Literacy Autobiography

Writing has never been a considerably hard assignment to complete. I enjoy writing a lot and consider myself a very good writer, since I have been published in books and magazines a few times. During this first semester, I have been asked by a few teachers to complete reading and writing assignments. Most were not that enjoyable, leaving a small few as pleasurable.

For my Discovery New York class, we were asked around Halloween to read one of my favorite Halloween themed stories, The Legend of Sleepy Hallow. We were given a weekend to read the eleven page story and I felt like this assignment was right up my ally. There were no writing assignments after, but there was a classroom discussion. I felt like this was one assignment that I would really get my imagination into and enjoy. Another assignment that I enjoyed was when I had to create a brochure of a place in NYC. I choose Jekyll and Hyde Club and Restaurant. I love to be creative, which is why I am an elementary education major.

In this English class, there were a few essays that I did enjoy writing. I enjoyed one of the first essays we wrote about space. I felt like I could take that topic anywhere I wanted to and I did not feel scared to express my own opinion or let the reader into my somewhat twisted and scarred mind. Another assignment I enjoyed was writing the blogs. I felt that the blogs let me express my own writing and have it posted for everyone to read. My goal in life is to have a book deal with a great publishing company, and having my work posted online on my blog could help me achieve that goal. Also, with my blog I liked that I could write anything that I want to write without getting penalized for it. I could express my views on anything that I wanted to without criticism.

Very few classes that I am currently taken do not have assignments that I could let my imagination flow or have anything that I could get myself into. I felt that I did not work to my potential during the assignments that did not catch my full interest. I know that personally it is hard for a teacher to make an assignment that I enjoy completing. My strengths are my imagination and my ability to put my emotions down on paper. I know my weaknesses though are that I do not always proofread everything and that I do sometimes have an ego about my writing ability. Writing is my passion and do consider myself a very good writer. I do believe that I am meant to write and I hope to make it my career.

Intelligence in Music

When you listen to music, how often do you stop and think about what the lyrics mean? How often do you think about the structure of the song? With popular music today it seems to me that most of the songs are about love, sex, and even drugs. When heavy metal was at its prime in the late 1980’s, lyrical content of songs ranged from the above topics to social commentary, politics, religion, and war. Mainstream music has always had simple beats with catchy hooks. I intend to prove to you, the reader, that music that is referred to as underground is actually more intelligent. It may not have sold as many records but it makes better lyrical content and better and more original song structure then music of today.

Popular music throughout the world is the most commercially successful. It sells more records as a genre than any other genre of music. When you take a closer look at pop music what exactly is there? Why is it so popular? In my opinion it is not what is there but rather what is not there. Popular music is broken down into a single riff, or loop, basically rhythm and not too complicated, which repeats through most of the song. That one loop makes up the intro to the song and the verse. The song then has a chorus. The chorus will have a different loop then that of the verse. The two are then connected with the bridge, which is also a breakdown of the other loops. This basic song structure has been selling records for years.

Well with the music and structure being as simple and basic as it is surely the lyrics must be meaningful right? If you were to ask me, I would tell you no. However meaningful lyrics can be anything. People interpret lyrics of songs to how they interpret anything, whatever will make them feel better, and help them through a rough time. I think I noticed a trend to the music and vocal styles that is considered popular today, hip hop. It seems to me artist of hip hop make a really catchy chorus with a great melody and that’s how they sell their records and make their millions. The song I noticed this on is titled Ridin’ by Chamillionaire. The overall meaning behind this popular song is racial profiling by police. The song has a very catchy chorus and a very nice flow to how Chamillionaire says what he has to say. However if you actually listen to the lyrics of the song he gives reasons as to why he is being pulled over. In the second verse of the song he says:
“Doin' a hundred while I come from the block
And rollin another one up;
We livin' like we ain't givin' a f@#$
I got a revolver in my right hand;
40 oz on my lap, freezing my balls
Roll a n#$&* tree, green leaves and all.”
Now to me I think driving 100 miles an hour gives the police the right to pull you over. Within his own song he contradicts himself because yes, maybe the police do racially profile, but if they do pull him over there going to find beer, marijuana, and even a gun.

Not all popular music is like hip hop though. There is music from artist like Britney Spears. Britney made a name for herself with catchy songs and music videos. She sold millions of records and was considered to be nonthreatening. Her songs where all about broken hearts, love, sex and any other issue any teenage girl would go through. A genius way to sell records I think. Her music however has the same pop music breakdown that is both still seen today, and was all through pop music before.

Heavy Metal first came onto the scene in 1970 with the Black Sabbath self titled debut. Even that first album had a song on it that protested war. The song was entitled Wicked World and its lyrics ask why with all the disease in the world, why are we sending people to the moon? Now if you skip ahead to when metal was at its most popular, the late 1980’s. I am referring to one album in particular from 1986; Megadeth’s Peace Sells…But Whose Buying? The title track delivers a great social commentary from the day. The song is broken into two verses which all ask rhetorical questions that are answered in the next line. All the questions in the verses are questions directed to the metal youth at the time, such as religion- “What do you mean I don’t believe in God? I talk to him every day,” politics- “What do you mean I don’t support your system? I go to court when I have to,” and the struggle of fitting in “What do you mean I’m not kind? Just not your kind.” Many other bands have made statements through their music, for example Nuclear Assault has a song entitled Brainwashed which is about the media corrupting the minds of youth to think how the government wants them to think even recently with System of a Down’s Toxicity album that makes statements about the overcrowding in prisons, the dependency on drugs and weapons.

Not only have metal lyrics been more impacted by social developments and political struggles but I feel that there song structure has been more intelligent. If you look at the song …And Justice for All by Metallica which has 9 different riffs, two guitar solos and is almost 10 minutes long I think you would agree. But it’s not just that one song many songs have more complicated song structure then pop music. Metal music also has a lot of instrumentals. Many songs that don’t even have lyrics just fancy fretwork (guitars) and blast beats with double bass (drums).

In the end whose to say what music is more intelligent. Of course anyone person would have a biased view based on the music of their choice. In the end I think that both musicians from pop and underground metal are stereotyped as hip hop gangsters, pop divas, or long haired Satanists. I think it is actually up to the fans to decide who is more intelligent. In my eyes they are equal because pop music manages to make millions upon millions of dollars with simple basic song structure and lyrics so they must be doing something right. As for metal, well even though the fan base is much smaller, I find the fans to be a lot more loyal to those bands they truly love.

Christmas Tree Lighting =)

On 28 November 2007, my friends and I went to the Christmas Tree lighting in Rockefeller Center. It was not that cold out and my friends were situated in the pit in front of the tree. My boyfriend Tom flashed his lieutenant card, and got us to stand where the military’s families were. The group was Sam, Tom, my boyfriend Tom, and I. We got into the city at around 3 o’clock and began our walk to the tree. Sam and I decided to look for a Starbucks which took us an hour to find. Finally, we arrived at the tree and pushed our way up to the barricade. We saw all the singers and announcements, until finally at 9 o’clock the tree was lit. We decided to leave because there was no more excitement after the actual lighting. This was an interesting and exciting night.

Church of Satan High Mass

Prying Eyes

Throughout my life I have had many people who try to get involved and help me change my life around. I have been sent to speak to psychotherapists and councilors, and none of them seemed to make sense of my problems. I have become used to the fact that I am damaged goods. I have been through hell and back; which not one of the therapists or councilors seem to grasp. They do not fully understand what it is like to be in the situations that I have been in. I feel like I am alone speaking about my life, which to some seems to sound like a horror tale. For me, everything I have forced to witness or experience is very real, and has shaped me as a person. I am very isolated about my emotions and have learned to not speak up.

The only way to express my feelings is through my writing. My poetry and stories are my rehab and my therapy. I am rehabilitating myself and I feel that I do not need any person’s help who will never understand me or know me. I write to release my pain and anguish, to help myself realize where I stand emotionally. I feel that the only one who can understand my agony is me.

Looking Toward the Bay

She stood there as still as she could be
With the wind blowing through her hair and with only the past she could see
All the chaos she did not intend to cause
After it happened she became stiff and paused
A few minutes later she came back to reality
Quickly and scared, she went to the cliff to flee
Again the images came rushing through her darkened mind
Unfortunately she put her soul on the line
Her sanity slowly begins to fly away
While she looks off the cliff at the unforgiving bay
Remembering the past hurt her deep inside
All she could do was regret and deny
She criticizes herself, it was all her fault
She is melting away like water with some salt
She wants to make it better, make it all go away
She looked closer to the edge and looked at the bay
The water thrashing around under the cliff
Might make all the torturous guilt lift
The waves were unforgiving and filled with abhorrence
Everything she thought now made no sense
She stood there confused contemplating life and death
Her past kept reminding her that she had nothing left
Should she or shouldn’t she jump into the bay
Just to make her shocking past go away
Her sanity is gone and is slowly decaying
She just wants a new beginning
standing there with nothing left
Living but not wanting her death
Her past haunts her decrepit mind
Hoping that her past she couldn’t find
She ran away from her hurtful past
She hopes that her life just wouldn’t last
Blaming herself makes the malice stay
She’s reminded of her past as she looks at the thrashing bay
Contemplating whether to live or die
As she look at the bay she let out a lonely sigh
Her life is worthless, she wallows in her nothingness
All she wants to do is let her past rest
Just let her past drown slowly in the bay
Making all her misery slowly lift away
She knows she can’t live her life like this
Knowing that freedom does not exist
She wants to end her life and free her soul
Destroying her past is her top goal
Annulations of her past and what reminds her of it
She’s quietly looking at the bay, at the edge of the cliff
Whether to live or whether to die
She can’t find the answers to send her spirits high
Quickly she stands and walks off the cliff
Finally her dreaded past begins to lift

Hidden Pain

Beaten and battered again, hiding my fear
Disclosing my possibility of shedding a tear
Hurt by the one whom I undoubtedly love
Even though he smacks me around and shoves
Secretly I endure the beatings from him
Crying alone, each time he bruises or scraps my skin
He mocks me each time I suddenly flinch
Then he grabs my skin with the pain of a pinch
Walking everyday with a black eye or fat lip
Or trying to hide the gash from hip to hip
Trying to hide each and every gash and scrap
And unaware of the future, painful rape
Now years later, it haunts my memory
Because of how much this emotionally scarred me

Racism by Thomas Mahoney

Racism

Oxford Dictionary describes racism as “1) the belief that there are characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to each race, 2) discrimination against or antagonism towards other races.” The term has however become known as hate word. People who are called “racists” are usually looked down upon in society. I feel that everyone is racist though. Those who are open to admit to being racist are not afraid to show their real self are just true humans. Everyone makes racial jokes among their own race in their own house, people like me and others that can make racial jokes in public are just honest. There is nothing wrong with a little racism to me anyway; it’s when you take it to the extreme like the KKK when it becomes a problem in society.

The Ku Klux Klan or KKK was formed in 1866 by a group of veteran Confederate soldiers. The main purpose of the KKK was to resist the Reconstruction that President Lincoln talked about for the nation after the Civil War. The Klan stated in Tennessee and soon spread throughout all of the Southern States. The main focus of the Ku Klux Klan was to keep freed slaves from having the same rights as the white men down in America. This was in regard to the right to bear arms, education, voting rights, and even economic advancement. The Ku Klux Klan also wanted to keep the Republican Party down too, because they were sympathetic to African Americans. The Klan resorted to violence and terrorism to get the results they wanted. In one county in Florida during the height of the Klan’s terror 150 African Americans were killed, along with hundreds of other in other counties. You may wonder to yourself why people would want to join a terrorists group in the south, Plato suggests it’s because it’s what they grow up understanding. In an essay entitled Allegory of the Cave, Plato talks about people in a cave staring at shadows on the wall. In the essay one person gets out of the cave and sees the light outside. When he returns and tells the others what he has seen, they mock him and tell him it doesn’t exist. I think this applies to the KKK because they are all just seeing the violent acts and are used to seeing the freed slaves and republicans as they were that they didn’t know anything else.

The KKK is an example of extreme racism the kind that is not funny. There are some light hearted racist jokes and stereotypes that can be amusing. All throughout my four years at Port Richmond High School I learned a lot about the stereotypes of other cultures, especially on the football team. My high school was very diverse, more diverse then Old Westbury. I learned stereotypes about the Spanish, blacks and all the European countries. We would joke around in the locker room and in school about why this kid was better in athletics but could not perform academically. Joking amongst friends I don’t even like to consider racism. Everyone does it. I took a lot of jokes about drinking and potatoes. I even have an Italian friend who fulfilled a stereotype by not attending college in order to become a plumber. I don’t know about you but I find that funny. The best way to describe this I think is using Nasser as a field of examples. Picture if you will that instead of all the drivers being white guys, there were drivers from different ethnic groups. There is a driver from Mexico, an African American from the inner city, one from Italy and one from Ireland. Now that in its self may not be funny, but now imagine that the Mexican driver drives a car sponsored by “Home Depot,” the African American’s car is sponsored by “Kool-Aid,” the Italian’s car by a “Papa John’s Pizza,” and the Irish drivers car is sponsored by “Guinness.” All of the sudden to me those drivers become a little more humorous. As long as the stereotypes are kept like this and you don’t take it too far, you can have fun with races and stereotypes.

Throughout history there have been a lot of people that have stood up and spoke out about racism and discrimination. As far back as Moses in the Old Testament who led the Jews out of religious persecution by the people of Egypt. Some of the most influential people came out of the Civil Rights Movement in America during the 1960s. People like Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and everyone’s favorite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During the 1960s in America there was a movement toward equality. All over America, though mostly in the south, segregation was common. African-Americans were not allowed to use simple things such as water fountains and public bathrooms as white people. Needless to say this made a lot of people unhappy. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the African Americans in a revolution that led to equality in America. King really showed how people can overcome racism and change the world. He rounded people together and led marches, protests, and boycotts. His most famous moment comes from his speech I have a Dream. A speech he made on the stairs on the Lincoln Memorial. King also wrote a famous letter from a jail in Birmingham Alabama. In the letter he explains his goals for the Civil Rights movement and how to achieve them. He also talks about what they have already done. He writes the letter in response to a statement made by another man of the time who feels that Civil Rights movement is not necessary. The remarks made by Dr. King were made patiently but got his point across very clearly.

The Civil Rights Movement was very successful and equality reigned over the nation. Unfortunately, some say it did not last though. Even today people are accusing whites feel they are superior to blacks. A recent example of this is the Jena 6. The story goes that some black students sat under what was called the “white tree.” The next day some nooses were hung from the tree to send a message to those students. A small race war followed and it ended up with six African-American students arrested for attempted murder. The crime weapon in the crime was a sneaker which outraged a lot of people. The six men right now as far as I know are out of prison right now, although they did all serve some time. The majority of Americans feel that this may have been an issue of race, again the not funny kind, because no charges were ever brought up against any of the white students. There were petitions in order to get the students free and raise awareness about the racism still in America. Even here at Old Westbury there was a speech given and people showing up in support of the Jena 6. The men all received money from the NAACP to help pay for their college. I found it amusing that the whole nation now looks upon these six men as Civil Rights heroes, yet most of the six have criminal records prior to the arrest. I know criminal records are paid more mind then they should be, but in a case where people have records for assault, then they assault somebody else and are let off the hook because they are black is absurd to me. They were charged with attempted murder originally which I agree may have been harsh for the crime. The man they assaulted was only in the hospital for two hours. The fact that he had to go to the hospital is the problem I have. Even if it is not attempted murder it is still assault and it is also a hate crime. A hate crime is a crime committed because someone was of a different race then that of the person committing the crime. Well in the case of the Jena 6 the man they assaulted was white and they were black. The crimes are supposed to be giving harsher punishment but the Jena 6 are still out scot-free and with money for college.

I was asked to sign a petition on campus to help the Jena 6. I declined because I felt that if the situation was reversed that many African-Americans would not sign the petition to help six white men get out of jail. The reason I say this is because to me it seems like whenever race comes up in any topic, white people seem to be at fault. African-Americans never seem to get blamed or accused of being racist in as wide of a scope. I have never heard of a black teacher being accused of calling her white students “cracker” or “honky,” but as soon as a white teacher calls a student a “porch monkey” or even worse a “nigger” it’s all over the news. Maybe less black teachers do use those words in the classroom but I do find it hard to believe that it never happens at all. Then I start to think that in every time I heard of any Civil Rights thing recently one name comes up, Al Sharpton. Al Sharpton has done a lot of good for his community without a doubt. However he seems to let the issue of race die. He cares more about the fact that people are black then anyone. It seems to me from seeing him in the public eye that he is first to throw the race card, for example, if a black man is served last at a restaurant when he is there with his three white friends, Al Sharpton would be the one to say it’s because he is black. Likewise though if those same four friends were eating out and the black guy gets he’s food first it’s again because he is black. What do you want from us Sharpton?

Racism has existed in America before the slaves even arrived. The Native Americans were also discriminated against.
“The white man came across the sea,
He brought us pain and misery,
He killed our tribe,
He killed our creed,
He took our game for his own need.”
(Harris, 4)
This quote says the same thing that Plenty-Coups or Aleek-chea-ahoosh says in his essay in the document Native American Voices. Plenty-Coups said how he sees his world around him changing and there are less and less buffalo because the white men use them for everything. He also said that “Their Wise Ones said might have their religion…” (Plenty-Coups 5) I think that the Native Americans had it worse than anyone else. In 1838 the Native Americans were forced to relocate to reservations. Many died on the long journey to Oklahoma from their original homes on the Eastern Seaboard.

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…” (Jefferson 6) This is a line straight out of the Declaration of Independence, which in no way promotes racism. Racism is however another invention of mankind. Only with time and understanding can man separate the comical and extreme racism that tore this country in two pieces. Sure every once in a while it is ok to make a joke about another race, culture, gender, and even religion, just make sure you know when to draw the line and make sure not to offend anyone with your humor. Racism has ripped America apart on several occasions, The Civil War, Civil Rights, and The O.J. Simpson trail. Gangs like the KKK have been in America for years and are a racist part of our history. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “lukewarm acceptance is more bewildering then out right rejection,” and I agree with him. Racism and hatred are both confusing topics; let’s not make it more confusing by sending mixed messages. We can all learn from history and hindsight is always 20/20, we saw the mistakes people have made in the past. Let us move forward in our world free of extreme racism but keep the laughter alive.


Works Cited

1. Anonymous. First-Year Reader the Ethics of Engagement: Educating Leaders for a Just World. Copley Custom Textbooks An imprint of XanEdu Publishing, 2007
2. Plato. “Allegory of the Cave” First-Year Reader the Ethics of Engagement: Educating Leaders for a Just World. Copley Custom Textbooks An imprint of XanEdu Publishing, 2007. Page 3-6.
3. Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” First-Year Reader the Ethics of Engagement: Educating Leaders for a Just World. Copley Custom Textbooks An imprint of XanEdu Publishing, 2007. Page 454-469.
4. Harris, Steve. Run to the Hills Iron Maiden Album: The Number of the Beast Harvest Records/Capitol Records, 1982
5. Aleek-chea-ahoosh. “Native American Voices Plenty-Coups” First-Year Reader The Ethics of Engagement: Educating Leaders for a Just World. Copley Custom Textbooks An imprint of XanEdu Publishing, 2007. Page 15.
6. Thomas Jefferson. “The Declaration of Independence” First-Year Reader the Ethics of Engagement: Educating Leaders for a Just World. Copley Custom Textbooks An imprint of XanEdu Publishing, 2007. Page 399-402.
7. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tension

A feeling of wrath emerges from my decaying soul
With nothing in this world that could keep me whole
This chaotic sense of self, driven toward insanity
Would not allow me to open my eyes to see
Losing will to push forward through this dark time
And witnesses the others who are left behind
Wanting joy to overcome my dark state
The damage is done and the light is too late
The craving for my own blood lingers throughout
Caused by the utmost depressing drought
Gashes and scars are remains of my tension
Aware that this fate is no illusion

Destroyed Paradise

Thousands of years ago, a man was sent here from God to redeem us, but instead it turned into pure pandemonium. The one who would have been known as the messiah was never to be allowed to fulfill his duties and, in doing so, never freed us from the wrath of the unholy one. Years after that chaotic moment in time, mortals have feared death with a passion and done whatever it took to remain alive. This, then, provided breakthroughs in science and technology making this modern world seem somewhat robotic. Everything was directed toward expanding the human life and preventing the fall to hell.

January 1, 2007: Robotic parts were being created to replace human parts that fail. The humans were living in a world where it feels like there is no God controlling it. Waking up everyday, where people are always in fear and awaiting the apocalypse. Since they are the ones who prevented the savior from dying on the cross, they must then suffer for it. Now that there is no means to heaven, the apocalypse will be worse than before.

There is no democracy; there never was one, only pure chaos through the streets. Everyone knowing of what they had done those many years ago, how they altered the world. People are burning everything around them, and people are being killing because they have lost their conscience. Blood is throughout the streets and there is barely any nature left. People have completely lost it and have forgotten about each other and life and focus on preventing death from happening. In doing so, they are destroying themselves.

Nothing in this world has a purpose except to prevent the apocalypse and to expand life. Even though people are aimlessly roaming the streets. Day and night have combined into one and time has no concept. God has forsaken the humans as they scream everyday for forgiveness, yet he is unresponsive. They live every day in wonder and confusion, with no control over their actions, only involving themselves in their science. Half robotic and faithless people roam the dirt roads around this once lively world.

People are living their lives looking over their shoulders. The earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other disasters foreshadowing the end, they cry inside. The world is no longer a fruitful land, but a barren place. Buildings have been torn down and are decomposed. There is no hope for anyone.

Their years of torture are finally coming to an end. They apocalypse is ultimately here, where the earth will be engulfed into itself, and the living will no longer see. They will be forced to survive in hell for all eternity, with the fire and brimstone that surrounds. Sitting in the shadows, with heat melting their flesh. It is the end, and they deserved their fate.

Boogeyman by Stephen King

One of my favorite stories by Stephen King is his short story called the Boogeyman. It taps into everyones childhood fear of the shadows in the night.

The story takes place in a psychiatrist's office, as a disturbed man nervously explains to the doctor how his three children were killed one by one by what the man is convinced is a "boogeyman", a murderous creature that he believes hides in bedroom closets (as evidenced by the slightly-open closet door after each of their deaths).

The man is shown to be genuinely distraught by the deaths of his children, and visits the psychiatrist not in an effort to seek help, but just to tell his story. His first child, a boy, was killed after his father refused to get a nightlight, explaining it'd turn him into a 'sissy'. His second child, a female, was put into the same crib, the same room, as her dead brother. Months later she was killed the same way, even though he knew she would be, because it'd prove he was 'wrong' to his wife. His wife became pregnant a year after their daughters death and they moved into a different house far away. They had a good happy year together with their new son. Soon after, he knew the boogyman was back in his house, but this time his son still slept with him and his wife. When his wife must go and tend to her fatally sick mother, the man and his son are alone.

It's night time and the man knows that the boogyman will strike again, he sacrifices his son and when he is throttled to death by the boogyman, he runs away from the house. After the psychiatrist offers to prescribe him medication and longterm help, the man leaves for a short while and returns to find a mask of the psychiatrist's face resting on the couch and the Boogeyman stepping out of the closet wearing the psychiatrist's clothing and attacking the disturbed man.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boogeyman

Eyes of Hell

Swallowed by the dark rays that beamed from hell
All glowing to the sound of a ringing bell
The demons have crawled from under the surface
To attack the one who will be hallow yet fragile
They crawled their way up and through the ground
And as they gaze forward and their victim they had found
For that moment in time I awaited their leader
The one from whom they announced as the creature
They made a straight path directly to me
And finally I saw what the creature could be
It slowly stepped forward at the sounding of the bell
And I suddenly gazed into the eyes of hell
Scared my body went into a state of shock
And my body fell through the earth and onto the rock
My body is now bruised and battered from it
And still the creature has not finished his fit
He follows me down and claws at my skin
And I hear the demons in the distance turn to sin
Blood leaks from my flesh and falls onto the floor
And suddenly I look at the creature as I saw it before
My soul arises from my battered body at the sound of the bell
And I walk down the grimy staircase and to my gruesome hell

Lenore by Edgar Allan Poe

Ah, broken is the golden bowl! the spirit flown forever!
Let the bell toll! -a saintly soul floats on the Stygian river -
And, Guy De Vere, hast thou no tear? -weep now or never more!
See! on yon drear and rigid bier low lies thy love, Lenore!C
ome! let the burial rite be read -the funeral song be sung! -
An anthem for the queenliest dead that ever died so young -
A dirge for her, the doubly dead in that she died so young.

"Wretches! ye loved her for her wealth and hated her for her pride,
And when she fell in feeble health, ye blessed her -that she died!
How shall the ritual, then, be read? -the requiem how be sung
By you -by yours, the evil eye, -by yours, the slanderous tongue
That did to death the innocence that died, and died so young?"

Peccavimus; but rave not thus! and let a Sabbath song
Go up to God so solemnly the dead may feel no wrong!
The sweet Lenore hath "gone before," with Hope, that flew beside,
Leaving thee wild for the dear child that should have been thy bride -
For her, the fair and debonnaire, that now so lowly lies,
The life upon her yellow hair but not within her eyes -
The life still there, upon her hair -the death upon her eyes.

Avaunt! tonight my heart is light. No dirge will I upraise,
But waft the angel on her flight with a paean of old days!
Let no bell toll! -lest her sweet soul, amid its hallowed mirth,
Should catch the note, as it doth float up from the damned Earth.
To friends above, from fiends below, the indignant ghost is riven -
From Hell unto a high estate far up within the Heaven -
From grief and groan to a golden throne beside the King of Heaven."

Atheist Quotes =)

"All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry" - Edgar Allan Poe

"The pioneers and missionaries of religion have been the real cause of more trouble and war than all other classes of mankind." - Edgar Allan Poe

“The Bible and several other self help or enlightenment books cite the Seven Deadly Sins. They are: pride, greed, lust, envy, wrath, sloth, and gluttony. That pretty much covers everything that we do, that is sinful... or fun for that matter.” - Dave Mustaine

"Religions are all alike - founded upon fables and mythologies." - Thomas Jefferson

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, & the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." - Karl Marx


"It would be very nice if there were a God who created the world and was a benevolent providence, and if there were a moral order in the universe and an after-life; but it is a very striking fact that all this is exactly as we are bound to wish it to be." - Sigmund Freud

"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature." - Frank Lloyd Wright

"The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God (or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance...logic can be happily tossed out the window." - Stephen King

Memior and Memory

A memior is an account of the most significant times in a person's life. For example, The Diary of Anne Frank is an autobiography about that hard time in her life. Personally, if i was to write a memior it would not be about the happiest times since they are few and far apart. It would be an account on the instances in my life in which i had to overcome discrimination and abuse. My memiors would hopefully become an inspiration to young girls growing up in similar situations.

A memory can be life or death, a thought or idea, joyous or depressing. A memory can be anything that has be imprinted onto someone's mind. It can be the memory of a grandmother who has passed away or a memory of one's past experiences that have flown by. It can be the thought that inspires you to write the novel, or the idea of the painting you would like to create. It could be anything that made you smile, even if it is just a smirk; or it can be depressing, like something that has ended prematurely.

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Sitting lowly on the wooden shelf, she gazes around the large room. Peering into the souls of each of the worthless and shameful beings; wanting them to be somewhat conscience of there impending doom. She keeps her pain and wrath deep inside herself, away from all that could bring out some sort of emotion. She refuses to cry; she refuses to scream. It was not in her nature to be so forthcoming with anything that could bring her closer to any being.

Her intense red hair falls in front of her pale face. Slowly a tear creeps from her light blue eyes. She has failed in her goal to seem like a sociopath. She can’t hold this hatred and depression in much longer. Something has to be done, and soon. She just thinks to herself about the torture they will all endure in the future. It will be a massacre, coming from the depths of hell. The unholy one will come forth and destroy them.

She creeps off the shelf and slowly meanders through the room. She plods past the unaware beings, living in their joyous and pretend world. They don’t know pain or suffering yet. She looks at each being, gazing into each of their souls. They seem positive internally, but that will not be enough to postpone the annihilation.

She reaches the other side of the room and opens the door. Suddenly a flame bursts in front of her. The doom has arrived. The unholy one rises in front of her. The unholy one is overflowing with wrath that it wants to liberate onto these seemingly innocent beings. The unholy one just walks forward. With each step the unholy one made, an imp appeared. Those imps scatter throughout the room, thrashing around into the beings. Blood is dispersed around the room and bodies fall to the ground. Flames appear around the room and maggots swarm around, devouring the now rotting bodies. An odor of decaying permeates.

She stands in the doorframe and watches the brutality unfold. She is in a state of shock considering she thought that the unholy one would have some pity on them for the goodness that sits in their hearts. The liberation of the wrath is atrocious.

After a few hours, all the beings are deceased. She is alone with the unholy one and its imps. She is fearful of being alone with them. Slowly they turn and face her. She screams but no one there to hear or save her. She wants to run but is paralyzed by fear. The unholy one sends commands to the imps to destroy her. She feels the pain of them clawing at her flesh, ripping her open. The blood leaks onto the floor. The unholy one steps forward and grabs her. She is near death. The unholy one stares at her and sends her body into a state of shock. Her heart stops from the pressure and blood loss. The liberation is complete and all is gone.

Blood and Lace

Anger seeps through the very darkened room
As the abhorrence and sorrow made this damned tomb
The torture and abuse became the beginning of this doom
And the death came all but too soon

Images of this anger flashed throughout this space
To prove how great of a danger it was to face
And on the floor lied a trail of blood and lace
That was where the hideous abuse has been traced

As to all the horror that lie inside
There was no place where the abused could hide
Because all of the hate and spite, the homicide
Might have well been enlisted with genocide

Yet the trail of blood and lace, just lie there on the floor
Reminiscing of the horrific abuse and abhor
That made this murderous tension soar
And made the horrific site seem yet adored

The room seemed like a deathly mark
As the trees outside sit with withering bark
And as the blood and lace seem to hark
The room just stands, disturbed in the dark

The anger leans on the remains of the walls
As the image of abuse seems to be stalled
Making the blood and lace want to crumble and fall
As the darkened room stands tall

The Betrayal

She floats above the surface of the musky water. Her angelic face seems solemn as the water brushes through her hair. Her wings no longer fly above in heaven, since she has betrayed the Lord of all Goodness. She has been bound and forced unto the depths of hell for all eternity.

Darkness surrounds this water; with the only visible glow is from the broken halo. Inside she cries to herself; unable to move; her body is frozen. She will never see the light or happiness, and will be tied in this water. The sounds of demon spirits permeate the area, sending fear into her soul.

She is banished from the heaven above and is punished to the land of the dark one. She betrayed and helped the Dark Lord succeed and victor over the Savior. The holy war was manipulated and for that she is punished.

Eels lurk beneath her and she is slowly decaying away, internally. She feels herself letting go, as she closes her eyes. The past replays over and over in her mind, she can remember her heavenly chamber, once filled with life. She opens her eyes again; she is forced to realize her new fate.

Edgar Allan Poe - My Inspiration

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), the father of the modern mystery

When Edgar Allan Poe was at West Point that he showed a remarkable propensity for writing prose. As early as the age of 15, he wrote these words in memory of a female acquaintance, "The requiem for the loveliest dead that ever died so young." Indeed, Edgar Allan Poe's first love was poetry, although he was unable to make a living at it early on, he was able to publish two small volumes during these early years.

Only after becoming an assistant editor at the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond, Virginia, in 1835 did Poe's literary talents start to blossom. It was at this time in his life that Poe fell in love with his 13-year-old cousin Virginia. Their marriage forced him to find a source of income. When the editor of the Messenger offered employment, Poe eagerly accepted. During his tenure at the Messenger, Edgar Allan Poe was an editor as well as a contributor. In early 1836, Poe was credited with "between 80 and 90 reviews, six poems, four essays and three stories, not to mention editorials and commentaries."

Poe was to work for several publications as both editor and contributor. His career as an editor coincided with his growth as a writer. While working in Philadelphia for Burton's "Gentleman's Magazine" in 1839, Poe's work continued to flourish. At this time in his career he still was not secure financially, but his work was being recognized and praised, which helped greatly in furthering his reputation. During his tenure at Burton's he wrote such macabre tales as "The Fall of the House of Usher," and William Wilson. Tales like these psychological thrillers were to become Poe's trademark.

In 1841, Edgar Allan Poe began working for a man named George Graham. While at Graham's, Poe was preparing his famous work, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," for publication.
Published in April 1841, this story featured Auguste C. Dupin, the first-ever fictional detective. Poe's "tale of rationation," as he termed it, "inaugurated one of the most popular and entertaining forms of fiction ever conceived."

It was during these years in Philadelphia that Poe published such trademark horror tales as "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Pit and The Pendulum." It wasn't until the 1845 publication of Poe's famous poem "The Raven" that he achieved the true rise to fame that had been denied him until then. The public's reaction to the poem brought Poe to a new level of recognition and "could be compared to that of some uproariously successful hit song today."

In February 1847, Poe's young wife died of consumption. Poe was devastated by her death and penned these words, "Deep in earth my love is lying and I must weep alone."
During the years following Virginia's death, Poe's life was taking a steady turn downward. He suffered through a suicide attempt, several failed romances and engagements, and a largely unsuccessful attempt to resurrect his failing career after a long bout with alcoholism and depression.

Poe died at the age of 40 in October 1849 in Baltimore. Although the exact circumstances of his death remain unknown, it seems clear that his death can be attributed to the effects of alcoholism. A contemporary of Poe's at the time remarked, "This death was almost a suicide, a suicide prepared for a long time." Although he lived a short and tragic life, Edgar Allan Poe remains today one of the most-beloved mystery writers in history. His contributions to literature and the mystery genre cannot be underestimated.

Just Venting Some Anger

The anger I am holding deep within
Is going to be released painfully onto you
Just stop with your petty bullshit
And get some fuckin clue.
I am holding a lot of pain inside
And you will never understand my life
You’ll just say I’m whining
And fill me up with even more strife.
Unlike you I have been tough shit
And have never officially overcame it
You have never been pressured into anything
Or even raped, but that’s just me throwing another fit.
You’re lucky I am able to control this anger
Or else you would have been in a grave
But you’re making it harder to stay sane
And I don’t think I can behave.
Understand this, my dear mother,
This is not only a piece of my writing
It’s what I have had on my mind for years
Even though to you, it could be frightening.

Why I Write

Writing, by definition, is a way of expressing oneself by writing down different ideas and emotions onto paper. I write because it is the only way I have learned to convey myself. I enjoy writing poetry and short stories and use them to communicate my emotions and thoughts.

My poetry is basically my journal, where I write down all of my emotions. I use my poetry as a way of keeping myself sane and also to get out some emotions, such as anger and depression, without any drastic physical actions. I also use my poetry to write stories about situations I experience to help to get through them.

Writing my short stories is a way to let my imagination run wild. I enjoy creating fanatical circumstances. I love to make up seemingly crazy characters which are an expansion of my personality. I write short stories because it is enjoyable to me.

I write because it is the only way I know to expel my painful emotions and numb them. Writing is a way for me to get my point across when I can’t find the words verbally. I am passionate about my writing and I do not think I could have survived through the hard times in my life without it. I write because it is something that I truly love to do.