George Washington Assassination

Author's Note: Please note that this is not a hatred piece. I do love the US.   I was kind of just wondering how the United States would have turned out had George Washington been assassinated.  I thought just killing him in the Revolutionary War would be quite boring, so I had to make some epic plot to make it cooler. 

In a small apartment in London, a man by the name of Abel Armstrong sat at his desk furiously typing away on his laptop.  Perspiration slowly trickled down his forehead.   He has been typing for hours now and was soon close to concluding his email to several followers.  Several minutes later, after adding several encryption codes and passwords to the email, he quickly sent it and immediately went to bed.

Only a couple miles away, a man sat at his desktop, waiting impatiently for a long waited email to arrive in his mail box.  A message soon popped up and announced "You've got mail Tommy John," in an electronic female voice.  Tommy John just grunted and entered various encryption passwords and read the letter with great intensity.  After finishing the letter, Tommy allowed himself a small grin and rose from his computer to prepare for upcoming plans.  It was finally time to change the world.

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Abel Armstrong awoke to the pounding of something coming from his front door.  Knowing it had to be Tommy, Abel rose groggily and made his way towards the front door.  Just to be sure, Abel looked through the peephole and found a brown haired man of about twenty five years still pounding at his door.  To see the man's face in the peephole, Abel had to maneuver himself so that he was able to look upwards, otherwise he would be unable to see him.

"Ah yes come in Tommy," said Abel, opening the door and letting the man in.  Tommy casually stepped in and turned to face Abel as he closed the door behind him. 

"We need to leave.  Now," said Tommy in a serious tone.

"Alright, alright fine.  Let's go to my office.  It's in the basement under a tarpaulin in the corner," replied Abel.

The two set off towards Abel's office, and ten minutes later, found themselves in the basement looking for the tarpaulin.  They found it hidden in the corner, just how Abel described it.  It was massive.  Cylindrical in shape, it reached all the way to the ceiling of the basement, and looked like it could fit more than a couple people into it.  But what was it?

"I bring you, the time machine!" yelled Abel, tearing the tarpaulin off of the object.  A giant, solid steel cylindrical object stood facing the two.  A button on the outside was all the controls that appeared to be on the time machine.  A huge glass window covering 1/4 of the entire machine showed what lied within the contraption.  Again, it was very simple, consisting of just a huge dial with numbers and symbols. 

"You ready to right things in this world?" asked Abel with a wicked grin.

"I sure am," replied Tommy, "Say bye bye America."

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Six months earlier…

"Multiple bombs have fatally detonated in ten of Britain's largest cities.  People are being evacuated at this moment.  All help available will be needed.  A suspect has been brought to justice, and to our surprise, the suspect was an American operative currently working for the CIA-"

Abel angrily terminated the news channel and chucked the remote across the room.  The remote hit the wall and shattered with a sickening crash.  Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he slowly rose to his feet.  Red in the face, he quickly called up Tommy and asked to attend a meeting as soon as possible in the old abandoned church about an hour from Abel's.  Tommy agreed, so Abel called up several other people he knew and told them to meet him at the same place at the same time. 

These men weren't just any men; they were members of England's Justice Fighters, a group of terrorists heavily against the United States.  Since 2020, these terrorists have been raising havoc all across England, targeting mainly Americans. Their most recent success was pulling off a massacre in the US Embassy, killing more than 50 people.  Although it was a huge victory for this group, they did suffer a major casualty.  During the massacre, everyone was able to escape, except for their explosives expert, Sebastian Miller.  He was the sole reason for their escape, because he detonated over 50 pounds of C4 to create a diversion for the rest of the team.  It cost him his life.

The abandoned church was the usual meeting place for the Justice Fighters.  Abel arrived and found that everyone was anticipating his arrival.  He took center stage and immediately began his speech.  "My fellow friends, today we have been bombed by a crazed American.  It is a sign!  America wants to kill us.  After all we've done for them!  We created that country, and we deserve to have it back.  It is time to unveil our greatest discovery.  I tell you, I have discovered the secret to time travel!  My friends, we are going back to before America became America.  We are going to kill General Washington!"

The small crowd sat silent, not believing what they had just heard.  Time travel was very common.  Studies were very close to uncovering the secret to time travel, but their own leader had discovered it?  It seemed too good to be true.   Several questions arose, and all were precisely answered.  After millions of questions, the secret to time travel was finally accepted.

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Today

The two stood in front of the time machine, staring at it with great satisfaction.  All of their problems were soon about to be fixed.  Abel reached out and pressed the button with soft delicacy.  The glass door hissed open and filled the entire room with a thick coat of steam.  They waited for the steam to dissipate before setting foot inside of the time machine.  Tommy took a deep breath and followed Abel into the time machine.

A strong scent filled his nose as he stepped into the time machine.  It smelt awfully like rotten eggs, a very terrible smell.  Tommy couldn't take any longer and stepped out to regain his composure.  When recovered, he found Abel retching beside him.

"Sorry mate.  Didn't think it'd smell like that.  The time machine works the smoothest with sulfur, but it smells terrible," said Abel after regaining his composure.  He stood up and took a deep breath, but regretted it as soon as he did it, because he winced and started coughing.  The two men decided that they would prepare everything before using the time machine. 

Crates lined the wall next to the time machine.  It was at this time that Abel turned to them and opened them up.  He pulled out two lethal looking weapons from one of the crates and set them against the wall.  Curiosity got the better of Tommy, and found himself reaching for one.

"Whoa dude.  I wouldn't do that here.  These babies are real Katanas hand crafted in the mountains of Japan.  I'm just making sure Bob didn't stiff us," said Abel.  Tommy took a step back, and decided to continue watching Abel unload the rest of the gear.  Night vision goggles, bullet proof vests, ear phones, Swiss army knives, and Shurikens were among the things Abel picked from the box. 

"Good.  He added a couple extra Shurikens.  He didn't stiff us today," announced Abel. 

"Are we seriously going ninja?" asked Tommy in disbelief.

"Yes.  Our normal weapons would be too out of place," replied Abel.

"Don't you think the night vision goggles, bullet proof vests, and ear phones are a bit out of place too?"

"They can easily be disguised."

"Easily?  How are you going to disguise night vision goggles?" demanded Tommy.

"You'll see," replied Abel.  Tommy couldn't believe Abel's reasoning but decided not to push the subject.  After all, Tommy was an expert in martial arts.  Trained in the Himalayas by Asia's best martial artists, Tommy surpassed all expectations and rose to one of the most elite fighters in the world.  He was among the first of Abel's recruits.  His aggressive fighting style and quick thinking easily earned him second in command.

After a couple minutes of silence, Abel turned to Tommy with a wide grin on his face.  "I'm just yanking your chain.  We are also issued with fully automatic pistols.  They are obviously suppressed so get used to it quickly," said Abel.  He handed over a G18 with several large magazines and a screw on suppressor.  Tommy immediately examined it, testing the weight balance and the sights. 

"The Katanas and Shurikens are just a cover up.  Our cover is that we are traders selling antique Asian weapons," said Abel, "We aren't actually going to sell anything though," Abel quickly added, noticing the blank look on Tommy's face.

"Is there anything else we need to prepare for?" asked Tommy growing a bit impatient.

"I don't believe so.  Let's do this."

Abel walked over to the time machine and pressed the button.  The door opened with a loud hiss, but this time, both men were prepared for the very peculiar odor.  Before stepping into the machine, both men made sure all of their supplies were in it first.  After a last second check, Abel and Tommy were ready for departure.  Abel grasped the giant knob and ferociously turned it to the year 1776.  That's when everything went black.

Ripped Abstract

In my essay, Ripped, I prove that the yellow wallpaper actually symbolizes her insanity.  She stares at it all day long and cannot get herself to avert her eyes from the wallpaper.  Doesn't this just scream insane to you?  Also, the true reason why John fainted was because he finally noticed that her insanity reached the point of no return.  Ripping the wallpaper off the wall symbolized her uncontrollable insanity, and when John sees it gone, he knows she is gone for good. 

Segregation

Author's Note:  This is my final essay for the book, To Kill A Mockingbird.  This piece is showing how Atticus supported the African American community throughout the book.  I believe I may have accidentally fallen into the Atticus trap, but let me know if I should change my topic.

Back in the 1930's, segregation was common throughout the United States.  It was a way of life for all African Americans and white Americans living in the south.  Tasks as simple as going to church and taking a drink from a drinking fountain were decided purely on their skin color.  In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, the town of Maycomb was segregated, but one person in particular did not agree with it-- his name was Atticus.

Atticus, Jem and Scout's father, definitely did not support segregation.  Throughout the book, he constantly preaches to his children that everyone is created equal, including African Americans.  These lessons greatly affect both Jem and Scout. Their respect for the black community is greatly influenced by Atticus.  These speeches were often prompted after Scout had gotten into a fight with someone who remarked that Atticus "favored" Negroes.  When they say favor, Atticus is really just accepting African Americans as equals. 

A pivotal event in the novel was Tom Robinson's trial.  Tom was an African American man accused of raping a white woman.  Atticus agreed to be Tom's lawyer.  He wanted Tom to receive a fair trial but knew this would be extremely difficult in Maycomb with an all white jury.  During the trial, Atticus easily outperformed the Ewell's lawyer, bringing up several points that proved Tom Robinson was innocent.  In the end it didn't matter.  Tom was found guilty because the all white jury had basically predetermined his fate due to the fact that he was black.

As you can see, Atticus really did not agree with segregation.  He fought hard for Tom Robinson's freedom.  When people were calling him names behind his back, he didn't care.  Atticus continued to do the right thing.  Although he didn't win the trial, Atticus had stood up for one African American man's rights.   Actions like Atticus' were what changed America's views on segregation.

A Word From Tom

Author's Note: This is a piece on what I imagined Tom Robinson was thinking before the trial.  I'm unsure if we had to say if we had sympathy for this character or not, but I think we can all agree Tom Robinson really deserves sympathy.  Atticus performed greatly even though he was unsuccessful. 

"Standin' in court ain't neva something I had eva anticipated.  After all, I'm only a cotton picker, pickin' for those white folks down yonder.  When the Mayella incident occurred, I was most definitely dead meat.  I know the trial ain't gone change none of those people's minds about what really happen'd that day.  I'm already as good as dead.  All I hope is that good old Atticus may be able to git Maycomb t'change their minds about Negroes."

Bragg

Author's Note: This is a character analysis on the main character in Alas Babylon.  

Randy Bragg is just an average man living in Fort Repose, Florida.  When the threat of a nuclear war with Russia emerges, Randy orders his brother's family to come and live with him until the threat expires.  Unfortunately for them, the threat turns into a reality.  All major cities and military bases in the United States  are nuked, but on the good side, Fort Repose is left unscathed.

With the exception of Fort Repose, Florida is basically dead, limiting the small town to only what they have.  With all of the chaos, Fort Repose needed a leader, and this is where Randy comes into play.  Before the nuking, Randy made sure to stock up on as much things as he could find, which included food and supplies.  After the nuking, he made sure they rationed these and also made sure to assign work to his family and friends to grow and catch anything edible.  Since there was no electricity, Randy helped design things to cover for the power loss.  For example, when the short wave radio stopped working, he fixed their car so that it powered the short wave radio.   Also, when a group of highwaymen terrorize the town, Randy forms a small group to eliminate the threat.  Finally, Randy created new laws to be followed in the small town.  It's safe to say he is the whole reason why Fort Repose didn't die.

Randy Bragg's actions can be compared to the actions of Derek Stillwater in the book, The Fallen.  In The Fallen, Derek got  stuck inside the G8 Summit when a terrorist attack occurs and was forced to lead a rebellion against the terrorists.  Although this rebellion was only two people at first, several later joined at the end of the book.  Also, both never shied away from action.  When Randy faced down the highwaymen, he faced them down coolly, just like when Derek continuously faced down terrorist after terrorist. 

Lost Power

Author's Note: This is an assignment in which we had to describe our thoughts or feelings about a certain scene in To Kill A Mockingbird.

"So it took an eight-year-old child to bring 'em to their senses.... That proves something - that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human. Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children" (157).

The scene this quote is said is actually a very odd one indeed.  In this scene, a mob travels to the jail and plans to rid of Thomas Robinson.  While there, Atticus tries to convince them to leave, but is unable to persuade them.  It wasn't until Scout started talking to one of the members of the mob did they decide to leave.  Eventually, one of the mob members, Mr. Cunningham, had a very important role in the Robinson case, he decided to side with Atticus and Thomas Robinson.  Although Mr. Cunningham was not able to convince the rest of the jury, he still withheld them for hours, which meant the thought of saying Thomas was not guilty was there. 

I thought this was an important scene because it basically showed that everyone has a weakness, no matter how powerful they are.  In this case the mob, the children were the weakness.  Because the children showed up, the mob questioned their motives and decided if children were present, executing Thomas Robinson wasn't appropriate, so they left.  It's sort of like kryptonite to Superman.  When it is present, Superman loses his powers. 

Actually Unfree

Author's Note:  This is just my essay for social studies responding to the question how free were blacks in the north.

Back in the late 1700's and early 1800's, the start to ending slavery finally occurred.  By 1800, all of the states north of Delaware freed African Americans.  Although they were freed, many laws were still used to basically limit their freedoms.  Because of these laws, I believe African Americans couldn't be considered free.

One of the freedoms African Americans were denied of was their political freedoms.  Over half of the northern states either restricted or did not allow African Americans to vote.  This actually was a big problem because 4.9% of the entire US population was free African Americans living in the north.  Although this may not be a huge percentage, this was over 200,000 people, all of which, had they been able to vote, could have change a few things in the government.  Also, besides Massachusetts, no African American was allowed to hold jury duty.  In my opinion, I believe they were not able to hold jury duty because nobody would believe what they had to say.  Most people back then probably would have believe a white man's word over an African Americans'.

Besides political freedoms, economic freedoms were also denied.  For African Americans, finding a job would be especially hard because of the racism that still exists.  Getting hired, for one, would be tough. Also, since only 4.9% of the population was free African Americans living in the north, it was almost certain that an African American would have to work with a white man, and a lot of the time, the white man would refuse to work with him.

Along with economic freedoms, social freedoms were also denied.  African Americans were commonly segregated from white people.  School was one of these places that were segregated.  Back then, African American schools were supposed to be equal to white schools, but they weren't.  Their school funds were lower, teachers were paid less, and African American students were more likely to miss school compared to white students.  Not only were schools segregated, but churches were, too.  African American churches also held other events, such as publishing a newspaper and holding a literacy club, because of the lack of freedoms they had.

Although African Americans were free, technically, back then, I believe they were still being treated like a slave to a lesser extent.  They did not have many political freedoms, economic freedoms, were social freedoms.  I found the quote, "He shall be free to live, and to thrive, if he can, and to pay taxes and perform duties; but he shall not be free to dine and drink at our board (table) - to share with us the deliberations of the jury box- to attend us in our courts - to represent us in literature - to attend us at the bed of sickness and pain - to mingle with us in the concert- room, the lecture room, the theater or the church, or to marry our daughters," basically sums up what most people thought of African Americans in the 1800's.