superstitions

Nicole Massey
4/16/10
A block
Superstitions

Babe Ruth steps up to the plate, he plants his feet in the dirt, and looks the pitcher in eyes. The pitcher throws his fast ball; Babe swings and hits a home run! As Babe trots to home plate his whole team is there to celebrate with him. The red sox have just beaten the Yankees to win the World Series.
In 1914 the Boston Red Sox bought Babe Ruth from the Baltimore club, who were a minor league team during this era, and immediately signed him for $3,500 a year, three times the amount he was being paid. During the next 3-years Ruth was the best left-hander in baseball. (Williams) The red sox have won 5 World Series, the most a club has ever won. The Yankees haven’t won any. The Red Sox any Yankees are rivals, Babe Ruth has helped the red sox win all there World Series. In 1920 the red sox manager Harry Frazee traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees for 100,000 dollars. Red sox fans were heart broken when they open their newspapers on January 6th 1920 and found out the Bambino has been traded.
Since Babe has been traded the red so have not won a World Series since then. This is what people call the curse of bambino. In perhaps the most notorious play in Boston Red Sox history, on Oct. 25, 1986, first baseman Bill Buckner bobbled a ground ball that let the New York Mets win Game six of the World Series. The Mets went on to win game seven and the World Series.
Fans have believed that there was a curse for over 86 years. Finally in 2004 the curse was broken when the red sox beat the cardinals in the World Series. It almost seemed like fate for the red sox. They made it to the American league playoffs, and had to play their rivals, the New York Yankees. Boston was down 3 games. It was then in Game 4, when things completely turned around. The Red Sox beat the Yankees in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Sox caught up with the Yankees, tied the game within the last few innings, and would eventually win the game by the 12th inning. It was the start of a record-breaking moment in baseball history, as they are the first team to win a post-season series after losing the first three games. Boston won the series and went on to play the St. Louis Cardinals. Boston swept St. Louis and became the World Series champions. Fans were more impressed when the red sox beat the Yankees. Some fans believe the curse was broken and some believe the curse still exists.
The typical red sox fan will say next year is our year. But only once has that statement been true. It wasn’t only Babe Ruth that made this curse seem so real. In 1978 the red sox had a fourteen game lead on the Yankees. It looked like they were going to win the World Series. But the combination of red sox injuries and the Yankees hot streak narrowed the lead down to four games, as the Yankees came to Boston for a four game series. The Yankees swept the Sox in stunning fashion winning by scores of 15-3, 13-2, 7-0 and 7-4.(Webber) The Yankees went on to win the World Series.
This curse has made so many people have many different superstitions. Some fans wear certain socks, some fans drink out of certain cups, and some fans wear certain jerseys. Some fans are so superstitious they will not change the channel during the game, or they will not get out of their seat, because they think they can control the game. So many fans have different superstition.
When the curse was finally broken in 2004, fans thought we would win more World Series then ever before. But in reality we have only won two World Series since then. Some fans still believe the Red Sox are still cursed. The Red Sox have only won two World Series since 1920. If the curse was broken then they should have won more World Series right? Some fans think they curse is broken and we will have our year, but it’s just not this year.
Superstitious beliefs in professional sports have always intrigued players and fans alike. It has garnered wild thoughts and images of sorcery and voodoo idols in the locker rooms, and while some would scoff at the idea of superstition in sports, there are some stories that may prove its validity. In the world of Baseball, one famous superstition has plagued a team for 86 years, and for the Boston Red Sox, it is the Curse of the Bambino.
The Yankees even had their own superstition, while the Yankees were building their new stadium, a Boston Red Sox fan was working on the construction site. He buried a David Ortiz jersey on the third base line, trying to put a hex on the Yankees. One year later word broke out about the jersey and the Yankees paid construction workers to dig up the jersey. Boston fans believe the hex has backfired in the Red sox, because David Ortiz had been struggling ever since then.
Fans have had many superstitions ever since the game baseball has been played. The biggest superstition in baseball was the curse of the Bambino. It existed for 86 years. Finally the curse was broken in 2004 but like all baseball fans more superstitions are starting again.


Work Cited

1. Prelude to save, Boston Globe, By Amalie Benjamin http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2010/04/11/prelude_to_a_save/
2. 2001-2003 Edward Cosset http://www.bambinoscurse.com/whatis/
3. © 2009 NBC Sports.comhttp://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/6323070/ns/sports-baseball/
4. 1999 - 2007 - baseballhistorian.com http://www.baseballhistorian.com/html/babe_curse.htm
5. http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/s/2002/0718/1407265.html
6. Sebastian Mardershttp://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Baseball-Superstitions--The-Curse-Of-The-Bambino/564963
7. http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/sports/March-April-08/Yankees-Try-to-Avoid-Hex--Unearth

Friendship on Treasure Island

Friendship is a personal relationship shared between each friend for the welfare of other, in other words, it is the relationship of trust, faith and concern for each other feelings. It is a relationship of mutual caring and intimacy among one another. A friend is one who knows you as a person and regards you for what you are and not what he or she is looking in a good friend. Best friend is one who accepts the good as well bad qualities of his friend and also takes an initiative in correcting and mending them. Friendship is a distinctive kind of concern for your friend; it is a relationship of immense faith and love for each other. Friendship is very important to have in life; almost everyone has friends. Without friendship it is really hard to grow, to become more of an adult. Friends help you out when you’re in need. If parents aren’t there to help you friends are. Sometimes friend seem like they are going to help you but they don’t. Some friend are just in it for themselves and don’t think of others. There are many examples of friendship in the novel Treasure Island. Jim becomes friends with Long John Silver, a bitter, mean pirate.

Long John Silver is the book's most powerful and developed character, one whose motivation is believable but not unambiguous and whose complexity makes Treasure Island a true work of genius. Silver is much more than a type; he is a genuine individual, attractive and repellent by turns, frightening at times and at other times nearly sympathetic, always compelling. Unlike the other characters, Silver is presented in specifics: You know his age, his appearance, and something of his history. He is the only one who seems to have a life outside the novel, a past and a future for which there is actual evidence in the text. And he is the only character who is presented against type; Jim describes him as "intelligent and smiling . . . clean and pleasant-tempered"(45) very different from what he expects a pirate to be. Silver further convinces Jim that he is not Billy Bones' "seafaring man with one leg" by sending runners out of his tavern after Black Dog and going back with Jim to report on the incident. He is frugal, plans ahead, speaks respectfully to Trelawney and the others, and is known for being sober and abstemious in his habits. In other words, although you may see Long John Silver now as the archetypal pirate, complete with peg leg and parrot, he was certainly not that to Stevenson's first readers.

Jim Hawkins is the son of an innkeeper near Bristol, England, and is probably in his early teens. He is eager and enthusiastic to go to sea and hunt for treasure. He is a modest narrator, never boasting of the remarkable courage and heroism he consistently displays. Jim is often impulsive and impetuous, but he exhibits increasing sensitivity and wisdom. Jim and Long John Silver became friends on the ship. Silver looks out for Jim on the ship, he protects Jim like a little brother.

“Of Silver we have heard no more. That formidable seafaring man with one leg has at last gone clean out of my life; but I dare say he met his old Negress, and perhaps still lives in comfort with her and Captain Flint. It is to be hoped so, I suppose, for his chances of comfort in another world are very small.”(203) Jim and Silver had a very strong friendship on the ship.

“Well, squire … I don’t put much faith in your discoveries, as a general thing; but I will say this, John Silver suits me.”(47) Dr. Livesey delivers these remarks to Squire Trelawney at the end of Chapter VIII, when the men first meet the crew that will accompany them to Treasure Island. This quotation raises the issue of judgment of another person’s character. First, Livesey’s skepticism about Trelawney’s prudence suggests that the squire’s knowledge of human affairs might be less reliable than that of the practical man of science. We later verify this hypothesis when we discover that the squire has been tricked into manning his ship with a band of pirates; his judgment is indeed unsound. Yet Long John Silver tricks even the wise Dr. Livesey. Though in reality the ringleader of the pirates, Silver is a man whom Livesey trusts instinctively. The doctor’s trust suggests that Silver has extraordinary powers of deception, but also that there is something genuinely likable about the pirate. Even though Silver is a miscreant, he is charismatic and repeatedly earns the respect of others. Indeed, Silver wins Jim’s affection and admiration by the end of the adventure, and he acts like a gentleman on several occasions. Livesey and Trelawney are deceived by Silver because he is such a contradictory character, not fully good but not fully evil either.

“The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flint buried them; and certainly they shall lie there for me. Oxen and wain-ropes would not bring me back again to that accursed island; and the worst dreams that ever I have are when I hear the surf booming about its coasts, or start upright in bed, with the sharp voice of Captain Flint still ringing in my ears: ‘Pieces of eight! pieces of eight!”(125) These final lines of the novel summarize Jim’s feelings about his adventure. Ironically, one of the results of Jim’s treasure hunt is that he learns he does not actually want the treasure, and that he is happy to leave the silver buried on the island. Similarly, at the end of the novel, Jim also realizes that he does not truly want adventure. The negative tone with which he closes his account seems out of place, as in the end everything has worked out well for him: Jim is safely back home, his friends have survived, and he presumably possesses a fair share of the pirates’ loot as reward. Yet Jim calls the island “accursed,” and he is plagued by nightmares of treasure and Silver’s screeching parrot. Jim’s continuing dreams signify that his adventure is still with him, for better or for worse, and that his experience with the pirates has had an indelible impact on his life. However, it also appears that the tragedies of the adventure—the greed and death—still trouble him. Though Captain Flint is long dead and buried, and Jim is back in the relative safety of the civilized world, he still feels the influence and temptation of the pirates’ underworld. Jim is having trouble adjusting to the upright, civilized world and the fact that it completely rejects the darker, more lawless world of the pirates. That a pirate literally has the last words in the novel (the parrot’s cry of “pieces of eight!”) shows that the pirates, and the life and values they represent, will always haunt Jim and the civilized world.

Nicole Massey
12/01/09
A block

Coming to America

As the plane lands on the runway, the turbines are so loud it is almost unbearable. One of the people on the plane was Siddhartha; he was coming to America to visit his newly found friend, Alan. Alan was going to show Siddhartha around some parts of America. They were going New York City; to see the statue of liberty. They had to take a ferry to Ells Island. This was Siddhartha’s first time on a ferry, he was a little nervous, and got a little sea sick. After they got off the ferry Siddhartha looked up at the huge statue in front of him. He was amazed at how tall it was, it was also Alan’s first time visiting the statue of liberty. Both of the men starred at the statue with their jaws on the floor. They both decided to walk through the statue; it was very narrow flight of stairs. The smell was unbearable; it was really musty. It was extremely dark; there were only a couple of lights. He must think this is crazy, Alan thought to myself. After about 7 flights of stairs they were both out of breath. They were in the crown and the view was amazing. Alan almost started to cry, and Siddhartha was speechless. The view was all the skyscrapers and was beautiful. This reminded him of when he was in the city and meet Kamala, the city was crazy and so was New York City. Siddhartha tried fried dough for the first time ever; he fell in love with the taste. Siddhartha saw birds flying, chirping, and singing. Siddhartha loved all the sounds. Siddhartha said to Alan “This trip was better then following the Buddha.” Siddhartha liked seeing all the people. After they toured the whole statue they decided to go for a walk in the park.

We got in a helicopter and flew to Stanley park, in Westfield,Ma. Siddhartha wanted to find a really quite place to meditate. So Alan brought him to Stanly Park. This is a very quiet place, where Siddhartha can relax and connect with his inner self. Siddhartha has reached enlightenment and was very happy. He sat under an apple tree and meditated for about four hours. Siddhartha wanted Alan to learn how to meditate, but Alan wasn’t so keen on the idea. He must really like meditating Alan thought to himself. Alan thought it was silly and that you couldn’t really become enlightened. Siddhartha was disappointed that Alan wouldn’t even try it. Alan felt bad, so he sat on the ground and crossed his legs and sat quietly for a while. He wasn’t really trying and was not meditating. Siddhartha realized that he was not really trying. Siddhartha told Alan to think of a quiet peaceful place, so Alan tried it. Alan thought of the waterfall he and his wife went to on their honeymoon. This water fall was amazing and beautiful. Alan was really meditating now; he saw everything so much clearer now. After they were meditating they walked around the whole park. They saw people playing with their dogs, and people playing with frisbees. Siddhartha smelt this amazing smell, it was a barbecue. Siddhartha wanted to try this so called barbecue. So Alan rented a grill and they went to the store and bought hamburgers, hot dogs, and baked potatoes. Alan cooked all the food and gave it to Siddhartha to try. Siddhartha loved the hamburgers more hen he liked the fry dough. It was time for Siddhartha to go back to his home town. So Siddhartha said goodbye to Alan and went back to India.

About two weeks after Siddhartha left America he wrote Alan a letter. The letter explained how Siddhartha loved America, and how he misses Alan. Alan felt touched by the letter, so Alan packed all his bags and went to visit Siddhartha in India. Alan’s wife went with him and they both enjoyed the views. Siddhartha brought them to a waterfall just like on their honeymoon. Siddhartha told Alan that he liked the park more then the city. So after all the journeys they went on, Siddhartha liked the quiet meditating place more then the crazy city.

Beans Fall Apart

The Bean Tree, Taylor
Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo
Ogidi, Nigeria

In Ogidi, a large village in Nigeria there was a boy named Okonkwo, he is the son of effeminate and lazy Unoka. Okonkwo hates everything his father believes in. Okonkwo adopts other beliefs and disregards all of his father’s advice. Okonkwo also has a son named, Nwoye. He is a twelve year old boy who is also lazy, just like Okonkwo’s father. Nwoye was suppose to follow in Okonkwo foot steps, and become the leader of the tribe, but since he was so lazy he spent his whole entire day with his friends. Okonkwo was very disappointed with his son, he thought his son would be a good leader but he didn’t even want to take the same path as his father. Okonkwo has a friend named Taylor, she is gusty and practical. She does not like her hometown so when Okonkwo invites Taylor to Nigeria she is eager to go to his village.

Taylor takes a long nineteen hour flight to Ogidi, Okonkwo’s village. There is not a lot to do in Okonkwo’s village, he works all day long, and Taylor doesn’t want to work. So they go down to the river to see the fishermen, catch all the fish. Taylor thought this was extremely boring, so they went back to Okonkwo’s house. Taylor asked to meet Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye. At first Okonkwo doesn’t really want Taylor to meet his son, but then after Taylor asked enough times Okonkwo finally said yes. Okonkwo had a little crush on Taylor but he kept it a secret. So Okonkwo and Taylor walked back down to the river to find Nwoye. He was down at the river playing in the water with his friends.

“Nwoye come out of the water now, I want you to meet someone.” Okonkwo said to his son.

Taylor was introduced to Nwoye, and they liked each other from the start. Taylor was acting like Nwoye’s mother and he really liked it. Okonkwo invited Taylor to eat dinner at their house, she was delighted to.

“What are we having for dinner” asked Taylor.

“Fish, of course” said Nwoye.

They all laughed, because all they ever eat is fish. So Taylor decided she would cook the dinner so Okonkwo and Nwoye could have some father, and son alone time. Taylor made the fish her own way; she added many spices into the fish. Okonkwo and Nwoye were a little nervous to try the fish because they have only had it the way that Okonkwo cooks it. They both tried and it and they both loved the fish.

“You have to tell me what spices you added to that fish it was spectacular” said Okonkwo

Taylor laughed and said “of course I’ll tell you what spices I put in the fish”

Nwoye was extremely tired so he went to bed, Taylor said goodnight to him and he ran over and gave Taylor a hug and thanked her for the marvelous fish she made. Taylor and Okonkwo talked about, Okonkwo’s tribe and how they need more women in the tribe. Okonkwo thought about his feelings for Taylor and decided that he really liked her.

“Do you want to stay with us and join our tribe” asked Okonkwo

“yes of course I will “ said Taylor

Taylor stayed at Okonkwo’s house for about three months before he finally asked Taylor to marry him. Taylor said yes and became Nwoye’s new step mother. She joined there tribe and became one of them. Taylor has never missed her hometown at all.