Round Moon (Haiku)

15th of 8th month,
the moon shines bright; the moon festival.
Eat mooncakes.

Brush and Floss! (Tanka)

Sweets rot teeth, you know.
I beg you; cease your feasting!
Bring not this shamed fate
upon you. Of repulsive
features, decayed molars win!

Beware (Diamente)

Ghosts
Spooky, Creepy
Floating, Gliding, Scaring
Bedsheets, Eyeholes...Wings, Wands
Flying, Granting, Casting
Sparkly, Magical
Fairies

Late (Tanka)

School starts on the first
of September at seven.
Wake late for the bus,
running down the muddy street.
Then stop to take in sunrise.

Life Cycle (Haiku)

Swirling down to death
The journey—big, yet small,
ends, healing within.

Thank Thankfulness (Cinquain)

Thank you.
For of the things
celebrated today,
our blessings I thank most.
Thank you.

Why Hare is Nocturnal - A Pourquoi Tale

Once upon a time, when the earth was still young, the hare still slept at night and worked in day like all other animals. One day while the hare was still in bed on a sunny spring morning, he heard a knocking at his door.

“What?” he mumbled sleepily.

“It’s me! Speeecial delivery!”

Hare slowly bounced to the door. He contemplated what this could be. Heron was the mailman for the entire country, and door deliveries were rare. As he sluggishly opened the door, Heron wagged his finger at him and held out a letter.

“You better be faster if you’re going to work for the king.”

“What? Really?”

Hare snatched the letter out of Heron’s hand and tore it open, scanning over the basics of the letter. It was true! He had been accepted as the Chief Courier to the King!

“You’re lucky that the king is accepting you after the incident with Tortise. You better be on your best behavior.”

Hare grimaced.

“I’m different now! Really! But I’m still faster than everyone else, and no offense, but even you!”

Heron looked at him skeptically and then shrugged, resigned.

“Whatever you say, Hare.”

The next morning, Hare was on his best behavior. He woke up at precisely 5:30 AM and got to the palace at 6 to meet the wise Elephant that Lion had given his crown to in his dying breaths. At the minute the sun’s first rays touched the king’s throne, he knelt with his head bowed respectfully. He heard King Elephant lumber up to the seat and sit himself down.

“Ah, hello Hare. Congratulations on becoming my Chief Courier. Not everyone can do it, you know. You did a very fine job on your intelligence test and your sprint times were amazing! But I’ll cut to the chase. I’ve found that you have not been very dedicated during previous events. Obviously competition does not spur you into action, as shown in your history. So I’ve decided to go on an honor system. If you deliver my letters and packages properly, nothing will happen. I’m willing to give you a second chance, Hare. So today, I’m giving you this packet to read by tomorrow. You can start delivering then. Since I just started my rule a few months ago, I have had few packages to send until now. Anyway, you may return to your dwelling and begin reading.”

Hare fidgeted uncomfortably, still waiting for Elephant to tell him he could rise. After a few minutes, the king realized his mistake.

“Oh, my apologies, you may rise. I’m really sorry, like I said, I’m new to this business.”

Hare looked up, grateful, when he saw the packet. His eyes bugged out.

“Ah, yes, it is a bit big, isn’t it? Well, I have complete confidence in you. Now, go on!”

Hare went back home and sighed. He looked at the packet again. He began leafing through it when after lunch, he began to feel drowsy. He thought to himself One nap couldn’t hurt, right? I have 17 full hours before I really have to read this. Plus, I am the fastest animal in all the savannah, so I shouldn’t have a problem. So Hare laid himself into bed and dozed off, dreaming about his job as  Chief Courier, racing around at top speed and being the hero of the entire country.

Hare was jerked back to reality and looked at the sun outside. Oh no! The sun wasn’t there anymore, just the moon. It was already 11 o’clock! Hare panicked and started madly flipping through the pages. Owl, who was nocturnal to begin with, saw this and he coined the term “Mad as a March Hare”. But that’s another story. So when Hare finally finished the booklet, it was already 5:30 and time to get ready for his first day at work.

King Elephant looked at Hare, standing at attention... kind of. Hare felt completely exhausted, but he couldn’t figure out why. He told the king that he was ready for his first assignment. The king skeptically raised an eyebrow but nonetheless gave him the package for delivery that was clearly marked in bold red print “IMPORTANT: TO BE DELIVERED TO COUNCILMAN FROG ASAP” Hare blearily focused on Elephant.

“So, um, who am I delivering this to?”

King Elephant frowned and pointed to the package. Hare grinned.

“Oh, yeah. I knew that. I’ll deliver it ASAP, Your Majesty.”

Elephant looked disapproving again, but still waved him away.

“Go on. You do know where Councilman Frog lives, correct?”

The king chuckled at his own joke. Even the smallest children knew where the infamous Frog lived. In the giant red toadstool house, the distinctive color was hard to miss.

“Well, maybe. The...um... purple one, right?”

The king looked at him incredulously and decided that he must be going along with his joke.

“Yes, yes, just go on.”

Hare rushed out of the palace and sprinted toward the purple house in the next district. He had the entire day to make a 6 hour journey, round trip. This would be a piece of cake! He hopped as fast as he could until he became unbearably tired. It was only 8 o’clock! He flopped on the ground surprised at the sudden bout of fatigue and his eyelids drooped. Well, I do have 22 full hours to make it to Frog’s purple condo and back right? So a measly 1 hour snooze wouldn’t make a difference.Even if I didn’t make it, I can run faster than the wind itself and make it to Frog’s house and back. Hare closed his eyes and drifted off to dreamland once again...

Hare bolted upright, startled at the sudden cry of “HOO HOO” in his ear.

“AHHHHH! What was that for?”

“Hoo! I thought you might be injured so I HOOed as loud as I could to see if you were awake.”

“Well, I’m awake now. Hey, I thought you only awoke at night, not the day.”

“Hoo! Well, if you use your eyes, it is nighttime. It’s 12 o’clock.”

Uh oh. Hare looked around and realized his dire situation. He jumped up and told Owl that he was going to Frog’s house to deliver his package.

“That might take a while. You’re 2 provinces away, right? Hoo!”

Double uh oh. Now Hare had only 6 hours to hop the full trip of... Hare did some quick calculations. Triple uh oh. The full trip of 8 hours. This might be a problem. He had to get going, pronto!

“Gotta go Owl! See you around!”

He ran off, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.

The next morning, Hare looked even more disheveled than the day before. He had made it to the palace... at 8 o’clock. He looked meekly up at the king.

“Now, Hare, I would like to know what all this gossip going around is all about.”

Hare was stunned. His mind raced. What had happened? Gossip? What was there to gossip about?

“Why does Owl report that she found you sleeping in the next province over at midnight with your package still undelivered? And that you were sleeping the day before that and waking up at 11 to start reading as ‘mad as a March Hare’? And that she found you every single night before that partying or doing last minute work?? Many of your neighbors also report that you have been sleeping frequently throughout the day.”

Hare thought back. He had partied and procrastinated quite a few times, but it didn’t seem like that much. After all, he was so fast. He had never had problems.

“If you are going to sleep the day away and stay up all night, you might as well be nocturnal! Hare, I was obviously wrong about you. I know better know that you are unresponsible. But the best punishment is giving people the thing they want most. So I, as King, officially decree that you, Hare, and all of your descendents must be nocturnal and not do any day duties, instead doing night duties, since that seems to be what you love most!”

Hare slunk off, mortified, and was ridiculed by the entire country because of his procrastination. Added on to the previous Tortise Incident, the teasing and mocking was ramped up to even higher levels. Some animals even stayed up late just to tell him about it. But soon the craze had faded away into just a memory. Even to this very day, Hare still remains nocturnal in fear of further taunts of “Half-Asleep Hare” and “Slowpoke Sleepyhead”.

The Average Day of a Young Irmisosuan

During my travels as an anthropologist, I had the liberty of visiting a particularly interesting community by the name of Irmisosu. I was assigned to a family in this community that went by the name of Lai. The main subject of my research was the oldest child in the family, a 12 year old girl named Isabel. Though they may not seem especially unusual so far, I observed many strange quirks throughout my visit. Children in Irmisosu are ritually initiated into a strange repository at a young age. I also studied some of the habits of the youngest child. He was often found staring directly into a strong light source, burning out his retinas. However, no parental action was taken.  
         
In the morning the child would ceremoniously force herself to listen to shrill, high pitched tones. Then at the crack of dawn, would arise from the box that she slept on. Once off of her hard, angular box, she would proceed to yank a wooden club bristling with spikes through her hair and squeeze a thick, brown paste onto a plastic stick to put in her mouth. The people of Irmisosu believe that, without this paste along with long strands of string that often cause bleeding in the gums, their health will decay dramatically. Then she will proceed to bind every individual strand of hair into a formation involving using a piece of stretchy-string to secure the strands.
         
After this ritual, Isabel proceeds to walk, only to board a clunky, tawny colored metal box-on-wheels that takes her to the repository. At the repository, she walks around aimlessly for 30 minutes before a screeching alarm alerts them to each division, or work group. These work groups are commanded by a high master, a person whom demands the utmost respect and obedience from children. Between each work group, children must ferry around sacks that weigh 20+ pounds while navigating crowded passageways within a time limit of five minutes. In some of these work groups she does various things like jabbing with memorized strokes at a slab of plastic or staring at inkblots and telling the high masters what she thinks the inkblot means. Or reviewing and identifying various shapes. Or observing and identifying rocks.
         
Upon the completion of her seven hours of service to the repository for the day, she is shuttled to her dwelling in the tawny box-on-wheels where she is forced to work for 3 or 4 more hours, most of which involve using a device that worsens her vision by flashing sharp lights into her face, which in turn is magnified into higher proportions by the pieces of molded and heated sand she must wear over her eyes. Using this device usually involves mindless, repeated tapping on its surface to create and shape the inkblots the high master requests. It is unknown what exactly the high masters do with the toil of hours of labor that the children create, however Isabel did say that a number was assigned to the project and then returned to the child.
         
When the work is all finished, Isabel and the rest of the family participate in a ritual that is performed by most Irmisosuans. It involves stepping into a scalding-hot barrage of a very dangerous chemical that if inhaled, will cause imminent death. When in the small, claustrophobic chamber, one must now slather oneself with many thick chemical gels. Extra gel is typically provided for the scalp. Then the individual must painfully scrape the scalp in repeated motions. The ritual is completed when you attack your hair with a high powered jet-blast of oven-like temperatures.
         
To complete the day, Isabel would again apply the sticky paste to her teeth and gums, wash her mouth ceremoniously and climb back into her box, and get ready for another day at the repository.
         
In conclusion, the Irmisosuan culture is extremely interesting and should deserve further study in the field of cultural anthropology. From what I have observed so far, the Irmisosu people are very durable, especially the children who get sent to the harsh repository. Isabel even seems to enjoy her work at the repository. I personally would enjoy coming back to Irmisosu to conduct a more detailed study, especially on family dwellings and their inner workings.

A Trip to Hokkaido: Part 2

Hi! After my last article on the Daisetsuzan National Park, I will now write about 2 flower farms we visited.

I'm not sure what the first one was called, so I apologize about that. However, the name of the second farm was Farm Tomita. Both of them were very beautiful, but we were on a tractor ride for most of the part of the first one, so I don't have many good pictures of it. On the first farm, we got to sit on a ride. On the second farm, we had to walk. It was a colorful scene. It was really cool. It was orderly and neat yet chaotic. To top it off it was a cool, cloudy day! It's so rare to have a refreshingly chilly day in the summer. Here are some more pictures that are surely worth more than 1000 words. 

A Trip to Hokkaido

A few days ago, my family went on a trip to Hokkaido. For those unfamiliar with the geography of Asia, Hokkaido is the northern most island in Japan. 

Many highlights outlined this trip, including a few national parks and fish markets. From bike trips to mountain-top views. Flower farms(?) and marine parks. There was more of course.. So instead, I'll tell you about one thing everyday. I will go in chronological order for the 5 days we spent in Japan. 

In this article, I will be writing about Daisetsuzan National Park. We saw 3 waterfalls there. It was a cool day, only about 70oF (20oC) and it was perfectly tranquil what with the roaring sound of the waterfalls and the wonderful coolness, for a change. You felt inclined to be silent. Almost no one even whispered. It was breathtaking. There was even an added bonus of trees and gurgling creeks. I hope you enjoyed this description. I will leave you with some pictures of this incredible scene!

Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter (no spoilers)

When Pollyanna's dad dies, orphaning her, the eleven- year-old girl goes to her Aunt Polly's house in Beldingsville, Vermont.

Miss Polly Harrington has never been one for children or other follies. So when her deceased sister's husband dies, she is obliged to take in her niece, Pollyanna. Of course, this is all out of a sense of duty. Miss Polly is all about duty. Even if Pollyanna is the most RIDICULOUS name she has ever heard.

When Nancy, Miss Polly's servant, hears about Pollyanna, she wants to do everything she can to help her mistress's niece be glad about a stuffy attic room and a hostile aunt. To Nancy's surprise she finds that SHE is being helped instead of the other way around.

Pollyanna quickly befriends the rest of the town and finds that they have problems of their own ranging from life long invalidly to old lover's quarrels. The super optimistic girl is glad to teach them how to be glad through her father's "just being glad" game. Helping the entire town through their decided lack of gladness, Pollyanna is gladder than ever having so many friends.

Will Pollyanna be able to lead Beldingsville through her quest for happiness? Even when a tragic accident cripples Pollyanna forever? An endearing book that will warm the hearts of all readers.

My Top 10 Books in Random Order

1. Ranger's Apprentice Series
2. Percy Jackson Series
3. The Chronicles of Valdimir Tod
4. Maximum Ride Series
5. The Heroes of Olympus Series
6. Gone (not the series, just the individual book)
7. Lorien Legacies Series
8. Inheritance Series
9. Adventurers Wanted Series
10. The Hunger Games Series

The Most Advanced Civilization: Rome

What is civilization? Well, according to Webster’s New World Dictionary, it is “intellectual and cultural refinement”. If you ask me, being an advanced civilization is not only that but passing on their ideas and advancements on to future generations. Not only does this mean that you are progressing human civilization in general, it also means your ideas were the most useful and advanced. So which was the most advanced civilization: Greece, Rome, or Byzantine? The answer is most obviously Rome. All of my listed reasons about the Roman’s advancement are passed on to other countries present day, most especially our country. Plus, if Rome was not so advanced, then how could they have survived and flourished for 1000 years? If you need any more reason, first, Rome’s architecture, law, and government were beyond its time. Second, their language, culture, and almost everything in their everyday lives were supreme in all others. Third, and most foreseeable, was their military commandment and accomplishments. In the next paragraphs, I will explain why Rome is so plainly the most advanced civilization of its time period, even while compared to Greece and Byzantine.

                

My first reason is that of architecture, law, and government. Their 12 Tables and three-branch method were pure genius. If not, then why are they still around today? America’s President was equal to the consuls’; the Supreme Court’s job matches those of the praetors’. For our legislative branch, we even have two “branches” off of that: the Senate corresponding to their Senate and the House of Representatives parallel to the House of Plebs. The 12 Tables established that all free citizens had the right to be treated equally by the legal system. Romans also created what was called the Law of Nations. It showed that the rule of justice was applied to all peoples conquered by Rome: a person is seen as innocent until proven guilty, people accused of crimes could defend themselves before a judge, and finally a judge had to look at evidence carefully before making a decision. Sound familiar? It should! It is the same basic rules that we use today. In architecture, many of our important government official buildings are based off Roman technique: arches and domes. They also have aqueducts and the famous sewer system: Cloaca Maxima.

                

My second reason is their language, culture, and almost everything in their everyday lives. Look at our language. Even with my very limited Latin vocabulary, I can pick up several words that are borrowed from Rome such as “person” or “sign” or “excel”. They are all derived from Latin roots or statements. Another example is that the Romans figured out how to make the ever-failing calendar work by using a solar calendar instead of a lunar calendar to keep in touch with the seasons. The Romans were also one of the only ancient civilizations to care about personal hygiene. A proper civilization should be concerned about their cleanliness so they were less prone to disease. Could you imagine not taking a bath or a shower except for maybe twice a year? Well, in ancient history, only the Romans took baths on a regular basis. This shows sign that the Romans looked beyond all the more political issues and took notice of the important details other less developed civilizations missed.

                

My third reason was their military control and skill. The Romans conquered more land and people than anybody else. Even if there were, nobody maintained the land and restrained the people for more than 1000 years! Roman militia did not fight like barbarians. Their generals were problem solvers. For instance, at first the Romans fought like the Greeks. Soon, generals found this method to be slow and clumsy. So they modified it. Their military was smartly divided into smaller groups of around 6,000 men called legions who were further divided into groups of 60-120 men called cohorts. These new smaller groups could easily cut through enemy lines like darts. They also enforced discipline into their soldiers. With this Roman cunning and efficiency and Spartan obedience, this new army was unstoppable for the next 1,000 years.

                

In conclusion, now you can see that the Romans can easily bypass the Greeks and the Byzantines with no problem. Both civilizations have too many flaws. The Greeks needed to be more united. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided cannot stand”. The city-state method was ultimately the Greek’s downfall. The Byzantines needed to do something memorable. They lasted 1000 years, but were they as efficient as the Romans? No. Were they first to do so? Nopes. Did they build any amazing buildings? No. Did they have great military might? No again. Rome had all of these things and more. Now, if you could not see before, you know that Rome is the ultimate, most advanced civilization.

Alexa Daley - The Dark Hills Divide by Patric Carman

“Your size is your strength... The only question is whether you’re big enough inside.”

Alexa Daley is a small, lively 12 year old girl that lives in the walled city of Lathbury in the Land of Elyon. Alexa is 4’6’’ and always has her honey-blond hair in a braid. However, every summer she visits the, also walled, city of Bridewell where her father is mayor. The road on which she traveled is also within large, 10 foot high walls. 

All her life, Alexa is within these immense walls which protect her and the cities from the so-called unnamed evil in The Dark Hills which lie outside the wall. Every year she yearns to explore what lies beyond the walls. But every time she tries to search, the mean, nasty captain of the guards, Pervis Kotcher stops her in her tracks before she can even begin. 

What is the unspoken of monster outside? Nobody knows. Well, nobody except for maybe the traveler and founder of Bridewell and the walls, whom of which also happen to be one of Alexa’s favorite people, Warvold. Just before Alexa can muster up the courage to ask him, Alexa finds Warvold dead right beside the wall. 

Then when she is at one of her favorite places in the world, the library, she finds something that could transform her dull summer into one filled with dangerous journeys that tell the truth about Bridewell’s past, present, and possible future. While she unravels the truth about what lies outside, she unearths some unexpected dangers, makes some new friends, and maybe even finds a spy! Alexa’s daring sense of adventure leads her to a quest that could save or destroy Bridewell. Join our heroine Alexa in this mystery concerning her homeland’s rescue or obliteration.

Plato’s Cave Allegory: My interpretation

One application could be when people thought the sun went around the earth instead of the other way around, like we know today. The “cave” would be the people that believe that they are better than others, and the general population would be the “prisoners”. The idea that everything in the solar system goes around the earth are the “shadows and voices”, and people wanting to believe that they are better than others are the “shackles”.

                 

The escapee is Galileo Galilei and he finds that the sun doesn’t go around the earth, that in fact it is the other way around! (This, by the way, is called “heliocentrism”). Galileo tries to spread his discoveries (he is now rescuing the prisoners) of how the earth moves around a stationary sun, instead of the other way around. However, the “prisoners” don’t believe Galileo when he tells them of this crazy idea of the earth going around the sun, instead of the other way around?

               

Eventually, the “prisoners” escape because they finally come out of denial and see the logic in the “real world”. Galileo keeps trying to convince the “prisoners” but they keep refusing to believe him until he dies. However, even then, it takes them a really long time to realize that Galileo was right, and the “real world” actually exists.

Heros

To me, a hero is a person who performs the tasks they are required to do and beyond. A hero is a person who tries their hardest at what they are doing and does it because they want to help people. A hero is the person who does something for the benefit of others, not thinking about what will happen to themselves, only to the people around them. A hero is a person who gives hope in times where there is none. A hero is a person people turn to in times of need. This is a person who is a hero in my eyes.

                

A great example of this would be Mary Donnelly. I heard about her a few weeks ago on a news show called Sunday Morning, and I think she is the greatest example of a hero. She is 83 and lives on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. Mary Donnelly is a nurse. What makes her a hero is that she goes directly to peoples’ houses to treat them. In the story they were doing, she picked up a stranded mother with an 8 day old baby to get them to the baby’s check-up. That is doing her job beyond the limits, helping people because she wants to. You can tell she does this for the good of people and not for herself because of the fact that she has been doing this for half a century.  Not only does she care to the physical ailments of the residents on Block Island, but their financial ones too. She is the person people go to when they are in the hole. She pays peoples bills, from college tuition to oil bills. Mary Donnelly is a true hero.

The Nile: How it Shaped Ancient Egypt

What would you do if you were thirsty? You would take a drink from your water bottle, right? However, what if you lived in Ancient Egypt? They didn’t have water bottles and couldn’t just turn on the tap. Ancient Egyptians did not have the technology we have today to perform simple tasks we consider easy, such as transporting heavy blocks for building. They couldn’t just turn a key to start a truck to transport a 2 ton block hundreds of miles. So,  you may be wondering, what did they do? Push the block? Tie a rope to it and pull the block? Of course not! They floated them down the Nile River in boats, but before we get any deeper, you need to know some background. Ancient Egypt started in 2920 BCE, when the first pharaohs united Upper and Lower Egypt into the powerful kingdom of Egypt, and ended in 30 BCE, when the Romans conquered the kingdom. Running right through Egypt was, and still does, the mighty Nile River in all of its 4,184 miles of glory, influencing the kingdom of Egypt in every way imaginable. Egypt’s cities were all along the Nile. Egyptians had three seasons, Akhet (flood season), Peret (planting and growing season), and Shemu (harvest season), all based on the flooding patterns of the Nile. To the north of Egypt, there was the Mediterranean Sea. To the east of Egypt was the Eastern Desert. To the west of Egypt was the Western Desert. The Egyptians were pretty closed off, so how did they survive? The Nile, of course! The Nile was an oasis in the desert for the people of Egypt. Now that you know the basics, let’s take the time to answer our real question. There is no doubt the Nile shaped Ancient Egypt, but in what ways? The next paragraphs will talk about how the Nile impacted worship, workforce, and trade and transportation. Let’s begin!

                

One of the things the Nile shaped in Ancient Egypt was how they worshipped. This was shown in the song “Hymn to the Nile” where it states, “Hail to you, oh Nile…who produces barley and makes wheat grow… if he is sluggish, noses suffocate, everyone is impoverished… If he rises, the land is in exultation, and everyone is in joy.” which, to my understanding, means the Nile lets food grow, and if it wasn’t there, people would die and everyone who did not would be extremely poor, and if it flooded just right, everyone would be happy and the land rich(Doc E). This shows how much they worshipped the Nile because, if the Nile flooded just a little too much, or just a little too little, their lives would be thrown in poverty. That’s a good reason to worship, right? This was also shown in their calendar where it says, “Akhet (flood season) June-Mid October: Fields in the Nile floodplain covered in water and fertilized by a new batch of silt.”, which said that the fields were flooded, so farmers didn’t have much to do(Doc B). No work=more time to worship, right? Again, the Nile’s flooding pattern affects people’s worship. Yet another example lies in a tomb painting from the tomb of a tradesman named Sennedjem (Doc D). The added note states “The afterlife of Ancient Egypt was a paradise called the Field of Reeds, shown in this tomb painting.”, so the people of Ancient Egypt worship gods so they could get into the Field of Reeds. The painting shows several boats, plants, and irrigation canals, all of which needs the Nile to work, or live. In addition, the borders show the Nile filling the irrigation canals. Even the things they worship to “live” in, so to speak, after death, they cannot escape the Nile.

                

Another one of the things the Nile shaped in Ancient Egypt was their workforce. This was shown in the illustration by Oliver Frey showing boats in the Nile (Doc C). This picture alone shows at least 5 occupations that rely pretty heavily on the Nile, such as farmer, rower, boat builders, cloth makers, and rope makers. This was also shown in the calendar, which has each of the 3 flood-based seasons (Doc B). Notice that each one determines what farmers will do during that time. Remember, farmers made up 95% of the population of Ancient Egypt. Once again, the Nile manages to shape 95% of the population of Ancient Egypt.

                

The 3^rd thing that the Nile shaped in Ancient Egypt was transportation and trade. Do you know how Egyptians got stones from hundreds of miles away from Giza to Giza to build the Great Pyramids? Do you know how Hatshepsut’s first trading phenomenon to Punt was accomplished? (Journey Across Time). By the Nile, of course! This was shown in the map of Ancient Egypt (Doc A). As you can see, the Nile Delta flows into the Mediterranean Sea, a perfect trading route to foreign countries. Another example is the illustration by Oliver Frey showing boats transporting goods to other locations (Doc C). One boat is carrying an obelisk, another a casket. They are carrying things in days what it might take weeks or months to carry on foot. Remember, these obelisks could weigh up to 2 or more tons!

                

Nothing in Ancient Egypt could avoid the Nile, not even their imagination, work, or even death. The Nile shaped just about everything in Ancient Egypt, and I think the most important were worship, trade and transportation, and workforce. However, other river civilizations did not work the same way with the same strong bond. For example, the Tigris and Euphrates of Mesopotamia’s floods were unpredictable and sometimes did more damage than good and did not affect Mesopotamia’s religion in the same way. The Nile also provided more natural defenses, such as the cataracts and waterfalls protecting Egypt from foreign attacks and eventually led to Egypt’s rise. The Nile is quite literally the “backbone” of Egypt, both geographically and politically.

Hammurabi’s Code: Was it just?

Imagine this: you are walking around in an outdoor market when you feel someone take your wallet. You turn around and you see a person. You accuse them of stealing your wallet and it gets taken to trial, when right in the middle a person comes in and confesses to the crime. Suddenly, the current trial ends and a new trial begins: against you. The judge decides to cut your hands off for falsely accusing someone while the thief gets away scot-free (Journey Across Time). I bet you’re thinking that it would be totally unfair to get your hands cut off while a thief gets away with stealing your wallet, just because you thought someone else stole it, then you are completely correct. However, if you lived during Hammurabi’s rule, then this situation might have actually happened. Hammurabi was an ancient king who ruled a small city-state in Mesopotamia, called Babylonia. Hammurabi ruled for 42 years from 1792 BCE (Before Current Era)-1834 BCE. Around Hammurabi’s 38^th year of rule, he created a law code which he carved on a large stone column called a stele. Now you know a little background, we can start answering our main question: Was Hammurabi’s Code just? I don’t think so and here are three reasons why.

Hammurabi’s Code was unfair to the victim. This is shown in Laws 48, 209, and 213. For instance, in Law 48 it says that “If a man has borrowed money to plant his fields and storm has flooded his field or carried away the crop,…in that year he does not have to pay his creditor.”(Doc D). In Law 48 it is unfair to the creditor because he got cheated because he never got his money back. How would you liked to have loaned someone your good money and have never gotten it back? Or in Law 209 and 213 when if a man hits a free girl and causes her to lose her child, he has to pay her 10 shekels of silver, whereas if you were a slave you would only get 2 shekels of silver!(Doc E). If you were that slave girl would you be satisfied? I wouldn’t! A child is a child all the same, no matter which working class.

Hammurabi’s Code was also unfair to the accused. This is shown in Laws 218, 129, and 195. For instance, in Law 218 it says, “If a surgeon has operated with a bronze lancet on a free man for a serious injury, and has caused death, ...his hands shall be cut off.”(Doc E). Law 218 is unfair because if you were the surgeon, you were just trying to help, right? And sometimes things just don’t work out, and then you get your hands cut off? Just for helping!? Or in Law 129 how it states that if a married lady is caught in adultery, then both man and woman will be tied up and thrown in the water. (Doc C) Law 195 is unfair because the punishment for striking your father is cutting your hands off!(Doc C) What if your father was being really mean and hits you because he was angry at someone else? Sometimes you have to defend yourself!

Hammurabi’s Code was unfair to society. This is shown in Law 23. For instance, Law 23 declares, “If the robber is not caught, the man who has been robbed shall formally declare whatever he has lost before a god, and the city and the mayor in whose territory or district the robbery has been committed shall replace for  them whatever he has lost.”(Doc D). This is unfair to society because they didn’t commit the crime. Why should they pay for it?

Even with these many examples, I agree some laws in Hammurabi’s Code, like Law 53, 54 which states that if a man has opened his irrigation trench and his neighbor’s field has flooded because of it, then the man who opened the trench must pay back the neighbor in crops(Doc E), are just and fair, overall Hammurabi’s Code of Laws are unjust because they had violent punishments for nonviolent crimes, and treated people differently because of their working class.

Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Mysterious Benedict Society is a mysterious, fast-paced book with several emotional moments for the readers and characters alike.  The story begins when a peculiar newspaper ad shows up in Stonetown reading, “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” dozens of children show up for a series of mind-bending, complex assessments, but when they’re all finished only four extremely special children will succeed. When Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance finally get some answers, they find the man and his mission behind all of the puzzling tests: Mr. Benedict. 

Their real mission is to stop the evil Mr. Curtain from corrupting every mind on the planet by going undercover in his school, L.I.V.E. or the Learning Institute for the Very Enlighted.  As the genius antagonist, Mr. Curtain cleverly disguised his evil plans through his school L.I.V.E. As his mysterious plans unfold, the team discovers all the terrible secrets in Mr. Curtain’s plan, layer by layer, each one more sinister than the last.  “For L.I.V.E. spelled backward, is EVIL.”, as Reynie realizes. While attending L.I.V.E., The Mysterious Benedict Society learn that friendship is more than just developing a friendly demeanor with each other but depending on one another and treating them like family, giving their lives for each other. Throughout their journey they find surprises everywhere they turn, in each other and in their new school. 

The Mysterious Benedict Society is truly an incredible book and I think it is very deep and meaningful in such a way that it glues your eyes to the pages. At times, the book made me want to cry. At others, it made me want to shout.  The author expressed the character’s emotions so well, you could almost feel it vibrating through the pages of the book into the deepest recesses of your mind. 

The Mysterious Benedict Society has won one award: The Noticeable Children’s award in 2008. Trenton Lee Stewart also wrote The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.  

I think that the recommended reading age should be 8-14 years of age because it is a very deep book that you probably would not understand if you were in second grade and it might be too easy if you were in high school. The Mysterious Benedict Society is a great book. Read it today!

My Top 10 Books in Random Order

1. The Girl Who Could Fly
2. The Cabinet of Wonders
3. The Red Pyramid
4. The Series of Unfortunate Events
5. The City of Amber
6. The Mysterious Case of Albright Academy
7. The Mysterious Benedict Society Series
8. Call Me Hope
9. Eleven Birthdays - Wendy Mass
10. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie