love and the pursuit of happiness Star Centeno AP English Language and Composition – 1A My Writing Portfolio
Chapter One: My History As A Writer Chapter Two: Journal and Quotes Trust The Moon Cried With Me My Girls Right Decision? Chapter Three: Sample of My AP Essays Final Draft of Essay 5 Final Draft of Essay 9 Synthesis: Mango Street Argument.: Amer. Lit. Chapter Four: Sample of Formal Essays Sebring’s Heart & Soul Chapter Five: Sample of Creative Responses Letter to Vietnam Chapter Six: My Choice Marilyn Monroe Chapter Seven: My Conclusion
Table of Contents
I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long
My History As A Writer
Chapter One
My mother always said I used to draw all the time, for hours. She would say that was a sign of how well I would do well in school; I guess she was right, cause look where I am now. However she said I loved to read all the time, book after book. I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t write, it’s hard imagining not being able to. The first memory I have of being able to write however would be in Kindergarten, when my teacher Ms. Hoover called in someone to watch the way I held a pencil because she did not think it was normal. Anyway I learned to write from an early age and have always loved it ever since.
I actually love to write research papers. I enjoy proving a point with sufficient evidence and strong diction. My freshman year I was in speech class, so I also liked to write speeches and then deliver them. Throughout my writing career I have wrote plenty of short stories and I would share them with friends to get critique back. I never had a favorite place to write or preferred one place over another. I have written anywhere and at anytime. However if I had to pick a place it would be air conditioned or cool. It would be quiet and I would be able to listen to music. It would be stocked with ice cream (Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy to be exact).
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How do I feel about myself as a writer? I know that I am not the best, but I am a confident writer. I know my words and arguments can be strong. I love to paint pictures with words. Writing is an art form for me, it allows one to release and express. Choosing the right words to do this is hard and challenging. I enjoy writing and I want to continue to grow my portfolio as a writer. I want to become better than I am now just as I know that I am a stronger writer than I was at the beginning of the year. Each class introduces me to a new form of writing.
Continued‌ Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. - M.Monroe
Journals and Quotes
Chapter Two (4)
Trust. That was the problem. That was always the problem, yet the only problem between them. They wanted trust so badly, but they were afraid to give it to each other. Afraid of being hurt again, like they were in the past. “I wouldn’t hurt you like that; I… care about you too much.” She almost let it slip. That’s the first time she’s ever done that. How could she be so stupid? Stupid enough not to tell him, that’s how. The same words stuck in his throat and came out as a sigh in response to her. He couldn’t understand why he feared telling her. No, he did know why… because soon he would have to leave and he didn’t want to make that connection, afraid of the pain he would feel when walking away. He didn’t want to hurt her and he didn’t want to hurt himself – even though it was hurting him to not say it all the same. Then, there was the question of “What if she didn’t feel the same way?” What if he put that out there and it changed things? No, he didn’t want anything to change, he was bad at change. It never went his way. He wasn’t ready to trust her with his words… not yet. Neither was she.
Trust. Journal #127
Quote VVV
Oscar Wilde once said, “Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much.� I picked this quote because it is true. When you act kindly to someone you hate it aggravates them so much and you get the satisfaction of knowing you got to them. You get farther with sugar than with vinegar and in this case you get farther into messing with their minds with your kindness than revenge.
When I stepped out onto the back porch, the moon cried with me. The tears just streamed down my face and collected at the bottom of my chin and then fell to soak my jeans. I had slumped down to the wet cement outside in Kimmie’s backyard – it had just got done pouring not too long ago. It was 11:11. I always watched the moon and the stars and the sky at this time. I did it because I knew he was, too. Or at least that is what he told me, “When you look up at the sky I am looking at the same sky.” It hurt so much to be away from him. Literal physical pain rested in my chest and wouldn’t go away until he was home again. Him being away for so long was a real compromise to my happiness, but it was going to be beautiful in the end… or at least that is what he told me. “I don’t want the same thing to happen to us…” It was our time. We started going out on January 1st 2011 so naturally our special and magical time was 11:11 especially at night, for some reason. I made it my duty to be outside or looking through window at the moon at that time every day. That night it was really hard to stop the tears… the moon cried with me.
Journal Topic #11
The Moon Cried With Me.
Quote UU
(“Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, and touch that never hurts.” – Charles Dickens) There is this person who always strives to be the bigger person and befriend everyone no matter what they do to hurt him. I believe he truly tries to abide by this quote. However I myself do believe there is a boundary on who you let into your life and you should be able to say when enough is enough. I wish I could teach him that and he could teach me how to live by this quote more often…
I met her on the first day of eighth grade. In perspective to high school years it was so long ago but in perspective to lifetime years it could have been just yesterday. I wish now it was just yesterday because then I would still have three years before she left again. She fit in with our group so well and then when we all broke out in high school and our group altered to include KimmieKat and not some others we became even tighter. We were the main four girls at the “The Table” which forever will be “The Table,” named freshman year. I’ve cried on her shoulder and she’s cried on mine. We laughed together and shared inside jokes. We became sisters. Sarahbuggg, KimmieKat, me, and Stephanie Moran or better known as just Stephie. Every time we can get together – every few months or so – it’s like she never left. Then the goodbyes come. Once again we are reminded that our sister is missing. One day she will be home but for now we just hold her in our hearts.
Journal Topic #51
My Girls.
Quote HHH
To start, I just love the irony of the quote because a pig is supposed to be one of the smartest animals. Another reason why I like this quote is because it is just so out there and comical. I agree partially. I agree because if a person does not want to learn then they will not learn no matter what. I disagree because sometimes people need to be pushed to learn, like children. If children had the choice they would not go to school and it doesn’t seem logical just to say okay we are not going to teach you anymore because you don’t like school. (“Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and just annoys the pig.” – Anonymous)
Why are some people so cruel? Why are some people so destructive? Why do I let some people be so cruel and destructive? It makes you sit and contemplate what goes through their mind as they are doing the heinous act. Sort of like how you would say “If I were keys where would I be?” How does their mind work at that particular moment? Why do they do what they do? Do they justify it to themselves? Shut off the brain completely? Or actually take pleasure in thinking about the pain and aftermath to come? Ridiculous as it may seem I believe I would rather have them take pleasure instead of shutting down or justifying. At least then you do not get apologies or an argument about morals. You know what they did and they know what they did. Common ground… even if it drops off into nothingness like a cliff after that.
Journal Topic #102
Right Decision?
Quote TTTT
(“Money costs too much – Ralph Emerson Waldo). At this very moment I am thinking the same thing. Balancing a job and schoolwork and clubs and family and a boyfriend is all too stressful. Especially the schoolwork part because I have to decide which is more important which the schoolwork is obviously the right choice. Money cost too much. It takes to much work at times and not worth the trouble.
Sample of AP Essays
Chapter Three (4)
The heart is an organ in the body. It can be shot and yet still be surgically repaired and continue to live on. The soul is an individual person, a group of people, and at times the force of a minority that allows them to refute an unjust majority. Is there any surgeon that can repair a soul when shot through? The virtuous spirit and soul can overpower the unrighteous superiority through discipline and theology. As a tiny unorganized nation the United States defeated the most powerful force in the world, and Margaret Fuller served as the poster child to the individualistic women throughout history. In the 1700s Great Britain had the strongest military force throughout all the leading nations, however today America is said to be the one with the “hard as nails� military by experts across the board. At the time of changing hands, America was the minority in all aspects – economically, socially, and politically. The American people had no guns, no organized army, no militia skills, but instead a virtuous theology of freedom and a will to create a separation from their oppressor. They banded together and fought a complicated, guerilla warfare war.
I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find
Final Draft Essay #5
Through the Olive Branch Petition and finally the Declaration of Independence they declared their independence from such wrongdoings, showing that morality was an important factor in their decision making. The empire of England no longer dominated the newly born United States and because of this America hit a growth spurt in numbers, money, and foreign relations of over 50 percent. The minority that was most resilient, the most long-lasting, and the most patient were the individualistic women. Advocate Margaret Fuller demonstrates this group well. As a young woman Margaret Fuller was not married, was not a mother, and to everyone’s horror stayed with men. However, it was the men she stayed with that created the transcendalist influence she based her work on. Ralph Waldo Emerson, like Thoreau, turned Fuller into a transcendalist.
Margaret Fuller was also a Women’s Rights Activist believing that the role of a woman was a prison not a privilege. She was a sensational writer, using her skills to write for a newsletter, where she then was asked by a group of men to become the editor of their transcendalist newspaper. Fuller held “talks” with young girls leading them in the direction of education and higher status. Margaret Fuller did not live to see the total equality of her sex but she inspired others to follow their soul. When minorities become inspired and full of motivation they essentially become the majority. It may not be in numbers but certainly in resilience to conform. Whether nations are oppressed in their own country, or women in their own home the will and reason to fight can overpower any unjust majority.
Two types of memories exist: those that are nostalgic while the other embraces the experience and moves on. Two people enjoyed a summer vacation and yet both walked away with different emotions. E.B. White yearns for his childhood and Virginia Woolf reminisces about her favorite memories. The similarity in both vignettes however is they recreate their memories for their readers to vicariously live in them. As a boy White was introduced to the realm of camping and fell head over heels in love with the sport. He states that he has become a salt water man, but at times “there are days when the restlessness of the tides and the fearful cold of the sea water…make me with for the placidity of the lake in the woods.” White’s use of diction in describing the fearful water and placid lake shows his favoritism for the certain type of water. When White takes his son to the lake, he imagines being a boy again and experiencing it for the first time through him. As he watched the boy, “who was silently watching his fly, and it was my hand that held his rod, my eyes watching.” White was experiencing a nostalgic memory in which he turned back the clock.
She was a girl who knew how to be happy even when she was sad. – M. Monroe
Final Draft Essay #9
Continued… When White’s son his swimming in the placid lake, White cal feel the water around him and the “chill of death” just as he would have experienced it when he was a boy. Virginia Woolf’s memory is about sailing. During the summer she would go out sailing almost every two weeks, but one particular boat outing has stuck with her. Woolf’s experience does not evoke a feeling or sorrow but instead one of passion. Woolf’s memory is based on her love for fishing and the feelings it provokes for her. Woolf was not forced into giving it up her passion when her father stated his dislike for fishing. Even though children usually conform to what their parents feel, Woolf’s love for fishing was so tremendous that as a young child she fished even when her father showed his dislike for it. Although not remorseful she wishes to return to fishing and often “cast[s] into basements when I walk in London streets” her eyes, just as she would do a fishing line. Even though both authors convey their love for summer and their childhood experiences, the tones and auras are different from each. White expresses sorrow and nostalgia while Woolf shows enlightenment.
The United States is known for its mixture of ethnic groups and races. People from all over the world come for the opportunities and freedom that America is known for. However, now congress wants to tell big ‘ole America what to speak. Bilingual speaking is what actually unifies the United States, allows equal learning, and would go against what America practices everywhere, everyday. A bilingual speaker allows two people who cannot speak the same language to communicate more effectively and efficiently through a medium. Everyday employers hire bilingual speakers over only English speakers because it makes a company able to sell to a larger crowd. According to the 2000 US Census, over twenty-eight million people speak Spanish or Spanish Creole. When the US conducts foreign affairs it trades with anyone who is able to make the best deal, not only English speaking countries. The US conducts business and negotiations with every country of every language. The Pro-English movement states themselves that, “segregation by language and ethnicity… often result in social isolation.”
The nicest thing for me is sleep, then at least I can dream. – M. Monroe
Final Draft of Synthesis Essay on House on Mango Street AP Test
Continued… Exactly, so if the US segregated itself from the rest of the world by language, would we not be in isolation? Languages and have to mix and translations have to occur. Students should be encouraged to speak multiple languages including English, but not only English. Data between 2003 and 2006 found that “38 percent of the district’s [Boston] 56,000 students” are nonnative English speakers. It is now 2012, the numbers have most certainly have grown significantly. Another study found that high school dropout rate doubled for students still learning to speak English (Source A). Congress and Pro-English advocates believe that just by throwing students into an English speaking classroom and not speaking to them in their native tongue, they will magically learn another language. This is terrible false, it leaves “them even further behind.” Doesn’t this law violate No Student Left Behind? The 2002 law, quoted in Source B, says “limited English-speaking students shall be assessed in a valid and reliable manner for purposes of federal accountability.” So the California School Board of Education gave extra time and a dictionary to students who could not read English. Justice Timothy Reardon backed by the California SBE by saying “testing students in their primary language could send confusing messages throughout California’s education system.” What about the confused students? I am sure if the Education System was made to read and communicate in another language they do not understand then, and only then, they would be confused. Focus on the students.
The Founding Fathers envisioned a life where people could be free of tyranny, free to make their own decisions, free to be free. I do not believe that everything in this country is how it should be. The Founding Fathers did not envision everything that is here today, but they will still see their basic fundamentals and dreams in work. Everyday a men and women, white, Hispanic, Asian, Black or anything in between is free to get up every morning and practice free speech, free religion, and free to start a business and achieve the American dream. They are free to pursue happiness. The first attempt at securing our rights was the Articles of Confederation and then the Constitution was ratified, but not before the anti-federalists could secure a compromise. These men remembered the phrase “that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights,” from the Declaration of Independence. It was left up to these men to make sure this survived the Revolution and we now have this in the Bill of Rights. Everyday these rights from the constitution are exercised – right to free speech, religion, press, and right to bear arms.
Women who seek to be equal with men lack
Final Draft of Argumentation Essay for Early American Lit. AP Test
Continued… More examples are the protests displaying the right to assemble. Atheism, displaying the right for religion or not to have a religious affiliation, is also expressed in America. A supreme court has even been erected to protect these rights. These courts are unbiased, not discriminatory, and fair. One today, goes to the bank, takes out a loan, rents a building, and opens a business. It could be that easy. Steve Jobs was the epiphany of successful business man. He dropped out of college and begun making computer gadgets in his garage. He rose to the American dream, he pursued happiness. Everyday men wake up and make their way to work to try and pursue their own happiness because they have that right to. For a man to pursue his happiness however protection of his rights are needed and by giving up his executive powers to the government he is guaranteed that right to pursue happiness in peace in safety. The Declaration of Independence has always been a document for civil rights activists to go for the phrase “that all men are created equal.” Even though it has taken two hundred years to finally get here, all mean are considered equal in America. Women have also made it into that category as well. Faces of all color, gender, and size work side by side, go to school together, and marry. The road was hard and filled with cases and movements, nut I go to school with all cultures, and all types of people. The Founding Fathers would be proud of their daughter – America.
Sample of Formal Essay
Chapter Four
Sebring’s Heart and Soul The Story of Daniel Jose Salinas by Star Centeno Family means the most to me. I’ve grown up with a dad and without one; it has only made me stronger. Unfortunately I still look for his approval though and he’s not there most times. So I was left to take care of my mom, brother and sister, by myself. It breaks my heart to see my little brother cry because my dad cancelled yet again for the 3rd or 4th week in a row. I try to protect him from most things but this is the one thing I wish I had control over… I wish someone had protected me from it, so I try my best. Every kid in Sebring wants to get out of this little town, out of the suffocating box around us, yet most don’t leave, most get stuck here at SFCC or with family. I didn’t. I left, I got out and probably won’t come back unless I’m recruiting for the army and visiting friends. I want to make a life for myself, a life better than most. I don’t know exactly where I’m going but I do know it is in the opposite direction.
Sebring’s Heart and Soul The army was my only out. As a student I screwed up, I didn’t do my work, I didn’t care. I failed the first half of English three twice and just barely got my credit to graduate on time. I mostly graduated for the army, partly for the people around me. I didn’t have the GPA for college and if I would have went straight to work well I would have ended up doing hard labor for the rest of my life making minimum wage. I wasn’t going to let that happen. How was I supposed to support my mom and siblings on that? Army it was. And that is where I am. I don’t find myself a hero just a man that did what he needed to do to protect his family even if that meant leaving them by themselves for months. It was hard and I questioned if I made the right decision most nights, but it has to be the right decision. There is no other option.
DJS.
Chapter Five
Sample of Creative Responses
never have got anywhere.
If I'd observed all the rules I'd
M. Monroe
Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam
Quotes & Reasons “This morning I brushed my teeth with a special fluoride tooth paste which is supposed to retard tooth decay for six months.” (Pg. 38) I found this really interesting and somewhat humorous. It’s was intriguing that this actually existed or worked. “Of course it really tears me up to lose a man, especially like that, but I must not show any emotion over it. I’ve got to press on, keep doing my job. Even among my men this is universal.” I loved this quote because it shows the bravery the young soldiers had to have to survive.
Quotes & Reasons “We’re not supermen or anything like that, and we’re not about to walk into bars, where the music automatically stops at our entrance, and proceed to demolish anybody and everybody in the place. But as far as being soldiers, we’re proud of our outfit and its history, and are definitely among the best troops over here.” This quote showed the honor these men felt to fight for their country and with their men in the United States Marine and Army uniforms. “How can we ever ‘know we’re right,’ Lost in this dark, primeval Night? Must we kill them, as beasts must fight, Until the Earth is torn?” I liked this excerpt from a poem because it showed the diversity of ways the soldiers used to let our their emotions and tensions about the war.
Quotes & Reasons “I often wonder if what we’re fighting for is worth a human life.” This quote touched me because the men went through phases and times when they felt like they didn’t know what they were fighting for and if it was a good cause or not to die for. “That’s about all there is to say right now. The next time you hear from me, it’ll probably be in person. I’ve got less than two months left in Vietnam.” The soldiers were so optimistic and tragedy struck them so much. George who wrote the letter died just a month later.
Quotes & Reasons “It was a pretty exciting day. Someone up there knows I have a beautiful wife and two wonderful children to go home to.” I liked this quote because I loved to read about their families back at home waiting for them. “The whole thing was morbidly fascinating, and during the whole exchange I was never scared, which scares me now.” Again the bravery of the soldiers is profound. Afterwards however they would be shaken up by their actions and what they had just experienced. The soldiers were well trained.
Quotes & Reasons “The reason I want you to tell everyone to help them is because I feel I may have killed some of their parents and it makes me feel sick to know they have to go on with nothing.” It was very touching to read about soldiers who helped the Vietnamese people around them. They would write home requesting items be sent to the orphanages and they would also teach some of the people to read and write English. “Success in fighting this war doesn’t come from years of naval service, or age, or intelligence. It comes from a sense of survival and the ability to profit from one’s experience. The more experiences you accumulate, the better able you are to handle the next situation that develops, for no two incidents are exactly the same, and you have to play it by ear.” This was my absolute favorite quote. The wisdom that came out of this letter was astounding.
My Time To Shine
Chapter Six
Marilyn Monroe
Norma Jeane Mortenson For most Americans perception is reality; what they see is what they believe to be true and only true. For those who break that traditional barrier of ignorance, Marilyn Monroe is known as a foster child, a pistol, and most importantly a woman. She was a woman who survived in a world of men with her high heels attached. She did not subservient herself to the wants of men, she played on their weaknesses and raised herself slowly to fame. Marilyn was shaped by her past and the people around her, just as she shaped the people in America. Her popularity is an obvious sign of her impact and authority. As a model, an actress, and a singer, Marilyn was an eye catcher and those whose attention she managed to grasp were mesmerized by her personality and exquisite good looks. She gave quite a show of her life and left with, no doubt, a dramatic exit causing the cry of an encore. June 1, 1926 Norma Jeane Mortenson was born; she was then christened Norma Jeane Baker when she was sent to live with a family friend after her mother, Gladys, was diagnosed as mentally ill. It was in this home of Grace and Doc Goddard that she picked up the dream of becoming a superstar.
Continued…
Grace was infatuated with stars such as Jean Harlow, who ironically resembles Marilyn greatly, and would allow Marilyn to curl her hair and wear makeup; they would leisurely attend the cinema together and thus began the basis of Marilyn’s fascination with theater. Norma began her career as a chance discovery model working in a factory by David Conover (“Glamoursplash…”). She at the time was married to Jimmy Dougherty: a high school sweetheart and a way out of the foster care system. While Dougherty was deployed for the Marines, Baker’s model career took off and the couple divorced in 1946 (“Marilyn Monroe Biography”). In this same year she signed a movie contract and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe. Her first movie roles were just short speaking parts as extras and earned her rarely any credit recognition (Doll). Her acting career didn’t really start to take off until the 1950s with movies such as The Asphalt Jungle and All about Eve. Monroe was let go from companies such as Colombia Pictures and Twentieth-Century Fox many times during her career. She attended plenty of screen tests to try and amp up her name. Monroe’s insistence and developing skills got her noticed in the industry. Starring as a young woman out to kill her husband with help from her lover, Marilyn began emerging as a bombshell sex symbol in Niagara.
Continued…
More movies such as How to Marry a Millionaire and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes bored Monroe and so she moved to New York to attend the Actor’s Studio with Lee Strasberg to dump her bubbly, dumb blonde roles. Monroe returned to the screen with Bus Stop and received much praise for her performance. In 1959 Marilyn won a Golden Globe for Some Like it Hot, another ‘blonde’ role. However she did receive a serious and dramatic casting in The Misfits, directed by her third husband, playwright Arthur Miller (Wolfe). Norma Baker, better known as Marilyn Monroe, was set on making a name in the show business. Monroe made a point of getting to know reporters on a first name basis and was considered a good sport. In 1948 she was even awarded the ‘Miss Press Club’. Marilyn was also affected by her past however and let her fallbacks get to her at certain points in her life. Like most celebrities Marilyn took sleeping pills to help her with her hectic life and tragically she died in 1926 at the age of 36 (“Biography Online”).
Pursuit of Happiness
Chapter Seven
of Happiness Pursuit My Future
Chapter Star Ashley Seven Centeno I know I sound like every senior and teenager here in Sebring, but I hate it here. When I look around I see no one that I want to one day be. In 2037, I want to be visiting family, not still living here in this H E double hockey sticks hole of a place. I want to live in a big city, I want to live in the country, I want to live in the snow, and I want to live on the beach. I want to live everywhere. I want to visit every state and collect something from there. I want to see every national park there is in the United States. Perhaps before I leave Florida however, I should go to Disney World. It’s depressing that I have lived in Florida my whole life and I never went to Disney World as a child. In 2037 I want to count on no one, but myself. I want to be able to support myself without needing anybody else’s income. Part of being a successful woman and career seeking adult is the independence you receive because of it. I think this would perhaps mean the most to me. I am not saying that I want to be alone, but I do want to be able to have that option. I would hate to rely on somebody else or be a burden to another. My independence is who I am and who I will always be – even in the year 2037. Don’t count on me being a waste to society and a disgrace to what I set forth in this paper.
of Happiness Pursuit My Future
Chapter Star Ashley Seven Centeno I say that the only thing I am after is the pursuit of happiness. Happiness is the key to a successful life and not regretting anything you did in life. If what you accomplished truly makes you happy then everything about it was the right choice. I don’t know what I will accomplish 40-something years from now. I don’t even know what I am doing for lunch this afternoon, but what I do know is that I will find a way to be happy doing it. At night you don’t lay down to have everybody else tell you what to do; you lay down to your own voice, your own criticism. I will not put myself down for someone else’s happiness over my own. One can never be sure that their decisions are the right ones. 40 years from now I may not be with Daniel; I may not even be with him by the end of this summer. It’s crazy how everything can change in the blink of an eye. For now, however, we plan on being in it for the long run; sticking through the fights. I am a person who hates promises however; because once you promise something I feel you are less likely to actually do what you said you will. I’ve told him to stop promising me things, because he can’t. He’s in the army; it’s impossible to actually believe that he will always do what he promises, but that doesn’t make the let down any easier.
of Happiness Pursuit My Future
Chapter Star Ashley Seven Centeno Life is funny. It’s funny in the way that when you close your eyes for five minutes and open them again everyone is not how they were; your friends have turned on you because you decided to do something different with your life. Your family will do anything they can to separate you from your pursuit of happiness. Everything you thought you wanted your ready to throw out the window. You can’t spell life with lie; I think the F stands for fun in the middle of all the lies. I don’t know what I will be in the year 2037; but what I can tell you is that I will be happy.