Honors American Literature (E)

It was a good day, the sun was shining. I was on the couch waiting for a friend to knock on my door. We were supposed to hang out and play basketball this day. Instead of hearing a bang on my door, something started making a very loud noise. I couldn’t stand it, it was getting louder with each second. At some point, I sat up in my bed hitting the stop button on my phone. It took me a couple tries because it was dark. It was four in the morning. I stood up and looked around. Two suitcases and a backpack were waiting for me near the door of my room. I showered and came down for breakfast. When I reached the fridge, I took out the ingredients; toast eggs, cinnamon, french toast, and made myself a coffee. A sudden thought hit my mind. I’m leaving my country for four years and only coming back for breaks and summer. I finished every morning chore and was ready to go out. My mother opened her arms and hugged me. My dad lifted up the bags and carried them to the car. On my first step at the airport, I realized I wouldn’t have any help anymore after the check-in.

My father and I checked in for my flight and went to get more coffee. I had a delicious iced caramel macchiato and he had an expresso. Then we went to the security line, and I was all alone. My dad hugged me, then I could see him through the window waving for the last time until the Thanksgiving break. Walking through the airport felt refreshing, I had a sense of responsibility and I felt like an adult. I recognized a number ahead of me. That was the gate to my flight to Boston. A stewardess asked me for my passport and my ticket. I reached in my pocket and handed it to her. I was good to go. I entered the airplane and found my sit. As soon as I sat down, I have put my headphones in and played music. My eyes felt so heavy I immediately felt the effects of sleeping four hours and they just shut down. 

“Acknowleding one’s own flaws is the first step to improvement.”

As I opened my eyes I looked around me. I saw a tube to the plane and I thought we never took off, but in reality, we already landed. I thought I was still in Warsaw. Then people started standing up and picking up their belongings. I was confused, but it hit me. I’m finally in Boston. I got my bag and passport and started heading towards another security point. As I had completed everything including getting my luggage from the baggage claim, my next object was clear, exit the airport and find my driver for my school. I saw a guy with a board, which was labeled with my name. I stepped over to him and he asked 

-“Are you Jacob?”- I nodded and we started going to the bus that was supposed to take me over to the school.

I sat down on the seat on the bus. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single soul in there except me and the driver. I felt amazing. I had many questions for him and kept thinking to myself Am I going to handle being all alone? Am I mature enough?. I put my headphones on and looked outside the window the whole way over. All of a sudden the driver lets me know

-“We are here!”- I heard him and smiled back at him. At this point, I was stressed and kept on overthinking it. My dorm parent introduced himself to me, his name was Joe. Now all I was fascinated by the place and wanted to meet as many people as I could. In the meantime I got a bad thought always going through my head Will I be able to manage myself and do my chores and etc.? 

-What is your name? Are you doing any sports?- A future friend but now a stranger walked up to me and asked me. At the start, I was shy and closed to new people. I answered him and he told me to follow him. We walked out of the dorm and went through nice landscapes. As his hand pointed I realized he was giving me a tour. Over time I started opening myself to others and made plenty of new friends. I felt confident in myself. I also started to understand all the responsibilities I have as a teenager going into adult life.

A month passes by and I realise that I shouldn’t have been stressed so much as I thought. I made friends in the dorm and was one of the popular freshman dorm students in the program.

I came across a similar situation two years later, when I changed schools. While on the bus to the new school, looking around gave me clarity of my position. My junior year is going to be different, more difficult. Stress didn’t help it did the complete opposite. Am I going to make friends? Am I going to pass my classes? Am I mature enough?. Those questions kept on bouncing back and forth in my head. 

Looking back at my behavior two years ago and recently I started to realize that questioning yourself is what makes you improve. My brother recommended me a book by Simon Sinek. He wrote “We can’t be all good at everything. This is partly the logic behind having a team in the first place, so each role can be filled with the person best suited for that role and together every job and strength is covered”, and this quote helped me realize that you don’t have to be perfect, develop what you already are good at. I feel like acknowledging one’s own flaws is the first step to improvement. That way I learned to step up and take new risks because they are worth it. People learn from mistakes, which means it’s okay to make them as long as you don’t repeat them.

It was a normal late morning, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the sky was blue. The wind carried a crisp spring air that seeped in from the crack in the window. As I looked out the glass, I gently pressed my hand on it, leaving behind fingerprints. I could see the individual crevices of each swirl from my finger imprinted in the fog that my breath left behind. The window was distinctly cold which sent a chill down my spine. The skyscrapers of the Buffalo, NY skyline engulfed around me from the fourth floor of the hotel. As I turned away from the window, I noticed my bags had been moved. I didn’t think much of it. I walked downstairs and found my parents along with my Grammie eating breakfast. As I sat down, I was handed a plate that was mounted with food already.
“Who’s plate is this?” I questioned, as I looked down at the giant plate.
“I got it for you,” my grandmother answered. “You have a big game in a couple hours and you need your energy.” I thanked her and started to eat, knowing I wouldn’t finish it all. After a couple minutes of trying, I was able to eat the majority of what was on my plate.
After breakfast, I went upstairs to get ready for hockey. As I looked at the clock I noticed I had to leave in twenty minutes. I quickly gathered my things while everyone else was also cleaning up and getting ready to leave. I placed all my equipment next to the hotel door, along with everyone else’s things.
“Are we all set?” I asked. It was a rhetorical question, everyone was already lined up at the door except for my Grammie. I watched as she emerged from around the corner with a twenty dollar bill.
“Wait!” she exclaimed, as she quickly walked towards the group of us gathered at the door. “This is for my phone payment for this month.” She extended her hand with the bill in it towards my mom.
“Mom, you don’t need to pay me for it,” my Mom said as she opened the door of the hotel room. Her tone was gentle but firm at the same time, almost like she was scolding a young child. I watched my mom shuffle across the room to grab some water, she turned toward me and handed me a water bottle. I turned around and started heading towards the door. All of a sudden, I watched in disbelief as my Grammie tripped. Her fall seemed slow, but at the same time very quick. I watched as her head and neck ricocheted back off of the solid wood table next to the doorway.
My ears were ringing, I felt distant from the situation. I couldn’t hear anything over the sound of the constant pinging noise in my head. My mind felt clouded and distracted, my thoughts spiraled into a tornado of confusion that engulfed my brain. Everytime I close my eyes I end up back in that hotel room, almost as if I shift into my past self. Constantly reliving that moment.
“LB! Call 911 right now. Explain the situation. Stay calm so they can understand you,” my Dad yells across the room as I watch both my parents rush to my Grammie’s side. I grab the phone quickly, I watch as my trembling hands struggle to dial the small amount of numbers.
“911, what is your emergency?” I freeze, everything seems so surreal. My Dad takes the phone from me, I was somewhat relieved I didn’t need to speak to the operator. For God sake, I was only thirteen. I was barely a teenager with my birthday only being two days ago. I obviously was taught how to call 911 if there was an emergency, but nothing prepares you for the adrenaline and emotions that flood your mind when you are trying to collect your thoughts. Realization strikes me hard, unexpectedly. Claustrophobia polluted the air I breathed like a thick fog that rolls through a summer night. I was breathing hard. It felt like my lungs were failing to gather the oxygen in the air although it surrounded me. I couldn’t look down much, blood pooled at my Grammie’s head.
“I will be okay,” she tells me as the paramedics load her onto the stretcher. My vision was blurry from crying, my red eyes were puffed out, and my breaths were shaky.
“Grab your bag and put it in the car LB,” my Dad says in a soft, choked up tone. I look at him with wide eyes. He slowly picks up my bag and starts down the hallway. I follow him, slowly but surely, dragging my feet.
I walked into the arena, silently and alone, with a fake smile plastered across my face. My thoughts were the only thing keeping me company, for my perspective of life had changed. Little did I know that this accident would change my family’s life forever, nothing would ever be the same as it was before.

It was a beautiful Friday morning, the sun was out, the birds were singing, and there was a light breeze, making for a perfect summer day. There was a week left until I left home for the first time alone on an exciting adventure, and it just seemed like nothing could go wrong. Today, in particular, was a slight bump in the road I had to overcome, and I knew that fact. My face was twitching and the final boss ahead of me was all that was on my mind.

A young woman in a uniform approached me and the butterflies inside my stomach seemed to multiply as she got closer. My dad, who was beside me, told me to break a leg, and I hoped for the best. My head travelled somewhere else and I could only focus on the test I had to pass. I knew it was about to begin as I smelled a perfume scent and I was signalled to start. I had just seen a young girl sobbing because of an unsuccessful attempt and I prayed this wasn’t some sort of foreboding for what was to come.

I had gone through the motions so many times before and I had been preparing for over a year at this point. My hands felt as light as feathers and though I did not feel like I had control over myself as I sat in my seat, the natural instinct inside of me fuelled by the practice I’d done guided me as the instructor assessed my every move. I could hear her pencil and for some reason, the scratching of the lead against the paper seemed like the loudest sound in the world. I knew that what was written on that paper could change my life forever.

I was told to speed up, making me wonder how much time remained. This exam was certainly challenging, and I knew the hill in front of me would be hard to overcome, as I had to speed up and be very attentive of my every move to make it through. I came across a difficult situation where I was unsure of what road would take me towards success. The reality being that failure was down one of these roads hit me like I’d been struck by lightning, and I could feel needles across my skin as my heart stopped. I chose an answer, and fortunately saw the instructor nod in the corner of my eye as I wiped the sweat dripping down my cheek. Most of the problems could be solved in several different ways; however I was almost tricked when there was a one-way kind of problem thrown at me. 

I knew it was almost over and felt as if a bucket of sweat was poured on my head. I could still hear the pencil jotting down notes on the paper. Unsure of how I’d done, I briefly looked at the woman to get a sense of my result but now my body was light and faint the way it had been at the start. I was told to park it and wait as she tallied up my score. I could feel the blood circulating in every part of my body and it felt like an eternity before she finally pronounced these words: “Congratulations, you passed and you will receive your driver’s licence shortly.” My life would be changed forever and I was so relieved but a sense of fear suddenly filled me as I realised I’d never again sit in a car as a child.

My greatest sin has to do with greed. I made an embarrassing mistake and stole my parents’ money and later lied to them about where it went. It all started when they had a couple of winning lottery tickets and brought money back in excitement. They put the money on the counter but later forget about it as they began chatting with some friends that were over for dinner. Later, I planned what I thought was a great ruse and stole the money with the intention to gamble it, win some money, and keep the difference for myself. At one point, I remember my dad asking me if I took the money and I told him I used it to buy some bitcoin which was an honest answer. However, this was the definition of deception as the gambling site I was using required bitcoin as a form of currency. Evidently, my plan went downhill from here and my so-called investment was lost within the blink of an eye. I started by making a couple bucks and greed slowly overtook my mind. Unfortunately, I gambled the entire amount on a game called Crash and saw my balance fall to pennies in the matter of minutes. I finally got the courage to admit my mistake to my parents not too long ago and it was only then that I realized the severity of my sin. I had been greedy, I lied to my parents, and broke the law.

Thankfully, my parents did not really punish me as they saw that I realized that I transgressed. I was not punished by my parents but it was my greed that punished me. The bitcoin I had bought and gambled away soared to all time highs and if I would have simply been patient, I would have legitimately made money instead of losing the entire amount. I’m sure my dad realized this  fact as he looked at me in disappointment which caused me more pain than any type of other punishment could have. Basically, I had punished myself and deceived my parents only to disappoint the ones that trusted me the most. Thus, my parents did not need to intervene for me to be punished severely as my greed came back and bit me in the butt when I had lost the opportunity to make money and lost my parents’ trust.

I definitely felt guilt in this situation. This feeling of sorrow and regret invaded my body as I saw my parents’ faces when I had finally told them the truth. What I thought was clever at first turned out to be one of the worst mistakes I’ve ever made. I really had no idea a simple and mischievous action such as this one could have caused so much harm to not only myself but also my parents. I still feel guilty to this day but I can say I’m now thankful I committed this mistake then and not when I’m older, as this taught me very valuable lessons.

First and most importantly, I learned of the importance of trust. Trust is something that takes so long to gain but could be completely lost in the snap of a finger. I now have my parents’ trust, but this won’t erase the thought of me stealing money and using it imprudently. Actions speak loud and I know to always think before I do something that could ruin my reputation or someone’s trust in me. Next, I realized that there are laws for a reason and warnings actually mean something. There’s always a reason behind everything and I must be a lot more prudent when dealing with valuables and money. I will now be a lot more strategic and prudent when dealing with anything valuable and read any warning before I try something new. I will also try to understand the reason behind certain rules as this could save me from careless mistakes. Finally, I now know to be more patient and realize the dangers of greed. The whole sin was based around greed and I knew this fact from the very beginning but it was ignorance that blinded me from realizing the severity of my actions. I could have not only avoided a mistake, but also came out on top with a bit of profit if I hadn’t been so greedy. In brief, I learned the importance of trust and rules, in addition to the dangers of greed.

Though this was a terrible mistake, I am thankful for it as it shaped me into the person I am today. I now value trust and see the importance of true friends and family that will always trust me as long as I am smart with my judgement and don’t make any other ignorant mistakes. I can also use my judgment and read a lot more carefully for rules and warnings which help me make more educated and all around less ignorant decisions in my life. Moreover, I’m a lot more decisive because I look for the meaning behind certain rules or get different opinions instead of making impulsive decisions which can lead to disaster. To finish off, I am a lot less greedy and certainly more patient today. These values not only serve me well when I deal with money and investing, but also in my everyday life when dealing with others. I realize the importance of generosity which is especially beneficial when interacting with others and it has made me a more joyful person. To sum up, my greatest mistake and also greatest lesson was stealing from my parents and losing their money ignorantly. This has served me as an important lesson to develop values such as trust and generosity which have shaped me into the person I am today.

It was a beautiful morning. The chair moved back with the help of my brother and later he sat down on it. The only thing I could hear was two voices having a conversation. I opened my eyes and stood up hearing.

– “good morning, it’s eleven Kuba wake up and go do something” – from him. 

-I kicked him out of my room knowing he was talking in my room in order to wake me up.-

My eyes were so heavy I was pushing them open with my body control. Eventually, both of my legs moved out of the bed which caused me to stand up. After doing my morning routine I headed downstairs, towards the parking lot. I took something rattling in my pocket. I aimed for the whole in the lock and moved the two-wheel machine from the rack. I drove over to my best friend’s house due to my boredom. 

“Him on the ground and me above him standing. A hand reached his and pulled him into a standing position.”

Reaching his destination after biking 20 km felt rewarding and gave me a smile. I pressed a button near the wicket. A sound emerged from the intercom. For the first couple seconds, silence. I felt like my trip was for nothing, but then I heard a voice. It was him. 

-hello?-

-Wanna play basketball and chill?- I asked with enthusiasm. He agreed and the door rang and in a matter of seconds, it opened. I got through the wicket and the wooden door slowly came towards me and a head appeared behind it. I greeted him and sat down waiting for him. Having waited a long time for him we finally left and biked to the court. Driving next to many houses and shops.

Reaching the court gave us satisfaction. It was summer so laziness was an uprising. So we felt pride. After a while of shooting on our own, we were all goofed up and were just playing around.

-One v one? – a question posed by me and he agreed. Five minutes into the game my hands were out of my control and I was caught in the moment. He was pushed into a metal bar holding the basket. Hitting his knee in progress. That moment I blushed and started giving false smiles. A loud gasp emerged from me and a simple sentence – “I’m sorry”. Many thoughts started going through my head such as is he okay? Will he forgive me? Why did I do that?

– It’s okay if you weren’t my best friend I would get you back – he answered. I although unsure of the answer, kept apologizing. Him on the ground and me above him standing. A hand riched his and pulled him into a standing position. Him not correctly balanced and limping over his right leg during a short walk to the bench. I asked again. 

-Are you sure you are okay?-

-My knee hurts but give me a moment.- This time he answered with truth. 

I felt bad again and I felt a rush, reaching for my backpack for a cold water bottle. Inside the bag, it felt wet. And the T-shirt I had for later change was soaked while it was surrounding the bottle. I could tell by his expression he felt better by putting cold to the injury. I felt humiliated. Him knowing that we both were caught in the moment he acknowledged I didn’t mean it. I was young and stupid but I learn from that to always think before you act.

Two days prior, I’ll do it later. One day prior, I’ll do it later. The night of, I’ll do it later. Nine O’clock, I’ll do it after I finish history. Eleven, I still haven’t done it. The bell rang eight times, we had class, and I still wasn’t done. I had done my notes, I had done my research, I had done my experiment, I had even done my outline. Why couldn’t I start the paper?

It wasn’t that I didn’t care. I wasn’t too busy to do it. I liked the class, I just couldn’t get my foot in the door for the paper. Why was it so hard for me to start essays. I walked into the classroom, everyone else had finely written papers. Meanwhile, I had nothing. I fidgeted slightly, this was an important essay. The teacher went around, checking in with everyone, then it got to me. I had a hook, and plans, that was it.

Somehow I managed to talk my way into more time, I felt guilty, and I felt disappointed. My letter is P for procrastination. While I have gotten better about it, I tend to put off big projects. It’s not that I don’t care about the class or the work, I just can’t seem to start homework. The strange thing is, it almost always only applies to schoolwork. This is why I chose to color my P green to represent school and homework. I also included a clock and z’s in a thought bubble to represent the lack of sleep my sin has caused, from me trying to finish my work late at night. Luckily my sin has improved with time, however, I still struggle with procrastination somedays, especially on papers that I am not sure what to write about.

Mitchell Nazareth

Ms. Waterman

American Lit

9/12/21

    I chose my scarlet letter not by how I perceive myself. Truth be told, when I look back on my past, I have made mistakes, errors in judgment, and faults to which are mine alone. However, I do not interpret these as sins, or even failures of my own. I look at many of my past mistakes as if they were consequences of my surroundings because, with future vision, I understand that they do not represent me. I interpret the scarlet letter assignment as something that needs to stick with me the same way it does for Hester Prynn. She can never abandon or let go of the baby she birthed. No matter where she runs or hides, her baby will indefinitely be a mark on her soul. I want my letter to represent something similar, something no matter how far I run I will never be able to leave in the past.

    I have chosen my mixed race to be my sin, specifically being half black. I think that it’s fitting to choose half of my heritage, who for a large part of history were considered to be non-catholic heathens, to be my sin. Although I personally don’t think that it is a sin, and I would never change this fact about me it is clear that too many others my half-black lineage is something to be condemned. To the white side of my family who I rarely talk to these days, it may be a burden on them to consider that the only two children passing on the family name and blood are both tainted by something their ancestors would have lynched.

    That said, I wear my sin with utmost pride. The idea of being half black, tainting my glorious, pure, European blood is complete horse shit. I love being something in between and holding ambiguity over those who view me. Every time I hear someone talk about how I’m Indian, native American, or maybe even middle eastern, I laugh on the inside and occasionally on the outside.

    With no hesitation I can proudly say, I love my sin. It is the greatest blessing I could have asked for. Not just the skin, but the beautiful people that I was born into. I love exploring and learning about my ancestors on both sides, and talking more with my grandma trying to uncover lost family members. It is something that I will always hold dear in my heart, and hope that others get cursed with the sin of mixed lineage.

Time is often taken for granted, until it is too late. No matter what you are doing in your life, seconds are always wasted, seconds and minutes that you could have used for quick breaks, quick visits, or even just silence. Unlike in the Scarlet Letter, my sin isn’t adultery, it is wasting time. 

My letter that I will be wearing around campus will be the letter T. The T represents the time I have learned to waste more often than not. It is a “crime” that most people don’t consider or have a second thought over until you wish you had more of it. My letter has many different types of clocks and symbols of time, subtly revealing my sin. My letter also has a rip that is taped together, this to me represents not being able to go back in time. The rip is a reminder that you can fix mistakes but you can’t always erase them and the damage they caused. You will never be able to get that time back completely no matter how hard you try. 

The time that I spent on my phone, watching TV, or just sitting alone in my room doing nothing is gone forever and was easily wasted by life. I often look back on my pre teenage years and wish I could redo many of the choices I made with my time. I regret choosing not to go over to my grandparents house every chance I could, not knowing in the future that is all I wished to do. Time is an amazing thing but every amazing thing has its ups and downs, time is complicated. When you wish you had more time, you hate it and when you have too much time you hate it. 

I feel like I was definitely “punished” by life because of this sin, it made me realize the same events I used to take for granted, I beg for minutes of them now.  It was rare that my whole family from around the country gathered together, the family events I didn’t go to because I wanted to be somewhere else are an example of my disregard of time. 

I often feel guilty now that I am older, for not spending my time wisely. I feel guilty that I didn’t value when my grandparents drove hours to watch my sports. I wish I knew in the future I would regret it because now I am lucky if they are able to make one of them, sooner or later I have to realize they won’t come at all at some point.

Time also has taught me a lesson that will stay with me forever, cherish every moment because you will not be able to get it back. You never know how you will feel in the future, a moment that you hate now might be your last wish later. 

As I get older, I start to understand the importance of using your time wisely, not only for spending time with family, but also in everyday life. In school, time is one of your most valuable resources you can take advantage of. If you plan out your day and set goals for yourself you might have more free time to spend with friends or extracurricular activities.  When you use your time with a purpose in mind,  you can do many more things than you expect yourself to accomplish in a day. 

My name is Anthony Lombardo and I am a 17 year old junior student from Montreal, Canada. Hebron Academy is the third high school I attend and a major step in pursuing anything I desire in college. I enjoy playing hockey and hearing the sound of a puck hitting a net, and I enjoy basically any sport. I love any book that has to do with making money and have difficulty reading books written in old English. This year, I have read and wrote more than I ever have in my life and have learned to appreciate the texts and understand passages on a more sophisticated level. I am mainly interested in sciences though I enjoy any class that is different and exciting! I have dreams of becoming a doctor.

My name is Jakub Diakonowicz and I’m from Poland. Sports I like to do are; soccer for fun, and alpine skiing – I have done that most of my life and was racing for three years but I got bored with it, nordic skiing, which I started last year and Lacrosse; which I started last year. In summer I really enjoy sailing either alone or with my friends. A book that I have recently read is called “Why do your parents annoy you” and I enjoyed it. My favorite class is Applied Engineering.