English 4 Lesson 150

To what extent was I pulled into each movie as a participant rather than as an observer?

 This week I watched two movies. They are: “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “In the Heat of the Night”. The first movie was released in 1962 and the second one in 1967. They created these movies in the 60s, which was an era of many things, such as the Civil Rights Era. The first movie I will discuss is “To Kill a Mockingbird”. This movie takes place in the 20s or 30s. The place is in Maycomb, Alabama. The movie is about a man named Atticus, who is a lawyer and has 2 children. Jem and Scout. Jem is a boy and Scout is a girl. One day, they meet a boy next door named Dill. He is a boy who visits his aunt during the summer.

They talk about a rumor. It is a guy named Arthur “Boo” Radley. The adults say he is insane, and the adults don’t want the children near him. However, the children do not listen, and they try to get a close look at what he looks like. This is because they don’t know what he looks like, and he never leaves his house. During that time, he leaves out gifts for Jem and Scout in a tree. While that is happening, Atticus has to do a task for Judge Taylor. He is defending a black man, Thomas Robinson, who was accused of raping a young woman named Mayella Ewell. The next day, the kids go to the courthouse to spy on Atticus, and they see a black man. They have many questions, but Atticus won’t tell the children, so they go back home.

When the school year came, Dill had to leave. School was very stressful, especially for Scout. The reason is that the children are mocking the family. This has to do with the fact that Atticus is defending Robinson, and they don’t like that. Adults don’t like this either. One guy, named Bob Ewell, called him bad names because of it. Scout tries to fight them, but Atticus does not want her to. Atticus had to defend Robinson at night, because the white people wanted to kill him. The children snuck out of the house to stop the crowd. Then they went home. The next day was the major trial and many people were going to be there. The children may not have watched, but they went anyway. They went to the top room of the courtroom, because that was where the blacks could sit. The whites sat at the bottom of the courtroom.

Mayella was telling her story of what happened, but Atticus asked her a few other questions. He was suspicious because he knew she was lying. Finally, they ask Robinson to tell them what happened. It turned out that Mayella had lied and Robinson was telling the truth. Mayella was trying to seduce him and trying to do bad things with him. He did not want to do anything with her. She was acting like he had done something bad to her. When Bob arrived home, he found Robinson in his home. That is Robinson’s story. Even when Robinson told the truth, some jury members believed Mayella and some believed Robinson. He was arrested.

After the court session ended, the children went home. As they got home, they received news that Robinson was dead. He died because he tried to escape prison, but failed. Atticus had to tell Robinson’s family, especially his wife, Helen, this news. It devastated them. Bob goes to the Robinson house and spits on Atticus’s face. He vowed revenge. One day, a Halloween Pageant was happening at the children’s school. Jem and Scout went there, and after they left, they were followed. They tried to get home as soon as possible, but Jem was attacked. He was injured, but not dead. Scout was scared that she would get hurt, but someone saved them.

A guy carries Jem back to Atticus’s house. Scout follows along. She runs in, and she is scared of what is happening. Most of all, she was worried about Jem. He is alright, but in a coma. His arm was also broken. The police came by and said Bob Ewell was dead. It turns out Bob was trying to harm the kids. Someone reveals their face and it is Boo. He saved the children and killed Bob. He is respected and is not considered insane anymore. The Scout walks him back to his house, and that is the end of this movie.

The second movie I will discuss is “In the Heat of the Night”. This movie takes place in the 60s. It is about a black guy, Virgil Tibbs, who is a Homicide Investigator. He was almost mistakenly arrested by Sam Wood, an officer, due to the fact that he was black and thought he was a murderer. This is because a murder happened. A guy named Philip Colbert moved to Sparta, Mississippi. He built a factory there and earned a lot of money. However, he was murdered by someone. When the police in Sparta are interrogating Virgil, they find out he is a Homicide Investigator from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is an expert on homicides, and he was visiting his mother in Sparta.

The police called the Pennsylvania police and gave Virgil a task. He is to help the Sparta police solve a homicide. He does not want to due to the fact that he is in the south, where people hate blacks. He tries to agree with this anyway. Gillespie, another officer, helps Virgil out. Virgil examines the body and finds out it had been dead for a few hours and the killer was right-handed. The killer might have moved the body after Mr. Colbert died.

The next morning, the police hunted down a guy named Harvey Oberst. The police think he’s the killer. However, this is false. The reason is that Harvey is left-handed, not right-handed. Virgil tries to remind the other officers of this, but they put him in a cell. Virgil talks to Harvey and tells him that he’s on his side. Harvey admits that he saw Mr. Colbert, but did not kill him. He instead stole his wallet.

Gillespie releases Virgil from the cell. Virgil does not want to solve the homicide due to the treatment in Sparta. He waits for a train to take him home. Mr. Colbert comes in and tells the men to let Virgil solve this homicide or else she will shut down her own husband’s factory. Gillespie goes to the train station and gets Virgil to stay until they solve the homicide. Virgil agrees to stay. They tried to find their next suspect, and his name was Endicott. He owns a plantation and many blacks work there. Virgil asks Endicott if Mr. Colbert was here on the day he was murdered. Endicott slapped him in the face and Virgil slapped him back. Gillespie suggests that Virgil and him should leave. So they did.

Later, Virgil is being chased by someone. A car kept hitting him and he tried to drive away from the car. It keeps following him. Virgil stopped somewhere, hoping that he would lose them. However, that did not work and they found him. These guys were Endicott’s friends and they were going to hurt Virgil. Luckily, Gillespie arrives on time and saves Virgil. He suggests that Virgil should leave Sparta. He does not want to and he wants to solve this case.

On that same night, he asks Wood to show him the route he took that night. That night, Mr. Colbert was murdered. So he did. Wood took Virgil to a restaurant he stopped at. Then Gillespie arrives and there is a big argument going on. It had to do with the fact that Gillespie wanted Virgil to leave so that he wouldn’t get hurt. Virgil doesn’t leave. He continued to see what route Wood took last night. After they left the restaurant, Wood talked on his radio. He drives along the road. He was supposed to keep straight, but changed his route. The reason is because every night he sees a young woman who is pretty at night and he sees her each night.

The next day, Wood was arrested. Virgil is trying to tell Gillespie that Wood did not kill Mr. Colbert. He does not believe in Virgil. A few minutes later, two people arrive at the station. A young woman named Delores and her brother Purdy. According to Purdy, he says that Delores got pregnant by a man. His name is Wood. When Virgil comes in, Purdy seems uncomfortable. The reason is obvious. There was a black man in the room, who was Virgil. Purdy told Virgil to leave, but Gillespie said no.

Delores talks about the night she had with Wood. At night, Purdy picks up Virgil. It was because Delores was getting an abortion. He drops him off at that place. Virgil waits for Delores to enter, but as soon as she sees Virgil, she runs away. However, Virgil caught her and then her boyfriend, Ralph, pointed his gun at Virgil to release her. When this happens, two cars approach. The same car Virgil was being chased by the other day and some of Purdy’s buddies.

Virgil told Purdy to look at Delores’ purse. He does so and finds a lot of cash in there. Ralph shoots Purdy and Delores is scared. Gillespie arrives just in time to arrest Ralph. He admitted that he had murdered Mr. Colbert. He was going to work at Mr. Colbert’s new factory, but he attacked him. Mr. Colbert had died. Ralph wanted to rob him, not kill him. Ralph is behind bars. Virgil goes to the train station and says goodbye to Gillespie. That is the end of this movie.

To what extent was I pulled into each movie as a participant rather than as an observer? Well, in the first movie, I was pulled in as a participant in the court scene, but for most of the movie I was an observer. Then in the second movie, I was pulled in a little when there was an examination of the dead body and how smart Virgil was at examining the body. I was also pulled in when they interrogated different people, especially towards the end of the movie. It was regarded as a detective movie. I was also an observer for some parts of the movie too. Therefore, I was pulled into each movie as a participant rather than as an observer in both movies. However, the second movie pulled me in more than the first one.

This was my essay for English 4 Lesson 150 I hope you enjoyed it.

American History Lesson 145

What would you miss the most if you had to go back to 1955, as in Back to the Future (1985)? What would you miss the least?

Today I live in the year 2021. Things have changed a lot throughout the centuries. In particular, the history of our world. If I had to go back to the year 1955, what would I miss the most and least? I would mostly miss my family and technology. The reason I would miss my family is that I could not see my parents, siblings, and more. I would only see my grandparents as teenagers or young adults. The reason I would miss technology is that I could not use the electronics that we have today. Such as computers, phones, tablets, or video games. The internet was created for the public in the 90s. I also could not watch YouTube, my favorite TV shows, movies, etc.

What would I miss the least? Music and books. I would not mind reading books in the mid-50’s or listening to music in the 50s too. However, I would still miss the music I usually listen to, such as Pop, Rap, and Hip Hop. I still miss the books I like to read. I could not read my favorite fantasy books. The last thing I would miss the least is Covid-19. In fact, I would not miss it at all, nor will I regret it. I don’t like the fact that people have to wear masks everywhere. No one in the 50s wore masks. How come we have to wear masks in 2020 and 2021? It is unhealthy, inhumane and disgusting. I wish people would stop wearing masks because it is not normal. Hopefully, everyone will become normal again. This is my opinion and I have stated it. I will not change it. These are all the things I would miss the most and least if I had to travel back to the year 1955.

This was my essay for American History Lesson 145 I hope you enjoyed it.

English 4 Lesson 145

Compare and contrast the attitude of each movie regarding guns.

I watched two Western movies this week. They are “High Noon” and “Shane.” The first movie was released in 1952 and the second one in 1953. The first movie I will discuss is “High Noon.” This movie is about a man named Will Kane who gets married to Amy. She is a Quaker. As soon as they got married, Kane hears the news about a gang of four people heading to town. They are going to fight him on the noon train. Everyone keeps persuading the newlywed couple to leave town. Kane is stubborn and does not listen. He won’t even listen to his own wife, who leaves him and goes to the train station to wait for the noon train. He has a fight with the new sheriff, Harvey Pell, and he quits his job as a sheriff. His wife, Helen Ramirez, kicked him out. Kane was trying to get some people from the Ramirez saloon to fight with him. Most of them didn’t want to help him because they favored one of the gang members. The gang members’ names are: Frank Miller, Ben Miller, Jack Colby, and Jim Pierce. They prefer the Miller brothers. Kane tried his next approach, and he went to the church to recruit some men. Yet, some of them are too young, old, drunk and impaired.

 While this event is happening, Amy goes to see Mrs. Ramirez. She had dated one of the Miller brothers, Kane, and Harvey. She told Amy that she should stay here and not leave her husband. Mrs. Ramirez is leaving because she hates this town. Amy also tells the reason she is a Quaker. This is because her brother died to a gun. Then, Kane goes to the Stables and Harvey follows him there. They have a conversation, but then they fight with each other. They beat each other and Kane won. Then, he throws water on Harvey, and he moves a little. He leaves the stables and goes to his office. If he died in a gunfight, he would write a will. When it is noon, Mrs. Ramirez and Amy go to the train station. While that is happening, Kane goes face to face with the gang. Then, he shot one guy, and then Amy gets worried and jumps off the train to find her husband. She found a person had fallen. She hears more gun shots, and another guy is down. Kane is still living. The two guys in the gang try to shoot Kane, but then Amy grabs the gun and shoots one guy. The last guy in the gang finds Kane’s wife and grabs her. He holds her hostage. When Kane came out of hiding, Amy scratched his face and threw her on the ground. Then, Kane shoots him. The guys are dead. Kane and Amy hug each other. Everyone in town came out and saw the guys dead. Kane throws his star on the ground and leaves with Amy and retires. That is the end of this movie.

The second movie I will discuss is “Shane.” This movie is about a man named Shane who goes to a homestead. He was a gunslinger and a drifter, who met a family who lived on the homestead. Shane meets Joe Starrett, Marina Starrett, and Joey Starrett. There is fighting going on between owners of their own homestead. A man named Rufus Riker tried to drive them out of their home and Shane intervened. He tells them to leave. Shane and Joe work together in their homestead. The next morning, Shane goes to a store. He is buying clothes and a soda pop for Joey. The guys make fun of him and taunt him. Shane tried to not fight them, so he left. When the Starrett family and other homesteaders went to the store, Shane had a huge fight. He beat up the people who messed around with him yesterday. Joe helped him because they almost defeated Shane in the battle. After the fight, Joey had seen Shane as a great man. Marian is not sure about Shane, but she tries to trust him. Joey wanted Shane to teach him how to shoot and his mother caught Shane. No one was in trouble, but Marian did not want Joey to learn to shoot because it is dangerous. One day, a man named Torrey, who is a friend of Starrett’s, goes to the store. He gets shot by a cowboy named Wilson. Every nearby homesteader learns of his death and most of them consider leaving, fearing they will be next on the kill list. They gave Torrey a proper funeral. Then, Rikers men show up at Starrett’s homestead. They want to make a deal with Joe, but he doesn’t want a deal with Riker, so he leaves. There is a problem.

 The Rikers are trying to plan Joe’s death. Joe also plans to kill Riker, but his wife tells him not to. Shane tells Joe not to go. Shane wants to kill Riker and doesn’t want Joe to. They get into a fight and beat each other up. Marian and Joey watch as they fight. Shane hit Joe on the head with the side of his gun. Marian and Joey were panicking.  Luckily, Joe was unconscious and Shane left to go deal with Riker, while Marian and Joey healed Joe up. When Shane leaves, Joey follows and so does his dog. They go all the way to the store. Shane kills Riker, Wilson, and Rikers’ brother, and with the help of Joey, saves Shane’s life. Shane is alive and says goodbye to Joey. He does not want Shane to leave, but he must go. So, he leaves and rides off. That is the end of this movie.

Both movies are Wild West movies that portray guns as a tool to settle things. However, in “Shane”, it shows that guns are dangerous and should not be used. In “High Noon”, it is the complete opposite. Guns are dangerous, but sometimes they need to be used to settle some disputes among people. This is my compare and contrast of both movies.

This was my essay for English 4 Lesson 145 I hope you enjoyed it.

English 4 Lesson 140

Is it easier for skilled authors to manipulate movie viewers or book readers? Why or why not?

Books and movies have been a part of our lives for a long time. For many centuries, we have read books and a century ago, movies were invented. Both books and movies can manipulate movie viewers and book readers. Which is easier? Movies are easier to manipulate for movie viewers than for book readers.

If I were to read a book, it would take me a few days or a week, depending on the pages. I would read the book for an hour and then put it down. There are many distractions in books. If I read a book, I would need concentration because I get distracted easily. Another reason is the mind. People can read books, but after a while, they stop reading. This is because they are tired of looking at the words in the book. Books are much slower than movies. I can use my imagination to think about what the characters are like, the scenery, and their personalities.

If I were to watch a movie, it may take a few hours to finish. Since movies are being produced and shown in trailers, it can persuade a person to watch the movie. I don’t have to read the movie unless it is a silent film or if I’m reading a summary about it. The books do not have trailers. Some books might have details in the back on what they are about, and some may not. Movies are also based off of books from skilled authors.

When I watch a movie, I never stop watching it, and I’m pulled into the movie. There are a few distractions in movies. Bathroom breaks and snacks. Since I watch movies at home, I would get up and go to the bathroom when I need to. I would also get snacks when I need something to munch on during the movie. I don’t need my imagination because the movies are being shown to my face. Likewise, I can listen to and see movies. In books, I can see the words. Sound does not come out of books unless it is a book for babies. This is my reason. I think it’s easier for skilled authors to manipulate movie viewers than book readers.

This was my essay for English 4 Lesson 140 I hope you enjoyed it.

English 4 Lesson 135

Do you see any characteristic features of Stewart and Wayne in these films that rocketed them to permanent stardom? If not, why did this happen?

James “Jimmy” Stewart, and John Wayne were popular actors in the 20th century. Stewart starred in the movie, “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”, and Wayne starred in the movie, “Stagecoach”. Both movies were released in 1939.

The first movie I mentioned is called “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”. It’s about a man named Jefferson Smith, who is played by Stewart, who becomes a US Senator. Hubert Hopper, the Governor, represented him. The reason for this is that his children recommended him. Other people tried to get someone else elected as a senator, but Mr. Smith got the spot. He is new to the lifestyle of politics and tries his best to fit in. However, many other senators mock him and this makes him angry. They mocked him and criticized him in the newspapers. He is attempting to draft a new bill that will allow poor children to learn about nature while also learning about their country.

 Clarissa Saunders, a secretary, helps him out. Senator Paine, a friend of his father’s, was supposed to help him, but the senator betrayed Smith. Another corrupt figure is Jim Taylor. He is a horrible boss who collaborates with Senator Paine. Taylor had actually convinced Paine to betray Smith. When Smith finds out that Paine betrayed him in the office, he runs away. Saunders finds him and tells him he should launch a filibuster. This was the only way to get the President of the Senate and the people to believe him. The senators don’t believe Smith, because they believe in Taylor.

 A group of children, the Boy Rangers, tried to defend Smith, but Taylor’s men kept trying to prevent that from happening. After over 24 hours of talking in the filibuster, Smith passed out. He is not dead, but he is exhausted. Paine tells the entire office that Smith was right, and Taylor is the bad guy here. When the truth was revealed, the Boy Rangers were overjoyed. Saunders was also happy, too. This is the end of “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”.

 The second movie I mentioned is called “Stagecoach”. It is a Western film, and it is the wild west. It’s about a man named Ringo Kid, who was played by John Wayne. He boards a stagecoach filled with various people. The characters in the stagecoach are: Dallas, a woman, Lucy, a pregnant woman, Doc Boone, a doctor, Samuel Peacock, a salesperson, Hatfield, a man who protected Mrs. Mallory, Buck, the stagecoach driver, and Marshall Curley, a shotgun guard. They had come from Tonto, which is in Arizona territory, and were on their way to Lordsburg, which is in New Mexico territory. Ringo is actually a fugitive. He broke out of prison because he wanted to get his revenge on someone who had killed his father and his brother. Ringo is also headed for Lordsburg, too. When they picked him up at Dry Fork, they continued down the road.

In the stagecoach, the men talk about a man named Geronimo, who was a famous Native American. Geronimo and his Apache tribe were at odds with one another. Everyone on the stagecoach stopped for lunch so that they could take a break. They then continued along the road after lunch until they arrived at the Apache Wells. When they arrived, Lucy heard the news that her husband had died in the Apache war. She faints and then she goes into labor. She came on the stagecoach because she wanted to see her husband, but she couldn’t because he was no longer alive. Doc and Dallas help to deliver the baby, and it’s a girl. Ringo approaches Dallas outside on the same night and asks her to marry him. He also wants her to live on his ranch in Mexico. She is not sure about it because they have only met recently, and he does not know her very well.

 The next morning, they left Apache Wells, because they saw a fire, which meant the Apaches were nearby. They left and headed for the ferry. When they couldn’t find the ferry, they assumed it had been destroyed by the Apaches. So, the men wrapped logs around the stagecoach so it could float above the river. After that, they remove the logs and travel through the desert. Something bad happened. The Apaches had attacked a couple of people on the stagecoach, and chased them away. Finally, the US Cavalry arrives and chases the Apaches away.

Later, they arrive at Lordsburg. The people in that town recognized Ringo, and reported him to a man named Luke Plummer, who was the guy who had killed Ringo’s father and brother. He wanted to kill Ringo. The people who were injured were getting healed up at the hospital and Lucy went to heal up. Ringo is now recognized and is going to be arrested. Before the fight, Ringo follows Dallas, and she doesn’t like him to follow her. Then Ringo leaves and finds Luke. Ringo won the fight, and Luke died. The doctor and driver tell Ringo to go on the stagecoach. They suggested Dallas should keep him company while he went to jail. Instead of going to jail, he fled with Dallas. They are going to get married and she’s going to live on his ranch. This is the end of “Stagecoach”.

Do you see any characteristic features of Stewart and Wayne in these films that rocketed them to permanent stardom? I saw some features of both actors. Stewart has starred in many movies, such as “It’s a wonderful life”, “Speed”, and more. When he was acting, he was a kind, shy, charming, and naïve young man in the movie. I think that’s the reason this film got Stewart to permanent stardom. Wayne has starred in many Western movies such as “The Three Musketeers”, “Tall in the Saddle”, and more. When he was acting, he was calm, brave, tall, and heroic young man in the movie. I think that’s the reason this film got Wayne to permanent stardom. These actors have remained popular due to their characteristic features in their films.

This was my essay for English 4 Lesson 135 I hope you enjoyed it.

English 4 Lesson 130

Would you rather watch a movie alone in a theater or online if they cost the same? Why?

If I had to choose between watching movies in a theater and watching them online, even if the prices were the same, I would go with the online movies. There are three reasons I would choose to watch movies online. The first reason is privacy. I can enjoy my movies without people making noise without any disturbance. I can also wear whatever I want to wear without being criticized.

The second reason is cost. Food and gas can cost a lot of money. If I were to buy food, I would spend money. The same goes for gas. I would have spent more money than I would have if I had bought tickets or watched a movie online. If I were to go on my bike, then I wouldn’t have to worry about gas costs. If I go on a bus, Uber, Lyft or a taxi, I pay to get to the theater and back.

The third reason is that I have complete control of my home. I could pause the movie whenever I could. I can eat anything I want, whether it comes from the movie theater. This is because, in a movie theater, I would have to buy their drinks and snacks. A special technique for sneaking food into the theater is to hide the food in your purse, pocket, or jacket.

 
I have never been to a theater alone. Likewise, I have only gone with family and friends. The movie theater provides 2D and 3D movies, but I can still watch 2D and 3D movies in my home if I want to. I remember when I was young, I would always go to the theaters to watch the latest movies that were out, and I had a fun experience doing that. However, I also had fun watching movies online in my house.

In my generation, people use apps such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Apple TV, Peacock TV, and more. Some people watch movies on YouTube, or they get DVDs. I might not have a movie theater experience in my home, but I still receive many benefits rather than at the theater. Based on the reasons I gave; this is the reason I would rather watch online movies instead of watching movies in a theater.

This was my essay for English 4 Lesson 130 I hope you enjoyed it.

English 4 Lesson 125

Why was this movie the first blockbuster?

This week, I watched a movie called “The Birth of a Nation”. The movie came out in 1915. It was a silent film that took place around the time the Civil War erupted and in the Reconstruction era. The Stoneman’s and the Cameron’s are the two families. The Cameron’s lived in the South and the Stoneman’s lived in the North. Phil Stoneman is in love with Margaret Cameron, and Ben Cameron is in love with Elsie Stoneman. Phil and his other brother visited Cameron’s in South Carolina. He meets Margaret, and the family has a friendly visit. Many months after the visit, the South seceded from the United States and became the Confederacy. The North and the South go to war, and the Stoneman and Cameron brothers enlist in the war. The Stoneman brothers joined the Union army, while the Cameron brothers joined the Confederacy’s army.

One Stoneman brother and two Cameron brothers died in the war. This was devastating news for both families. They also thought that Ben had died, but he ended up at the Union hospital. When Ben’s mother found out, she traveled to the hospital in Washington. Elsie worked as a nurse at the same hospital and found Ben. They talked until his mother arrived. As soon as they reunited, a general comes in to say that Ben will be hanged for joining the Confederacy. His mother gets worried, and Elsie takes her to see President Lincoln to convince him that Ben should live. After a while, he could live. The war finally ended, and the North won. The Reconstruction era had started under Lincoln, and the South was being watched by the North. A few days after the war ended, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln. Elsie’s father was informed of the situation.

The Stoneman family headed down to South Carolina and the two couples spent some time together. Elsie’s father takes Silas Lynch, a black man, down there, and he becomes the lieutenant governor of South Carolina. Black people outnumber white people in the voting booth. Ben did not like what the Blacks were doing, so he came up with a plan. He created the Ku Klux Klan, or KKK. The KKK is actually a real clan, and they do not only hate blacks, but other human races/religions too. While the blacks were ruling the Supreme Court in South Carolina, Ben scared many blacks as his clan progressed. Lynch finds out about this, so he goes to talk to Elsie’s father about this, and the news shocks him. Elsie is also informed of the news, and she is very upset. She broke off their engagement because of it.

One day, Flora, Margaret’s younger sister, went off to get some water from the spring for the family. A black man, Gus, a renegade, followed her. He talks to her, and he wants to be married to her. So, Flora runs away to a cliff. Gus finds her and if he did not back away, she would jump. He didn’t listen, and she jumped. She injured herself really badly. Luckily, Ben had found her before she died. He discovered Gus was spying on him and wanted to marry her. Ben brings her home, and the family grieves over her death. He gets his revenge by finding Gus and trying to kidnap him. Gus was imprisoned in the woods and put on trial by the KKK. He is found guilty and they kill him. Ben and the others drove him to Lynch’s house. When Lynch walks out, he is surprised by what he finds. He gathers his army and attempts to defeat the Whites.

The blacks became a large army, and they spied on the whites. One black man finds a KKK robe in Cameron’s home, so they raid the place and take Ben’s father hostage. The two slaves that lived in the home ran to where their father was, in a wagon. The two distracted the guards and then beat them up. Phil killed one, and the entire Cameron family, including Phil and the slaves, fled the town. The black soldiers were looking for them, while Elsie was looking for Lynch. She does not know that he is a traitor. When she finds him, she tries to talk to him, but he proposes to her. The reason is because it was legal for a black man to marry a white woman or a white man to marry a black woman. Elsie does not like Lynch and tries to leave, but she is trapped. She fell unconscious several times while trying to leave. Her father comes to see Lynch and hears that he will marry a white girl, but the girl is actually Elsie. He objected to Lynch’s actions and demanded that she be released, but he refused.

Meanwhile, the Cameron’s in the wagon were escaping when their wagon broke. They went to a cabin and stayed there for some time. Ben gets his KKK army together, and they rescue Elsie from Lynch. Then he goes to the cabin and rescues his own family. Then the KKK stops the blacks, and they are defeated. They were still citizens, but they could not handle any guns. Elsie forgives Ben, and they get married. Phil and Margaret were married, too. This is the end of the movie.

What is a blockbuster movie? It’s a movie that is very successful and receives lots of attention from the public. Why was this movie the first blockbuster? I have a few reasons. The first reason is the history throughout the movie. Since the movie was three hours long, it included the Civil War and the Reconstruction era. This movie was almost half a century old when it came out. Many people have paid attention to the history in the movie. The second reason is the production cost. The movie made ten million dollars. If you were to multiply it by twenty-five, you would get a higher result. This movie made a ton of money. The third reason is the popularity of movies. During the 1910s and 1920s, watching movies became a popular pastime. These are the three reasons I think this movie was the first blockbuster.

This was my essay for English 4 Lesson 125 I hope you enjoyed it.

English 4 Lesson 120

Is this novel a defense of liberty?

I finished reading “Philip Dru: Administrator.” It was a very interesting book, and it might have paved the way to the future we might live in today. The book started with a young man who became a military strategist and then an administrator who changed everything in America. He even ruled Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines. Toward the end, while fixing the country at his leisure, he vanishes and flees with Gloria. According to the book, we won’t see them again, and the country remains under Dru’s laws.

Is this novel a defense of liberty? I would say that this novel is not a defense of liberty. The meaning of liberty: the quality or state of being free. In short, it means freedom. Since Dru was acting as a dictator rather than as an administrator, he did not allow anyone to have different opinions about him. For example, if someone dislikes Dru, that person is executed. This is not freedom; this is a corrupt dictator’s move. In the United States, they gave us the liberty and freedom to vote who should be the president of our country without getting executed. This is proof that the book was not a defense of liberty. Only liberty protects Dru and not the citizens of the United States of America. Edward Mandell House wrote this book not in defense of liberty, but in defense of a dictatorship.

This was my essay for English 4 Lesson 120 I hope you enjoyed it.

English 4 Lesson 115

Would I have voted for the income tax amendment in 1912, based on the arguments in this book?

This week, I started reading “Philip Dru: Administrator”, by Edward Mandell House. It’s about a man named Philip Dru who was a military strategist. He had lectured a young woman, Gloria, for years about Darwinism and social arguments. He was going to reform America and make it different. This means he will attempt to get rid of the central government and businesses in the United States. This happened because of a recording of Senator Selwyn that got leaked to the public and made people mad. It turned into a Civil War. Dru is destroying the United States of America. He took away a lot of laws and created new ones. He views himself as an administrator. However, many people view him as a dictator rather than an administrator. This is because of the actions he had taken to destroy America.

Would have I voted for the income tax amendment in 1912, based on the arguments in this book? I would not vote for the income tax amendment. The income tax amendment was the 16th Amendment. The reason is because Woodrow Wilson made this amendment, and he is a Progressive. The Progressive movement was a group of people who wanted to reform the government and much more. It was not a good purpose for our country. This idea reminds me of communism, and the Progressives are communists. Woodrow Wilson actually knew Edward Mandell House in his time. They are very close to each other as friends, and House had remained hidden most of the time. House was using tax revenue to control the people because this book promotes the idea of Progressivism. It does not matter how the book tries to make me vote for the amendment. I would say no, even if I was in the year 1912.

This was my essay for English 4 Lesson 115 I hope you enjoyed it.

English 4 Lesson 110

Which of the three authors would you prefer to read on your own time? Why?

This week, I read stories from three authors. They are: O. Henry, Jack London, and Ambrose Bierce. The first author I read about was O. Henry. I read three stories he wrote, but my favorite story is called, “The Gift of Magi”. This story takes place during Christmas. It’s about a couple that is poor and wanted to give gifts to each other. They both sacrificed two things: a watch without a chain, and long hair. This was because they needed money to buy gifts for each other. So, the husband gave away his watch and his wife cut her hair. When her husband comes back, he sees his wife with short hair. She thought he would divorce her, but he tells her he will love her no matter what she looks like. The couple enjoyed their Christmas and remained happy. In the end, it explained that Magi were wise people, and the couple were the Magi. I liked this story because it provided some optimism and a surprise ending.

The second author I read about was Jack London. I read his short story, and it was called, “To Build a fire”. Unlike O. Henry’s stories, this one was sad towards the ending. The story is about a man and his dog who goes out to a camp, while traveling below 0 degrees. The man was an idiot, and the dog was smart. He built a terrible fire, walked into thin ice, and attempted to kill his own dog for warmth. At the end he died, and his dog howled in the night. After the death of his owner, the dog went out and find the camp himself. London was an excellent writer in his time and able to create mental images.

The third author I read about was Ambrose Bierce. I read his book called, “The Devils Dictionary”. It looks like a regular dictionary, except some words and their meanings were dark and evil. It had also provided images, but not very good ones. His book does not have optimism, and hates almost everything. He used a little humor in some of his definitions, but most of them were on the dark side.

Which of the three authors would you prefer to read on your own time? This is a tough question to answer, but I would choose to read O. Henry and Jack London on my own time. The reason for O. Henry is because I like stories that have optimism. I would read Jack London because I want to read his two books. They are: “Call of the Wild”, and “White Fang”. He also provides emotion, and memorable images. I did not choose Ambrose Bierce, because I did not find his book enjoyable. It didn’t provide optimism, or emotion. However, the words and definitions made the book evil in a way. In short, my answer is O. Henry and Jack London.

This was my essay for English 4 Lesson 110 I hope you enjoyed it.