have some grappling hooks for all of you and we will begin to take turns scaling this large wall one at a time.” Goodfellow showed us how the hooks worked. They were made from heavy iron and braided fiber rope. We had to twirl them through the air to launch them up to the top of the wall. Then we had to place our feet against it and start climbing up. It took a few practices, but I began to pick up on it pretty quickly. "No rush guys, take your time to get used to how the rope feels." We…

like a little kid in a candy store with so much excitement. I text him back saying “Thanks babe, what do we have plan for our anniversary today?” He did not want to say what the plans were. All he said was “it’s a surprise, so be ready by eight tonight.” It was just ten in the morning on a Saturday night. I kept looking at the clock every ten minutes hoping it was almost time but the clock seem to go slow like a snail. Just a few minutes later my mother walked in. “Hey sweetie what are you and…

The ride did take all of the forty-five minutes Cédric had foreseen. Not only because of the mist, fog, and black-out conditions, but Cédric was concerned about Elisaveta. Several times he inquired as to how she was feeling and if she needed to walk. She thanked him for his concern but she was doing well. When they arrived at the Monastery’s driveway, the mist had stopped and muted light from the moon shown through the clouds. They dismounted the bikes and walked up the cobblestone drive. Even…

Maya Seckler 10.23.15 Living on the Edge Who sets the social standards in a society: the people or the institution? Do individuals have real influence or do they blindly follow along? Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter, explores the individual versus society through the lense of Puritan life in the 1600s. Hawthorne not only criticizes society in general but also specifically targets authority by making the Church seem hypocritical. In the novel, Hester Prynne, a woman living in…

I took out a sandwich and a bottle of water from my messenger bag and began eating. I looked around me. The sun was high in the sky but the trees protected me from its hot rays and cooled down the air. Now and then the songs of birds could be heard too. The sound of hurried footsteps reached my ears and I turned my head to the direction of the sound. Panic rose inside of me. I grew nervous around strangers and new people. I scrambled off the ground…

enter. As I walk by the gangster I see Leroy already sitting at the bar, I excitedly skip up next to him and say hello. His eyes light up as he turns around to look at me. "Clara, you made it!" He beamed as he looked at me. "I had to work late tonight, sorry if I kept you waiting." I shyly replied. We gazed into each other 's eyes for a minute before the bartender approached us and asked if we wanted a drink. I pulled my eyes away from Leroy to look at the bartender and stutter out a…

They turned and walked a few doors down to Davis’ Drug Store. Asa took out his keys and unlocked the door, and they both slipped in. After the salty sea air, the familiar dusty hints of menthol, licorice and sulfur greeted them. With a confident step, Asa flicked on the lights, and flung his boater across the room where it landed on the ice cream counter. Although he tried to tame his curls into waves…

The town lay nestled within the hills, quiet and secluded. Trade rarely arrived from the broad river that flowed through the middle of town, and the merchants that came with them were businesslike and quiet. No one had dared to follow the river’s meandering path, nor did anyone desire to do so. And such, when Captain Tory first arrived, curious questions and rumors swirled about him. The voices of children posited simple inquiries and feverishly tangled theories while parents watched and…