English

You might think I’m just

a 15-year-old girl

with brown hair and green eyes

but I know I am more

much more than that

not a flower or train

not a hurricane or wave

but a caterpillar

stuck in the cocoon of life

wanting to break free

finally I push through

and enter the world as a new

beautiful Monarch butterfly

flying to new heights

exploring new places

finally becoming free from troubles

of my old cocoon

changing for the better

and leaving my comfortable self behind

to show my true colors

my beautiful colors

that most never knew about

as I fly from flower to flower

I spread the pollen

helping any flower in need

and soaking up the sunlight

I continue to fly

seeking adventure and wonder

the brown-haired green-eyed girl

is now a butterfly

soaring expectations

and showing her true colors.

“Turn up the music”, says Jill as she begins to bop her head to the catchy tune. The bass rattles the suburban as Jill and her sister “jam out” on the way to school. They feel the music and begin to sing their hearts out and dance like nobody’s watching, while the grumpy old man in the black fiat next to them scowls, but Jill and her sister don’t care, they are having fun. In this situation music gave Jill and her sister a way to connect and hang out. Music has affected society in many ways including giving people something to enjoy and a way to express themselves.

Music creates enjoyment for many people all over the world. For example, a member of the band is able to enjoy himself/herself by using music. Not only are they playing fun tunes on their trusty old saxophone or flute, but they are having a good time doing something they love. For example, the love of music brings people together in organizations like band. Music gives us a way to enjoy ourselves when we listen to our favorite song. It gives people from all different cultures and parts of the world a way to enjoy themselves, no matter the circumstances. In addition, if a person is having a no-good-very-bad-day like Alexander, simply turning on their favorite jam could help them enjoy the day. Music can be a pick-me-up that turns any frown upside down because we enjoy listening to it. Music can impact a person’s everyday life by giving them something to listen to when they feel happy, sad, or angry. Whether music is a way to spend time with friends, like in band, or just a band aid for a bad day, music is quite enjoyable.

Not only is music enjoyable but it also gives people a way to express themselves. For example, a shy, sweet, young girl may love heavy metal, rock, or rap music, even though most wouldn’t classify her as a dark-screamo-strange person that stereotypically listen to these types of music. She feels she can express herself through music in a way she can’t through words. There are many types of music that express who we are deep inside. Whether it be Christian or Rap, or even Christian Rap, all of these genres express different people. In addition, music speaks in amazing ways that most people can’t, creating new and easier ways for someone to express how they are feeling deep down. People feel free when able to express themselves through their music taste.

Therefore, music has made a huge impact in our society by being enjoyable and allowing us to express ourselves. Just like Jill and her sister, sometimes people need a little car jam session, to break free, let loose, and have fun. Music is an escape for many from crazy everyday lives and has changed our world forever. Music is powerful.

LOL, she types then crash! Ambulance sirens are wailing, and the lights are flashing as Haley slowly loses consciousness. “Stay with me! Stay with me!” the paramedic yells into Haley’s limp body. LOL, laugh out loud, the last words she “said” to her best friend Julie before she crashed head on with a white diamond Buick. LOL, the three-lettered text lingo that cost Haley her life. Everything Haley had was gone in one instance because of a cell phone. Cell phones have impacted our lives in many ways including giving us better communication and they have created a distraction from the real world.

Cell phones have given us many new ways to communicate with people all over the world. For example, an air force officer who is overseas serving our country can communicate with his family using Skype or Facetime. After a hard day fighting for our freedom he can get a glimpse of home and it can make him feel right there with his beautiful wife and 3 young children he misses so dearly. The cell phone has given a quick and easy way to reunite with loved ones. Just by the tap of a button a person can talk to just about anyone. In addition, cell phones can provide a quick way to get in touch with friends. If a struggling freshman student needs help on homework, cell phones can provide an easy way for the student to get help in a flash. Cell phones can provide help when needed, so they are a huge benefit. Cell phones have provided a great new and easy way for communication.

Although cell phones can help mankind tremendously, they can also harm it. For example, social media can harm an insecure teenage girls self-esteem by cyberbullying. Cyberbullying happens 24/7 making her get wrapped up in a burrito of lies from the bully. She begins to let the dark cloud of depression rain on her life and she becomes like the cowardly lion, afraid of the monster behind the silly screen called a bully. Cyberbullying is very serious and can cause a teen so much pain and suffering, that it becomes unbearable so they just decide to take one last breath, saying goodbye to the pain. Cyberbullying can have awful effects on people through the use of cell phones. In this way the cell phone can distract us from the truth about ourselves. It can distract a person and make them feel differently about themselves then they should. In addition, cell phones can keep an easily amused student from getting their job done. They could get caught up in that new addicting game like flappy bird, and not focus on their schoolwork or what is more important. Cell phones can distract us from important tasks we need to do or they can distract us from the truth.

Therefore, cell phones have rocked our worlds, leaving us with better communication and distractions. Although phones are a benefit, they can be a burden in a horrible case like Haley’s. Cell phones have changed our lives forever, and they are just the first step.

Who hasn’t had a tough time? Who hasn’t had those times that make or break a person’s’ self-esteem,or the times that make a person stronger or that make them weak? The song lyrics, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” by Kelly Clarkson, are not only catchy but very true. These difficult situations happen every day, affecting people all over the world. Difficult situations can affect people in ways that make a person stronger and ways that make them weaker.

Difficult situations can make a person stronger by the way he or she allows the situation to impact them. For example, if a fun family of four loses their house in a raging, uncontrollable, fire, that consumes objects in its path, but there was no loss of life, it can impact the family positively. Realizing the importance of the close-knit-bunch called family over material things can change the way he or she conducts his or her life. It can bring a family closer, stronger, and more together than ever before. In addition, another difficult situation one can overcome is the loss of a loved one. When a loved one passes away many feel crushed, afraid, and broken. They feel like their whole wide world has come tumbling down to the ground. Believe it or not, this situation can affect a person for the better. If the loved one passes away from lung cancer due to the life long addiction to smoking, this can promote a person to make better choices and save themselves from the slow suicide they are committing with every cigarette they smoke. Therefore, there are many ways difficult situations can affect a person in a positive way.

Tough times can affect people in a way that does not make them stronger, but makes them weak. It can affect them in a way that brings them down and make them feel unloved and worthless. An example of an adverse situation bringing an insecure student down into the dumps, is when the student allows a bully to define who they are. When listening to a bully, one begins to believe what they say. The bully begins to have complete control over the person, making themselves conscious about the teeny tiny flaws. They begin to lose self-esteem and they begin to believe the lies of the big, bad, bully. In return, feelings of despair, depression and worthlessness begin to invade their mind like little aliens of depression, and they feel like their life is not worth anything and, in some cases, they end it all. In addition to bullying, losing a job is another example of a tough time that can bring someone down. The loss of a job can cause financial problems and financial trouble can cause people to act in extreme ways. If circumstances get awful enough, a stressed father, trying to provide for his family, may even break the law to make ends meet. The father might steal to provide for himself and his family, or sell illegal substances all because of the problems of finances. This type of behavior can lead to major life changing consequences, such as jail. Difficult times can have many negative effects on a person’s’ life.

Therefore, difficult times can influence people positively by making them stronger, and negatively by making them weaker. Each person deals with tough situations in their own unique way. They can make or break a person in the blink of an eye. As you can see Kelly Clarkson’s song isn’t just a head-bopping-catchy-tune, but a life lesson. It teaches us to learn from our difficult situations, and climb over the huge mountains keeping us from overcoming them. Overall, rough times can change lives forever.