Essay 20

Maddy Neff

Mr. Salsich

English 9

April 29, 2010

Friendship

Dear reader,

This is a multi-genre essay about friendship, and what it means to me. I have written this essay by putting together a few different genres of writing style, including a letter, poems, an expository paragraph, and an obituary.

Thank you for reading,

Maddy

Without my friends, I would not be me. They are my missing pieces, and they are my foundations. I love them more than I can say.

Dear Someone,

To me, friendship is the brightest ray of light in my life. My friends are the force behind my ambition. Friends are the people who walk up to you and wrap their arms around you when everyone else has left you all alone. Friends are the people who know the one word, whispered from in your ear, that will have you rolling on the floor in laughter. Friends are the people who still want to be with you when you are sick and sneezing germs at them. I love my friends, and they love me. Friendship is a cheerful whistle, the fresh smell of summer rain, the golden taste of chocolate. Friendship is everything good.

My best pal Callie is my oldest friend

I liked her purple snow boots in kindergarten

She smiled at me, and ever since then,

We have been like two little pigs in a pen

My best friend Asia is a new found confidante

We tell each other secrets

She is like a favorite aunt

Who gives me advice and is always sweet and nice

She's got a special

Place in my heart

My friend named Gabby is a friend from my old school

She was a superb gymnast, and I thought that she was cool

So I asked her how to flip

And she gave me all the tips

And now we are always found together

Silly Lily is a new friend, too

She is like a friendly little monkey

I saw once at the zoo

She jumps and runs and makes me laugh

And I wish I to be her neighbor in the zoo,

Like the giraffe,

So I can always be with my little Lily bear

Joseph is a real cool cat

He knows where everything is at

Jojo is a real swell pal

I'd much rather be with him

than get a root canal. Great job!

Cassie and I bonded through lacrosse

We always practiced how to toss

But now, we are much closer

Than teammates on the field

And I can't wait to see how much more

This first-rate friendship will yield

If I didn't mention your name here, please don't be offended

Please don't think I dislike you or that our friendship's ended

I love you too, please don't doubt me

Please don't be sad or come and clout me

I just have some restricted time

So, I can't write all my loves a special rhyme

TS In Shakespeare's "The Tempest," the theme of friendship runs as an undercurrent throughout the whole play. SD On the surface, as the characters make their way through shipwrecks and sorcery and falling in love, the strong bonds of friendship also play a role. CM The two drunkards, Stephano and Trinculo, share a rather unusual friendship, unfortunately linked by their mutual attachment to alcohol. CM Ariel and Prospero share a type of friendship, too; though Prospero seems to dictate Ariel's life, and keeps her captive, Ariel is fond of her master, and Prospero of his servant. SD Friendship is also the base of love, which Miranda and Ferdinand find themselves deep in the midst of when they meet. CM In order for the two to have a happy marriage, they must be close friends as well as lovers, and be able to trust in each other, accept each other's flaws, and forgive mistakes, just as true friends do. CM With luck on their side, Miranda and Ferdinand will grow old together deeply in love, but also enjoying each other's company, and developing a strong friendship, for they must be the best of friends to live happily together. CS "The Tempest" shows some unique examples of friendship, which is the foundation for the most relationships in the play, be they loving or controlling relationships.

Obituary for a Friend

My friend, aged too young, passed away today. She died in a tragic accident, of a rare disease. He died when he was shot walking home from school. He died trying to save the person trapped in a burning building a few blocks away. You yourself might not have known her, but I did. She was a friend. He was a brother, she was a sister. He was a role model. He is gone. The empty space she left behind is a black hole, a bleeding wound. The wound will be long to heal. Her light and laughter is gone, replaced by a yearning like no other, a yearning to hug this friend just one more time, a yearning which cannot be satisfied. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to your closest friend. A memorial service will be held on the sand by the beach, in the sky, and in your memories of this person. They will be buried in your heart this Thursday.

Self Assessment

1. One writing issue I am continuing to work on: I am continuing to try to eliminate the tired or weak words from my essays, words like "very" or "nice."

2. One strong point I see in this essay: I think this essay is quite creative, and interesting for the reader. I really enjoyed the multi-genre style of writing an essay.

3. One weak point I see in this essay: the transitions between the different genres aren't very smooth. I just wrote from one to the other, without a smooth link between them, especially between the paragraph about "The Tempest" and the other sections.