Hits and Misses

HITS - 3 of my writings that demonstrate my strengths,  I enjoyed writing and I am proud of ...

Poem – The reason this poem is under my hits is because I had fun writing it. I wrote the poem about baseball and I love baseball. Writing without getting all stressed out is a goal of mine. In terms of writing and not getting stressed this was a hit.

Pop, the baseball hits the center of the glove.

Whoosh, the bat swings 'round but misses the ball.

The grass rustles with the wind from above.

Without a hit the team will fall.

Thump, thump, hearts beat fast

Thip, the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.

Ping, the ball is punished by the bat.

Eyes follow the ball across the grand stand.

Our team wins the game, now how about that.

Screams of disappointment and joy

Cat Scratch Fever – This was the first major essay I did in my English class this year. I have it under hits because as I reflect on my writing I realize what I did well in the paper and the small things I could do to improve the paper. My teacher pointed out that I wrote like a second grader because the event I wrote about happened while I was in second grade. At first that bothered me but now I understand what she meant and I see how it made the paper work.

Cat Scratch Fever

            When I woke up, there was a long, thin, clear tube attached to my arm. Where was I? I closed my eyes again because I wanted to go back to my dream. In my dream, I was going faster and faster on my scooter. The driveway was long, and the weather was perfect, warm from the sun shining down in streams of light. I was zooming on my brand new hot wheels scooter with sparks were flying out of the back of it. And I was getting good on that scooter. But that was the dream. I opened my eyes again, and I was still in the hospital. I still felt terrible, exhausted, and the long clear tube was filling with red waves of blood. I had forgotten I wasn't supposed to move my arm so much.

 How did I end up in the hospital? Well, it was a joyous and happy Christmas. My sisters were both home, and we spent lots of time together with our whole family. We ate meals together with delicious, beautiful food and lots of laughs. We got together with my Aunt Teri and Uncle Skeet and my cousins Taylor and Andrew. We also got together with my Aunt Roslyn and Uncle Russ and my cousins Ragan and Ryan. We opened presents, and everything smelled delicious, and everyone seemed busy, happy, and together. I liked us being together.

 One of my favorite Christmas presents that year was a hot wheels scooter that made sparks. It had bright colors, orange, yellow and red. And it had black lightning bolts on the sides. I also got a brand new baseball glove. It was brown and smooth, and it had the fresh scent of leather. I have always loved sports, all sports, but especially baseball.  I had a new glove and a new scooter. Things were good, and I was happy. My Mom and Dad seemed happy too. They got all dressed up and went to a party for New Year's Eve, and I stayed with my babysitter, Jill. I practiced with my new glove in the front yard. I rode my scooter down our long driveway. I had fun. I found a kitten. A small, cold, tiny, grey kitten. She was so skinny that in between every rib there was an indent. She looked very sick, so sick that when she walked every movement was frightening to see. I wasn't afraid for myself, I was afraid for her. She just kept meowing. I knew I needed to take care of that kitten.

 My Mom is allergic to cats. No cats in the house, that's a strict rule. So Jill and I made a house for the kitten from a box with old towels. We fed the kitten and gave her milk from a bowl. I held that tiny, cold, grey kitten and played with her and scratched her tummy. She scratched me back on the chin, but she was just playing with me. I bled, but it didn't hurt that much. Jill made me come inside, and she cleaned my chin. Jill's mom was a nurse, so she put special medicine on the scratch and told me to be careful with the kitten.

 The next morning my parents found out it was the neighbor's kitten. So the sweet, needy, cold grey kitten went next door. I had another day of fun at home, but I wondered about that tiny kitten. Then, it was time to go back to school. My school was fun in the second grade. There wasn't too much pressure, and my friends were kind. So going back to school was not too bad. The first back to school morning I knew I didn't feel great, but my parents told me I was tired from the holiday. "You will get back in the routine," my parents said.  I went to school, but when I came home from school, I had a fever. I felt awful. My parents gave me medicine and put me to bed. The next day I went to the doctor, and she said I was pretty sick, and the doctor gave me more medicine.

 For the next week, I was getting sicker and sicker, more fever, more medicine.  I had to go to the doctor's office almost every day. I had to sit with a tube attached to my arm through a needle, and I couldn't keep anything down. I was weak. Adults whispered around me all the time. They just kept whispering. And they gave me all kinds of medicine, lots, and lots of medicine. And I couldn't keep that down either so they would give me shots and attach the tube again. I hated those needles, those cold prickly needles. I hated that tube because it kept me tied down. I wanted to go back to school, but I wanted to sleep more. I needed to go to the bathroom all the time, I mean constantly, so it felt like I didn't get to rest very much. And when I did go to the bathroom or try to rest, there was more whispering. I hated the whispering.

 But now I was in the hospital with a needle in my arm and with my whole family, but it wasn't like when we were all together at Christmas. It was different. Everyone who came to see me was staring at me and when they talked they were as quiet as mice. I lost a lot of weight. I was skinny, and I wondered if I had indents like the little grey kitten. The nurses came in and took lots of blood. There were lots of needles, lots of tests, and there were lots of doctors and nurses. It was not fun.

No one knew what was wrong with me. No one. For days we waited for answers. Then, one night while everything was quiet and dark, a doctor came in to see my parents and me. The tell-all test finally had a result. I had Cat Scratch Fever. My parents said they thought it was just a song. Everyone seemed relieved. My doctor gave me one more new medicine. My parents acted happy and crazy, and they sang a ridiculous song with the words "Cat Scratch Fever" in it. Things began to get better. I began to get better. Finally, I went home from the hospital, and eventually, I got to go back to school. I got back to my hot wheels scooter and friends and baseball. I eventually forgot about that little grey cat. Now I realized I had been afraid for me, just like I was afraid for the kitten. And around my house, the strict rule still is, no cats in the house!

Blog – The blog I posted on March 20, 2017 was a hit for me because I enjoyed writing it and I am proud to read it. It was a time of intense fun and intense sadness, and I think this blog captures the contrast. I also think life celebrations are great, each in their own way, and I think the blog shows that too.

Weddings and Funerals

     The past few weeks have been really interesting and contrasting. Last weekend I went to New Orleans for the weekend to be part of a wedding. My cousin got married to a chap from Australia. There were people at the wedding from five different continents; North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The bride and groom will honeymoon in Africa. That's a lot of ground to cover. And it was fascinating being around people from so many different places. It was great to be around so many people who were so happy. 

     I also went to a funeral of a man who was kind of like a grandfather to me. He was my aunt's father-in-law and he was at all our family holiday celebrations. He always lead the prayers before our meals. I called him Paw Paw. He was married for almost 70 years and his travel was either when he fought in World War II or when he went to visit his family in Kentucky. Oh yeah, and he sometimes traveled to LSU games. We celebrated his life and it was both sad and happy to remember him. 

    Funerals and weddings are very different for obvious reasons. But they are also the same. They are a celebration of life. 

MISSES – 3 writings that I struggled with, didn’t enjoy, don’t represent me as a writer ...

Research Paper – This paper was a real struggle for me. Now when I read the paper I think how much better I could write it if I started over from the beginning. So much of my focus was on doing the research and writing format requirements correctly that I think my paper didn’t flow well. The Khans that I wrote about were interesting and I think I could have shown that better.

Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan Make History

            Genghis and his grandson, Kublai, were both successful Mongol leaders. They were the two most noteworthy Mongol Khans to rule this vast empire. Although they could be brutal, they performed war strategies that worked efficiently and expanded the Mongol Empire to the largest empire in history. For Europeans the 1200’s through the mid 1300’s was the late Middle Ages. In the plains of Central Asia however, nomadic tribes had lived for the past centuries as herders in the grasslands. They lived off the land eating meat and drinking milk from their animals and residing in tents they called yurts. The different tribes were at war with one another. Genghis and Kublai were leaders in changing the Mongolian lifestyle. Genghis and Kublai were the most remarkable and effective Khans of the Mongol Empire; they both uniquely created and furthered the Mongol Empire through winning war strategies and effective leadership. They could be brutal on the battle field and in enforcing their moral code, but they were also open minded and flexible.

            Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan were great leaders who made a lasting mark in history.

In fact, they were the two greatest Mongol rulers (“Kublai Khan”). The Mongol Empire began from a group of waring nomadic tribes who had no cities, no written language and no real history of any kind. Impressively, they were united under one of history’s most dynamic leaders, Genghis Khan (“Mongols”). The Mongol Empire stretched to its vast size, the largest empire in history, under Kublai Khan (“Mongolia”). Kublai, brave, strong and intelligent, defeated the Chinese forces and established the Yüan Dynasty in China. (“Mongols”). Genghis and Kublai not only led the Mongols to distinguished achievements, leaving their mark on history, they also may have left their lasting mark on history another way. In 2003 a medical study showed that a nearly identical Y-chromosome is found in 8% of the men who currently live in the former region of the Mongolian Empire. Genghis and Kublai both had many wives and many sons, they were prolific at creating male heirs. Based on their dominance in the area, their lifestyles, and the location of so many men in the region, the Y-chromosome is referred to as the Genghis Khan gene. Although it cannot be proven, these people are thought to be descendants of Genghis Khan (Mayell 1). While none of the men with the Genghis Khan gene marker ever achieved what Genghis or Kublai did there are a lot of men thought to be Genghis’s descendants, around 16 million living today (Mayell 2).

            Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan strongly affected Asia and Europe during their reigns, for example, the Mongol Empire in the 13^th Century changed the map of Eurasia (“Introduction”). Genghis Khan invaded China from the north in 1211 and Kublai Khan completed the conquest defeating the Song Empire in the south in 1279 (Wang 3-4). Kublai’s Yüan Dynasty was the first foreign ruling house to control China. Under Kublai, art and literature flourished in Asia (“Introduction”). The Mongols exerted influence on history that paved the way for the Age of Exploration (“Mongols”). Kublai Khan’s relationship with Marco Polo, and the access Kublai allowed Polo, allowed Polo to experience places no European had explored before. These experiences led to Marco Polo’s writings about the East. These writings brought China’s achievements to European attention (Wang 4). His writings encouraged many other westerners to travel East forever changing the divide that had existed between East and West and changing the maps of those areas (“Mongols”). Marco Polo’s writings about those travels are considered some of the most important works of geography ever written (“Marco Polo”).

            Other Mongol rulers between Genghis and Kublai were not as distinguished as either of them. When Genghis died, he was succeeded by his third son, Ögedei. Ögedei reigned for 12 years but he indulged in too much alcohol and spent money too freely. His spending created a financial burden on the empire and made attempts at expansion more difficult. His drinking made his leadership less effective (Smitha 2). After Ögedei died, his widow, Toregene, filled in as Regent while it was decided who would follow Ögedei as the next Great Khan. During her short reign, little progress was made (Smitha 2-3). It was decided that Guyuk, son of Ögedei and Toregene, would become the Great Khan in 1246. Guyuk received a letter from Pope Innocent IV ordering the Mongols to stop an invasion of Europe. Guyuk replied that the Pope should submit to the Mongols because their mandate to rule was from God. But Guyuk’s had little time to prove his leadership abilities, his reign lasted only 2 years because he mysteriously died (Smitha 3). After Guyuk’s death there was dispute over the next Great Khan but in 1251 Mongke, son of Tolui, Genghis’s fourth son, was named to the position. He made progress in areas such as stabilizing taxes and allowing women to own property. But Mongke died in battle in China in 1259 and most of his 8 years was spent in battle so his accomplishments were limited (Smitha 4). Kublai, Mongke’s brother, succeeded him, consolidated China and was the Great Khan until his death in 1306 (Smitha 4-5).

            Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan had a reputation of being brutal but they were also open-minded and flexible. It is well known that Mongol invasions could be merciless and ruthless. They often killed all the people in cities that tried to resist them. Some places that were invaded simply surrendered with no fight to try to avoid the devastation and cruelty. Under Genghis’s leadership, the Mongols, who had no governing experience, developed a strong moral code which forbid stealing, lying, betrayal or defying authority. Breaking the code could be punishable by death. But Genghis led the Mongols to also be flexible and open-minded about religion, customs, and traditions. Mongols, unlike Europeans at the time, practiced religious tolerance. Mongols often allowed the people they conquered to continue to practice their own customs, traditions, and cultural habits as long as they paid their tributes to the Mongol Empire (“Mongols”). When Genghis Khan was visited by Changchun, a Taoist monk, Changchun wrote that he and other monks were not required to bow before Genghis but simply gesture prayerful respect when greeting him (“Travels”). This gesture offered the respect Genghis expected but did not display total submission. Changchun, when asked by Genghis for knowledge to avoid the wrath of Heaven such as earthquakes and thunder, told Genghis that his subjects were at fault for not treating their mothers and fathers correctly and Genghis should use his influence to reform them. Genghis did not punish Changchun for finding fault in Genghis but instead Genghis listened and agreed (“Travels”).  Kublai Khan was well known for tolerating foreign religions. He ruled an empire that was made up of different nations by adapting those nations different traditions into his own government. He exercised a wise balance between dominating rule and allowing for cultural and religious differences (“Kublai Khan”). Kublai welcomed Marco Polo into his inner circles and not only shared the Yüan Dynasty with him but Kublai learned from Polo about other ways of life (“Marco Polo”). Odoric of Pordenone, a monk from the Franciscan Order visited the court of Kublai Khan. Odoric described being accepted and acknowledged as both an observer and a participant in Kublai’s court where leaders of different faiths were allowed into the royal circle.

            The vast Mongol empire was initially created by the remarkable unification of waring nomadic tribes by Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan achieved this unification and then with innovation, planning and leadership grew the Mongol empire through a campaign of conquests. The empire stretched its farthest from Europe to the Sea of Japan under Kublai who completed the Mongols conquering of China. During both of their reigns as the Mongol’s Khan, or Universal Ruler, Genghis and Kublai exhibited acceptance and understanding of religious beliefs, customs and traditions at a time when little tolerance of such differences was accepted in Europe. Genghis began the Mongol empire and Kublai led it to its largest size. They were the most effective Khans of the Mongol Empire.

Blog – The Blog I posted on January 21, 2017 is a miss for me because it is related to the research paper I was doing on Genghis Khan and his nephew Kublai Khan. The paper was a miss for me because when I reread all of my blogs I realized this post was a miss too. Rereading it I can see the mistakes, lack of transition and interest.

The Khans

   Genghis Khan is an important person we learned about in history class. He was the first leader and creator of the Mongol Empire. He started the empire from nomadic tribes with no common history, language, or religion. At its largest it was the biggest contiguous empire the world has known. He obviously left his mark on history.  Kublai Khan, Genghis's grandson, was the next great Mongol leader. He led the Mongol empire to conquer China. He also left his mark on history.

    In 2003 there was a report from a medical study that showed the Khans may have left even more of a mark on history. The study showed that 8% of the male population in the region that was the Mongol empire all have the same Y-chromosome. And, .5% of the men in the world have the same chromosome. Of course unless they find Genghis Khan's gave sight, they can't prove that the DNA is or isn't his. Historians say however that all of the unique circumstances surrounding Genghis Khan and his male relatives indicated the Y-chromosome is likely from his family line. They are even calling it the Genghis Khan marker. So it seems the Khans made another mark on history we didn't know about until recently.

Poem – I know this is on both my hits and my misses section but I do think this poem could have been better. I left it under hits because it surprised me that I enjoyed writing it and that surprised me. It is also under my misses lest because I think if I had had more time to think about and work on the poem I could have made a few of the lines better. Specifically, I think I need to improve the second and third lines of the poem.

Pop, the baseball hits the center of the glove.

Whoosh, the bat swings 'round but misses the ball.

The grass rustles with the wind from above.

Without a hit the team will fall.

Thump, thump, hearts beat fast

Thip, the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.

Ping, the ball is punished by the bat.

Eyes follow the ball across the grand stand.

Our team wins the game, now how about that.

Screams of disappointment and joy