Category: 9th Grade English

How important are the words ‘So What?’ in an autobiography? It is very important. You see, throughout the Ron Paul Curriculum ninth grade English, there are numerous autobiography’s to read. The latest autobiography that I read was The autobiography of Olaudah Equiano. According to Wikipedia, “Olaudah Equiano (1745 – 31 March 1797), known for most of his life as Gustavus Vassa, was a writer and abolitionist from, according to his memoir, the Ebbe region of the Kingdom of Benin (today southern Nigeria). Enslaved as a child in Africa, he was taken to the Caribbean and sold as a slave to a Royal Navy officer. He was sold twice more but purchased his freedom in 1766.” When Equiano was only eleven years old he and his sister were at their home by themselves while the adults were out working, which was common. Not long after, during that exact same day, some men came into their home, took them, separated Equiano from his sister, like millions of other slaves, and sold them into slavery. In fact, most of the autobiography’s I read this year were autobiography’s of slave’s who were free. Slavery was very wrong. And some people still use slavery to this day (I think). As I said in a much earlier essay, “Back then, slavery was very very wrong. According to Google, slavery means “the state of being a slave.” According to Google, a slave is “a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them.” That means that somebody owns another person (that person is the other person’s property) and forces him to do his bidding (work for him).The slave people were Black people. People captured these black people for slaves. I do not know why, but I think that it was just that either the whites were just evil evil men, or the whites captured the blacks because they thought that the blacks were ‘animals’. I mean, just because blacks have different skin color or they have different religious beliefs does not mean that they are of any less importance than the whites. People capturing people and forcing them to work as slaves when they have done nothing wrong is just wrong. The black African people have been peaceful for years. But then, Americans came in and captured the blacks and forced them to work as slaves. All men are created equal, and yet, the Americans were treating the Africans like animals. It is a miracle that slavery is now abolished (no more) to this day.”

Let me tell you why I think that the words ‘So What?’ in an autobiography are so important. First, Put yourself in the reader’s shoes. When you are writing an autobiography it has to be interesting so that people will want to keep on reading. Nobody wants to read a boring autobiography. When you are writing an autobiography and you are proofing it (like people do with other books or essays) if you happen to come across a part that you think is boring, than you probably should not put it into your paper because if you think it is boring, than your readers will probably think that it is boring. Think “If this is boring than I probably not put it into my paper”. Or if you can not decide if you should erase it or leave it alone, have a friend or family member read it and they can give you some feedback.

What was Equiano’s attitude regarding his life in the British Navy? According to Wikipedia, “Olaudah Equiano (1745 – 31 March 1797), known for most of his life as Gustavus Vassa, was a writer and abolitionist from, according to his memoir, the Eboe region of the Kingdom of Benin (today southern Nigeria). Enslaved as a child in Africa, he was taken to the Caribbean and sold as a slave to a Royal Navy officer. He was sold twice more but purchased his freedom in 1766.” When Equiano was only eleven years old he and his sister were at their home by themselves while the adults were out working, which was common. Not long after during that exact same day some men came into their home, took them separated Equiano from his sister, like millions of other slaves, and sold them into slavery. As I said in a much earlier essay, “Back then, slavery was very very wrong. According to Merriam-Webster, slavery means “the state of being a slave.” According to Merriam-Webster, a slave is “a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them.” That means that somebody owns another person (that person is the other person’s property) and forces him to do his bidding (work for him).The slave people were Black people. People captured these black people for slaves. I do not know why, but I think that it was just that either the whites were just evil evil men, or the whites captured the blacks because they thought that the blacks were ‘animals’. I mean, just because blacks have different skin color or they have different religious beliefs does not mean that they are of any less importance than the whites. People capturing people and forcing them to work as slaves when they have done nothing wrong is just wrong. The black African people have been peaceful for years. But then, Americans came in and captured the blacks and forced them to work as slaves. All men are created equal, and yet, the Americans were treating the Africans like animals. It is a miracle that slavery is now abolished (no more) to this day.” Slavery was very, very terrible.

So, back to the topic question, what was Equiano’s attitude regarding his life in the British Navy? I think I can answer this question in one word. Equiano’s attitude regarding his life in the British Navy was actually positive. Even I was surprised by this answer. What the funny thing was that when he saw the sight of the sailors of the British Navy, he thought that they were going to eat him. However, he asked somebody who was there with him if they were going to eat him and he said that they were not going to eat him. So, he got over that fear, thankfully. He soon got used to life out on the sea and loved his British Navy life. He also learned the English and soon became not a slave, but an English man. He just loved his life on the sea. I am so thankful that slavery does not exist any more.

What I must do in my note-taking to describe what is going on around me. The author of a good biography or autobiography uses all of his or her five senses to describe what is going on around him or her. I must also learn to do the exact same thing when I am taking notes for my own autobiography.

The first sense I will talk about is the sense of hearing or sound. I think that this is a very easy sense to describe. An autobiography without descriptive sounds is comparable to a person who is deaf. A deaf person is a person who can not hear. If a person is deaf than they are missing a lot of the world around them. Everything in the world makes a sound, whether it be the wind blowing the leaves or the birds whistling in the morning, everything makes a sound. If there was no descriptive sound in an autobiography they would be leaving out a part of the world.

The second sense I will talk about is the sense of sight. In the same way that leaving out descriptive sounds in an autobiography is the same as leaving out descriptive sight words. If people could not see than they would also be missing out on a lot of the world. In fact, if people could not see than there probably would not even be a world. If you could not see than you could not describe a beautiful sunset or the beauty of all the nature around you. There are people who are blind (meaning that they can not see) and they are missing out on a whole lot of the world.

The third sense I will talk to you about is the sense of smell. Smells are very important to life. Did you know that smells trigger memories? For example, when my mom was a kid her mom made cookies that she only made at Christmas and she used almond extract to make them, so, when my mom smells almond extract, she instantly thinks of Christmas. Without smell, we could not smell the beautiful flowers or your favorite food. Without smell we would be missing out on a whole lot of the world.

The fourth sense I will talk to you about is the sense of taste. So, I like to eat good food and I was raised much differently than some other kids because we do not eat at most restaurants and that makes us a little weird in other people’s eyes. We also drink fresh milk straight from the farm. We also make most of our food here at home. Without taste, you could not taste a single thing. Without the sense of taste than we would be missing out on a lot of the world.

The fifth sense I will talk to you about is the sense of touch. Touch is very important. Without touch than we could not feel the warmth of summer or the softness of your pillow. Without the sense of touch than we would be missing out on a lot of the world.

Without any of these five senses than we would have a terrible life on earth so be thankful that you do have them.

Has any event in your life had the same impact that learning how to read had on Douglass’s life? If not, why not? Douglass’s full name was Frederick Douglass. He was also a slave. According Wikipedia “Douglass’s full name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, but he dropped two of his names after he escaped slavery. According to Wikipedia, he was ‘an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman.’” After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, becoming famous for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings.” (I recently read part of his autobiography. I will finish it much later.)

When Douglass had a master that was very kind, she taught him to read and to write. Teaching slaves how to read and write in the south was illegal. This was illegal because the slave owners thought that if the slaves learned to read and write they would no longer be content with being a slave, which I think means that they would rebel and take over the south. So reading and writing was Douglass’s very first step to freedom. And because of knowing how to read and write he wrote his autobiography when he got out of slavery. It is amazing how learning how to read and write made such an impact on Douglass’s life as a slave. That is so amazing I can not even compare something in my life that was as amazing as that, but I think I can compare something very close. It was when I was baptized.

Has any event in your life had the same impact that learning how to read had on Douglass’s life? If not, why not? My baptism was the most influential part of my life. It showed everybody that I have accepted Jesus Crist the son of the living God as my Savior. It was very influential. Everyone at my church was there. It was about one or two years after I really did accept Jesus to be my Savior. I was about five years old then. Here’s something weird that I never fully understand. Before I accepted Jesus to be my Savior, I was having dreams and nightmares almost every night. And after I accepted Jesus to be my Savior, I rarely had dreams at all. Now, it is very rare for me to have dreams and nightmares. It was very weird. I never did fully understand it, but I am so thankful that it happened. I also seemed to understand the Bible even more. That should be very similar to the impact learning to read and write had on Douglass’s life. Very similar.

I am thirteen years old and I do not think that learning to read and write impacted me as much as it did for Douglass. I mean, Douglass was a slave and he learned how to read and write, I mean, come one! A slave learning how to read and write when it was illegal to do so. That must have been a very influential time for him, and it must have impacted him a whole lot. It is just so amazing that Douglass was a slave he learned how to read and write even when it was illegal to. Don’t you think so too?

As a writer of an autobiography about life in the woods, would you spend more pages describing an ant war or loons? Why? (It is said like this because I have recently read the autobiography Walden written by Henry David Thoreau. According to Google, “Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, philosopher, and a leading transcendentalist.” “As a transcendentalist, Thoreau believed that reality existed only in the spiritual world, and the solution to people’s problems was the free development of emotions (“Transcendentalism”).” He is most known for his autobiography entitled “Walden”.) I have no favorite between ant wars and loons. I would spend about a couple pages writing about both. I think that they are both very interesting. Here are what they are and why I like them.

According to Google, “Ant Wars are a direct, aggressive interaction between ants of different colonies. Ants are engaged in competition with other ants. For example, if one colony monopolizes the supply of food, this source is unavailable to other ants – that is an indirect form of competition.” So ant wars are wars between ants or other species that begin because of territory or food problems for one species and wealth and domination for another species. If there is a problem like this, than yes, there will most likely be an ant war between the two species. Just like it says in Google, “Ants may fight to protect their own nests or food storage from enemies or when they try to take over nests or seize food of not only other ant species, but also other colonies of the same species.” According to “Serious Science”, “If you look at Ants as societies, there are two ways that they can engage in what we call “Wars”. One of them is more similar to the way that humans think of having wars – battles among the colonies of the same species. The other type involves interactions between different species of ants. Both of these kinds of conflicts are important to ant biology.” Ant wars are crazy wars between ants vs. ants, or ants vs. another species.

Now for loons. According to “Wilderness North”, “Loons are water birds like ducks, geese, and grebes, but they are classified separately by scientists. The five species are Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata, Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica, Arctic Loon Gavia arctica, Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii, and Common Loon Gavia immer.” According to “Ask Difference”, “The main difference between Duck and Loon is that the Duck is a common name for many species in the bird family Anatidae which go QUAB and Loon is a genus of birds. … Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as loons or divers, grebes, gallinules, and coots. Loons are beautiful, however, they can become very aggressive. It has been documented that one loon even killed a eagle! Now that, is an aggressive bird.

Both ant wars and loons I would find very interesting if I lived in the woods.

How important is it for a person to summarize his philosophy of life in an early chapter of an autobiography? Most autobiographies do not need to say the writer’s beliefs or philosophy or what they believe in, but some do. I myself think that summarizing your beliefs at the beginning of an autobiography is very beneficial and important to understanding the book and more about the person to understand the book better. An autobiography is supposed to be about you. It is also supposed to be about your beliefs and philosophy and what you believe in. If you were to write an autobiography and you did not include your beliefs or philosophy or what you believe in, than it might be hard for your readers to understand anything about you.

After you give the reader a brief summary about your beliefs and philosophy and what you believe in, then, as the writer and author of the book, it is your job to remind the reader once in a while about your beliefs and philosophy and what you believe in so that the readers can stay on track with the book and understand it better. In Henry David Thoreau’s book “Walden”, he tried to use some what subtle reminders of his beliefs and philosophy, however, he failed. Instead, he ended up making himself look a little contradictory. Throughout his autobiography Thoreau would express just how much he was against something. Then later, in a much different chapter, he would try to justify what he had said in an earlier chapter. Because of this weird behaver he made himself look just extremely hypocritical and narcissistic.

For some autobiographies, it is important for the book to have background information on what the book is about. One such example is the autobiography “Walden”, written by Henry David Thoreau. In his autobiography he conducted an experiment, and the purpose was to connect with nature. This was actually his purpose for going to Walden Pond which is where he built himself a little shack and lived there for twenty-six months of his life doing his little experiment. He talked about his life on Walden Pond and his experiment.

I would not worry about it if somebody did not include their beliefs and philosophy and what they believe in, however, I would highly recommend it that you put your beliefs and philosophy and what you believe in in your autobiography, just so that people get a good understanding about your autobiography and your life. I would definitely put my beliefs and philosophy and what I believe in in my autobiography if I were to write one. I would recommend it that you put in your beliefs and philosophy and what you believe in it too, but you do not have to do it if it is too much work for you. I honestly do not care if anybody puts in their beliefs and philosophy and what you believe in in their autobiography, but I recommend that you do put in your beliefs and philosophy and what you believe in in your autobiography if you were to write one.

Would Walden have been a better book if Thoreau had supplied more background information on his life? First, I would like to tell you who Thoreau was. Thoreau’s full name was Henry David Thoreau. According to Google, “Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, philosopher, and a leading transcendentalist.” “As a transcendentalist, Thoreau believed that reality existed only in the spiritual world, and the solution to people’s problems was the free development of emotions (“Transcendentalism”).” He is most known for his autobiography entitled “Walden”. It tells of his life living on Walden Pond. In his autobiography he wrote “I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again.” He also wrote his purpose for going to live at Walden Pond. He wrote “My purpose in going to Walden Pond was not to live cheaply nor to live dearly there, but to transact some private business with the fewest obstacles; to be hindered from accomplishing which for want of a little common sense, a little enterprise and business talent, appeared not so sad as foolish.” He also said “I have thought that Walden Pond would be a good place for business, not solely on account of the railroad and the ice trade; it offers advantages which it may not be good policy to divulge; it is a good port and a good foundation.”

So, back to the question, Would Walden have been a better book if Thoreau had supplied more background information on his life? Well, I think that the answer is no. Why? Well, let me tell you why. Thoreau’s autobiography is about his life as an adult, as a workman, and his life on Walden Pond. There would be no need to add anything about his background. If he did than that would just make the story boring. It would make no sense to put in extra details that do not go with the story.

Also, the question, Would Walden have been a better book if Thoreau had supplied more background information on his life, also means the answer yes. Why? Again, let me tell you why. First, the autobiography begins with “When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again.” It would make a lot more sense if he began telling the story as a brief summary of his childhood and what he did before he went to live on Walden Pond.

Was Thoreau dependent on the division of labor while he was living on Walden Pond? First of all, I would like to tell you who Thoreau was and what the division of labor was. His full name was Henry David Thoreau. According to Google, “Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, philosopher, and a leading transcendentalist.” “As a transcendentalist, Thoreau believed that reality existed only in the spiritual world, and the solution to people’s problems was the free development of emotions (“Transcendentalism”).” He is most known for his autobiography entitled “Walden”. It tells of his life living on Walden Pond. In his autobiography he wrote “I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again.” He also wrote his purpose for going to live at Walden Pond. He wrote “My purpose in going to Walden Pond was not to live cheaply nor to live dearly there, but to transact some private business with the fewest obstacles; to be hindered from accomplishing which for want of a little common sense, a little enterprise and business talent, appeared not so sad as foolish.” He also said “I have thought that Walden Pond would be a good place for business, not solely on account of the railroad and the ice trade; it offers advantages which it may not be good policy to divulge; it is a good port and a good foundation.” Next, the division of labor. According to Google, the division of labor is “the assignment of different parts of a manufacturing process or task to different people in order to improve efficiency”.

So, back to the question, was Thoreau dependent on the division of labor while he was living on Walden Pond? The answer is, yes, he was. In the first quote from his book, he said that he built his house himself so he bought his things to build his house from a store. Now, all of the merchandise found in stores come from factories which use the division of labor. He also needed to buy food at the store which also uses the division of labor, just like the lumber he used to build his house. He also fished for some of his food and I think that he got his fishing gear from the store which also uses the division of labor. All stores use the division of labor. He said about fishing “At night there was never a traveler passed my house, or knocked at my door, more than if I were the first or last man; unless it were in the spring, when at long intervals some came from
the village to fish for pouts—they plainly fished much more in the Walden Pond of their own natures, and baited their hooks with darkness—but they soon retreated, usually with light baskets, and left “the world to darkness and to me,” and the black kernel of the night was never profaned by any human neighborhood.” He was a very interesting man.

How could I adopt Northup’s technique of using contrasts? First, I would like to tell you who Solomon Northup was. Solomon Northup was born as a free man in New York. While in New York he had a family. He was very proud to be a free man. But, he was soon robbed of his papers that showed that he was a free man and was soon sold into slavery. How did this happen? Well, he was a violinist so some men asked him if he wanted to be a part in a circus. Now, his family was on a trip at that time so when he said yes (because he did) he did not think that he had to write a note to leave at his house to tell his family where he was when they got back because he thought that he would be back before they got home. Now, it turned out that the people were the people that sold him into slavery! After he arrived at the designated spot where he was supposed to meet the men, the captured him, took his papers, and sold him into slavery. And when his family arrived home and noticed that he was missing they could not find him because he did not leave a note. He tried many times to convince his “master” that he was a free man, but how could he without his papers? And his “master” threatened him that if he spoke of being a free man again, he would beat him with a wipe very, very hard.

Northup’s contrasts were so good that it makes the reader want to read more of the book. One of the largest contrasts in the book was regarding the positive and the negative sanctions against the slaves (which I wrote about in an earlier essay). I am a big reader, so I should know. It just makes me want to read more. He also shared small stories which would later in the book grow into a bigger story. Like stories not just of himself, but of other slaves as well. Like the sad story of the slave Eliza. If you have read the book, than you must have thought that Northup wrote this book from memory, and you are right! Northup could not have written his autobiography while he was in slavery, so he wrote it when he got out of slavery, though it sounds like he wrote it while was in slavery. He must have had a great memory. Also, if he could not write his autobiography in slavery and he wrote his autobiography, that means that he must have gotten out of slavery!

Now back to the topic: How could I adopt Northup’s technique of using contrasts? I could observe for more contrasts I could adopt from movies, or books, or even from my own life. I could also note important events that took place in my life (also known as journaling). There are several different ways that I can adopt contrasts.

The differences between Northup’s response to separation from his children and Eliza’s response to separation from her children. Solomon Northup was born as a free man in New York. While in New York he had a family. He was very proud to be a free man. But, he was soon robbed of his papers that showed that he was a free man and was soon sold into slavery. How did this happen? Well, he was a violinist so some men asked him if he wanted to be a part in a circus. Now, his family was on a trip at that time so when he said yes (because he did) he did not think that he had to write a note to leave at his house to tell his family where he was when they got back because he thought that he would be back before they got home. Now, it turned out that the people were the people that sold him into slavery! After he arrived at the designated spot where he was supposed to meet the men, the captured him, took his papers, and sold him into slavery. And when his family arrived home and noticed that he was missing they could not find him because he did not leave a note. He tried many times to convince his “master” that he was a free man, but how could he without his papers? And his “master” threatened him that if he spoke of being a free man again, he would beat him with a wipe very, very hard.

While in slavery all Northup could think about was his children and family. He was devastated that he lost them. He explained in his autobiography “Up From Slavery” that he thought about his family every night while he was a slave. He was separated from his family for twelve long years.

One of the greatest fears of slavery is being separated from family. This is displayed through a young woman slave named Eliza and her two children Randall and Emily. Eliza loved her two children more than anything else in the world. She built them up and reassured them that their future was good and well. However, this family was soon broken. Soon Randall was sold. Eliza pleaded and begged the buy all three of them, how ever, he did not do so. Not long after another buyer bought Eliza, Northup, and Henry, who was a fellow slave. Eliza again pleaded and begged with the buyer to buy her and her daughter. Touched by her love for her family, the trader tried his very best to make a deal with the seller to buy Emily as well, However, the seller refused to sell Emily. Eliza never saw nor heard of her children ever again.

Slavery is a terrible thing. Families being separated from each other is a terrible consequence of slavery. I am so very happy that slavery is no more. Just take a minute and thank God for everything he has done to help abolish slavery.