Lit 3 - Compare 2 Characters

Based on the novel Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine, there are two characters that show some distinct differences and similarities. The characters are Richard and Colin. Both of them come from broken homes and families and have gone through many ups and downs. 

One of the similarities between Richard and Colin is their love for their father. Both miss their fathers dearly and wish for nothing more in the world than to be able to reunite with them. Richard was just a young boy when his father passed away. Colin, on the other hand, moved away with his mother when his father was away. While Richard has lost his father forever, Colin was still searching for his. He is determined to find his dad by saving up. ‘One day, I’m going to have enough to go back and find him.’ 

Both Richard and Colin were ignored by their mothers. Love and attention were scarce in their lives and as a result, they didn’t feel wanted. Lilith, Richard’s mother, did not defend him when Reverend Coldstone, Richard’s stepfather, treated him badly. Colin’s mother however is oblivious to the fact that Colin misses his dad because she is too busy working at the canteen and doing household chores. It is evident that both of them did not feel their mother’s love as any child should.

Last but not least, both of them wanted to run away as they thought it would be able to make things work. Richard ran away from home with the hope that he would make life more pleasant for everyone in his family. Colin on the other hand plans to run away to find his step-father as he really misses him. In the end, Richard realized that running away does not solve any problems but only make things worst while Colin still plans on saving money to search for his step-father. 'I'm saving up now....enough to go and find him.' page 61.

     In conclusion, the two characters suffered much pain and sorrow when they could not be with their father anymore. Not only that, they had to go through it on their own as no one cares about them and about how they felt. There was nobody to advise them on what to do. We should be aware that running away does not solve any problems. In fact, it may affect the people around us. Therefore, we need to think wisely before making a serious decision in life.

Lit 2 - How A Character Has Changed Due To Certain Events That Have Taken Place In His/Her Life

Based on the novel Step by Wicked Step by Anne Fine, I think the character Colin has changed the most throughout the story due to certain events that have taken place in his life.

Colin does not know his real father. His mother gets attached to another man, Jack, who becomes stepfather to Colin. Colin has a close and affectionate relationship with him and calls him ‘dad’. His stepfather is someone with whom he can share anything about. One day, his mother decides to leave his stepfather and secretly moves away to another place taking Colin with her.

Colin changed into a very unhappy and lonely boy. He had to join a new school when his mother moved out of their home with him. He has to go through unpleasant experiences. Getting ignored was a common thing for him as the students at his new school had their own set of friends. His mother is always busy with her job at the canteen and with her household chores and had no time to listen to Colin’s problems.

Besides that, Colin changed into a dreamy boy which causes him to have less focus in class. As a result, he did badly in school. This is because he misses his step-father very much and every night he would take the tobacco tin out of the toe of his boot and put it under his pillow. He would even hum their favourite song, ‘The Bluebird of Happiness’ and stay awake for hours pretending to talk to his dad. ‘…I’d hum our favourite song.’ Page 56. Every time the ice skating ring plays their song he would be there listening.

Lastly, Colin became resourceful when he was separated from his step-father. He would keep track on how long since he last saw him which was 5 years, 8 months and 7 days. Not only that, he secretly writes his step-father’s name and his old address on the forms at school. ‘…sneak his name and our old address on the forms…’ page 60. In order to be able to search for his step-father one day, he tries to save money by doing 3 paper rounds a week.

At first, Colin responded negatively to the changes in his life by becoming dreamy and moody but he decides to do something worthy by going after what he wants. His love and longing for his dad motivated him to become optimistic, resourceful and patient in his mission to search for his dad.

Lit 1 - One has to struggle to improve one's life

Based on the novel ‘Step By Wicked Step’ ,by Anne Fine, it is very true indeed that one has to struggle to improve one’s life.

Richard’s story clearly exhibits the struggle of a young boy who has lost his father, whom he loved so much, in exchange for a stepfather, whom he despised. When his father passed away, his mother, Lilith remarries and his stepfather is Reverend Coldstone. Richard never got along with Mr Coldstone and neither did Mr Coldstone get along with Richard. “I’ll be no son of his! Not ever!” When Richard is found to be uncontrollable, he is whisked away to Mordanger School, where he suffers in silence. “I have learned nothing except how to freeze, how to starve, how to be bullied, and beaten.” So, he decides to leave home, thinking that that is the way to improve his lifestyle, thinking that that is the best solution for everyone, but it only brought tremendous anguish to his family.

Claudia finds that she has to tread carefully after her parents’ divorce. She tries not to hurt her mother by sounding less keen to be with her father. “I’d try not to sound too keen, so as not to upset mom.” She initially resents her father when he has a girlfriend. As a result of her father’s new relationship, Claudia feels treated as second-best and unimportant. “It made me sort of second-best, and not important.” Her relationship with her father’s girlfriend, Stella, is also unpleasant until she realises that Stella should not be blamed for what happens between her parents. Claudia decides to openly acknowledge and appreciate Stella in front of her father’s friends, an act which earns Stella’s gratitude and her friendship. This clearly shows that Claudia had initial setbacks with Stella, and decides to improve on their relationship, resulting in a better relationship with Stella and her father.

Pixie, whose parents are divorced, thinks her father is more concerned with his new family and does not side with her anymore. She tolerates her stepmother, Lucy, whom she thinks she can ignore but does not like her stepsisters, Sophie and Hetty, who drive her up the wall. “I can’t stand Hetty Payne.” Pixie is unable to consider them as her family, and she voices this out in her confrontation with Lucy over Hetty. After a heated argument, both of them soon realise that Pixie’s father is irresponsible and does not help in any way to improve relationships. They decide to let bygones be bygones and allow their relationship some time to grow. In the other end, Pixie and her stepmother understood each other better. Pixie also managed to make a better bond with Hetty and improve her Maths skills.

The struggle between a stepchild and a stepfather is also seen in the case of Robbo’s sister, Callie. Unlike Robbo, Callie hates their stepfather, Roy and insists that she will never get used to him. “I don’t think he’s too bad, but Callie really hates him.” As a result, Callie made life difficult for everyone. Robbo realises that in order to keep their family intact and happy, they must have a different strategy and even have ‘fresh teams’. “I want to start over again. New season. Fresh game. Fresh teams.” He encourages his mother to let Callie go and live with their father as Callie wishes, and for he and his mother to start afresh with Roy and his half-brother, Dumpa. He had to struggle a lot so that his sister could finally improve her life. And with her at their father’s place, there were less fights, resulting in everybody’s life improving.

In conclusion, it can be seen clearly that to improve your life, one has to overcome many problems. On the other hand, one should think wisely before acting or it could ruin other people’s life, as seen in Richard’s story. The other characters meanwhile not only improved their lives but their families lives as well in many aspects. Therefore, by pushing through life and making the right decisions, everyone will learn their lesson and benefit from it.

The Final Planet (2/2)

   "Lieutenant! Are our preparations ready?"

"Yes sir. The Mogs are expected to arrive any minute now."

"Good. I believe we can-"

Just then the sound of drums were heard from the difference. Looks like they have arrived.

"All guns ready!" I could count about 100 ships only. Much less than expected. Just a few more kilometers until they are in range.

5 more kilometers. 4. 3. 2. 1.

"Fire at will!" 

All the Ouwei soldiers shot at the same time, releasing a barrage of lasers towards the enemy ships. One by one the ships crashed to the ground. I smiled. Things were going according to plan. Soon we would release the beast. And when that happens, they won't stand a chance. 

Despite the number of ships being destroyed they were still advancing at a quick rate. they were already 7 kilometers away from us. 

"Release the oil!"

Suddenly oil started pouring down from the sky, covering the enemies ships. What they didn't know was that we had placed a few of our own ships high up in the sky where they could not be seen. As soon as the Mogs were below them, oil which had been placed on the ships would be dropped on them and then set alight, destroying all of it. And it worked exactly as planned.

Slowly, the lighted ships started to explode, killing every living being in them. The ships next to them were also destroyed as they were too close and got hit by shards of the remains of the ships.

With the few ships that they had left, it was near impossible for them to beat us. But to reduce casualties, it was best to release the beast.

“Release it.”

“Yes sir.”

The front gates opened, revealing a one of a kind beast, Nogard. Standing at 20 metres tall, teeth sharper than daggers, wings spread wide, it gave an almighty roar. The roar was enough to send chills down anyone’s back, including mine. Fortunately it was on our side and only existed on Ouwei or else it would be the end of us. That was guaranteed.

The Nogard flew towards the Mog ships, ripping gears apart as it flew. The Mog ships were not retreating for some unknown reason but still charging at us without even firing a single shot. Something was wrong. I could just feel it. Anybody in their right mind would retreat when confronted with such destruction. It was as though… No way…  It cannot be…

“STOP ALL FIRE!!!!!”

But by now the Ouwei soldiers were too excited in destroying their ships and had become ignorant to the things around them. This is not good. We were exhausting our supply of ammo at an incredibly fast rate. And to think-

“Sir! There seems to be another wave of ships coming. There aren’t many ships but they have a few unidentified creatures with them. I’ve never seen anything like them.”

I took the binoculars from him and adjusted it towards the new wave. What I feared was probably happening. The first wave of ships was probably empty. The real war was just about to begin. But those creatures… Just as Lieutenant Bur said, I had never seen them before. They didn’t look very terrifying. Only about the 2 metres in height, they looked like gargoyles.

Just then, the Nogard caught sight of the creatures and charged at them at full speed. Those creatures didn’t even look scared. All they did was…. nothing. The Nogard just went and swallowed one of them whole. Well, they didn’t look to worrying. And then, the Nogard gave a roar. Not a strong, powerful roar like before, but one of pain. Next thing I knew, there was a hole in the Nogard’s stomach and a very bloody gargoyle-like thing was crawling out of it.

Mt heart stopped beating. Now I know what those creatures were…  They were ancient machines of war. But… they were in fairy tales. On the other hand, in every story, there is always some truth in it. And this was the truth. These creatures were experts in destroying anything in their path. Their skin were more than 5 times harder than diamond, their claws could easily cut through titanium and their bite was as poisonous as… as… as I have no idea. Legend says that 1 of these beasts could easily kill 20 000 men. To put things in a nutshell, they were indestructible. And they explained why the Mogs were unstoppable. 

The Final Planet (1/2)

   The Mogs were going to strike anytime. They had taken Smyria less than an hour ago. After a day’s worth of rest they were bound to come for us. And Ouwei was only 200 light-years. Could reach it in 8 hours. So estimated time we had until they strike is 1 day and 8 hours. Long enough for Ouwei to prepare for war. 

   "Sir! Lord Odhoth wishes to see you." 

   I sighed. Expected him to call me ages ago. Putting on my helmet, I walked towards the throne room. Everywhere I looked, there were looks of fear across every face. But as Head General of planet Ouwei I had to hold my head high. Must not show the fear that was in me.

   At the door of the throne room, I knocked. “Come in.” Taking a deep breath, I stepped in.

   “General Eur. I need to speak with you urgently. As you know, the Mogs have taken Smyria, meaning that we are the last planet in the Milky Way. I believe you are preparing for war?”

   “Of course my Lord. My soldiers are preparing as we speak. I believe that we will be able to withstand their attacks.”

   “Good. I certainly hope so. Very well then. I will put my faith in you. Do not disappoint me. You may leave”

   “Yes my Lord.”

   Turning around, I exited the room and went to check on our defences. Our force field was up, guns were ready, and soldiers in full armour expecting the worst.

   “Gather all the soldiers at the Opening. It’s time for my speech.”

   “Yes sir!”

   Making my way to the balcony, I started to do calculations. Calculating the chances of us winning. I would say the chances were high. Based on information from our scouts they had about 7 500 warriors. After their latest fight, they probably only had 6 000 fighters. We should have enough to defeat them. Ouwei had 11 000 warriors.  Nearly double their number.

   “Sir, the soldiers have gathered.”

   “Good.”

   Making my way to the balcony, I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

   “Brave warriors of Ouwei. I stand before you today because of those miserable beasts which are about to come. Those beast that have mercilessly slaughtered all the other species. We are here today to prevent the same fate from happening to our people. It’s time the Mogs were brought down to the place they belong-HELL!! I ask all of you here! Are we going to let them win? Will we bend our knees to them? NO! We will show them the true strength of the Ouwei men!!!”

   “Ouwei! Ouwei! Ouwei!”

  The soldiers continued to chant. Looks like their moral is high. But for now, they need rest. Retreating back inside, I gave a sigh of relief.

   “Good speech sir.”

   “Thanks lieutenant.”

  Making my way back to my room, I felt like something wasn’t right. It just wasn’t possible for them to conquer so many planets in such a short time. The number of people they should have lost was uncountable and they still had the strength to continue only taking a day’s rest at most after each planet. It just wasn’t possible.

What Money Can’t Do

  Money is something that has become a necessity to any and every one of us. Without money, we can do nothing. Whoever says they can live without money is someone who either does not know life, or is just plain dumb. Money makes the world go round. Want proof? Who runs the world? Is it people who love greatly or people with lots of cash? All major and successful companies are run by people with money. Of course that is kind of obvious, but some people still need to have the obvious shoved under their noses.

   But to what extent are people willing to go to just to gain a big profit? The answer? Any. People would steal, murder, do anything just to achieve these green pieces of paper used to buy and sell objects or services. Is that not a bit too much? To some, no. In their opinion, the world only revolves around themselves. Who cares about others as long as I’m fine?

   But there are still some things that money can’t buy. Not now, not ever. Example: Happiness.

Many think money=can buy anything they want=happiness.

That’s not really true. There are people who despite their wealth, still choose to take their own life. Enough said, I think.

   Family. Our own blood is something that will never be on sale for us. We only have one family. Treasure every single one of them while you still can. You never know how precious something is until it’s gone.

   True friends. I can proudly say that my classmates are all very well bonded together- and no money was involved. Friends come from the heart, not from our pockets. If you by any chance have friends who are there for your money then here’s my advice- ditch them. For good. It’s better to have no friends than fake friends. As lonely as you might be, at least you know that there won’t be anyone who will stab you in the back. Except maybe family members. (Yes, family members can be your worst enemy. No, it’s not just in movies)

   Time is money. This is partially true. Every second that you waste, you could be earning more money. But for every cent that you pay, you cannot buy time. Yes, it’s a bit unfair like that, but life’s unfair. Fact not fiction.  So I ask you, would you rather waste money or time?

   Lastly, life. Something that is not in our control. We may be able to prolong our life by buying medicines and what not, but will we be able to live forever? Are we able to buy someone who has passed away? Definitely not. Imagine if you could buy someone back from the grave. The streets would be littered with deceased people who do not belong here anymore. As much as I hate saying this, it’s a good thing that life cannot be brought back to life.

   In conclusion, money CANNOT buy many things in life. These are the things that we must treasure most while we still have them. Don’t waste them while they are still there. Once it’s gone, there’s no getting them back. Money may be important in life, that’s undeniable. But there are still things worth more than money. Make the most of them while they last. 

Defense Of The Ancients

   Men. Typical of them to continue destroying the planet. With all their pollution and "technology" that just destroys our home. Looks like it's time to fight back. Time to show them, we will not sit still and watch as our kind gradually becomes extinct. Time for us Ancients to reveal our presence and show them true power rather than artificial weapons called "nuclear bombs". 

14 July 2015, Tuesday

U.S. Geological Survey Headquarters,

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive

Reston, VA 20192

“James, we got movement of Earth’s crust at California! It seems to be an earthquake! And not a normal one at that. It seems abnormal…”

James ran towards the computer screen to take a better look.

“You better look at this…”

“We are now broadcasting live at California. An earthquake just occurred here less than 5 minutes ago. OMG! It looks like there are trees growing from it! Unbelievable. How is this possible? I don’t think there’s a scientific explanation for AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

This female is on a camera. Perfect for me to tell them it’s time for their punishment. I’ll just throw her away and grab the camera to start.

*throws woman away*

That male carrying the camera just dropped it and ran away. Hope it’s still usable. 

“HUMANS! THIS IS THE ANCIENTS, A TRIBE AND SPECIES YOU HAVE NEVER KNOWN BEFORE. WE HAVE TOLERATED YOU AND YOUR FACTORIES, CARS, AND WHATEVER YOU HAVE USED THAT CAUSES PLANET EARTH TO FADE AWAY DAY BY DAY. WE HAVE DECIDED TO MAKE A STAND AND ELIMINATE YOUR ENTIRE SPECIES. PREPARE YOURSELVES, FOR YOUR END DRAWS NEAR.”

James could not believe it. A tree was just on television and talking. Saying something about human annihilation. It just didn’t make sense. But if what he - it said was true, then war would break out between trees and humans. Well, we all know that trees don’t stand a chance against machines so there’s nothing to worry about. I hope.

Soldiers were running, taking their weapons and moving towards the nearest aircraft. Their weapons were not guns but weed killer spray, deadly towards plants. They had expected something like this to happen ever since some archaeologists found a tablet with writings describing creatures that would arise if Earth's environment was threatened. “Let’s get the show on the road!” shouted General Cain. “Time to show these plants who’s boss.”

A flying machine just passed us overhead. Probably their best warriors come to fight. No worries. We’ll just crush them like the bugs they are. They think they can fight us. How foolish of them. How can anything fight against nature itself?

Landing in an empty parking lot, the soldiers got out one by one, hurrying to secure their position. General Cain stepped out of the helicopter, cigarette in mouth. One of those trees was running-not running, but pulling himself with his roots towards them. “Get ready man! It’s coming!” The soldiers all started spraying at the same time. With an almighty roar, the Ancient grabbed 2 soldiers and threw them as hard as he could. There was a sickening ‘crunch’ heard when they made contact with the ground. Then it fell down, without making another sound.

How is that possible? They took down Agafya with their weapons. Never mind. He didn’t die in vain. We will avenge him. Immediately.

General Cain approached the creature, gun in hand for safety measures. The tree didn’t move at all. It was just a tree now. Looks like they aren’t very strong after all. “General, we’re being surrounded.” General Cain looked up. Looks like things were about to get very fun.

The cameraman working with the army is sure giving the rest of the world a good view of what it’s like on the battlefield. They had successfully taken down one of those “Ancients”, but now unfortunately, they were surrounded by about 10 of them. 1 and 10 is a very big difference, James thought. This could work out really well for mankind, or it will be our extinction. We’ll just have to wait and watch.

“ALL ARMS READY! WAIT FOR MY ORDER!” Have to wait until their in range. As soon as that happens, they will get to meet their Creator.

James watched tensely. It looked like humans would be able to win this battle. And winning the first battle was always important. And then suddenly, he saw what they could do. And he realized that all was lost.  A few trees had just emerged from the ground out of nowhere, and they were being controlled by the Ancients. Their branches swinging wildly grabbing any man in reach, they ripped them from limb to limb. The army didn’t even stand a chance. It was like a scene from Narnia where nature itself was their number one enemy.

No man left standing. Maybe this will make them realize that any form of resistance is worthless. No mercy shall be shown to them. The world will live like it once used to again. Without blemish. Without dirt. Without humans.

Books and Games

Recently, a friend of mine, a gamer, just finished his first book. Not like those kiddy type of books but a legit book that was a few hundred pages long. And he felt very accomplished. For the first time in his life, instead of playing computer games, he took up a good book and explored a new and unusual dimension which he had never been before. The familiar characters he used in games disappeared and he was brought to another fantasy land where everything is much more different.

   As my friend has now come to realize, not only games are entertaining, but a books as well. In my opinion, a good book is better than playing games. It all depends on the type of book and the game. A book in many ways is similar to a game but has even more different. Why is it similar? Because as I stated above, it brings you to a place you would never dare to venture in real life. Imagine a Shooting game such as Counter Strike. Who would in their right mind go out to war for fun? Now take a book which depicts a person in the midst of war. The general idea is the same, where the main character does whatever it takes to survive the war. But games are just games. They don’t show what it’s really like to be at war. Most of the time it’s just you going to the battlefield and killing people. A good book on the other hand will tell you how the character felt and make you feel how it’s really like to be in the warzone. Rather than just shooting and getting headshots, a book is more realistic it describes in detail of what the hero of the story went through. Thus, you will be more attached to a book compared to a game.

   Let’s look at the perks of reading books.

1.    Broadens vocabulary

2.    Time spent well

3.    Doesn’t cost a lot of money

4.    A lot more but too lazy to think

For computer games meanwhile,

1.    Trains hand-eye coordination

2.    Make new friends/Bond with friends (If playing with friends)

3.    That’s about it

The bad side of it however,

Reading

1.    Unsociable

2.    Spoils eyesight if read in wrong position

3.    Not very sure

Computer games

1.    Electricity bill.

2.    Spoils eyesight no matter what position you are in

3.    Waste of time

4.    Encourages a lot of swearing

5.    Some more stuff

   So as we can see, based on what I typed, computer games just aren’t as good as reading. Therefore, I say that we should all take up a good book and start reading today. Your school textbooks are not included. I personally recommend Harry Potter because it is amazing. My all-time favorite book. So to everyone out there wasting time by reading this dumb blog post, pick up a book and read.

Of course all this was just for show. I advise gamers to continue gaming because it is so much more exciting than reading. Or read Harry Potter.