Lily uses repetition to get her point across. In paragraph two, Lily repeats the phrase ‘I know for a fact’ five times. This shows that she knows what she is talking about. She knows what teachers do behind the scenes and that is definitely not just to teach a class for a period or two each day. No, they also help their students in areas they are unsure of and they must also work overtime to prepare the materials for the next day.

Lily uses anecdotes in this letter. She talks about how all her teachers are willing to help her out and her close relationship with her teachers. The student-teacher relationships are so close that they can be called friends. Through her own personal stories, Lily was able to show the readers how important teachers are to their students.

In the last paragraph, Lily indirectly blames the officials who decide teachers’ wages. She doesn’t blame the teachers who aren’t teaching their classes and are on strike. She agrees with the teachers in that they should receive higher pay for what their hard work.

Overall, I think Lily’s letter to The Age is very persuasive and can sway readers into supports for teachers.

Mrs. Martha Canter

US Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington D.C. 20202

Dear Mrs. Martha Kanter,

Hello, my name is Matthew Campbell and I have a shared concern with a sample of the general public: in order to confront ongoing discrimination against minority and majority members, the Federal Government should radically amend former anti-discrimination policies, such as Affirmative Action. These changes will create a more colorblind society through the equitable distribution of resources and qualified teachers throughout U.S. public schools and create a greater and fairer chance for true equal opportunity for all.

Within the United States, a compilation of laws named Affirmative Action has begun to create some unforeseen issues among certain Americans. This law, enacted in 1965, had the original intent of giving a fair opportunity to African-Americans, and came into being as a result of the movement of Civil Rights activists, led by Martin Luther King Jr. However, the law now gives an advantage to certain individuals even when their qualifications prove that the position should not be given to them. As well, within academic institutions, namely universities, reverse discrimination has been discovered within the application process. For example, The Wall Street Journal reported in 2008 that after Proposition 209 (a law banning the state schools of California from taking race into account) was introduced, the White and Asian populations at all University of California colleges grew anywhere from 6% to 20%. This statistic illustrates the shortcomings of Affirmative Action: a form of discrimination against the “majority,” and therefore discrimination against potentially more qualified candidates.

In order to confront this issue, the Federal Government can and should collect a greater proportion of all educational tax revenue, increasing from the current ~6% up to 15% to 25% in order to reach a greater good for all people, not just minorities. This increased revenue should be spent on incentives that will encourage more qualified teachers to go to underserved areas of the country, such as “Spanish” Harlem, downtown Baltimore, etc. These incentives should amount to more than just bigger salaries; they should include healthcare benefits, tax cuts, etc. Once such a policy is enacted, the surplus of money should be directed towards creating equal schooling across the U.S., focusing greatly on the less privileged schooling systems.

Although this idea may get great opposition, the solution gets to the root of the issue and may, if given time, create discrimination-free institutions. Some have argued that should this be set forth, it would collapse on itself because the country’s best teachers will not voluntarily go to the most dangerous cities in the country. But, when supported by extra benefits and money it will be hard for even the most prestigious teachers to resist. Obviously, there will be other opposition arguments, but I believe that the benefits will greatly outweigh the problems.

Through following the above steps, the government will have potentially gotten that much closer to eradicating acceptance by demography, which is inherently discriminatory, and following better our true American ethos of advancement by merit.

Sincerely,

Matt Campbell

2190 Kampala Place

Dulles, VA 20189-2190

Yahsarah Hebyalifsarpri is 23 years old. She does not  believe in the concept of soulmates. She thinks that love at first sight does not happen. She believes that it is impossible to love someone unconditionally. It takes her a while to show enthusiasm, affection, kindness to someone she is dating. She has had a wide range of love experiences. She believes in love, but she knows it does not come easily. She speaks about “love at first sight” and “soulmates” in a scornfully derisive way.

Zandra Heldefmansan is 22 years old. She needs her space in a relationship. She things that in a relationship it is unhealthy to spend every night together. There are some things she really enjoys about being single. She often feels trapped and oppressed in relationships. She has had only one relationship. She still has a lot to learn, and a lot to try! She does not need to be in love, and sometimes she does not even want love. She says that having her own life is very important for her.

Wanda Wenslanoreasger is 30 years old. She has had at least two boyfriends. She has dated someone for over a year. Unfortunately she has had her heart broken. Also she has broken someone’s heart. It’s hard for her to imagine being with one person at time. She has loved, lost, and loved again. She has had a wide range of love experiences. It is hard for her to stay devoted for too long. All her relationships have been very similar.

Image via Wikipedia

With all those modern gadgets — cell phones, speed dials, e-mails, search engines, websites, Facebook, and similar stuffs, it’s impossible not to have a word from him. If a guy really wants to be with you or would want to talk to you (if only because he thinks his voice is glorious to you), he will find a way to connect : no alibis.

An alibi is worse than no alibi; it makes the fault worse than the alibi. Alibis are forms of deceit. Deception is deception in any language. There is no justification for it; it just does not happen. On the other hand an alibi could be a form of polite rejection or polite evasion. Either way it hurts, definitely not in the job description of true love. If you have lost him to someone else, remember that no man is stolen or allows himself to be stolen. Nagging him would only give him a chance to say NO louder—- to inflict the wound deeper. It’s like beating yourself, digging the hole deeper for your grave. It’s painful to be left licking his chops. Unfair.

Missing someone is a sign of a healthy relationship. If he likes or loves you enough he won’t forget how nice you are. Ever. He promised to call or come but didn’t, making you appear like a creep. All right, he did call but told you that he had an insanely busy day. That’s a load of crap. You should be after a guy who’s good as his word. To waste time with a guy who’s not serious is to waste time and feeling— feeling stupid. “There’s no cure for stupid.” Time enough to sniff the bad news: he’s just not interested. A guy who wants a woman to be part of his life will work for it.

While those omniscient books advice patience and understanding, this time it should not be the case. Listen to the knell of parting. Assume rejection no matter how much he is worth dying for. Being dumped or taken for granted is an insult. He makes you feel so unattractive and meaningless. Why should you feel needy and obsessed and allow yourself to be stepped on like a doormat?

Don’t allow the fall-off to rattle your world. Cut him off. Get on the saddle again. Don’t ever give him the chance to ever reject you again. You are simply fabulous in your own way. Out there is a guy who can’t wait to love you. Find him, keep moving. Look no farther than your own happiness. ###

Album Track from Seargant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

If I have to choose a favourite Beatle’s track it would have to be She’s Leaving Home from their masterpiece album. It’s a straightforward sad story song of a young runaway and the emotional distress faced by her parents when they discover she has left them, probably forever.

Lennon & McCartney genuinely collaborated on the song, with McCartney describing the girl leaving, while Lennon focussed on the echo-poem refrain of the parents, and especially the Mother, realizing what has happened.

There is no moralizing, and no recriminations, or explanation of just what has driven the girl to leave home.  We simply see her well-planned escape unfold. She gets up in the early hours of the morning, leaves her parents a note that she wishes had told them more than it did, and slips quietly out through the door, locking it again behind her.

Two days later, the girl’s meets a man in the ‘motor-trade’, a pre-arranged rendezvous. After that we know nothing of her fate. Whether this man is a lover or a man able to provide transport to another location is left ambiguous. Many have speculated on who was the inspiration for the girl, and her motor=trade friend, but the events are very generalized.

The song really excels in Lennon’s chorus track-lines as the Mother finds the note, and questions what she did wrong to make her daughter leave the family home. The parents spent much hard-earned money on their daughter and wonder why she hasn’t talked to them about why she was so unhappy. Their final whispered ‘bye-bye bye-bye’ hints that they may never see the girl again.

Unusually, the song has an orchestral score, with no input from Starr or Harrison and none of the Beatles playing any instruments, but it stands out as a work of absolute genius, the best of the best of all 20th century music.

Arthur Chappell

R.I.P.

Dear Mrs. Smithson,

I suspect that you have been waiting a long time for a letter from these parts. It saddens me deeply that you are to receive a letter like this as your very first. I write to you with a strong sense of anger, pain, and regret.

As you can tell by my formal greeting I am not your son Timothy Smithson, I am merely a trench buddy who has found myself entangled in the warmth and cheer that was given to us by your son.

                Like many of the other soldiers that shared the disgusting, rat filled, living graveyard we temporarily called home, Tim very quickly realized that this war was more then anything imaginable.

                I remember the first day when Timothy was assigned to be in the front. I watched curiously over the heaping piles of dead bodies, and sandbags in the opposite direction of No Mans Land. Although this position was very dangerous, I always found myself attracted to the arrival of newly assigned soldiers. The look in their eyes that beamed as bright as the suns rays, and then the instant change of fear, horror, and disgust as they approach the front line. Tim’s reaction was of no exception although he tried to hide it.

                Most of the men that were in the front line were Canadians. The only British soldiers were three in number including myself. At this time we were trying to stop the Germans from gaining access to the English Channel. If they had access to this channel there was no telling how much damage they could do. So it was our duty to make sure this didn’t happen. There was no intelligent planning put into how this matter was to be dealt with. British officials just ordered their allies to go Over-the-top into No Mans Land, without knowing what was on the other side. Often times the Canadians were the first to go because in the eyes of the British “they were only Canadians.” But Tim to me has been a great example of what exactly the Canadian soldiers were. And he has proven to many other British soldiers how strong, proud, and devoted the Canadian soldiers were, despite the way they were treated by the British heads.

                Everyday Tim would share with us about his goals that he wanted to accomplish while he was here. He had wished to become one of the bravest soldiers in the war. “Yes, an honor so great the Queen herself would present it to me,” he would say with a courteous bow, and a pleasant smile.  He often joked about the state of the trench making it easier for everyone around him to cope with their surrounding. He was the life of the not so live party, but there was also a very seriousness about him. 

Tim was very respectful of the dead that surrounded us. In fact he made it a duty that everyone who had died was given a moment of silence. He believed that every man out there died for one thing, whether he said it or not and it was honor.

                I still remember the dreaded day that poor Tim fought his last battle. The Officials had ordered all the men in the front line to advance into No Mans Land, but there had to be a certain number. They must have thought that it was a lucky number, or something of that sort. They sent one of the officials to take back four men out of all the men in the front. Those four would wait until the next advance to go Over-the-top. The official quickly chose the three British soldiers that were there, and then he pointed to Tim as the last of the four excused men.  

                Tim’s eyes widen as a sudden burst of relief swept over his small, but muscular body, but it was almost instantly followed with a straight stone cold look. It was the same look that swept over his face when he saw the heaping piles of the dead soldiers’ corps. Then Tim did the unthinkable. “I can’t Sir. I must go and advance into No Mans Land, excuse one of the other men in my place.” Those were his words. And I pulled him to the side and tried to convince him to stay, but he simply said, “If I stay I’ll die, if I go I die with honor.” Then he went with his troops and advanced.

                I stayed and wept bitterly. I knew that Tim had to do what his heart told him to do, but what about all the other soldiers that had no choice. Tim did it not for himself, but he did it for them.

                Tim did not return after the advance, actually only two men did, but died hours later from fatal injuries. I didn’t see the way he died, but was told by others that the Germans attacked with a weapon they called a machine gun. They said Timothy was only about two meters away from the enemies trench but was shot repeatedly and died shortly afterwards.

                I took the liberty of finding out his address and ways to contact you, with news of your son. Although it might be disturbing at first, I thought it was very necessary for Tim have you know all the wonderful things he has done during his short, but meaningful life.

                Although Tim didn’t get the glorious award presented to him by the Queen, He died with Honor, and I know that’s exactly what he would have wanted.

My deepest regrets to you and your family,   

Reginald Justice

All things considered, I think it went well. The conversation kept up for about an hour and a half, and she barely even asked me questions. She mostly just let me talk and, well, I have a lot to say about myself. It was easy; nowhere near as stressful as I expected. She probably would have made me stop talking earlier if she wasn’t impressed, so I feel pretty good about it.

And of course, she did not believe that I’m an introvert. It’s true. I’m an INFJ. I naturally prefer to be alone, but I am not shy or anti-social in the slightest. It’s complicated.

Anyway, for the sake of my sanity and anyone else worrying about interviews that can relate, these are the things I had wanted to mention that I forgot about:

1. Cretaphobia
2. In my freetime, I like to research things on the internet that have to do with colleges, novels, and psychology.
3. I work with the three-year-olds at church for two hours every week. Have since seventh grade. I am occasionally left in charge. Go me.
4. I don’t care what people think about me.
5. The Golden Rule is nonsense in my life. Can’t believe I left that one out! That’s important!
6. I think fedoras are really cool.

Surprisingly, that’s it. I made an entire list of things to talk about, and that’s all that I didn’t cover. Now of course I didn’t go in there and spout off everything I had prepared, but I was able to find an answer to every question and I only got tongue-tied once. If anything, I said too much, but I think that’s a good thing in an interview. They get to know you better that way.

Apparently the number of applicants is growing this year. Of course. I’m not surprised at all, but it is nerve-wracking. Wish me luck, friends and random strangers. The day I get that letter from Hogwarts will either be the best or the worst day of my life. Probably the best; I tend to be optimistic regardless of my situation. I just want to know.

Now it’s snowing. In November. In MEMPHIS. Snow doesn’t exist until January, stupid. Let’s just pretend this is for me; I can relax, de-stress, and eat cookies while happiness silently covers the ground. Life is wonderful, isn’t it?

Dear Caroline,

The trip from our village in Ireland to Chicago was long and rough, but worth it as I found that Chicago is filled with experiences that you will never know until you have seen and felt them for yourself. The contrast of village life to the big city is too great to describe in words. There are many tall buildings, with peculiar air shafts right down their center, built for people to live in called tenements. They house many people and come with an indoor toilet and running water. There are some tenements, even whole neighborhoods that house ethnic groups that discriminate others groups from living with them. Aside from that, some tenements that are usually overcrowded and require residence to share space and toilets become more affordable.

There are also these people who help you get jobs when times are tough and even give contracts to residence of their ward and do many other favors for you. All they ask in return is for you to vote in their favor. With the money you earn from the jobs they make available you could shop downtown in department stores, like Marchiel Fields, Sears, and Robuck. The stores have unbelievable prices compared to local liquor stores, because the abundance of goods stocked there they can cut their prices down.

I used to work in a factory where the amount of income I made depended on the amount of products I completed, called piecework. I got little pay and the hours went with no end, from 6am in the morning, to usually 7 or 8 at night fall, working in dark and damp rooms with temperatures rising to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. But, now I work with Carnegie Steel doing work that requires me to complete one portion of the labor divided into separate tasks, called division of labor. I am paid by the hour with wages less than I earned in my first job, but the working conditions are an improvement.

Lately there have been strikes and riots all over the town, after some factory employers cut the wages of their employees. I’ve heard that workers have joined labor unions like the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor (AFL), and the Wobblies, to stand up against unfair treatment from their employers. Recent strikes have caused a lot of destruction more than improvement. One recent strike that happened at Carnegie Steel, started from a wage cut called by Henrey Frick, Andrew Carnegie’s partner at my company. Many died when Frick called in a private police force to stop the rioting, which caused an uproar that almost got Frick assassinated. I for one would not want to support either side because of the violence and destruction they cause, so I do my work in silence.

Aside from the many occurrences that have made me doubt my stay here, I have come to enjoy life in the many amusements of city life. There are parks and ponds where we can take leisure walks around, and the city ball park where we can watch baseball games in the big stadium. But, my wish is for us to go the city theater to watch a play together, when you have made up your mind weather to stay or come live with me in the city.

                        Sincerely, William Storm

Lincoln wrote the letter to Major General George B McClellan on October 29, 1862 requested the report. Hand-written letter on paper with the word presidential Executive Mansion at the top confirms that Lincoln was satisfied with the movement of troops on the Potomac McClellan when they began crossing the Potomac River toward Loundoun County, Virginia.

The letter ended with the statement, “If you have reached the opposite bank, I let you know soon. Then, what do you know about the enemy?” A letter was signed by Lincoln.

The letter is the last correspondence between Lincoln and McClellan before Lincoln fired generals because they are less aggressive pursuit of the confederate leadership of General Robert E Lee since the War of Antietam, a month earlier.

McClellan’s dismissal on 5 November 1862 is the first step towards the appointment of Ulysses S Grant as commander of the war that followed the U.S. end the civil war and giving victory to the North in 1865.