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Though I need no introduction, my name is Zarik
I have lived in the city of New Orleans all my life
Growing up in mid-city was the most memorable experience of my child hood
My ancestors arrived from Austria, Africa, and America
I have beaten the greatest of Gymnasts and acro-tumblers across the region
My favorite was the River-boat Classic where I was the only gymnast who arrived from my level
Everyone watched me in excitement, for I was the eldest and most excellent gymnast there
The best trophies I have achieved are from winning the High School State Championship twice
I am on my way to winning the High School State Championship for the third time
There is no gymnast that can defeat me
If I could I would challenge every gymnast there is
Sadly I am getting old-age and I will soon be forced to quit
I am not too old, for I will be obtaining opening to the Olympic team next year
I will then go against the greatest gymnasts in the world
I have done much in my fifteen years
I have a great family who support me in all I do
My sister’s name is Zoe
She can dance more gracefully than any ballerina in New Orleans
She often allows me to dance alongside her on stage
We get the greatest applause of all the performers

Journal 5

John Gardner made the decision to use Grendel as the narrator because Grendel cannot speak with anyone except for the dragon. Grendel constantly reminds the reader that neither the animals nor the humans can understand him. Grendel’s is always an outsider. He is always looking in the Hart through a crack, where he watches the humans drinking, laughing, and having a good time without him. Gardner shows that Grendel observes human philosophies and always has conflicting thoughts about them. Grendel’s view is important because he is a monster and not a human. There are many views expressed in the parody, including Red Horse’s view on government, the dragon’s view on the world, and Grendel’s view on the shaper. Grendel’s view of the world is that it is mechanical and no one really thinks before they act. Grendel’s narration goes through the months of the year, which is why the book has twelve chapters.

Problem Solution Essay

Zarik House
C. Srygley
English IV
4 March 2011
Problem Solution Essay

Social Security: Will it be there when I retire?

"Social Security...is not a dole or a device for giving everybody something for nothing. True Social Security must consist of rights which are earned rights -- guaranteed by the law of the land." (Harry Truman August 13, 1945) When it first started, Social security had been for elderly citizens’ benefits, but now it is also for people with disabilities. The earlier you begin taking your benefits, the smaller the amount you get. The full retirement age is 66 for those born between 1943 and 1954. For those born before 1943, the full retirement age is a bit younger, and for those born after 1954 the full retirement age is a bit older. America spent over 75 billion dollars on benefits for just the long-term unemployed last year. However, more money has been coming out of the program than going in. The money for social security is running out due to Medicare and Medicaid, hospitals, and the amount of people in the work force.
Medicare and Medicaid are benefits from social security. This means that all the money that goes into social security goes towards health programs for people and families with low incomes and resources and health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over, or who meet other special criteria. This is very bad considering how much hospitals are charging for surgeries in today’s society. Most surgeries for elderly citizens cost Medicare half a million dollars. This takes away from people’s retirement funds.
"The Social Security program plays an important part in providing for families, children, and older persons in times of stress. But it cannot remain static. Changes in our population, in our working habits, and in our standard of living require constant revision." (John F. Kennedy June 30, 1961) The more people that work and retire, means the more money that gets put into social security. This goes for just about all jobs except the government ones. For example, teachers have their own retirement plan and their jobs only go towards Medicare. However, government officials’ money goes toward their retirement plan only and not to Medicare or Medicaid.
Christina Romer, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration, had three simulations on how much the economy needed to do to get the economy back on track. She said that a recovery package would cost about 600 billion dollars, 800 billion dollars, or 1.2 trillion dollars. What the government needs to do is reduce benefits and money to doctors and hospitals and increase people in the work force. However, America has lost over eight million jobs over the course of the great recession, and unemployment went far higher than it had been predicted to.
"We must begin by insuring that the Social Security system is beyond challenge. [It is] a vital obligation each generation has to those who have worked hard and contributed to it all their lives." (Gerald R. Ford February 9, 1976) The best way for social security to be fixed is by putting more citizens into the work force. The more people that are working in America, means the more money that goes into the social security program for the citizens. Doctors and hospitals having high surgery costs for elderly and special needs citizens will take a great amount of money from the program. However, if there were more people working and less people unemployed, then there would be more money for the program and more money for the citizens when they retire.
Social security is can be very beneficial for the citizens that retire. With all the money that is going towards Medicare and Medicaid and all the people that don’t work, the retiring citizens won’t get as much money back as they should. The money for social security is running out due to Medicare and Medicaid, hospitals, and the amount of people in the work force. If more people worked and doctors lowered the prices for surgeries and medicine, then social security might still be around when I retire.


Works cited
Atkins, Allen B., and Frank N. Caliendo. "Strategies for maximizing social security benefits." Journal of Wealth Management 12.1 (2009): 25+. General OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.

COLE, ERIK. "Social Security and Its Enemies: The Case for America's Most Efficient Insurance Program." The American Prospect 11.2 (1999): 62. General OneFile. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.

"DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN HOLDS DISCUSSION FORUM ON SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM." Political/Congressional Transcript Wire 11 Jan. 2005. General OneFile. Web. 5 Mar. 2011.

House, Robert L. "Social Security." Telephone interview. 28 Feb. 2011.

"International social security -- not my department." International Tax Review (2010). General OneFile. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.

"Presidential Quotes about Social Security." The Battle for Social Security by Nancy J. Altman. Web. 04 Mar. 2011. .

"Sampling of Key New Deal Legislation." Great Depression and the New Deal Reference Library. Ed. Sharon M. Hanes, Richard C. Hanes, and Allison McNeill. Vol. 3. Detroit: U*X*L, 2003. 67-70. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.

"THE NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION HOLDS A DISCUSSION ON INVESTMENT, SOCIAL SECURITY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY." Political/Congressional Transcript Wire 5 Oct. 2010. General OneFile. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.

Photo Slideshow

Riddles

I am the perfect problem deciphering device.
Push my buttons, I won’t bite.
I am the number-box, name your numeral.
Give me your number, I’ll give mine, guaranteed.
I am small and compact, but don’t let my size swindle you;
As the computer-brain, I will calculate your answer.
Answer: Calculator

I help you when you are hoarse
I keep you safe when you’re soundly sleeping
The dark-night will drain your health
The sky’s jewel makes you worse
You stay in bed letting your brow-stars rest
Don’t heave your head just stay
In bed, I will lift this curse
Answer: Medicine

Journal 6

Although Beowulf, which was written by an anonymous poet, and John Gardner’s Grendel include the same general plot and characters, they also have many differences. Grendel is a modern narrative while Beowulf is an epic poem from Anglo-Saxon times. Grendel is a parody of Beowulf. The character Grendel in Grendel is a spoof version of the Grendel portrayed in Beowulf. In the narrative, he is conveyed as a character who thinks about his place in the universe and is very philosophical. However, Grendel is seen in Beowulf as “a powerful monster...that demon, that fiend,” who was born as a descendent of Cain (21). He is rendered as ancient and brutal: “(He) snatched up thirty men, smashed them/ Unknowing in their beds, and ran out with their bodies;/ The blood dripping behind him, back/ To his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter.” (37-40). Gardner satirizes Beowulf’s concept of heroism by emphasizing the violence of mankind. While Beowulf is an example of the heroic code of the Anglo-Saxons, which stresses the significance of loyalty, strength, and bravery, Gardner’s Grendel sees the true brutality and avariciousness associated with mankind. The men pillage villages and murder each other regularly. Additionally, Gardner is defying the meaning of life and the value of heroism in Beowulf’s society by focusing on the philosophy of nihilism in Grendel.

Journal 4

In John Gardner's Grendel, the narrator, Grendel, is a dynamic character whose personality, language, and ideas grow as the narrative progresses. He goes on a philosophical journey in his quest for self-knowledge and a purpose in life. He begins as a juvenile, brainless character who doesn't think much about anything. As he is exposed to different characters and events, his philosophies change and expand. Grendel has acquired knowledge of literature, politics, and especially philosophical ideas in the twelve years he observes and interacts with the humans.
Grendel starts as a child with limited world-views in chapter one of Grendel. He develops his vision of the world in chapter one when he commences to venture aboveground. The first philosophy that Grendel follows is solipsism, which is the idea that one's own mind is all that exists. In chapter two, Grendel becomes a solipsist when he states, "I exist, nothing else" (28) while he is hanging from a tree.
In chapter 11, Grendel acknowledges the nihilism of John-Paul Sartre. The dragon tells Grendel that men are isolated individuals in an accidental world without the presence of God. It is up to humans to create their own values. He believes that these values are meaningless outside the individual consciousness. Grendel states several times after being defeated by Beowulf that "it was an accident" (173). His last words were: "Poor Grendel's had an accident. So may you all" (174). Grendel ends the story on with this quote that portrays his evolved philosophy of Sartre's nihilism.

Journal 3

As one gets further into the story, Grendel realizes the true importance of language. Language separates the more important characters in Grendel. While the animals and Grendel's mother cannot speak, the humans and Grendel can. Grendel and the humans use language to define and explain aspects of life. Grenadel and the humans speak in languages that are very similar. This allows Grendel and the monsters to communicate with each other. Later in the story, language enables Grendel to talk to Unferth and Beowulf.
Grendel believes that language is beautiful and powerful. The Shaper's words made "even the surrounding hills were hushed, as if brought low by language" (42). Grendel really understands the Shaper's words in chapter 3. "The man had changed the world...and they, who knew the truth, remembered it his way--and so did I" (43). Grendel says that the Shaper's song gave the Scyldings "confidence...their blissful, self-satisfaction, and, worst of all, their hope" (77). Grendel's growth of style and language shows his growth as a character. As he moves from a childish, undeveloped monster to a foul, yet intellectual beast, Grendel experiments with literature styles and expands upon his work of fiction. For example, he alters the shape of the text and begins to include other characters' inner thoughts.

Journal 2

Beowulf is an epic poem that embodies the ideals and values of the entire society. Beowulf shows Anglo-Saxon’s culture through mead halls, monsters, and dragons. The mead and kings show the universal themes during the time. The quote “…no strength is a match for mine,” shows how Beowulf is a hero, and there is always a hero in an Anglo-Saxon epic. There is always bravery and honor in Anglo-Saxon epics as well. This is shown in the quote “Keep it free of evil, fight / With glory in your heart!” (389 -390)
This particular epic illustrates the Anglo-Saxon values of bravery, loyalty, and strength, and the universal theme is that good, with these characteristics, will always overcome evil. Bravery is a trait of great significance to the Anglo-Saxons; in their culture, a man is nothing without courage. In the poem, some of Hrothgar’s warriors display their bravery by engaging in battle with Grendel in an attempt to save Hrothgar’s kingdom, but all of them are unsuccessful save Beowulf. Nevertheless, the soldiers’ actions prove their allegiance to Hrothgar. They followed the Anglo-Saxon code of “comitatus,” in which warriors must defend their lord to the death. Beowulf, a “strong-hearted” warrior, directly symbolizes true bravery. He travels to Denmark to slay the foul beast, Grendel, who decimated Hrothgar’s warriors and wreaked havoc upon Herot for twelve winters (429). Beowulf swiftly approaches the beast confidently and seizes Grendel’s claw, immobilizing him.
Beowulf was also physically and mentally strong, while Grendel “knew at once that nowhere on earth/ had he met a man whose hands were harder” (433-4). The Anglo-Saxon society was based off of three main values—bravery, strength, and loyalty. These values allowed Beowulf, with the help of the Geats and Danes, to defeat evil in the end of Part One of Beowulf.

Journal 1

Grendel is a misunderstood monster. Grendel is a monster that just wanted friends; he wanted someone to talk to. He tried being friends with the humans, but they were afraid of him because he looked like a terrifying monster. Grendel wanted to be nice at first, but because of the way the humans acted towards him, he only wants revenge now. “So Hrothgar’s men lived happily in his hall/ Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend,/ Grendel , who haunted the moors, the wild/ Marshes, and made his home in a hell/ not hell but earth” (15-19). Grendel now torments the humans because they torment him. The twelve-year war was a result of the humans’ cruelty. “So Grendel ruled, fought with the righteous,/ One against many, and won; so Herot/ Stood empty, and stayed deserted for years,/ Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, King/ Of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door/ by hell-forged hands” (59-64). Grendel wanted friends, but the humans fought him, so Grendel fought back.
“I have heard,/ Too, that the monster’s scorn of men,/ Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none”(166-178). Grendel is a huge, strong monster; his skin was unaffected by weapons that the humans tried to use to fight against him. “They could hack at Grendel/ From every side, trying to open/ A path for his evil soul, but their points/ Could not hurt him, the sharpest and hardest iron/ Could not scratch at his skin, for that sin-stained demon/ Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells/ That blunted every mortal man’s blade” (479-485). Grendel not only looked like a monster, but he could not be harmed or touched. This made the humans even more terrified of him. Grendel’s God-like powers did not help him make piece.
“He was spawned in that slime,/ Conceived by a pair of those monsters/ Born of Cain,- murderous creatures banished/ by God, punished forever for the crime/ Of Abel’s death” (19-23). Grendel is a member of “Cain’s clan” in which “the creator” had condemned as outcasts. He symbolizes the malice and evil in which Cain has bestowed upon the world. Grendel hasn’t chosen this life, but he is cursed to live it. He lives in the swamplands outside of human civilization.
Grendel constantly attacks the mead hall of King Hrothgar. “He slipped through the door and there in the silence/ snatched up thirty men, smashed them/ Unknowing in their beds, and ran out with their bodies,/ the blood dripping behind him/ back to his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter” (36-40). They try to think of any possible way to defeat him, and almost always fail. Grendel is much too strong for them to hurt. The people hate Grendel with a passion and are terrified of him. “Then each warrior tried/ To escape him, searched for rest in different/ Beds, as far from Herot as they could find,/ Seeing how Grendel hunted when they slept./ Distance was safety; the only survivors/ Were those who fled him” (53-58). Their only safety was running away.
Grendel tried being friends with the humans, but they were afraid of him because he looked like a terrifying monster. Grendel is a huge, strong monster; his skin was unaffected by weapons that the humans tried to use to fight against him. He is a creature of true evil and malice, torturing the humans for years. The people hated Grendel with a passion and are terrified of him. But finally, he was brought to his end by Beowulf, a courageous warrior of the Geats.