Sophomore

-Sophomore year is definitely a blur in my memory. Again, this was a year filled with reading books. But, I'll admit that I did enjoy most of the books we read. Sadly, we would take short paragraph response tests, vocabulary tests, and fill-in-the-blank quizzes to learn the information. In reality, I only wrote one paper sophomore year. Luckily, I found that paper and you will see it shortly after reading this short introduction. Hope you enjoy this little piece I wrote sophomore year, for it brought back a lot of memories from my early high school days!

Powder

         "...And the best was yet to come-switchbacks and hairpins impossible to describe. Except maybe to say this: If you haven't driven fresh powder, you haven't driven" (Wolff 3). This quote represents the bond between the father and son growing towards the end of the story. While the dad is raving on about what a great driver he is, the author's originally worried about the state troopers until he admitts that he has trust in his father. Therefore, it's evident to say that the idea of opposites attracting is a crucial and important theme in this short story, due to the fact that the two central characters are total opposites. They have a special bond that brings them closer and closer to each other.

         In the story, the author is practically the opposite of his father. The author, as told by his dad, is always planning and thinking ahead. This statement is supported by the fact that the boy has his clothes on numbered hangers to ensure proper rotation. In addition, the author asks his teacher for due dates far ahead of their due dates so that he could draw up schedules. On the other hand, the author''s father can only be described as a risk taker. A prime example of this is when the father snuck the boy into a night club, even when the adults were trying to work out their differences. Also, the father mentinos several times that, "she won't forgive me..." (Wolff 1) because of the fact that the highway is closed and the boy would be returned home extremely late on Christmas Eve. Furthermore, this can only point to the assumption that the father's been granted several opportunities to make up for his mistakes, but repeatedly fails the expectations of the boy's mother. But with that in mind, when the father and son are together, they have the most exhilarating times. Even with the two of them breaking the law and driving through a forest, the boy realizes that he can relax because of the trust he has in his dad. The boy explains, "This was one for the books. Like being in a speed boat, only better... He was a great driver. All persuasion, no coercion. Such subtlety at the wheel, such factful pedalwork. I actually trusted him" (Wolff 3). This short passage fully reveals the confidence he has in his father and the genuine fun they're having together, as the boy describes as being on a speed boat, but only better. This also ties into the idea that opposites attract because the author's enjoying the time he has with his father and all the mischief that they are creating together. And at the same time, their relationship grows stronger.

        This short story demonstrates the idea of opposites attracting to the fullest. The main characters in the story couldn't be any more different from each other. The father is described as a forty-eight year, rumpled, kind, bankrupt of honor, and flushed with certainty person, not to mention that he sneaks into night clubs with his son in the midst of a divorce. On the other side, the author is mature, intelligent, and is always thinking ahead when it comes to homework, clothes, and even his father. He fears that they will get caught by the cops for driving through the forest, but at the same time states that he's having the time of his life. He trusts that his father will get him home. So, how can two completely different people have so much fun together? The best answer to that question is the idea that opposites attract, and there cannot be a better example to support this theory than the relationship between the father and the author.

Powder Reflection

-Much like my freshman year, I learned that I used to over use the same phrases. I must've used "the idea that opposites attract" at least 20 times in this piece, even though the paper was only 3 pages long. In addition, my introduction is horrible because it brings no context to the story. I open with a quote, which is a safe thing to do. This year, I've learned to open my pieces unexpectedly or with a bang. This was an essay response piece to the short story "Powder" on my final exam. I actually remember reading that story and liking it a lot. It reminded me of a lot of my friends and how they're so different from their parents. But, this piece has limited capacity since it's a response to a story. Therefore, there's no future corrections necessary for this piece.