The Indus Valley: A Summary of How People Lived in Ancient Times

The Indus valley located in the northwestern indian subcontinent   

      The People of Indus Valley were very smart they created their own water passage systems and many other inventions as well. They also crafted many valued things such as minerals, beads, meats and cloth to trade. Trading was an important part of the Indus civilization, in a town you would find many trading stations. In these trading stations people would use seals with an animal or object on it to represent their business. The priest of the town would even have a seal and he would choose a special person to give it to based on their actions. In every city there were walls to keep tigers and other threats out, at the gate two men would guard and the policy was that only honest beings can enter the city. In conclusion, the Indus Valley villagers had a great civilization but, their greatness started to decline. The people became victims of assaults by Aryan invaders, some of the other cities in the Indus area began to experience deterioration, though the cause of this could have been due to floods. More fights began to emerge as well. These events were    causes of the fall of the Indus valley.

A Tale Of Two Travelers: In Search Of Gulliver

     I had just arrived in Lilliput to look for Gulliver with my friend, when she came across a dog about two inches tall. This made me want to set out to find a dog too, for we were both fond of playing with animal figures back in England. I soon spied a dog, it had pointy ears, shaggy tan fur with brown spots, and a long bushy tail. I picked it up, careful not to squeeze it and called him Nitro. There was no sign of Gulliver, but we did spot the exceptionally made giant tables and chairs made for him. The Lilliputians stated that they had sent him away to The Forbidden Zone.

     We then headed towards The Forbidden Zone they had banished him to, only to be stopped by the King demanding we stay for the benefits of the kingdom. After he heard that we refused, he threatened to gouge out our eyes. It seemed as if he was fond of this punishment. Finally, he decided to let us go after we threatened to "put him out" in our own defense; in other words, we planned to step on him and his men if he insisted our eyes be removed. We continued our journey in a boat donated to us ironically,  by the King. After taking a few materials with us we set out to a strange land called Brobdingnag.
     We arrived at Brobdingnag which was the opposite of the Lilliputians land, everything was oversized. Out of nowhere a large figure almost crushed us to smithereens. A mammoth sized hand came down on us and I had unfortunately lost my dog due to the pressure of this creatures fat, smelly mitts. I was in the middle of her ring finger and her middle finger so I luckily escaped the blow. I got up and screamed at the top of my lungs, "You killed my dog!"  She replied in an astonishingly low voice for a little giant girl, "Eek It's a talking gnat!" I spotted a puddle below which seemed like a lake in my point of view. Suddenly, a shadow covered the area of her hand, as I looked up my friend screamed in terror, her other hand was in the air for another whack at us. I remembered the Lilliputians gave us five whole barrels of Glimmigrim each, which we later found out was a wine that fills your bladder. At that instant my bladder was to capacity and I had to go. I decided that if I emptied it here the benefits would go to us. The monstrous creatures' reaction was as if we had stung her and after shaking her hand vigorously we fell into the puddle unharmed.
      I looked at my friend in relief as we dried ourselves off on a humungous leaf, after that experience we had doubts Gulliver was alive. We climbed onto a large blade of grass and saw a far off stone and decided that we should investigate. After a long journey to the structure we saw that it was a house of some sort but how were we to get in? Finally, I realized we were small and could fit through any nook and cranny in the whole land, so we slipped under the door and saw four giants, one of which was holding Gulliver. By golly, it was the same little giant girl that almost took our lives! My friend put her hands on her hips and said, "Well look at that! That rat of girl is treating Gulliver like a king and she managed to kill your miniature dog and treat us like a bed bug!"
     My friend and I called Gullivers' name and finally got his attention. He requested in a different tongue to speak to us, and after the little giant girl set him down we took him quickly, not giving him a chance to speak and ran as fast as a gnat could fly. We returned to our boat and headed home. Along the way Gulliver explained how he survived in such a place astonishing our ears with his fantastical tale.
We enjoyed Gullivers' story and we compared it with our own to take back to England and incorporate it with our animal figure gameplay.

The fox's eyes

keen eyes looking in the shadows
comes winter her fur dilates
she plays in the meadows
miscellaneously moving through the woods
with her tumultuous cries in the night
by morning she interposed herself in her den to sleep

The Promise

After rain comes God's promise
to never again send rushing waters
a ribbon of light across the sky
a message from the far heavens
after rain comes God's promise
a bow of never-ending color
stretched against never ending skies
after rain comes God's promise
never to be broken

Rad Room Redo

My mom gave me control over the design of my room. I decided to paint it white and grey with flowers blowing in the wind, a graceful fox is in the lower left hand corner gently taking in the fresh air. When I was brainstorming what the wall art should look like I was so excited. When it was time to execute the idea I grew very frustrated, I messed up like I normally would, but there was a problem it was on my wall not a paper. I was worried that I couldn't get it off. Soon we found out that with a little vinegar and a rag you can get pencil off in a jiffy. After I found out mistakes were easily corrected, I began to enjoy myself and looking at my finished art work made feel proud. 

I also designed and painted the colorful, floral headboard art piece above my bed. Hanging the canvas at an angle happened by accident but I feel it makes a great statement.

"Swift Gale"  By: Alex Brown

My mom is especially proud of the depth shown in my wall art. She says it tells a story of who I am as an artist. She likes to come in my bedroom in the morning and gaze at the details because it makes her feel like she is in the scene and it is welcoming. She says the lines of the fox are drawn in a very interesting way and is her favorite part of the wall.

Composition: The wall art depicts a Square miniature section of the whole wall. Art within Art.

Artist: Anthony Grant

My mom bought this Horse art for me, she remembered I loved horses as a young child and thought the colors would go well in my new room. 

The Huckleberry Hound Nursery Rhyme

Once a hound with a coat of black ran down to town with a filled up burlap sack and in this sack were berries big and round for the dog who carries it is the Huckleberry Hound. He carries these juicy berries to his owner Jack whom likes his berries big and black. But then one day the Huckleberry hound met a jet black cat and the tore each other up just like that!

Compare and Contrast Essay

      I read Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and The Treasure Seekers, by Edith Nesbit. I am going to be discussing the differences and similarities between the two books. They where both very interesting and I highly recommend them.       

     One area the two books showed differences is in the characters. In Alice In Wonderland there is only one main character, Alice who appears to be around the age of twelve. In The Treasure Seekers there are many characters who support each other though out the book. The age ranges between the children in the Treasure Seekers are from about seven to fourteen.

     Another area the books differ is in the problems that occurred and how they where solved. In Alice In Wonderland the problems are caused by the other characters and Alice is required to figure out the solution to dilemma. However, in The Treasure Seekers the main characters caused the problems but later on they where solved with honesty and allowing adults to take over.

     Both books where similar in that they where both written by English authors at the end of the Nineteenth century. Also both books had children as their focus who learn about life through adventure.

     In conclusion, the books similarities and differences revealed the authors styles. This is especially shown in Alice In Wonderland's surrealistic theme and Treasure Seekers being set in reality. Overall, I thought the books where exciting and appeals to children.

     

Its Up To You Nancy Drew

     I am reading Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll. In chapter six the Duchess said,"If everybody minded their own business the World would go round much faster." Alice disagreed with the Duchess. I found myself thinking about both arguments and wondered should people mind their own business or not?    
     There are negatives to getting into peoples business. One such example is prying or meddling, which can also lead to gossip. These negatives fall under the category of social taboos. Usually these taboos will make you end up hurting yourself as well as others. Everyone knows that sniffing out what you are getting for your birthday may be fun in the beginning but will only steal the fun and excitement at the time of your party.
      On the other hand, there are positives to getting into other's business. There have been many news stories about the hero who stepped in and saved the day because they chose to get involved. This action ended in saving a life or protecting another from danger.
     Knowing there are good and bad sides to this coin, I thought, "Is there another example of when we should snoop into other's business?" If you remember, the Duchess stated her opinion on the issue in the beginning of this report. She thought it was best for people to stay out of the way and keep to themselves. I tend to agree but with the exception that she holds an official title in a governing system which makes decisions that effect the public. The Duchess' influential decision making powers sway control in society. This made me think, it is very important to know what political leaders are involved with so I can be informed on how their decisions will effect me. A political figure can withhold information, twist information and say one thing and do another. In order for the population to protect their freedom, full knowledge of the political figures business is a must.
       Since circumstances can differ, a case by case judgement should dictate your involvement in other's business especially in a social situation. In a political situation, one should do what they can to be factually informed especially since their rights may be at stake.  It all comes down to this, it's up to you Nancy Drew, to decide weather getting in peoples business will get you a clue.

The Treasure Seekers

     Dora, Dickey, Oswald, H.O, Noel and Alice Bastable are children who find themselves in a difficult life circumstance after the death of their mother. Their Dad is financially struggling, so they decided to think of ways to try and help their families situation. Dora, the eldest child suggested digging for treasure. Oswald was more dramatic and suggested highway robbery.
     It was interesting to read of the imaginative ways the children thought of and executed their ideas. There were times when the children's character was tested. For instance, Oswald returned six good pennies to the phone lady because Alice gave her a bad sixpence. Oswald needed that money but he did what was right instead.  
     At times the children were able to use their talents in order to help, like when Noel sold his poetry to an editor. They did run into some problems every now and then. Their wine venture turned sour because as children they thought the wine was bitter and added sugar. The adults didn't appreciate their improvements and the venture quickly dissolved.
     Overall, I like the book because it is full of adventure and learning experiences. I admire these children for using what they had and trying despite their age and situation. Reading about their trials makes me more confident in trying to accomplish my own goals.