Friday, January 30, 2009

lost in lies.

Ann Landers once said that “the naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie.” My mother had been telling me this ever since I was little. It was her way of re-assuring herself that I was a good kid. There comes a time in life when everyone tells a lie. Sometimes people can get away with them, and others they come right back at you forcing you to face the truth.
I was about five years old when I told my first lie. It was to my kinder garden teacher Miss James. She asked why I didn’t color in the picture of the flower garden, and I simply told her that I forgot it at home. The truth was that I had the blank outline in my backpack and I was just going to take it home and do it tonight.

The feeling I got when my teacher confronted me was unbearable. My hands started sweating, my voice was shaking and to think it was all over some stupid drawing. I hated that feeling that I got in my stomach, and ever since then I haven’t lied, well ever since my last year of middle school.

It was my first year of Junior High School, and my friends and I were on top of the world. I was captain of my soccer team, a high honors student, and was surrounded by a good covey of friends. At the end of the first semester my work load started to increase, along with pressure and stress. I didn’t know how to handle all of this, I felt paltry and lost. That was when I stared talking to Baily.

Baily had a bad reputation. She didn’t play sports, or do well in school. She never talked much to the people in our grade, she mostly just hung out with a lot of upper class men. Many people believed that Baily was malignant, when really she was just a suppliant girl. The first time I skipped class I stumbled upon Baily in the bathroom. She looked quiet lethargic slumped against the wall sipping out of her water bottle. However, the clear liquid that swished around inside was not water.

We sat in a room filled with silence. I stood there staring at the crevice that peeked out from under my foot. Baily broke the silence by holding out her water bottle and asking if I wanted any. I wasn’t that close to her, but I could smell the sent of liqour that lingered in her words. I nodded my head and reached out for the bottle. I gripped the plastic tightly and took a quick swig. After nearly choking from the burning sensation that filled my throat Baily laughed and held her hand out with a smile and said, “Hey I’m Baily.”
I made a guttural noise and then answered, “H-Hi, I know, I had gym with you last year.”
“Oh that’s right! What are you doing skipping class? Your on honor role.. aren’t you?” I shook my head up and down, and thought about what I was doing. I’m sick of people seeing me as the perfect student, the perfect daughter, the perfect athlete. I just want to be me.

After that day Baily and I started skipping classes together. When the my teachers started catching on, they called my house. Luckily , my parents are both full time lawyers so I would always get my grip on the message machine before they could. Baily introduced many things to me such as alcohol, and a good friend of mine I like to call mary-jane. I made sure that my double life was furtive.

My life was a big covert. I found myself lying to everyone, even when it wasn’t necessary. I was getting tangled up in what was the truth and what I made seem like the truth. My parents started to get a little leery when all of my old friends stopped calling. I thought that if I continued my daily routines it would only get easier, when really it only got me more lost within myself. Little did I know, my second life was going to undulate.

Baily had an older brother in college. One night I said I was sleeping at her house. The truth was that I was sleeping at her house, but she, her mom, and her dad were in New York City for the weekend. Baily’s brother called me and said he was having some friends over and having a party. I hadn’t drank all week long, and the thought of free beer made my taste buds tingle.

When I arrived at the party I saw at least 15 cars parked up the long driveway. The music was pouring out of the house, along with the stench of liquor. I walked into the house and joined in on a game of pong. Before I could even get a sip of Bud Light, a pallar, gaunt girl ran into the room and yelled cops! We looked outside and saw red and blue lights flashing from the top of 3 cop cars, and heard the shrill of the sirens. I casted my drink and joined the heard of people trying to get through the back door. I tried squeezing my way through the crowd, but someone threshed their hand across my face. I then ran upstairs to Baily's room, and crouched on down on the floor in her closet.

I stayed in the closet for what seemed hours. My right leg was starting to go numb so I stood up. As I did, I hit Baily’s shelf and all of her shoes fell down to the floor. In the matter of seconds I heard loud, big foot steps pound up the staircase. At that point I knew I was busted. That night I was taken down to the police station for my parents to come and get me.

Thinking back, the worst part wasn’t getting arrested, or having my friends hate me, or letting my parents down, it was the fact that I realized my life had been a big lie. What started into skipping class, turned into getting arrested and loosing all of my dignity. I was grounded for about 8 months, and some time after I was still being upbraided. Looking back i realize that turning to alcohal and weed didn't make my life any easier, it just made it harder.




AUTHORS NOTES:
I would like my readers to understand the main message in my piece. I believe that my plot works well in this piece, however it wasn't that easy to write. My conclusion and my falling action could be a little better. While writing them, i wasn't sure which direction i wanted to steer my story in so it was difficult. I have to add in my vocabulary words. Also any suggestions would help. I would like my reader to comment on what they liked, what they didn't and what they think i should change.

14 comments:

Connor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Connor said...

The conflict of the story was that the protagonist completely changed herself, let down her friends, and lost her parent's trust only because she thought she was trying to be herself, however she was actually trying to be like her friend Baily. The conflict was internal because she is trying to find herself. It was resolved by her learning the hard way and getting arrested, then grounded. The story could have been more dramatic by making her get in more severe trouble.

The protagonist changes over time by finding out who she really is and she learns important lessons. This change is important to the story beacuse it involves the entire theme of the story. If the character didn't change, she would have never got into trouble in the first place or she would have never stopped her bad habits which would have lead to her getting into more trouble.

My favorite part of the story was when she goes to the party and the cops show up. This part occurs in the climax."Thinking back, the worst part wasn’t getting arrested, or having my friends hate me, or letting my parents down, it was the fact that I realized my life had been a big lie." I liked this quote because it resolved the conflict and she had learned her lesson first hand.

The tale's best quality is its setting description. The setting description was so good because i knew where the story was taking place at all times. When the setting changed she gave many details about the new setting to give me a good understanding of her surroundings."The first time I skipped class I stumbled upon Baily in the bathroom. She looked quiet lethargic slumped against the wall sipping out of her water bottle."

The theme of this story is to choose your friends wisely because they have a big impact on your life. Sarah started out by having the protagonist as a popular, athletic girl who has good grades and stays out of trouble. As the story develops, she gets into more and more trouble until she finally realizes that her life is a lie and changes it back around.

I thought that this story was well writen and it gives an important message. I think she should revise some of the type errors she had by just putting it into word and spellchecking it.

Alicia said...

The conflict of the story was that the protagonist has changed herself and lost her friends and her parents trust all at once. She thought she was just being herself but it was actually her not wanting to be the perfect atlete, student, and child anymore. The conflict was resolved when she has to learn the hard way by getting arrested, grounded, and loosing all of her parents trust. I think the story was pretty dramatic already so I wouldn't add anything.
The protagonist in the story changes over time by finding her true self. She has to learn some lessons from the expierience though, and they are challenging for both her, her friends, and her family. If she never changed in the beggining then she would never have got into trouble in the first place. It is good that she got caught though so that the problem didn't get any worse.
My favorite party was when she tells you what she learned from this expierience. She realized that she not only let everyone around her down, but she let herself down."Thinking back, the worst part wasn’t getting arrested, or having my friends hate me, or letting my parents down, it was the fact that I realized my life had been a big lie."
The best part of the story was the description. You felt as if you were in the girl's body going through everything she was going through. With the amount of pressure she felt to drink and to act like Baily.
The theme of the story is you should choose your friends carefully becasue even though a person may be nice and fun to be around, they could get you into a lot of trouble.
I think this was a great story and it is important becasue things like this happen a lot with teenagers. I wouldn't make any new suggestions other then a couple spelling errors.
<3 Alicia

emily said...

The conflict in this story was that the main character completely changed herself to make her seem like someone she was not. She went from being the honor role student to someone who started lying and skipping classes. She started drinking and one night went to a party where the cops ended up coming and busting everyone. She was brought down to the police station, she ended up letting down her parents and friends, just by trying to change and be something she is not.
The protagonist changes over time. In the beginning she was an honor role student and was focused and desired with her dreams. Then she met her friend who was a drinker and partied.
My favorite part of the story is when she described her at her friends house in her closet hiding from the cops. She ended up getting up because her foot was tired, and when she did she knocked down all the shoes on the shelf, they came tumbling down and then she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and she knew it was over. " My right leg was starting to go numb so I stood up. As I did, I hit Baily’s shelf and all of her shoes fell down to the floor. In the matter of seconds I heard loud, big foot steps pound up the staircase. At that point I knew I was busted."
The theme of the story is to be who you are, and don't change who you are just to fit in, or get a different reputation.
I would check you spelling, you had a few errors there. other than that good job!

-with love, em

Hannah said...

Great Story Sarahh
The conflict of this story is that Ann let her whole life slip away, just from lying. This was an internal problem that was resolved after she was caught at a party. I was very invested in the conflict because I wanted to see Ann turn her life back around.
The characters great insight was when she got caught, and then later in punishment realized how bad her life had become. Her insight was important to the story because without it the story wouldn’t of had a resolution.
My favorite part of the story was the end. She realized everything she had done, and changed her life for the better. This part was during the resolution. A quote that I liked from the story was, "Thinking back, the worst part wasn’t getting arrested, or having my friends hate me, or letting my parents down, it was the fact that I realized my life had been a big lie." I like this quote because it shows how much she had changed.
Overall the stories best quality was the dialogue. Good job Sarah, because your dialogue seemed so real and authentic. Also, another good part of your story was the resolution, which was solved very smoothly.
I think the stories theme can be very simple. Don’t lie, and think about what you are doing before your life changes. This seemed very important in Ann’s life, and can happen in real life too.
There is not much Sarah could improve on. Everything was very good, and I didn’t see and grammar or spelling errors! Great Story Sarah!

teddy said...

1) The conflict of the story was the narrator realizing the life path she had taken wasn’t a very good one. It was an internal conflict. It was resolved by the narrator getting arrested and realizing what she was doing.

2) The main character changes over the course of the story by going from an “All-American student” to an alcoholic loser, back on the path of “All-American” again. Her epiphany came when she was arrested at a party she was drinking at.

3) My favorite part of the story was the Climax, in which, the narrator gets arrested for drinking. This is my favorite part because it teaches the person a serious life lesson. “Thinking back, the worst part wasn’t getting arrested, or having my friends hate me, or letting my parents down, it was the fact that I realized my life had been a big lie.” This is my very favorite part of the story because it shows just how very wrong the things she was doing are.

4) This tale’s best quality is the lesson or moral it teaches. This is because it is a strong lesson that many kids face in their lifetime.

5) The stories theme is too not let into drugs, drugs are bad and don’t let momentary problems change life goals.

6) The main thing the author needs to work on before submitting a final essay is to describe the struggle that the narrator went through more with alcohol. This would make the story strong and reach out to more people.

Mia said...

Ohhh heyy girl!!!

I think that the conflict of this story was that protagonist lost control of her life and that she didn't know what to do. I think that this was an internal conflict because she was fighting the battle in her head of what to do. The conflict was resolved by her getting caught be the police. I think that the story was dramatic and good. If the story didn't

The protagonist changed over the story from being a honor student and playing sports and being an honest kid, to a complete 180 switch to drinking alcohol and partying and not doing her school work. I think that she really had an epiphany when the police caught her because she really understood that she had really screwed up. This change is really good because now she can get back on track and get a hold of her life.


I think that the best part was when she first tried the alcohol with Bailey. It was in the rising action."There comes a time in life when everyone tells a lie. Sometimes people can get away with them, and others they come right back at you forcing you to face the truth." this line stood out to me because it was so true. Lying always comes back to haunt you in the most unexpected ways and I think that the way that she said that made it a big point.

I think that the stories best quality was its conflict because it showed that the girl was having a really hard internal struggle. The protagonist was a good girl turned bad and learned her mistakes. The way that you brought the conflict on and developed it was awesome. I really helped the story a lot.

I think that the authors theme was that nothing good comes out of anything bad, because the protagonist was a good student and then she got into some bad habits and then she got caught and she got into deep trouble.

Okay, you did a FANTABULOUS job on this story!!! First off do not touch the first paragraph... i love it! the only thing that i think would need revision is just a quick proof read there were a couple grammar errors and spelling but everything else was perfect!! LOVED IT!! sorry... i didn't cry! haha love ya

Katelyn L said...

The conflict of the story is that the protagonsit let her life get out of control. The conflict was internalbeecause she was trying to figure out how she could be herself. The conflict was resolved by the protagonist getting in trouble for all that she had done. I thought the conflict and resolution were very good and i didnt see it coming when she got caught.

The protagonist changes oover the course of the story by trying to figure out who she is. At the start she has wicked good grades, doesnt lie, and does everything she is told but towards the end she lies all the time and does nothing she is supposed to. The change is important to the story because it is showing who she really is and thats what she was trying to find out.

My favorite part of the story was when she first started to skip class and she met Baily. It was part of the rising action. "I just want to be me." This was m favorite line because its right everyone should just want to be themselves.

I think that the conflict is the best part of the story beccause it is well developed and it was described in a lot of detail.

The storis theme is simply always try to be yourself and dont lie. She doe a great job of letting it develop because over time it shows all the bad it can get you into.

Overall i think Sarah's story was great and i enjoyed reading it. There is nothing i think you need to change. It is great!

Kara's blog said...

1) The conflict is the main character gets involved in peer pressure and does drugs and alcohol.
2)She changes because she gets into a lot of trouble but then realizes who she really is.
3) My favorite part is when she realizes her mistakes that shes made.
4) The best quailty is its plot. It is so interesting to read about and you want to find out more.
5) The theme is probably is do not forget who you are.
6) You need to ediit you grammer. But other then that great job!

Sarah said...

VOCABULARY WORDS:

1) Covey- (NOUN) Group or Flock
I put covey into my story to help describe my main character's group of friends.

2) Paltry- (ADJ) To feel small or worthless
I put Paltry into my story to help describe how my character was feeling about herself.

3) Malignant- (ADJ) Evil, Negative effect
I put malignant in my story to describe what people thought of Baily.

4) Suppliant- (ADJ) Humble
I put suppliant in my story to describe a quality of Baily that is misunderstood by others.

5) Lethargic- (ADJ) Sluggish
I put lethargic in my story to describe how Baily looked when she was drunk in the bathroom.

6) Crevice- (NOUN) A Split or Crack
I put crevice into my story to enforce the occwardness in the scene i was describing and describe what my character was starring at.

7) Guttural- (NOUN) To make a noise in the back of your throat
i put guttural into my story because it fit in with my dialouge and the mood of it.

8) Furtive-(ADJ) Hidden
i put furtive into my story to describe what my protagonists life was turning out to be like.

9) Covert-(ADJ) Secret
i put covert into my story to also describe the life of my protagonist.

10) Leery- (ADJ) Cautious or suspicious
i put leery into my story because i thought it went along well with what the parents thought about the situation.

11) Undulate- (ADJ) Under
i put undulate into my story to describe what direction my character's life was heading.

12) Pallor- (ADJ) Pale
i put pallor into my story because i thought that it was an easy word to incorperate. i used it to describe the girl in the story.

13) Gaunt- (ADJ) Skinny or Frail

14) Shrill- (ADJ) High pitched sound
i put shrill into my story when i was describing the noise coming from the police cars.

15) Casted-(VERB) To throw or release
i put casted into my story to describe how many people were desperate to get out of the house.

16) Thrashed- (VERB) To strike or hit
i put thrashed into my story to describe how many people were eager to get out of the house.

17) Upbraided- (VERB) To scold
i put upbraided into my story because it fit in with what was going on in that part because she had gotten herself into a lot of trouble.

Sarah said...

1) The greatest change from my original piece to my new piece is the description increase, and the vocabulary that i included.
2) I think that blog commenting is a more helpful way of 'peer editing' because you get more than one persons feedback, and your editors have a lot of things they have to say about your story.
3) I think that my story's greatest strength is the plot. or the moral.
4) I probably wouldn't give the up coming freshman any advice considering i don't like them.. but i would say to organize your thoughts very well.

Brei R said...

1.) The conflict of the story is that the main character doesn't want to be seen as the good person anymore. So she acts on this and descides to get herself into some bad things like drinking and smoking.

2.) She changes throughout the story by realizing she doesnt need alchohol or drugs to have a good time. She learns that lying is never a good thing, and that you should just be yourself.

3.) My favorite part of the story was when it says, "At that point I knew I was busted. That night I was taken down to the police station for my parents to come and get me."
I like this part because it's when she really starts to think about the choices shes made in life, and decides to make changes for the better.

4.) The best quality was the setting. it was very descriptive, and you knew exactly where you were all the time. The descriptions were very vivid and you felt like you were where the author was describing.

5.) The theme of this story is that you should try not to lose yourself in lies, and become something you're not. You should always stay true to yourself, no matter what.

6.) nothing really. You need to improve the spelling/grammar, and there needs to be more dialogue.

Brei R said...

1.) The conflict of the story is that the main character doesn't want to be seen as the good person anymore. So she acts on this and descides to get herself into some bad things like drinking and smoking.

2.) She changes throughout the story by realizing she doesnt need alchohol or drugs to have a good time. She learns that lying is never a good thing, and that you should just be yourself.

3.) My favorite part of the story was when it says, "At that point I knew I was busted. That night I was taken down to the police station for my parents to come and get me."
I like this part because it's when she really starts to think about the choices shes made in life, and decides to make changes for the better.

4.) The best quality was the setting. it was very descriptive, and you knew exactly where you were all the time. The descriptions were very vivid and you felt like you were where the author was describing.

5.) The theme of this story is that you should try not to lose yourself in lies, and become something you're not. You should always stay true to yourself, no matter what.

6.) nothing really. You need to improve the spelling/grammar, and there needs to be more dialogue.

gracie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.