People Change

People change in this world, doesn't matter if they want to or not. They might not change for the better, but they will change. Friends turn into enemies, enemies turn to friends, it happens every day. Usually changes happen from traumatic experiences, like losing a loved one. But one of the worst of them all is war, and that is what the characters from Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers had to go through. They killed in cold blood, they watched their friends die in front of them, and they themselves were as close to death as possible. Through all this, they would never be the same people.

Richard Perry, or Perry as everyone called him, was one of the main characters of this book. His experiences in war alone would be enough to give anyone nightmares. Perry watched his friends get torn to pieces by explosions and bullets. When he was wounded, Perry was carried away from the battlefield in a medevac chopper, which stands for medical evacuation. He and his friend Brew both got flown out, and as the medics worked on them in the helicopter, they held hands. The book described his hand feeling cold, limp, and lifeless. Then he watched his friend get put into a body bag as the medics zipped it up.

Another traumatic experiences for Perry was when he was searching in a village for remaining Viet Congs who were terrorizing the villagers. As he walked into a hut, from his backside one aimed a gun at his head from point blank and pulled the trigger. The only response he got was a few clicks from his gun, the Viet Cong's gun jammed. So then the both had a quick fight using fists and the butts of their guns, and Perry eventually knocked the Cong down to the ground. He took out his M16 and unloaded a full clip into the Cong's face, tearing away flesh, bone, and muscle. Still scared, he slammed in another clip and started firing more rounds into the dead man's face. Once he was done there was a lump of flesh, a little bone, and a tooth. That was all that remained of the Cong's face.

Being in a war can really mess with your head from all the horrible things you see. Some people have nightmares, others need to be put into a mental institute. The book never did say what happened to the characters in the book except for the people who didn't survive the whole book. They grieved for the dead, yet were happy at the same time that they weren't the one in the body bag. Whatever happened to them, they would never be the same group of little boys who went into the war.

"Big Yellow Taxi" and "Field Below"

Both of the songs "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Field Below" are very sad and depressing when you read though them. They talk about sadness and missing something, but if you listen to the actually song and not just the lyrics, it completely changes how you feel when you hear it. "Field Below" is a slow song with rain in the background and a sad person singing it, and that is mainly what you would expect. But when you listen to "Big Yellow Taxi", it is completely different from what you would expect. The singer sings the song really fast and upbeat, and almost sounds happy. Instead of being sad when you hear it, it makes you think that the person has moved on and is no longer sad about it.

So Good

ChOcOlAtE mIlK
aS sMoOtH aS sIlK
a TaStEy TrEaT
i CaN't WaIt To MeEt
ChOcOlAtE iS gOoD
fOr ThE sOuL
iN mY fRiGe ThErE iT sToOd
MaN i Am On A rOlL
sO nOw I eNd ThIs HoRrIbLe RhYmE
iF yOu LiKe ThIs PlEaSe GiVe Me A dIme
BeCaUsE tHiS tOoK qUiTe SoMe TiMe

Not Highly Educated

I believe that the speaker in the poem Mother to Son by Langston Hughes is a person who isn't so educated. I picture them being from the south and speaking with a matching accent. He seems sort of nice but a little depressing and sad. He keeps using weird comparisons like a splintered staircase which confuses me somewhat. It's a metaphor for how his life hasn't been easy like other peoples. The reason I think he's uneducated is because he used the word ain't instead of hasn't.

Johnson

Everyone knows someone who is bigger than them. Bigger, stronger, more intimidating. In the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, that person is a man who goes by Johnson. He is built better then a skyscraper, and to top it off he gets a hulking M60 machine gun. These two combined demand fear from everyone and thing in that gets in their way or on their bad side. Johnson is a killing machine and no one ever wants to mess with him.

Most of the time, Johnson has a stern look on his face. He rarely shows emotion, the only time was when his Lieutenant died. If you would meet him he probably wouldn't look or smell to nice because during war you have to go weeks without a shower. His clothes would be tattered and worn, and he would look like he went to hell and back. His face would look like he saw a ghost, and he would stink to high heavens.

Never Give Up

Everyone faces obstacles in their lives. Some harder then others, like having to meet a deadline or losing a job. When faced with these obstacles the person has two decisions. He or she can either give up, go home and quit. Or they can keep trying, never giving up. Working hard to find answer to solve their problem. In the book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, Percy had to face a major problem that, depending on his decision, would change not only his but hundreds of thousands of peoples lives.

When Percy received his quest, he had no choice but to take it and to complete it. If he would complete the quest, he would restore peace to Olympus and the world. If he turned it down, or failed on the way, the consequences would be horrible. There would be World War III, an army of undead soldiers would rise from the underworld and wreak havoc on innocent people, and the war would kill millions of people all over the world. This is obviously a dire situation that sadly Percy has to deal with only two friends to help him.

Another conflict Percy had to overcome was losing his mother. It is really hard to not be upset over losing a loved one, especially your parent. Percy was extremely upset about this for a long time until Hades showed that he had his mother, frozen at the moment she was about to die. This helped Percy move on and save his mother.

By Percy choosing to keep fighting after each monster he fought and each challenge he faced, Percy prevented what could have been the end of the world. It just goes to show that hard work pays off. This reminds me of the saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going". That means they dig in, hang in there, and fight until the end. That is one of the greatest traits a person can have, and luckily Percy did. Thanks to him, the whole world was saved from a horrible fate.

Luke

Lost, looking for somewhere to call home
Ugly scar upon his face
Kronos, controlled by
Eternal hate for the gods

Imposter, acting as a friend
Strong sword fighter

Enraged by his failed quest
Valiant before becoming corrupted
Insane from Kronos
Lyeing in wait for the time to strike