Thornton Academy – AP Language 2018-2019

Truman Capote, born in New Orleans, LA in 1924 was an American novelist, a short story writer, a screenwriter, a playwright and an actor. In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s are some of his most famous literary works but he started writing when he was just 8 years old. He grew from his troublesome childhood of an absent mother and a few migrations through his writing and became a very well known man.

I personally like Capote’s writing because of the imagery he uses and the attention to detail. Even though his writing isn’t super recent it doesn’t have the archaic feel or sound to it, which I like. Capote takes a story that others may see as flat and it’s like he brings it to life. That is the true work of a good writer in my mind. He uses pleasing sounding word choice to add to his stories which adds to the column of things I like about his style.

In Capote’s piece of writing “A Diamond Guitar” the style is very artistic. Which is a very good thing in my mind for a writing style. Capote’s approach to a prison story and adding in the musical and uplifting side to it was very pleasant to read. Capote’s writing style and story is similar to Stevenson’s “Just Mercy” only really in the topic of the two pieces. The two writers took different perspectives in their writing as Capote does it from the inside of the prison and Stevenson tells the stories from his perspective. This difference and diversity created by the two is interesting but intriguing. The two having different experiences with their stories is why every writer is a little bit different and why the diversity in writing style means everyone has something that interests them.

           Oftentimes people are unwilling to do the right thing simply because it is inconvenient or unimportant to them. The world would drastically improve if we took the time to realize how big of an effect we have on the world. Every single human has a lasting impact on the world around us, and sometimes the greatest impact is not on ourselves.

Manatees have learned this lesson the hard way. They were once a widespread species until, what seems to be an all too common occurrence for wild animals, they were over hunted by humans. We are manatees only known predators; while it is illegal to hunt them in the United States, they are still hunted in many other places in the world. 

However, hunting is not the only factor decreasing the population of these sweet, whiskery faced animals. Humans play another important role. Manatees are often killed or injured in boating accidents. In 2018, 119 manatees died in Florida’s waters due to boating collisions. Unfortunately, manatees are another innocent species that is facing a grave future due to the careless actions of the human race. 

People are out there trying to right our wrongs. Organizations have been founded to conserve manatees and their habitats. Most of them hope to achieve their goals through educating the public, fighting for boat speed zones, and funding research, rescue missions, rehabilitation, etc. Hopefully, before these gentle creatures are gone forever, we learn how our actions affect not only ourselves, but the world too. Our goal should be to have a positive effect on earth and to leave it better than we found it.

Truman Capote was a notable novelist, short story writer, and playwright of the 20th century, receiving numerous awards, such as the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime. Originally named Truman Streckfus Persons, Capote was born in New Orleans on September 30, 1924 and died in Los Angeles, California, on August 25, 1984. His writing style developed from an extension of Southern Gothic tradition to a more journalistic method. Some of his well-known works include In Cold Blood, The Grass Harp, and Miriam. Truman Capote was heavily inspired by his early childhood. Capote was described to be a “lonely child,” which partially led him to learn how to read and write on his own. Truman Capote also possessed a security blanket. The blanket, made by a close relative member called “Sook,” was reported to carry the blanket until his last breath.
When I read the first page of A Diamond Guitar, I wondered where Capote’s writings had been all this time. His stories are very descriptive and detailed. Capote’s description of the scenery is beautiful. The images in his story is very vivid, thanks to Capote’s masterful use of similes. In addition, Capote managed to carve out characters who exhibited specific traits and ideas. His storylines are very coherent and connect well together. As a result, I believe Truman Capote places an importance upon details in his stories.
Compared to the stories in Just Mercy, A Diamond Guitar presents distinctive differences. Firstly, containing the voice of Truman Capote, A Diamond Guitar is much more detailed. For example, Capote’s short story explores more of its characters’ appearance, aura, and intimate thoughts than the stories in Just Mercy do. As a result, A Diamond Guitar displays a sense of personal opinions and ambitions, allowing readers to further relate with the characters. In addition, despite both portraying a common theme of incarceration, Just Mercy’s stories mainly focus on the conditions and traumatic events contributing to these inmates’ offense, which led to their imprisonment. Meanwhile, A Diamond Guitar displays the day-to-day activities of a specific prison. For example, the short story shows how inmates treat one another and their reflections as time goes by.

I have always been horrified by the adversaries facing the environment; something in which many people are oblivious to or simply choose to ignore. Last year I took an AP Environmental Science class which gave me a greater awareness of the impact that us humans can have on the environment and the drastic effects of our negligent actions. We watched many videos in relation to the effects of trash on not only pollution but on animals as well. Although watching these videos leads to awareness of these issues, this alone isn’t enough. So many people watch these videos and think “oh wow, these poor animals” but how many people actually decide to do something about it? Not many at all.  Therefore, we need to actually take steps to protect the environment and negate the effects of those who simply don’t care.

A lot of people are stuck in the mindset that small changes won’t make a difference especially when no one else is implementing these changes. However, if everyone that was stuck in this mindset actually made an effort to help out the environment, a big difference would be seen. Even little things like turning off the lights when leaving the room or or using less plastic water bottles can make a difference. We need to do whatever we can to protect the environment before it’s too late. Remember any small action is better than no action at all.

“No, I can do it myself!” I argued into the phone. The sun beamed down on the hot August day as three year-old H chased a chicken around a tree. I was thirteen and thoroughly independent, which is why I had speed dialed my mom on my flip phone asking for advice in the situation that lay before me. Or should I say, bok-boked before me.

Allow me to back-track a bit. A few days earlier, I had been asked to babysit H. I readily accepted, eager for cash, little kid interaction, and with nothing better to do. H was a spoiled little girl, but I had learned to tolerate. An only child, H never really had to share. She also had racked up a list of allergies a mile long, including eggs and tree nuts. I am proud to say that she has matured in school, and is now sweet and moderately down to Earth. I digress.

I may have been a teenager then, but I possessed no back bone when it came to children. I spent the morning following H around as she dictated what she wanted to do. Which is why we found ourselves staring at the wire fence of the chicken coop that day.

H was telling me about all of the adventures she had with the chickens and her cousins R and K. I nodded along, noting nervously how close she was to the hens. Is it possible for someone with an allergy to eggs to have an allergic reaction by standing next to the chicken coop? I certainly didn’t know.

“It’s time to feed the chickens!” H declared, chewing on the end of her braided pigtails.

“Hey, I don’t think —“ I was interrupted by the scratching of the fence on dirt as H’s pudgy baby hands pushed the door open. Oh dear.

A flood of chickens came strutting out, seeing freedom and taking it by the beak. I snatched H’s hand and pulled her away from them. “Uh-oh…” H mumbled as I dragged her a couple of feet away to a large oak tree.

“Stay here.” I told H as I waded back into the chicken hurricane, and that is where we left off.

I put a hand on my hip as I ended the phone call. There was only one way I could see an end to this, which is if I chased the chickens back into the coop. I sighed, gazing  at the farmyard poultry that dotted the backyard. A couple pecked at a stick, while one squawked indignantly at their companion beside them. H was still chasing the lone tree chicken, panting as she went.

The next half an hour consisted of yelling and stomping at the chickens who knew the truth behind their beady little eyes but nonetheless aqueised. I took H back inside, where we sat on the couch in stunned silence until E’s white car crawled into the driveway.

I immediately described the past events, apologizing profusely for allowing the barnyard to meet the backyard. She looked at me for a long minute before chuckling. “Grace, it’s okay. The chickens get out all of the time. They don’t go far.”

Oh.

Being in the public eye is never an easy or entirely pleasing experience. Mistakes are displayed for the world to see, imperfections are amplified, and suddenly everyone has become a critic. The bigger the star the harsher the judgement they receive. Perhaps Michael Jackson knew that better than anyone. From an extremely young age, every step he made was watched by millions. 

Despite his legendary music and dance moves, one of the first things people think about when they hear “Michael Jackson” is his skin color. There’s no denying Jackson’s skin color changed over time. However, there was no reason for the public to make fun of or question these changes. There seems to be no lines that people won’t cross. Jackson had vitiligo, which is a skin condition that causes the loss of skin pigmentation. Although it is a rare disease, that does not make it any less real. Jackson was not lightening his skin like some rumors were saying. Instead of choosing to understand vitiligo and show some respect, the general public chose to make jokes at Jackson’s expense. 

Throughout his entire life, Michael Jackson proudly identified as a black American. Somehow people have the audacity to challenge his identity. For instance, Quincy Jones, Jackson’s producer, falsely claimed that Jackson used chemical peels to lighten his skin, because he, “…didn’t want to be black.” Not only is this wrong, it is also incredibly insulting. Unfortunately, that’s not all. In 2013, a white actor was cast to play Jackson in a movie. This was despite Jackson explicitly stating in a 1993 interview that he found the idea of being played by someone white as “horrifying.”

We should keep in mind that our words and actions have consequences. It matters if we show respect for our friends, family, strangers, and even celebrities. We can learn from our mistakes in the past and work on being kinder in the future.