Nonfiction Ideas

My idea for a nonfiction project is: How much do we assume about people based on how they look, and how much of this is actually true?

I would probably present this in powerpoint or prezi form because I would have pictures to show.

This topic could lead to questions like Do girls or boys judge people more based on appearance? and How does the way we look influence what people think of us?

I think that we assume a lot about people based on their looks before we have even met them. As soon as you see a person you start to guess things about them from who they hang out with to how friendly they are. Most of these things are probably not true. You can't really tell much about a person until you have at least talked to them and know them a bit better.

I can look for sources about my topic online. There should be articles and research already done by others for me to study. For first hand research I could take a survey where you give someone a picture of a random person and have them guess as much as they can about that person just based on the picture. I could do this with several different pictures and see what kind of things are assumed.

I'm not sure about what professional I could contact. I don't know what kind of specialists there are about this topic.

A challenge for me will be finding an expert to talk to and getting a good interview for my project.

I think that this could be a very interesting thing to look at and I am excited to see what the results will be and what I can do to turn that into a good piece of nonfiction.

Happiness

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.

The American Dream is a big part of our country. The promise of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, draws people from all over the world to achieve something that they could never reach before. A new life and new chances. Success.

Success is different to different people. Some people think that success can be reached through wealth, or power. Some say that success is in fame or appearance. I think that doing what you love, and finding what makes you happy is what makes you successful. If the only thing that you are working towards is an increased paycheck, you probably don't have your heart in it. Doing things that you enjoy, and having the freedom to do what you want in life is part of that success.

Different people can have different goals that would lead them to success, but in the end all these goals are contributing to make you happy. If your goal is to get a promotion at work, and you think that that will make you a success, when you achieve that goal you will be very happy. Your success leads to happiness and that is one of the reasons we like success so much.

 I think that happiness and success are connected. When you are happy, it is easier to be successful (The Happiness Advantage). You can not have success without happiness. When you see an unhappy person who doesn't really seem to enjoy what they are doing, they don't seem successful. If I met a rich person who hated their life, and a poor person who was really passionate about what they did, and loved what they did, I would definitely think that the happy person was more successful. There isn't much to life if you are just dragging through it. Doing things that you enjoy make life better.

The millions are awake enough for physical labor; but only one in a million is awake enough for effective intellectual exertion, only one in a hundred millions to a poetic or divine life. To be awake is to be alive. I have never yet met a man who was quite awake. How could I have looked him in the face?

In Where I Lived, and What I Lived For Henry David Thoreau talks about how we should try to live a simple life and enjoy it. He says that we need to wake up and start living. We can choose what we do and what we try. We should get as much as we can out of life and live to the fullest without worries.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately .. and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear... I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. 

Thoreau went to the woods and lived. He understood how precious life is. We should all try to do what makes us happy. Living is all about how you are unique and you can pave your own trail and do what you want. It makes your life better when you are a happy person and are willing to accept what happens, be positive, and keep going.

Interview of Megan

Megan and her Youth Group Adventures

“I really like going [to youth group] because I can feel God’s presence there and I enjoy praying and worshipping God.”

Megan is a 14 year old student at Buffalo Community Middle School. She belongs to a youth group called Imitators of Christ.

“My favorite part of the day is when I go to youth group on Wednesdays.” Megan said.

She enjoys seeing her friends and talking to them there but what she likes most about the experience is worshiping.

“I like when we get to worship ,”Megan describes,” and they turn off the lights and they start playing music super loud so you can sing as loud as you want and you can dance around and be crazy because everyone else is doing it too. It’s like a really intense experience with God. “

Megan says that worship really makes her happy. She describes to me how she feels during worship.

“I feel really calm and like really happy, “ She told me,” and I feel like it’s not a big deal if things are going wrong anymore because I know God is there to help me. “

Megan also likes to play around and have fun with her friends at youth group. She tells me about one of her most embarrassing moments.

“Once upon a time I needed to go pee very bad,” Megan says,”So I ran to the house super fast and I knocked on the door to the bathroom. And I thought that Danyon was in there. I had known Danyon since I was a very small child so I yelled at Danyon that I was going to pee on his leg, among other things. And then the door opens and someone walks out. It is not Danyon. It is this boy that I have never in my entire life seen before. And also, I happened to find him somewhat attractive. I quickly ran into the bathroom and shut him out. After the deed was done I was talking to my cousin June. June found him massively attractive as well. That is the story of how June began to hate me at youth group. “

Youth group is a place Megan feels like she can be herself and have fun. It is a calming experience that she really enjoys.

The Stranger Alternate Ending

The presiding judge had already started pronouncing a rigmarole to the effect that "in the name of the French people" I was to be decapitated in some public place.

The announcement in The Stranger that Meursault is going to be sentenced to death is more anticlimactic than would be expected. The entire second part of this book is all leading up to the outcome of his trial. Yet the verdict is delivered in one single sentence. It contains very little emotion or reaction to the fact that Meursault is going to die.

If even one little sentence was different, the entire book could change. Meursault's life would be very, very different. What would happen if Meursault was proven not guilty?

                                                                             .   .   .  

The presiding judge had already started pronouncing a rigmarole to the effect that "in the name of the French people" I had been proven not guilty.  Before I could even react I was quickly ushered away to confirm my release. I could finally leave.

I left the courthouse. As I walked out into the cool night air, Marie dashed over to meet me. It felt good to hold her hand as I hadn't been close to her in so long. The silvery moonlight made her look as if she were glowing. She looked very pretty, and I told her so. We walked to the bus stop. I was going back home.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. I was completely free.

When I awoke the next morning I was surprised to see my own home instead of the dark cell that I remembered too well. Soft, golden sunlight lit up my room. It was a hopeful light. I walked out on to the balcony to watch the morning commuters hurry through the streets. I remembered again that I could have been dead. I pushed the thought out of my mind. I am still alive.

The sunrise was beautiful. The sky was bathed in oranges and pinks and reds, like a piece of art. It filled me with a new energy. The new day was like a new beginning. I realized how much I was missing life when I was in jail. I needed to be close to death to really appreciate how amazing it was to be alive.

I turned away from the sunset. There were so many things to do. It was time to start living.

http://thatintrovert.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-am-working-lady.html

(Nothing like a good cheesy ending, right?)

What is the Meaning of Life?

What is the meaning of life? It is an age old question. The answer has been sought for so many years yet we still don't really know the answer.

You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.

~Albert Camus

                                                              Live each day as though it 

                                                                         were a gift.

This is because there really is no solid answer to the question. The meaning of life is whatever you want it to be. Is it to reach your dreams? To make a difference? To try something new? Or just to be happy?

You must live your life to the fullest. You never know what is coming next. The meaning of life is to embrace what you have and accept whatever happens. Things can always get better. Have a positive attitude and know that life is what you make it. 

My Book Biography

I have always loved to read. It is a little escape from all the chaos that's going on in real life. Each of the books above helped me develop my own reading style.

"Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought."
~Arthur Helps

My favorite books are the ones that make you forget about everything else in the world. You get sucked in to a different place where everything is not what it seems. For a while, you don't have to deal with real life. All there is is adventure and mystery and excitement.

"Never read a book through merely because you have begun it."
~John Witherspoon

I will read any type of book but I like fantasies the best. The adventure and the excitement of these are what keep me reading. I try to read non-fiction or realistic fiction once in awhile but they just seem to drag for me. I try to give any book I read a chance. I keep telling myself: The good part is still coming! But sometimes that doesn't happen. It's boring all the way through. As much as I like to read, it gets annoying when I am reading something that I don't like. It becomes more of a task than a fun thing. That's when I know when I need to find a new book.

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”
~William Styron

When I am really into a book, it feels like I'm watching a movie in my head. It doesn't feel like a story anymore, it feels real. The best books always make me feel like I want to go and be part of that world. I love the kind of book thats so exciting that you have to cover up the next page so you don't read ahead. Your heart races and you get really anxious. You need to see what happens. It's a unique experience.

"Anyone who says they have only one life to live must have not know how to read a book."
~Unknown.

I think that the escape of reading is something that is very valuable.
So many books... So little time.

What is Truth?

Trying to understand the truth is like trying to keep a pool of water in your hands. You may find and hold some, but there are always important drops that slip from your grasp. The truth is ever-changing. You may think that you know what the truth is but you will always find new definitions, and new ways to see or explain the truth. The truth may change from person to person. This means that the definition of truth will also change.

"Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth."
~ Kahlil Gibran

The truth is everywhere at once. You may try all your life to discover the entire truth but this will never be achieved. Bits and pieces of the whole can be found, but the vastness of truth itself makes it impossible to capture. At any given moment, there are millions of things going on. The sun is rising. There is a bird tending to her nest. There are children playing in their yard. These things are all true. When you combine these truths  plus all the others, this will form the complete, whole truth.

"There is no truth. There is only perception."
~ Gustave Flaubert

If I mentioned the word 'truth' to 10 people I would probably get 10 different answers. Some would claim the truth was strictly factual while others might say that it is whatever you want it to be. One of the things that makes truth so difficult to grasp is that it is different to everyone. Much like snowflakes, no two people are exactly alike. I believe that your background influences what truth means to you. To me, truth is something real or something that you believe in. It is factual and can be explained. You should be able to show why you think something is true.

"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it"
~Andre Gide.

Just as truth is different to people of different backgrounds, truth could also be different to people of different intelligence. The truth to a three year old would likely be very simple. This is Mom. This is Dad. This is my toy. That is true to them. But, to a inventor who knows all kinds of things about the world, the truth might be very complex. If you know more, you need to fit more into your truth. The truth will become more and more layered and elaborate.

"Truth is beautiful, without a doubt; but so are lies."
 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

How can one simple word be so very complicated? Hold so much meaning and emotion? The truth is everywhere. It is changing and evolving even as we speak. Did you ever stop to think twice about this powerful thing? And yet the more you think about the truth, the more confused and wonderstruck you will become. The truth differs from person to person. What is truth to you?


Truth is after all a moving target
Hairs to split,
And pieces that don't fit
How can anybody be enlightened?
Truth is after all so poorly lit.
~Neil Peart, Turn the page
(Thank you, Ryan)