In "The Tree or Red Stars" and "The Quick and the Dead there are many recurring themes and ideas that make the stories similar. Yet, each author had a way of relating these topics to the main characters, in their stories, that made them different. There were ideas such as politics, ...

In a far away village called Bird Land lived a beautiful and enchanting woman. Her name was Isabella. Isabella was very tall, thin and an attractive woman. Her hair was long, wavy and a true color of golden blond. Her eyes as blue as the sky. She came from a poor family. Her family consisted of...

The two neighborhoods that I grew up in are Rogers Court and Hamar Drive I lived on Rogers Court from the time I was born until I was 11 years old. My family and I then moved to Hamar Drive. The two neighborhoods were both in Pleasant Hill, but they were very different in many ways. Rogers Cour...

What do your drapes say about you? Unlike some, whose homes are satiated only with possessions that are accompanied with a robust price tag, my bedroom does not scream social status. My sheets don't match and my drapes are certainly Target brand, but whenever I walk through the door I feel...

Summer in Newfoundland It all began with a trip that my grandmother and I made to visit my Aunt Ada and my Uncle Fonz. We had finally made it to the docks of St. John. I finally felt freedom from the nauseating feeling from the ship rocking back and forth. Driving off the ship, there was ...

It was only the middle of October but I was already thrilled about Christmas being only two in half months away. I could not wait until we got our Christmas tree and the fresh scent of pine filled our house. I was only four, but had already figured out Christmas was my favorite holiday of the year...

The story is set in modern times and most of the action occurs over a period of about six months in a small town on the northeastern coast of Australia. Just before Christmas, Kerry Matt, unmarried mother of Sarah (19 years old), Carl (nearly 16) and Harley (10 years old), all with different fath...

We pulled into the gravel driveway a punctual half hour before our expected arrival. Great, I thought, an extra hour I would be waste at my grandparents'. Wasn't it good enough that I was spending the entire weekend here? Did we have to get there so soon? When you are thirteen, each minute at ...

It was Saturday, the first Saturday of the month, and the girls were at it again. Mohammed left early when he heard his mom clanging pots together in the kitchen. "MaMaaa, is Sana and Marina coming for lunch today'" he called from the flat roof after morning prayers. "Yes, you sister and gran...

To Live In the movie "To Live" the main characters in the movie gone through a lot of loses and a lot of suffering. There are many ways to explain why such unfortunate events always happens to them, but look at the big picture, there is one root cause that created all the ripples effec...

Some families have their own unique way of celebrating those special moments with the ones they love. My most cherished memory as a child was Christmas day with my own family. I couldn't wait for my favorite holiday to arrive when we would gather around the Christmas tree and enjoy each other's com...

Approaching Grandma's, our family anticipates the grand holiday about to be rekindled once again. With our family and friends about to be reunited with each other, each family member is trying not to notice how long the mile is taking. The trees along the road seem to crawl by slower as dad pushes...

1. The very first "red flag" that comes to my mind is the way that his family structure was set-up, and how he chose to constantly view himself as a "victim". "My family operated in a very cold, detached and formal fashion. Communications between us were more of an exercise...

A Land Remembered is a novel about survival and progress of Florida. This story takes place in the 1850's through the 1970's. It is a story about the family of Tobias MacIvey, and his wife Emma, and their Son Zech. Through out this book these characters change, and bring in more characters, such as ...

Writers often find significance in their work that others might not see. One can explore the same account written in different forms of literature. Often, there will be similarities found in the comparison of both works. The significance of the mother's painting, "Lot's Wife," in Amy Bloom's "...

The Grapes of Wrath By: John Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath is an eye-opening novel which deals with the struggle for survival of a migrant family of farmers in the western United States. The book opens with a narrative chapter describing Oklahoma, and the overall setting. It sets the m...

In Loving Memory The most memorable event in my life was the death of my mother. It was not so much the way that she died, but the events that followed her death that had the most impact. Here is the story of those events. My mother was in and out of the hospital all my life, so when she was admi...

She lifted her free hand, gave a little nod, turned around, and walked out of the doctor's office. Then her slow step began on the stairs, going down. When she returned to the street it had begun to get dark and Phoenix knew she must try to hurry or her grandson would be scared. "I don'...

We as a society are fortunate. We have the luxury of advanced technology to include: computers, telephones, video teleconferencing equipment, cellular phones, beepers, and hospitals with the latest gadgets and gizmos. Our technology is available only because of documented historical accounts. Our ...

Nothing is more powerful than the memories of our childhood. These memories are what shape our adult lives. Our lives are touched by the many experiences of our childhood. Have you ever wondered where your present fears come from? Our greatest fears are made by the experiences of our childhood. Even...

Background Gary Soto was born on April 12, 1952, in the farming community of Fresno, California, to Mexican-American parents. In his essay "Being Mean" he talks of how his father and grandfather worked at the Sun Maid Raisin Factory and his mother peeled potatoes at Reddispud. Soto'...

Chapter 1 In chapter one the main character Maia Wojciechowska wakes up from a dream to the sound of a plane. She thinks it is her father's, but when she runs outside with her new puppy to see, Maia finds out that it is not her father's plane. The plane flies over parallel with her runn...

American Beauty American Beauty There continues to be an everyday struggle for us American's to find out true identities. There are so many people in our society who feel the necessity to be someone they are not, in order to fit in. Only if they had a mirror; then they could look and see th...

My name is Margaret Ingrid Forrester and I am 92 years old. I usually spend my time sitting on the porch watching the endless fields stretch out before me, the birds flying overhead, the wind blowing, rustling the leaves of the old oak tree. That tree has been here longer than I have. Oh, don't...

Blue Highways "New ways of seeing can disclose new things. Do new things make up for new ways of seeing?" (p. 17) William Least Heat Moon's excursion reflects his appreciation for tradition and the purity of the past. His odyssey reflects his Indian heritage and the c...