Model Essay Archive
Model essays are below by essay type. Click the link for the essay you want to see.
Character analysis -- student model
As everybody who has read the book Camp Limestone knows, the main character, Jake Tanski, is a rude trouble maker. In the beginning of the book the author writes about how Jake is being disrespectful at school by insulting teachers and how Jake even got drunk once in middle school. Jake is not a cooperative student or a good role model, which is why every year a male role model is chosen for him by his assistant principal, Mr. Snyder. Although Jake shows kindness and respect for his mom, it seems that Jake has more negative qualities than positive. Fortunately, towards the middle of the book, Jake takes a turn for the best. Jake cleans up his act after he is faced with a dilemma: to live with his strict Grandpa Nick who lives in Rogers City, Michigan for a year or to go to military school for the same amount of time. Even though Jake describes his time with his Grandfather as no picnic, he chooses to live with Grandpa Nick anyways. While living with his Grandpa Jake is required to take a run every morning at about 6:30 to not only build stamina, but to build composure, for that is how Grandpa was taught to discipline himself as a Chief Master Sergeant in the military. During Jakes road to success he meets a girl named Jazmyne who inspires Jake to do well in school and even to excel in life. Jazmyne and her family look beyond Jakes past giving him a second chance. At this point Jake starts to change with Jazmyne as his biggest inspiration. Later Grandpa Nick becomes the male role model people back in South Euclid feel Jake needs. He befriends Jake and becomes the Grandpa Jake is proud to have. But sadly Jake does not give Grandpa Nick reason to say the same about him, for Jake gets drunk yet again after being depressed. Grandpa Nick feels the need to assign Jake a seven year old kid named Tyler to teach reading to as a punishment and Jazmyne visits him and helps him get back on his feet. Ironically Jake becomes a role model for Tyler in the end. When Jake gets to know his new friend Jazmyne better, she tells Jake that her Aunt Kristen who works at the Twin Towers in New York believes in him, even though she doesn't know him. That makes Jake even more motivated to do great because he felt special, for someone he didn't even know had faith in him. Unfortunately, for many people including Jazmyne and Jake, the Twin Towers attack took place on September 11, 2001 and the beloved Aunt Kristen had not survived, putting Jake in a downhill spiral. Because of this event Jake questions what the point is of being good when the world does not give back to his contribution. The situation needs help so Grandpa Nick takes Jake on a fishing trip and gets him through this hard period of time. After Jake gets through this hard time, he becomes even closer to his friends and family and is even more motivated to do the opposite of the terrorists and to do the right thing. Throughout the book Jake goes from disrespectful and mean to kind, caring and loving and to being an achiever. Jake has his ups and downs, but with the help of Jazmyne, Tyler and his Grandpa Nick he gets through them. This is a great example of how people can change if you lend a hand to them and most importantly believe in them just as Jakes friends and family did.
You are coming into Memorial this year. Memorial Junior High is full of many new and different experiences. I know it may be scary or awkward coming into a new school, but there are many things I would like to tell you about. Memorial is definitely a lot different than Greenview. It feels a lot more independent and free. In Greenview, we travel through classes in lines, and we expect teachers to guide us through everything. In Memorial, you can't expect the teachers to guide you, you have to rely a little more on yourself. The teachers teach you what they need to, the bell rings, and you have to find your way to class in three minutes, still finding time to get to your locker. It may seem a little scary or impossibble, but once you find the right routes to class and the right time to go to your locker, its pretty simple. Next thing I would like to tell you about is Language Arts with Mr. Barnes. This is definitley a new experience that I haven't come across in the past. This year, we had a computer based class, very unlike the normal class. What this means is that we would have a class website with all of our activities and homework and etc.. Don't get me wrong, we still came to class every day, most of the time without computers, but most of all the work we did was computer work. It definitley is a lot of help though. Like, for example, if we ever forgot what our homework is or we were absent, all we had to do was go to the website and check it. If we ever had a question about homework or projects, all we had to do was go to the website and email Mr. Barnes. Also, there was a blog and a message board that we could discuss topics and associate with other students from Mr. Barnes language arts classes. I think you will find this website quite helpful and interesting. Last but not least, Mr. Barnes. There are a few things you need to know about him to be on his good side. First off, never be late to class. He considers it an insult and it will not be accepted. Next, laugh at all of his jokes, even if they aren't hilarious. But, i'm sure you guys can teach him a few tricks. Next, just follow the basics. Follow all the rules he gives you, like for example, always consider the "all hands up" rule in your teams. And, like every teacher, always ask questions, try your hardest, always do your homework, and study. You probably already know all those things and have heard them over and over again, but actually listen to them. If you follow those simple steps (as in doing your homework, studying, etc.) you will have an easy A in all your classes. Well, that is basic Memorial for you. I hope I have gave you a few good tips about doing well in Memorial. Good luck to you, and I can't wait to see you guys in eighth grade. Have fun at Memorial, and stay in school!!! Ambrozic 1 Kristen Ambrozic Miss Kandel HLA 7th 21 March 2008 Saving the World One Vaccine at a Time People were in danger. Some of the most well known epidemics were spreading during the twentieth century, and there was no cure until two educated biologists came to save the day. The modest Maurice Hilleman discovered a flu in Hong Kong that would have spread to the U.S.A. and kill hundreds of thousands of more people if it was not for his fortunate vaccine. The famous Jonas Salk put an end to the frightening polio outbreak that was paralyzing both children and adults, leading to many deaths. Maurice Hilleman and Jonas Salk were two of the greatest biologists, dedicated to helping their fellow people in their times of need. Early in life, Jonas Salk and Maurice Hilleman were both inspired from personal experiences to help people. As a young adult, Jonas lived through the terrible polio epidemic. Seeing people die from an incurable disease inspired him to make a difference in people's lives by curing them. Like Jonas, Maurice Hilleman had a sad story to go along with his inspiration. Maurice was born a twin. Shortly after his sister and his birth, his sister died of suffocation. Maurice's sister was not the only person lost though. Two days after Maurice was born, his mother died of eclampsia (Offit 4). When Maurice was old enough to understand what happened he also wanted to help the world. The first step to helping the world was getting an education. Jonas was a very intelligent child. He skipped some grades while at Townsend Harris High School that was even for gifted children. From high school, Jonas moved on to college. He graduated with a medical degree and a B.Sc. from New York University's School of Medicine in 1939(Jonas Salk 1). Maurice Hilleman also had a strong education. Hilleman graduated from Custer County High School in 1937. Then in 1941 he graduated from Montana State University with a bachelor's degree. Three years after Montana State University, he graduated from the University of Chicago with a doctorate in microbiology and virology (Maurice Ralph Hilleman 2). After college, Maurice Hilleman and Jonas Salk both began their new lives filled with biology. Dr. Thomas Francis Jr. was Salk's first colleague in 1938. Together Salk and Francis worked on an influenza vaccine, but instead of finding a vaccine, he discovered a way to find the levels of antibodies in blood. This discovery let him see the strength of a person's immunity (Hantula 23). Hilleman's first occupation was at a pharmaceutical company named E.R. Squibb & Sons. Maurice created one of his most well-known vaccines there. This vaccine was developed for Japanese encephalitis which was killing soldiers from the U.S. during World War II that were stationed in the Pacific (Maurice Ralph Hilleman 2). Ambrozic 2 Jonas Salk was famous for solving one of the worst epidemics. The polio epidemic was feared by the majority of people in the mid 1900's. The highly contagious polio was fatal. Within just a few hours of infection, polio can cause breathing muscles to become paralyzed, resulting in death. In 1952 Salk used formaldehyde to make a vaccine that "killed the polio virus" (Jonas Salk 3). In 1955, after tested thoroughly on humans, Jonas shared his vaccine. As a result of the vaccine, polio was not feared as much and people were not afraid to interact with each other. Maurice Hilleman saved a nation. As a flu was spreading in Hong Kong, Maurice realized that the people in Hong Kong were not the only ones in danger. The flu was so bad that it was spreading across countries and one of those countries was soon to be America. Maurice did not have much time, but in the time he did have he created a vaccine that saved hundreds of thousands of lives. He not only saved America, but all of the places the flu had spread. He stopped a future epidemic from occurring. Numerous vaccines were made by Hilleman. In all he made about 40 vaccines, some being eight of the fourteen vaccines routinely recommended by doctors. Maurice was the first person to create a vaccine to prevent and even treat some cancers. Some other vaccines he developed were used to cure measles, mumps, hepatitis A & B, chickenpox, meningitis, and pneumonia. Not one of Maurice's vaccines was named after himself. When talking about Hilleman's personality, Paul Offit stated, "He was interested in the result and the product, not in taking credit for it" (189). Salk and Hilleman earned many awards on their journeys to saving the world from sickness. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter presented Salk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his polio vaccine (Jonas Salk 4). Salk was an inspiration for many people. Schools were named after him for all of his hard work and all of the lives he saved. Maurice was also given many awards, totaling 14. Some of those awards were the Procter Medal Award, the Alumni Medal, the National Medal of Science, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Tower of Hope Award (Maurice Ralph Hilleman 4). The best award that both biologists were given though was seeing people survive because of their studies. Ambrozic 3 Works cited Hantula, Richard. Jonas Salk. Milwaukee: World Almanac Library, 2004. "Jonas Salk." Wikipedia. 26 Feb. 2008. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. 26 Feb. 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Salk>. "Maurice Ralph Hilleman." Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, vol. 26. Thomson Gale, 2006.28 Feb. 2008. <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC> Offit, Paul. Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases. New York City: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2007.
Model research paper
Response essay -- a personal response to literature
"A Man Who Had No Eyes"
by Jodie Gallagher
The story, "A Man Who Had No Eyes", is about two men, one of which is a blind beggar, and the other is ecstatic to be alive. But at the very end you find out this grateful man is, in fact, also blind. This story had deep and similar impact on me, because it was about someone who didn't let his disability get in the way of his life. The two men learn a lesson that day about being honest and appreciating your life no matter what
happens.
The character that had the most effect on me was Mr. Parsons. Mr. Parsons is the blind man who has become successful despite his disability. He reminds me of my step-dad, because my step-dad is in a wheelchair, but he still made something of his life, unlike the ungrateful blind beggar. My step-dad has a college degree, and he has obviously gotten happily married. When Mr. Parsons finally tells the beggar that he is lying about how he became blind was a very important and unexpected part of the story. It reminds me of when people get in minor or major trouble, and sometimes when they are asked to explain themselves, they will tell the story as it didn't happen so they won't get punished. In my opinion, when Mr. Parsons is explaining that he was pushed back, not the blind beggar, was the climax of this story. As Mr. Parsons reveals that he is, as well, blind, it was an excellent resolution to the climax. "A Man Who Had No Eyes" teaches you something very important that many people need to learn, and that many people already know. The lesson that is taught is that no matter what happens to you, you can still have a succsessful and joyful life. This story inspires people not to lie even if you think you will get something good out of the lie. After reading about two men who are blind, I now will acquire that complaining about small things in life is pointless, and this will have a better impact on my life.