Persuasive Essay

648 Oak Ave

Las Animas CO 81054

26 October 2010

Mr. Nickell

300 Grove

Las Animas CO 81054

Dear Mr. Nickell:

Every school in the United States is having trouble with the lack of funding that the government is sending.  There is a solution to the budget cuts that may or may not work but I feel that is worth the risk.  I even have knowledge of a woman who has volunteered to look up grants to help the school.  Las Animas doesn’t have a hired grant writer and I think that if you hire one the school will be better off.  There are some cons to hiring a grant writer.  The major one is what if we hire a grant writer and don’t get any grants then we just wasted all the money we used to pay their salary.  There are two schools in the valley that seem to be successful in acquiring grants.  For tips on hiring a grant writer you should ask the McClave and La Junta.  They both have gotten large  grants for sports.  If they were able to get these grants why couldn’t we too?

 

Everyone in Las Animas can’t deny how helpful a grant can be.  After all, the elementary school completely turned around and is now considered one of Colorado’s best schools thanks to a grant.  Grants are something that there is a large range of.  Find a good grant writer and you can get grants for anything from sports to academics to school buildings.  When there is an opportunity to get money for so many areas the students could suggest what they feel we should try for grants on.  Giving the students a say in the way their school spends money will they feel more empowered.  This school is always asking for students to participate more, and if there is an issue that the students care about they will.  The girls seem to run the school since many of the boys could care less.  If they are given a choice to voice their opinions on the areas the school could improve then most will probably participate more. 

           

Parents want their children to get a well-rounded education.  There are grants that could give our school a chance at reestablishing past electives into our curriculum.  With more choices more students would consider coming to Las Animas which means more money for the school.  All the other letters sent to the administration propose what we should do with funding money.  A grant writer could try finding a way to make some of them happen.  The grant researches we have now have many other things on their plate and a grant writer could lighten that load.  Although not every grant will pass a grant writer could change out school for the better.

            Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and hear my thoughts.  I hope you will consider my proposal because this is something I believe will change the school for the better.

Sincerely yours,

Bailey Huffman

The Birds Movie Review

 

            Although I’m sure The Birds was impressive for the time period in which it was made, it did not capture my interest.  There were many things that could improve this movie.  The Birds lack of believable scenery in conjunction with the poorly done special effects, made it’s attempts at realist horror laughable at best.  It did not come off as a horror film, but more as a spoof of a horror flick, so it shouldn’t be categorized as a horror movie  Many critics wrote exclaiming their praise for the eerie vibe the movie radiates.  When you see this movie, you will feel no such vibe.  I do admit that Hitchcock did not have all the technology current day directors have to create action packed horror films, but since this is not 1963 the expectations for a realistic portrayal are much higher.   Given today’s technological capabilities, Hitchcock could have greatly improved this film. 

One of the movies key points is introduced within the first few minutes of the film.  Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets the dashing Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a bird shop in San Francisco.  Melanie tries to convince Mitch she works at the bird shop.  Mitch plays along and asks Melanie to show him the parakeets.  Melanie shows Mitch the love bird not realizing Mitch knows they aren’t parakeets.  He asks Melanie to get one out for him.  When she does it gets away and Melanie discovers Mitch knew the entire time that she did not work at the bird shop.   To get back at Mitch, Melanie buys two love birds.  She searches for Mitch to give him the love birds and ends up in Bodega Bay.  There she and the other townspeople are the targets of unexplainable bird attacks.

  Throughout the movie Tippi portrays Melanie’s character, as a ditzy blonde, perfectly, while Rod is just the right match for his character Mitch.  Veronica Cartwright has several scenes where she over does her role as Cathy (Mitch’s little sister).  You can’t help but to feel sorry for the school teacher, Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette), considering her past ties to Mitch and her tragic end.  The best character in the movie is the unnamed man at the restaurant who declares it is the end of the world.  This character creates an essence of humor to the film.  Hitchcock did well in choosing actors for this film.  Their performances are a dismal light of reality in an otherwise implausible picture.

            There are two scenes that actually catch your attention.  Both of the scenes are the consequences of the bird attacks.  First, Mitch’s mother, Mrs. Brenner (Jessica Tandy), is looking for the farmer and discovers him dead in his room.  Not only are the windows broken, but the farmer’s eyes are gone leaving his sockets empty except for the blood coating them.  This scene leaves the audience with an appreciation of the horror the birds can inflict even though it is not depicted in the bird attacks.  Another bird assault leads to the most memorable special effect in the movie.  In town a man is so frightened when the birds attack that he drops a gasoline line.  Another onlooker absent mindedly lights his cigar and the bird causes him to drop the lit cigar on the spilled gasoline.  You can guess what happens next and even though it’s not the best explosion (as far as special effects go), it is still a memorable part of the movie.

            Some critics believe The Birds is unique although many would not agree.  It includes a love triangle, a blonde who opens a door when she knows she shouldn’t and a widowed mother who doesn’t want to lose her son.  There are critics who believe the special effects in The Birds are amazing and the fear created by this horror flick will make you look up at the sky fearing the birds.  I recall that as I watched the movie with my peers, we were all laughing at the scenery and the birds.  You can tell the scenery is fake because it looks like the director placed the actors in front of a painting.  The bird attacks are also unbelievable because when you see them attack it looks like the people off set are just throwing plastic birds at the actors.  The Birds may have many good reviews, but the reviews that recommend it are from the 1960’s.   I recommend this movie to people looking for a good laugh.  Make sure you don’t spend any money seeing it because it isn’t worth much.     

The Most Dangerous Game Essay

            It is an uncommon occurrence for someone to hunt another human.  In the story The Most Dangerous Game the main character Rainsford is pursued by General Zaroff after he falls overboard and lands on what is thought to be a deserted island.  Richard Connell creates suspense throughout the story by using cause and effect relationships as examined in the subsequent examples.

            After struggling to shore and gathering his wits, Rainsford remembers that he heard gunshots coming from the island.  He concludes that the island is inhabited.  Using his hunting skills, he follows a boot trail.  He comes upon a large mansion and discovers the owner has a liking for hunting.  The General explains he has hunted every known animal and it no longer gives him a thrill, so he has found a new type of animal to hunt.  “If I wish to hunt, why should I not?  I hunt the sum of the earth-sailors from tramp ships-lascars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels-a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them” (Connell 27).  Hunting man is the General’s idea of the most dangerous game.  He explains to Rainsford that unlike an animal, man can reason and is there for the perfect prey.  Rainsford is appalled at the idea of hunting another human and declines General Zaroff’s offer to hunt with him.  Rainsford doesn’t realize that he has just set the wheels in motion for the most exciting hunt General Zaroff has ever had.

            Rainsford goes to bed, but doesn’t sleep a wink.  Somewhere on the island he hears a gunshot and knows the General has claimed another head.  The next morning Rainsford and the General are eating lunch when the General confides to Rainsford that during his hunt the night before he felt traces of boredom.  Rainsford asks the General to send him home.  His request gives General Zaroff an idea.  “Rainsford observed the dead black eyes of the general on him, studying him.  General Zaroff’s face suddenly brightened” (Connell 30).  Since Rainsford refused to hunt with General Zaroff the General decides Rainsford would make for very good sport.  General Zaroff challenges Rainsford and gives him no choice, but to play the game.  As Rainsford sets off into the jungle he realizes he has to keep his nerve or he will surely lose.

            After hours of trekking through the jungle Rainsford hides in a tree.  His attempts to lose the General were futile.  He sets traps and successfully kills Ivan, the General’s assistant, and one of the general’s hunting dogs.  Rainsford hurts the general and prolongs the hunt, but still the game remains in a stalemate.  Rainsford frantically tries to think of a plan as General Zaroff and his hounds close in on him.  As a last minute resort he jumps into the sea below.  Rainsford had a plan and the General would not realize he had lost until he turned on the light in his bedroom and saw Rainsford.  “I am still a beast at bay,’ he said in a low, hoarse voice.  ‘Get ready, General Zaroff” (Connell 36).  Rainsford kept his whit.  It was when he knew he would not survive as prey that he decided to make the hunter become the hunted.

            Every cause in this story was like a ripple in a pond.  There were many cause and effect relationships that lead to Rainsford being hunted.  Each one added suspense to the selection and they all contributed to the final outcome. 

Hunter or Hunted

      In my opinion being the hunter would be easier then being hunted. I would probably choose to be the hunter because when you think about the story the general had several chances to kill Rainsford. The first day that the general hunts Rainsford he finds him in the tree. I would have taken the opportunity because who knows if you’d get another one. General Zarcoff also passes up the chance to kill Rainsford near the swamp. As for my qualifications I am probably not a very good hunter. Although, if I knew the outcome of the game would be the same one as in the story I would reconsider and choose being the hunted.