VERONA TRIAL
Friar Lawrence, shown above, is the suspect for causing the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The trial that will be held to see if the Friar of Verona City is guilty for causing the deaths of Romeo and Juliet will be held soon. I have investigated both the prosecuting side and the defending side and have found out many things that the public would not have seen. For example, when I investigated the prosecuting side, I discovered that all of the lawyers, witnesses, and coaches were hard at work, mostly paying attention on the questions they were preparing for the trial. When I asked Sir Capulet whether they felt they were ready for the trial, they answered, “We feel somewhat ready for the trial because we know that the Friar is guilty.” Although they felt “somewhat ready”, their work showed that they had toiled day and night in order to prove to the court that the Friar was guilty of causing the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Once I saw all the work they had done, I was convinced that they were prepared and ready to show up to court.
I also took a secret survey on whether people thought that the Friar is guilty or not.

Calming Deaths

By Paul Chacon

Tragedy has struck Verona City on this day as two teenagers, who have been identified as Romeo (from the Montague family) and Juliet (from the Capulet family), have been found dead in one of the crypts in Verona graveyard. Romeo was found on the floor, next to a bottle of what had contained poison, while Juliet was found next to Romeo with a knife stabbed through her heart. Friar Lawrence, one of Verona City's friars, told us the whole story of these 2 people. Some time ago, a party was held at the Capulet household, where it was believed that Romeo met Juliet for the first time. From the first time they saw each other, they were instantly in love, and they were secretly married soon after by Friar Lawrence. Even after Romeo was banished from Verona City for killing Tybalt Capulet, Juliet's cousin, some days ago, Juliet kept trying to find ways to be together with her lover. In order to get away from her parents, who wanted Juliet to be married to Paris, a relative of the mayor of Verona City, she went to Friar Lawrence, who gave her drugs that would make her seem as though she was dead. Juliet took the drugs, which made everyone believe she was dead, including Balthasar, Romeo's servant. Balthasar told Romeo about Juliet's "death", which turned Romeo's whole world upside-down. Romeo went to the crypt in Verona graveyard where Juliet was laid to rest, and when he saw that Juliet was apparently dead, it was believed that he killed himself by drinking poison to be with her. Detectives believe that once Juliet woke up and saw that Romeo was dead, she killed herself by stabbing herself through her heart with Romeo's knife. The deaths of these two people have ended the anger between the Montagues and the Capulets.


Romeo, a teenager of about 16 years, was a son of the Montague family. Most people who knew him knew that there were two sides to him: his social side and his love side. When he was with his friends, he would show his social side, making jokes and doing dangerous things. However, when he was with (or was thinking about) someone he loved, Romeo would show his love side by passionately talking on and on about how his girlfriend was so beautiful and breathtaking. It was believed that Romeo was still going out a woman named Rosaline, but that was before the public learned of his relationship with Juliet. Romeo was known to be friends with Benvolio (who was Romeo's nephew), Friar Lawrence, and Mercutio (who was Romeo's best friend and was recently killed by Tybalt during a fight). Friar Lawrence told our reporters that Romeo was "someone who was loyal to his friends and would die for them, no matter what." When interviewed, Benvolio said that he thought of Romeo as "a very good friend that you could rely on for anything." Benvolio also told us that Mercutio had thought of Romeo as "one of the best friends anyone could ever have."


Juliet was a 13-year old girl who was the daughter of the Capulet family. Juliet's parents revealed to reporters that she used to be a "very innocent girl, since being in love and getting married were the last things on her mind." However, all this changed when she met Romeo. Friar Lawrence told us that "after meeting Romeo for the first time, Juliet was in love with him, and she would do anything in order to be together with him. She learned to take charge of the situation, even if no one was there to help her." She changed from a girl who didn't have experience in the world to a woman who was decisive and had confidence in herself. Sources tell us that she was associated with Friar Lawrence, her nurse, Lord Capulet, and Lady Capulet. Friar Lawrence believed that Juliet was "a very dedicated wife to her husband, Romeo." Juliet's nurse also said similar things, adding that Juliet was "a child who had quickly matured into someone who could make decisions for herself." Lord Capulet thought that Juliet "was the perfect daughter for anyone because she would always follow our orders and would never cause problems." Lady Capulet told us that Juliet was "someone who followed her heart, even if it meant that it would go against what me and my husband wanted her to do."


Statements from a Capulet:
We interviewed Juliet's mother, Lady Capulet, about these deaths. This is what she said:
"I never thought that this would come to happen. When I thought that she was dead the first time, when she had taken the friar's drugs, it hit me hard. I never believed that she was still alive then. Now, after she has truly died, I feel worse than before. This is because I know that I could have done something when she was still under the drugs' effects. If only I had listened to Juliet about who she really wanted to marry, then she wouldn't have died. I knew I shouldn't have chosen who she was to marry. My Juliet..."




Statements from a Montague:
We also interviewed Balthasar on what he thought about these deaths. This is what he said:
"I feel very depressed about Romeo's death, since he was someone I knew, someone I was loyal to. I also feel angry with myself for telling Romeo that Juliet was dead when she had taken the drugs. In a way, I feel as though I led Romeo to his death. I should have known that telling Romeo about Juliet's supposed death would make Romeo kill himself. I should have told him not to do anything like that. I had a chance to stop him from killing himself. But, I didn't tell him anything other than bring the bad news that weren't even true. And now, he's gone forever, never to come back to life..."

Although the deaths of Romeo and Juliet have ended the rage between the Montagues and the Capulets, the mayor of Verona City has said that both the Capulets and the Montagues will be punished for leading to these deaths. The mayor has said that they will be punished by sending the people whose actions started (and continued) the fight between both households to prison. The mayor of Verona City has said that their imprisonment will last between seven and ten years, although an exact number of years has not been announced. Lord Montague (Romeo's father), Abram (servant of the Montagues), Lord Capulet (Juliet's father), Lady Capulet, Sampson (a Capulet servant), and Gregory (another of Capulet's servants) are possible people that will be punished and put on trial for leading to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. This is because they contributed to fueling the Montagues' and Capulets' anger with each other. A trial will be held to see who caused the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. One of the people that will most likely be put on trial is Friar Lawrence, since it has been revealed that he is the one who gave the sleeping drugs to Juliet, making Romeo believe that she was dead.

However, these punishments will not calm the sadness of the Capulets and the Montagues. Their children will never come back to life. The great sadness of these two households will forever haunt them. Just as the mayor of Verona City said to everyone: "For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

MY views on Euthanasia

I don't think that euthanasia is a legitimite way to end someone's life, with three exceptions. One exception is if a person in a vegetative or coma-like state won't recover. Another exception is if the person in a vegetative or coma-like state has a chance to recover, but will most likely have disabilities that will cause them to suffer. My final exception is if the person is in so much anguish that they can't take it anymore and they say that they want to be euthanized so that they can attain peace and rest. Otherwise, the sick person has to live with a painful burden. Other than for these reasons, I don't think that euthanasia is a legitimate way to end someone's life. This is because if there is a slight chance that a person will be able to recover with no unwanted side effects (like disabilities), then they should be given a chance to be able to recover. Also, even if someone else says that a sick person should be euthanized, they shouldn't be euthanized if the sick person says that they don't want to be euthanized. I believe that the decision to be euthanized rests on the sick person alone. If the sick person can make the decision, then nobody else should be able to pass judgement on who should be euthanized. If both people agree that euthanasia is the best option, then it is also okay, since the decision is mutual. This is why I don't believe that euthanasia is a legitimite way to end someone's life, with 3 exceptions.

"Mercy" Killing?

1. Reflecting on Of Mice and Men:
1a. From George's perspective, he killed Lennie in order to give him rest and give him the "American Dream" that he always wanted. Because Lennie had killed Curley's wife, George probably knew that the workers that were angry at Lennie for doing that wouldn't stop chasing Lennie until they got him. George also knew that if the workers caught up to Lennie and got him, they would either kill him or put him in a place where he would be locked up with no freedom at all. Once Slim told George that locking Lennie up would also be bad, he saw that the only way for Lennie to not have any problems was to kill him. This is why George killed Lennie (from George's point of view).

1b. I don't think that that was the best thing to do for Lennie, since Lennie never wanted to die. Lennie was looking forward to seeing his "American Dream" get fulfilled. George could have done a different thing instead of killing Lennie. For instance, both of them could have run away to a different place where they could start all over again. Once they started from the beginning, George could have kept a closer eye on Lennie and his actions so that nothing bad would happen again. This is why I don't think that that was the best thing to do for Lennie.

2. Father in Italy Accused of Murder:
2a. The father took his daughter off life support because "that was her wish" and "the court accepted that before the accident, his daughter had expressed a preference for dying over being kept alive artificially." The daughter had been in an accident and was living as a vegetable. She had said that she would rather die than live on life support. The father thought that keeping her alive that way wouldn't work, and so, he took away his daughter's life support. The father did this so that she could be free from living as a vegetable.

2b. I think that taking the daughter off life support was the best thing to do for her, since she "had been in a vegetative state for 17 years" and "before the accident, [the father's] daughter had expressed a preference for dying over being kept alive artificially." Since the vegetative state worsens as time passes, the daughter wouldn't have had a big chance of recovering from her state. Even if the daughter had recovered, she would most likely have had big disabilities that would have kept her from being able to do anything. There would have been a high chance that she would have lived a very restricted life. Also, the daughter didn't want to live with the help of life support. Even though the life support allowed her to live, she couldn't do anything. By taking her off it, she doesn't have to be restricted anymore. So, it was best for the daughter to be taken off life support.

2c. I mostly agree with what the father did, and I also disagree a little for certain reasons. I agree because there was very little chance of the daughter recovering from her state, and there was a big chance that if she had recovered, she would have had to live with disabilities that would have kept her from living normally. Instead of waiting for her unlikely recovery, her father took her off life support, and the life support could then be used for someone who needed it more than the daughter did. Although I agree with what the father did, there are some reasons why I also disagree. I disagree because all this happened in Italy, and "Italy does not allow euthanasia." Another reason why I disagree is because patients can't say what should happen to them if they become unconscious. This is why I disagree a little with what the father did.

3. Man Kills Family after Losing his Job:
3a. I imagine that one of the things that the father was negative or paranoid about was that the family had nowhere to turn to for support. There are many places they could have gone to so that they could be assisted financially. He was also negative about he and his wife not being needed where they used to work. Since he and his wife had lost their jobs, they thought that the only option left for them, including their family, was to die. One other thing that the father was paranoid about was to agree with what his wife said, which was that they should commit suicide and that there wasn't any reason to leave their children in the care of a different person. There is no reason why anyone should commit suicide, no matter what. They could have found another job in a different place instead of doing this. Also, if they didn't have enough money to take care of their children, they could always leave them in a foster home or somewhere else where they could be taken care of. They didn't have to kill themselves or their children. These are the things that I think that the father was negative or paranoid about.

3b. There are many ways that parents can support their children in order for them to succeed in life without the need of money. For example, you could support your son or daughter by helping them with their schoolwork. Another way you can support them is by encouraging them to always try their best. You can also teach your children good manners so that they can learn how to be courteous to other people. Loving your children and caring for them is also a way for you to support them. These are all different ways that parents can support their children in order for them to succeed in life without the need of money.

LOTF as My Own Movie

1.I think that Will Smith would play Ralph the best because Will Smith:

• plays good leader roles in many of his movies.
• shows that he can play a good role of a person surviving in uninhabited places. He shows this in his movie "I Am Legend."
• is always trying to look out for everybody in his movies.
• is unselfish because he puts other people before him.
• makes intelligent decisions in his movies.

2.I believer that Stewie Griffin (from Family Guy) would play Jack best because Stewie:

• has a fiery personality.
• mostly only cares about himself.
• is always causing arguments.
• likes to take charge of things if he thinks the leader isn't doing a good job.
• thinks that he is better than other people and, thus, thinks that he should be the leader.

3.

I think that Vern Tessio (the character from Stand By Me) would play Piggy the best, since Vern:

• doesn't defend himself much when others are teasing him.
• sometimes keeps on talking and talking, annoying others.
• is made fun of by other people.
• worries about many things.
• lacks athletic skills.

4.
I think that Batman would play Simon the best because Batman:

• is a person that doesn't socialize much.
• mostly works alone.
• is a quiet type of person.

5.

I believe that the Joker (from the Batman series) would best play Roger because the Joker:

• is diabolical.
• does not feel bad about doing his crimes.
• kills people.

6. These are 2 pictures of my "beastie":

7. My movie would take place on Mars. One thing I would change about the movie is the time setting. Instead of the movie taking place in the future, my movie would take place in an even farther future, where scientists are able to make uninhabitable planets habitable. Scientists have made Mars habitable and animals have started living there, but there are still no humans living on the planet. I would also change how the boys get lost. Instead of the boys crash-landing on an island by plane, they will get to Mars by being in a space shuttle that crashes. They would crash on Mars in a place with a forest and a mountain. However, they would not be stuck on an island. Instead, they would be stuck on a peninsula. Also, in the scene where the Lord of the Flies is talking to Simon, I would change the pig's head on a stick to a boar's head. This way, the Lord of the Flies can seem more ferocious. Another thing I would change about the story is that instead of the boys making a fire to be saved, they try to fix the message-sending device found in the crashed space shuttle in order to send messages to nearby space shuttles. However, because space shuttles only visit Mars from time to time, the boys must make sure that the message-sending device must be working at all times.

8. I would change the title "Lord of the Flies" to "Alone on Mars" for my movie because my movie is completely different from the original movie. One difference is that the original movie takes place on an island, while my movie takes place on a different planet. Another change is that my movie takes place in a future farther away from the present than the future of the original movie. Because these changes are major changes, my movie wouldn't be the same as the "Lord of the Flies." So, my movie should have a different name.

Hiroshima

1. This picture of Hiroshima before the bombing makes me feel as though everything is okay in the world. It makes me feel peaceful and happy because there is plants and trees in the picture that look calm. All the buildings in the background make the place in the front look like a relaxing park that can take all your problems away if you stay there. All the scenery makes the place look really nice and beautiful because it is advanced in the form of the structures that are used to make this place. To sum it up, this picture makes me feel great, serene, and joyful.

2. This picture of Hiroshima after it was bombed makes me feel horrible that Hiroshima was bombed. It makes me wish that the bomb shouldn't have been dropped at all on Hiroshima because it caused a lot of destruction. Lots of people died because of the bomb and the destruction it caused (shown on this picture), and so, seeing this picture makes me feel sad. This picture also makes me feel lonely because the place in the picture seems abandoned and gloomy.

3. This picture of people from Hiroshima suffering from the Hiroshima Bombing makes me feel miserable for the victims. I hate it that people suffered problems like this because of the bombing. Seeing this picture makes me wish that we should have found other ways to stop World War II. This is becuase by using atomic bombs to stop the war, innocent people had to die or suffer from the bomb, making me angry. So, in a way, this picture makes me irritated that another solution was found and used instead of the dropping of the bomb. To sum it all up, the mood this picture gives me is both a dismal mood and a furious mood.

4. This drawing of Hiroshima after it was bombed by someone who surivived the attack makes me feel really downcast. This is because I didn't like that the innocent citizens of Hiroshima had to go through all these problems. They suffered when we could have found another way to end World War II, which made me upset. This picture also makes me want to help the victims of the Hiroshima bomb, since they were hurt because of the bomb. In total, the picture makes me feel glum and exasperated for not looking for another way to stop World War II.

2nd assignment: Views on Abortion

1. What is your stance on abortion? Give three reasons why (this is your own thoughts). Explain clearly and use a lot of detail. - 5 points

1. My stance on abortion is that I think that abortion should be illegal. One reason why I think this is because I believe that every child (whether born or unborn) should have a chance to live life. If the child is aborted, then it's like not giving rights to a baby. Even if the fetus isn't born yet, it still has rights, including the right to live. Another reason is because I don't think that killing a fetus is right. Even if pregnancy was disrupting a person's life, we're still talking about killing an unborn baby. My third reason why I think that abortion should be illegal is because if people were having intercourse, and the woman got pregnant accidentally, she shouldn't be able to get an abortion. This is because if she didn't want to get pregnant, then she shouldn't have had intercourse in the first place. She should have just lived on normally, and then she wouldn't have had any concerns. This is why I believe that abortion should be illegal.

2. Copy/paste evidence that supports that supports your views. Make sure you use quotation marks (" ") because these are NOT your words. - 3 points

2. "Some join other pro-life advocates and say that the right to life should always outweigh the right of an individual to equality or to control their own body."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/mother/against_1.shtml

3. Explain the quote you chose for number 2 in your own words. You can explain it in the following ways: relate it to something that happened in your life or someone else's, explain why you agree with the statement, explain it to the reader with more detail in case the reader might not understand the quote, or give the reader a hypothetical situation in which the quote plays out. (Whichever why you decide to explain your quote, you should have at least 3 sentences to be thorough) - 6 points

3.What the quote from question 2 means is that even if you have the right to do whatever you want with your body, every unborn fetus should still be born. I agree with this quote because if abortions keep on continuing, then babies that were aborted will never get the chance to live. The unborn fetus will not be able to live because someone else made the choice for them to be killed. I also think that this quote is correct because if women abort their fetus, then what they are actually doing is controlling someone else's body. Not only would they be doing this, but they would also be taking over someone else's life (that is, the baby's life). This does not go along with what pro-choice people believe, which is that women should have the choice to do what they want with their bodies.

4. Repeat step 2 with a new quote

4. "Some feminists oppose all forms of violence, including abortion, because they are inconsistent with the core feminist principles of justice, non-violence and non-discrimination."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/mother/against_2.shtml

5. Repeat step 3 to explain the new quote

5. What the quote from question 4 means is that some people that fight for women's rights don't agree with violence, like abortion, for the reason that abortion doesn't go along with rights of women, like no violence, no treating women differently, and always doing the correct thing for everyone, including women. I think that this quote is correct because killing a person is violence, so I think that aborting a fetus is still violence. This is because that abortion is ending a baby's life before it is born. However, even if the baby hasn't been born, it is still living inside a woman's body.