Analysis:

Figurative language helps explain the mood of a written piece really well and this piece was no exception. The tone was easy to see because the figurative language helped explain it. At the start of the piece it was showing that there was not much hope for Mudville. Then they had used figurative language to make Casey look like the savior and angel. Because of that our hopes would have gotten up but then was quickly destroyed in a pleasant way.

They had used things like anaphora to make the piece flow smoothly. That had made the piece much more interesting than having it in a monotone voice. Not only did they have anaphora, they had metaphors to explain things in a more fun way. Personification was a great way to explain things because it created a clear image of the thing being explained. All these are a figurative language. They helped the piece by making it more fun and in the process making it have a clear image of the idea being presented.

Giant Pandas: Strength in Brawn not Numbers

Authors’ note: I wrote this to show what pandas are like because not many people know what they are like.

The giant panda is a marvelous creature and they shouldn’t be taken for granted. There are only thousands left in the world. It is an endangered species and soon it might be extinct. We should keep the panda going because it is a wonderful creature. Not many people know about the panda and its qualities.

Giant pandas don’t always live up to their name. When babies the panda is considerably small. “A newborn cub weighs three to five ounces and is about the size of a stick of butter. Pink, hairless, and blind, the cub is 1/900th the size of its mother”(park). Its size is trivial compared to its mothers size and that makes it hard for the mother to take care of her cub. “Cubs do not open their eyes until they are six to eight weeks of age and are not mobile until three months” (park). They can’t even do anything until then so the mother has to do all the work for the baby until then.

After the baby has grown it will get its food from bamboo. Bamboo is what its diet mainly consists of. The panda will have to eat lots of bamboo because the panda has an inefficient digestion system and most of the food is passed as waste so it will eat lots of bamboo to make up for it (park). It also gets its water from bamboo because bamboo has water inside of it. Since that water is not enough it will also drink water from the stream.

Food that they eat keeps them alive but not as long as we live. Pandas lives are less than 40 years. It is not known how long a panda lives in the wild but scientists are sure it is less than what a panda lives in the zoo which is 35 years old reported by Chinese scientists (park). Their life-spans might be short but it is not the reason that they are endangered. People had hunted them and made them lose their habitat. We only acted to save them after they became endangered. The reason that they cannot populate fast is because a female panda usually only successfully raises 5-8 cubs in her lifetime (park).

Pandas are simple but fascinating. They have many qualities that people don’t know because they don’t care. They should care however because pandas have the right to live just like us. We should help their species live on and not become extinct.

The power of water

I was racing down the ocean trying to get to the Island before the evil titans did. I have to save the world from the brink of destruction by using my water powers to destroy the evil titans. Will I get there in time or will the world be destroyed. On the island there is an atomic bomb but of much bigger scale. Big enough to destroy the world. I don't know why the Russians ever made it but they had and they put it on this deserted island. I have to get there before the titans set it off. I reached and there they were. I shot my water at them and they went flying but the bomb was already set. I put a water fortress around it so that it couldn't go past but it would still destroy the entire island and me. But then my trusty Pegasus saved me and the world was saved because somehow the fortress stayed there and I got away just in time. Once again I saved the world.

The Real Story of Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time there was a girl called Little Red Riding Hood, nicknamed Red. But this story isn’t about her because she is the villain. Yes, the villain. And where there is a villain there is a hero. Today’s hero isn’t the common Prince Charming, since he is a wolf after all. A wolf who thwarted Little Red Riding Hood’s evil plan.

The wolf was doing his everyday business. He would go out to the store to buy groceries and deliver them to his grandma who lives by herself on the other side of the woods. The wolf would always go around the woods since there were bandits around there but this time he was running late so he went through the woods. What a mistake that was.

As the wolf went into the woods he thought he was safe, but that was because he didn’t know he was being followed by Little Red Riding Hood. Red was one of those smart villains who used trickery instead of brawn. Red knew that he could not take on the wolf so he would have to use a trap. Red and gotten to Wolf’s grandma before Wolf got there. She set the most elaborate trap ever used. There were invisible laser beams which if touched would activate the trap. Then a net would come out at lightning speed catching the wolf.

As wolf neared the house he didn’t go through the front door. He went through the back which his grandma always left open so he could surprise her. As he went in he noticed grandma was nowhere to be seen. He looked in her bedroom and noticed the bed sheets were ruffled. Grandma always tidies up after herself. He knew there must have been a struggle. He looked for where the culprit could be hiding and that was when he heard a thump. It came from the attic. Wolf went up to check but there was nothing. Then he got thumped in the back of the head. He got up woozily to see that it was grandma. “Why’d you do that,” wolf asked.

“Whoops, I thought you were the little evil one who put me here.” Grandma replied.

“Evil? Who would be evil enough to capture a harmless old lady?” Wolf asked with curiosity.

                                                                                                                                                                                             

“I think I was bait,” grandma said with a smaller tone.

“Bait. To get who,” Wolf said in a larger tone.

“You,” Grandma said in worry.

“There you are,” A figure in the shadows said.

“Who are you,” Wolf asked

“I am Little Red Riding Hood. Call me Red.” Red replied. While saying that Red launched herself at Wolf but that was where it went downhill. If she had kept using trickery she could have won, but she lost her cool when her trap didn’t work and tried to use brawn. That’s why she ended up in jail by the hands of Wolf. That’s the real story of Little Red Riding Hood.
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In the story that all of you might believe in Little Red Riding Hood is usually the good person. Since the view changed your thoughts would have changed too. Now you like Wolf better because the narrator was on his side. Because of that you were on the narrators side which made your thoughts bias. Your thoughts are one of the features about you that can be changed easily which is why narrators take advantage of it and make you think one way instead of having you consider all the possibilities. 

Deciding Against Demons

Author’s note: This is my piece on Fablehaven. I want you look at the cause and effect in it.

The world is about to be destroyed by demons who escaped by a prison by many different actions. Other actions however save the world. Those actions were made by the heroes. The effects were sometimes extreme but it had worked out in the end.

Some decisions had helped the demons in their cause. One of them was made by a boy named Seth, who was fooled by a demon. The demon had helped out Seth and then befriended him. Seth made a promise that he would heal the demon when he came back from his quest but when he realized that the demon had just wanted him to heal him so he could get away from his prison, it was too late. Because of that the demon had almost destroyed the world. When you are dealing with demons, even the bad decisions can look like it is for the good.

Seth however did not only make foolish choices.  He had made the decision to follow his uncle’s clues which led to him obtaining the most powerful sword ever created. With that power he had helped slay the demons and save the world from destruction.  Only he could have completed that task because he had the power in him. It was his decisions that had the effect on the world, not the sword.

The boy was not the only one who had made life changing differences. The fairy queen had made the decision to lose her home so that the world could be saved. She knew that we wouldn’t be able to defeat all the demons because there were just too many of them. But she made the plan to destroy their leaders so that the lower demons would lose hope and flee to the queen’s kingdom which was now their new prison. Because of that decision the demons had not lain waste to the world but instead were recaptured and put away.

The effects of these decisions were tremendous. There were terrible effects but they were quickly replaced by effects that were quite admirable. That’s what decisions can do. Some can be life-changing but they won’t always be bad. 

What's it Like in Villain's Shoes?

Author’s note: I am writing a point of view creative piece which is about the book Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan. In the piece the parts that I have italicized are the parts when the person I am telling the story through thinks about something. I want you to look at the voice I used as the eidolon.

The Mark of Athena is about these seven demi-gods, half-god and half- mortal, who have to stop Gaea, the villain, from destroying everything they know and cherish by joining the Greeks and Romans together so they are no longer enemies. The book actually has the point of view of all of the demi-gods since it switches between point of view from one person to another every chapter. I am writing in the point of view of an eidolon, which is a creature who serves Gaea and can also possess people. The three characters in the short story I wrote have their own special powers. Jason has the ability over air and lighting. Percy has the ability over water and can talk to animals. Piper can persuade people easily with her voice. 

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There they are, those pesky little heroes that my master wants. I shall capture them for her. I shall take control of Percy Jackson while my friend takes control of Jason Grace. Sons of the big gods heh. Let’s see how do they do against each other when we take over. “Jason," Piper cried out. “What’s wrong?” My friend has taken over while I have taken over Percy. This body might be disgusting but it will have to do. All has come into place. “Percy, help,” Piper said. I won’t help. Ill ride over there and point the tip of my sword at Jason. 

I said “One will die,” Then Jason said “I will choose.”

“No!” Piper yelled. I charged at Jason while he charged at me. Piper almost died if it hadn’t been for Percy’s and Jason’s pets or whatever they were. Jason and I had our swords meet and clash. “Stop it! Piper yelled. Her charmspeak is really annoying since it made Jason stop. Because of that I had to weaken my blow but it still knocked him out of his mount. “Percy!” Piper yelled. “Jason’s your friend. Drop you weapon!” Her charmspeak almost got to me that time. Jason got to his feet before she could finish the job. Jason hit me with a bolt of lightning and it had blasted me off my horse. “No!” Piper screamed. “Jason stop!”

Jason was saying “I cannot stop. One must die.”

“Who are you?” Piper demanded.

Jason said “We are the eidolons. We will live again.”

“Eidolons…?” Piper muttered. She probably doesn't even know who we are even though we should be known to everyone because we are so powerful. Piper then said “You’re – you’re some sort of ghost?”

Jason turned back to me and said “He must die.” I got back up from the lightning that hit me and I knocked Jason right off his feet. “Stop it!” Piper shouted. She has finally lost hope. There isn’t even charmspeak in her voice. Now I raised my sword, riptide, over Jason’s chest. Right when I was about to attack. I heard a strong charmspeak. Piper had demanded “Eidolon, stop.” It had made me freeze right in place.  “Face me,” Piper ordered at me.

“You have not chosen,” I said. “So this one will die.”

“You’re a spirit from the Underworld,” Piper guessed “You’re possessing Percy Jackson. Is that it?”

I sneered. “I will live again in this body. The Earth Mother has promised. I will go where I please, control whom I wish.”

“Leo… that’s what happened to Leo. He was being controlled by an eidolon.”

“Too late you realize. You can trust no one.” I heard a sound and a black wing. It must be blackjack. I started running towards it. “Ignore it!”Piper yelped at me. “Look at me.” Her charmspeak had made me obey but I had to say something. “You cannot stop me. I will kill Jason Grace.”

“You won’t kill him,” Piper ordered at me. “You will knock him out?”

“I … will knock him out?” I said wondering why she made me do that with her charmspeak.

“Oh, sorry.” Piper smiled. “I wasn’t talking to you.” Wait then who was she talking to, but that was when I saw black.

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That was when he had gotten knocked out by Blackjack the Pegasus and was not controlling Percy anymore. Piper is evil for defeating that eidolon or is that just what you think? The reader's thoughts are bias to what the narrator is saying. Since the eidolon was the narrator you would vote for him but in truth you would probably want Piper to win if you found out that she was trying to save the world from destruction. Whoever is narrating will always think his way is best and true but there is no best way. The best way is the one that you see. If someone is trying to destroy all the cities to make the world have a fresh start, it is a good idea in his eyes. But other people will see it as bad idea to destroy everything so in their eyes that's the better idea. That is how much the point of view in a story can change a reader's opinion.

The Mark of the Haven

Author’s note: I am comparing and contrasting the series of Fablehaven and Mark of Athena. I want you to look at the descriptive language I used to compare these books.

The world is being torn apart as evil as the upper hand. In both Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull, and Mark of Athena, by Rick Riordan, evil is on the verge of defeating the heroes and taking control of the world. In Fablehaven the demons are about to open the Zzyzx, which is a demon prison, and let all the demons in it, loose to tear up the world. In Mark of Athena the heroes are going right into a horde of monsters which is almost suicidal and seems like a hopeless attempt to overcome Gaea, the villain. The similarities in these novels are hard to see since they have such different plots but the small things are what make them alike.

Evil is about to prevail in both of these novels. Heroes are about to fall, but neither of the books’ heroes lose hope. That is what makes up these books: the hope that they are filled with. The heroes know their missions are suicidal, but they do it anyways like in the Mark of Athena they had said “But unless you had a team fighting simultaneously on the Tartarus side, a team powerful enough to defeat a legion of monsters in their home territory”(539). What that had said was that the seven demi-gods had to face a whole legion of monsters in their home territory. In both, demons are taking over and the heroes stop them by going on missions. In Fablehaven they go on missions to get certain items to stop evil. In the Mark of Athena they all go on missions to get information which is also to stop evil. The heroes in both books are determined to prevail in the end.

Evil is not only about to win, but the entities cause hardships for the good. In Fablehaven many people die for their cause, but it does not go in vain. In the Mark of Athena the heroes lie to each other and sometimes don’t trust each other, because the villain is turning them against each other. Many people get hurt in both books but in both  their sorrow doesn’t go to waste. They get hurt, but they finish the job they came to do. That is what makes them heroes.

While these novels are similar, they also contrast in many ways. The Mark of Athena has the root of Greek mythology because it is about those stories only modernized. Fablehaven is more made up and not taken from ancient stories. Gods are a plentiful in the Mark of Athena  as it was the culture of those time periods, but in Fablehaven their culture isn’t important since gods don’t rule over their life in the story. Fablehaven has relics in it which have special powers while in the Mark of Athena the demi-gods ,which are half human, half god people, are the ones with the special powers.  The stories are very different in that sense.

These two novels might have the theme of fighting evil which makes them seem the same but the subtle differences are what make the stories contrast. The books also have the same heart in it because the heroes in both care about the world while evil does not. Determination is aplenty inside the forces of good, that is what makes these books the same.