By Sawyer W. (English 4, Lesson 10)

For summer vacation this year we went to Idaho. We got to stay at a hotel with a pool and a hot tub.  We also got to go swimming in a lake, and got to build a sand castle.  The next day we took a boat tour around the lake. On the boat we got to see the boiler of a old sunken steamboat.  I enjoyed going to Idaho and I hope we can do it again.

By Sawyer W. 

 In school this year I read three books, Luther the Leader, Thunder Storm in Church, and Ink on His Fingers. Martin Luther, Hans Luther, and Hans’s friend Ulrich each had a lot of challenges and hard choices in their lives.                                                                                               

            Luther the Leader, Martin Luther’s father wanted Martin Luther to become a lawyer.  Instead, Martin Luther became a monk. It took a lot of strength and courage to defy his father’s wishes and follow his heart.  Martin Luther left the monastery married a nun and raised his family. 

In the book Thunder Storm in Church, Hans Luther, son of Martin Luther was in Latin school but Hans couldn’t continue Latin school because his Father gave the money to some one to print the Bible, so Hans could not continue Latin school.  But then the monastery took him in so Hans got to continue Latin.  Then Hans Luther went to Gutenberg’s printing shop and helped to print the Bible.

  In Ink on his Fingers, Hans Luther developed a friendship with Ulrich Zell. Ulrich moved to a town with his father to become an apprentice.  Ulrich met Hans Luther while running after being accused of stealing metal types used for printing. During their ordeal, Ulrich and Hans solved the mystery of the stolen types and became apprentices together. 

Reading these books has encouraged me to follow my conscience and never give up on my dreams and inspirations.  I enjoyed reading these books this year for school this year, and I hope you will read them too.      

By Sawyer W.

Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564 in the city of Pisa, Italy.  When Galileo was old enough, his father taught him how to read, write, and how to play the flute and the organ.  Galileo’s father hired a teacher to teach him about the ancient Greek thinkers.  When Galileo was 11 he was sent to a boarding school in the Monastery Vallombrosa.  When Galileo was 17 he started studying medicine at the University of Pisa to please his father, as he originally wanted to be a musician.

Galileo’s most important inventions were the telescope, compound microscope and the pendulum clock.  Galileo used the telescope to look out at the universe to see how it worked.  The compound microscope was used for looking closely at small objects.  The pendulum clock was used for measuring time, but was never completed. The telescope helped Galileo prove that the earth was in the center of the planets and changed some people’s beliefs of the universe; others kept their geocentric beliefs.  Because he challenged their beliefs, the church had Galileo put under house arrest and he was told he could have no visitors. After a few years alone, people started to visit him.  While under house arrest, Galileo started work on a pendulum regulator for the mechanical clock, however he died before it was complete.  

Galileo’s work was fundamental during the Renaissance Period.  His inventions led to a greater understanding of the universe and changed history.  Today, many believe he worked through a process rather than guessing.  We call this the scientific method.

Sea turtles are unique creatures that live in the ocean.  Sea turtles have been around since the age of the dinosaurs.  Dinosaurs lived hundreds of years ago with sea turtles. Sea turtles lay up to one hundred eggs in a nest.  About two months later they make their way to the ocean and they don’t come back till they are the size of a dinner plate.  Most likely only one of the turtles will survive because there are so many predators, thus making them even more unique.           

By Sawyer W.

The American Flag represents the history of our country through symbols. First, there are 50 stars. There is one star for each state in our union.  Second, there are three colors:  red, white, and blue.  An interesting fact is the founding fathers did not specify the meaning of the colors.  This means everybody can come up with his or her own meaning.  In the military, red stands for bloodshed in the American Revolution, white stands for courage and bravery, and blue stands for freedom.  The last symbol I will discuss is the stripes.  The original 13 colonies are represented by the 13 stripes.  It’s important to remember much of the meaning of our flag was not specified during its adoption, but over time, this is what it has come to mean to the United States Citizens.   

            Hope can be found anywhere throughout history.  Examples of hope can be found in the two books The Lost Baron and The Red Keep written by Allen French.  I will give examples of hope in the essay below.  

            Martin is an example of hope in The Lost Baron.  First, it was discovered that Halbert was taking too many fish on behalf of Sir Basil and keeping it for him and his men. Sir Basil then put martin in charge of collecting the fish rations.  This made the people in the fishing village happy and gave them hope they wouldn’t starve any more. 

            The second example of hope is when the farmers confronted Martin and told him about Halbert taking too many rations from them, too.  Martin told them he couldn’t; only Sir Basil could give that order.  Instead, martin helped them come up with a plan to set a trap to show Sir Basil that Halbert and his men were stealing.  Their plan worked!  Sir Basil found out and made Martin his squire.  Again, the farmers knew they would no longer starve.

            The final example of hope is when Martin found Baron Eric and alerted the people that he was alive.  They came up with a plan to get Sir Basil’s men out of the castle and get Eric out of the dungeon.  They succeed and Baron Eric kills Sir Basil.

            The first example of hope in The Red Keep is Lady Anne.  Anne never gave up on regaining her fief after the Sauval took it and killed her family.  She trained for war and learned the skills although she knew she would not regain it without a husband.  The people of the Red Keep castle, however, continued to believe in her.

            The second example of hope is Conan, a squire who sets off from Sir Roger’s castle by himself and first saves a Jewish traveler from Red Ralph, an outlaw.  Later, he meets up with the same traveler caught by the Sauval and frees him once again.  This second time Conan had the attention of the masons Pierre and Berenger from Vézelay.  Pierre helps Conan escape the Sauval and Conan goes to hide out in their village.

            Conan disguises himself as Luke and he discovers a plan between the Abbot and the Sauval to take the Red Keep castle for themselves.  Pierre and Conan come up with a plan to thwart the Sauval.

            Up until this point, people thought Conan was dead, but when they figure out he is alive it gives them hope to keep going and fight with him.  In the end they defeat the Sauval and Anne marries Conan and gets back what is rightfully hers.

            Overall I enjoyed reading these two books as part of my schoolwork.  Hope encouraged the people to move forward in hard times.  Today, hope gives us the opportunity to be helpful and encouraging to help people have a better life.

(A fill in the blank essay)

         Pompeii was an ancient city in southern Italy.  The city of Pompeii was built at the foot of Mt Vesuvius.   The people of Pompeii did NOT know they were living by a volcano because there had not been an eruption for more than 1,800 years.  

Pompeii was originally settled by the Greeks.  Pompeii was a port city, a prime location for trade.   The volcanic soil was also rich with nutrients   It was perfect land for growing grapes and olive trees.   In the 4^th century, the town was captured by an Italian tribe called the Samnites.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

         In 62 AD, a severe earthquake struck Pompeii.  It took many years for the city to rebuild.  Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24, 79 A.D. killing 13%people and completely destroying the city. Volcanic ash quickly buried Pompeii and preserved the city and the people who died.  Pliny the Younger, an author and lawyer from Rome, wrote about the cloud of gas and ash.  

         Pompeii was buried and forgotten until the year 1748  It was discovered by workers building a palace.  Archaeologists are still working there today.  An Italian archaeologist was able to produce accurate casts of the people who died in Pompeii

I am summarizing the main themes of Beorn the proud, Rolf and the Viking Bow, and the Vikings, all sagas. The main themes are pride, truth, and forgiveness.  Pride means being proud of yourself.  Forgiveness means showing other people grace if they make a mistake.  Truth means not telling lies to other people.

My first theme is pride. In Rolf and the Vikings Bow, Grani wanted to be friends with Rolf, but Rolf would not become friends until Grani apologized to Rolf for taking him and his friend, Frodi, as thralls.  Grani was too proud to apologize and it cost him a lot throughout the story.  In Beorn the Proud, Beorn, a young Viking, killed Ness’s family and took Ness as his own.  She was the only thrall to be captured because Beorn was prideful and wanted her so his father allowed it.  Another example in Beorn the Proud is when when Beorn and Ness went to Denmark to warn the king and, because of one good idea to defeat the enemy, the king made Beorn his heir. Leif, the king’s loyal friend who served him a long time, had been waiting to serve when the king passed.  Beorn did not deserve to be King and, in the end, his pride cost him and Leif exiled him from Denmark so he had to move to Ireland.

The next theme in these sagas is truth. In Rolf and the Viking Bow, Rolf was trying to prove that his father could be killed beyond a particular distance but every body said it couldn’t be done.  So Rolf went searching for the truth and proved his father was murdered.  In Beorn the Proud, Beorn believed in many gods instead of the true God.  One day, Beorn learned there weren’t many gods, because Ness taught him the truth so he ends up believing in one God instead of many gods. 

My last theme is forgiveness.  In Beorn the Proud, Ness forgave Beorn for killing her family, and that was a hard thing for Ness to do but she did.  Ness’s family also forgave him as Ness’s mom was still alive but her dad wasn’t.  In Rolf and the Viking Bow, Rolf forgave Grani for taking him as a slave once Grani apologized.  

In conclusion, Pride is good if you believe in yourself, but not if you are boastful or hurt others.  It is also important to tell the truth so you don’t get into trouble with others.   Finally, we should forgive others so they forgive you if you make a mistake. It even says to forgive in the bible.