Progymnasmata

Today, I have my first exercise in Greek Rhetoric. I had a choice between a ecomium, a composition to praise an individual, and a vituperation, a composition to condemn an individual. I chose to do a vituperation on a church history figure, Paul of Samosata. So, here it goes!
Paul of Samosata was one of the most corrupt men in the history of the christian church. He not only was corrupt in his heart, but he lead many others to be corrupt in Christ.
I do believe that Paul of Samosata is deserving of condemnation.

Paul of Samosata was not raised in a proper way, that is, he was not given a job or a apprenticeship from his family. He was of humble birth and this gave him the thirst for wealth that gave rise to the evil that he spread. He was not given a skill to work honestly at, so he fell to perverting the church where he was working.

Of his education, we know very little, except that he was of humble birth and so probably didn't receive a good education. He also learned nothing of any form of handiwork or common labor.

As to his works, his  churches were filled with heresy. He instructed the women to sing hymns only to himself. He stopped all production of hymns except for the ones about himself. He also took bribes for help for the injured and those who were being perused by tax collectors and then turned on them and insisted they give him more money. As the final blow, he allowed himself and his church leaders "spiritual brides", women that lived with him and traveled with him. They were not married to him.

Compared to Simon Magus, Paul seems to be even more of a threat to the people. For even though Simon tried to buy the powers of Christ from Peter, he at least believed in the sovereignty of Jesus. Paul didn't even believe that Jesus was divine. He constantly lived in the most extreme sin. His teachings spread to many people and corrupted many church leaders.

I pray that none of you will follow the example of this charlatan. His work has already corrupted many. Do not follow in his footsteps and teach falsely, take bribes or exploit the poor. Hold yourself to a higher standard than this man of God corrupted.

Please give me any input on this. Thanks!

Leslie

Book Trailer

I found something interesting from Spencer Hill Press. Apparently, they're making a book trailer for one of their books and are looking for people to be in it. I'm not particularly interested, but I thought some of you may be. 

To view the post on it on Emily White's blog, click here.

To view the post on it on Kate Kaynak's blog (Emily's editor), click here. 

This really is a great opportunity, definitely worth looking into.~Elizabeth

Progymnasmata

This week I am starting a special kind of post for the school season. A classical Greek exercise in rhetoric. For one of my classes in school, I get to write these exercises in rhetoric. I decided that I will now post these exercises for all of you to enjoy. The first one should be this Thursday. On another topic, this weekend I made about 120 chocolate chip cookies. All of them perfect! Ha!! Anyone else LOVE to cook?

Random Post

Sorry, I forgot to update the theme for last week. The theme for this week is Courageous, in honor of the new movie (it's out this Friday!!!!).

The Awards page is officially up, so we are now accepting nominations.  Nominate away!!!

There's already two blogs that have accepted our award offer:

http://hannahproject195.blogspot.com/ 

This is a blog that really inspires me: 

Hannah, the blogger, doesn't just sponsor one child through Compassion. No, she sponsors/corresponds with TEN. And she's only sixteen.


http://dragontargeseries.blogspot.com/ 

Dianne Gardner is an aspiring, un-published author. I actually had the privilege of reading/offering feedback on her book (which is amazing, by the way), and she's really an amazing author. 

These are seriously some blogs you should check out!!!~Elizabeth

Meaningful Cookies

First of. . .AM I THE ONLY ONE AMONG YOU WHO CAN'T COOK???? 

Yesterday I had to make some cookies to bring to a class I'm going to, and I had everything right. Just right. Nothing was going wrong. I would actually have made a decent dish. Until I pulled them out of the oven. . . :

There's always got to be something wrong with my cooking. Always. Is there anyone else who suffers from this?? Anyone???

Well, to move onto the other subject. . .

I want to discuss something with you that has engulfed a decent amount of my time in the past few months:

Inner Meanings.

Does this book have a meaning? Is my theory correct, or is there no intended agenda in the book whatsoever? Did this person let their beliefs influence this book? Is this book modled by the author themself?

See??? These are just some of my questions--and they're only the ones I have for books! So today, I'm going to discuss a few books that I think have an inner meaning:

The Hunger Games Series: The inner meaning in this is simple--the most unlikely people can make a huge change, and that war truly effects, not only children, but everyone.

The Inheritance Series: Once again--someone who grew up with a very humble life became something amazing, living a life he had never dreamed of. I can tell that CP tries to push animal values, as all of the elves are vegeterian (which tends to get slightly  annoying after a bit), and the main character is scared to death of killing people, which is ironic, since he should be a fearless dragon rider. 

Elemental: Everything happens for a purpose.  

I could go on about this one forever. . .What about you? Are there any books you have read that made you think this?~Elizabeth

Part 2

Ok. . .so here's a little more of that story I posted earlier. . . :

I closed my eyes in stress; he wasn’t supposed to be involved in this, no one was. But how could I ignore his plea? He was right, my father would be furious, and would probably kill anyone who had anything to do with my escape, my “murder”. 

That sparked something in my head, “What if I leave a letter on my bed, saying that I decided to poison myself? Then they wouldn’t go looking for me.”

“It wouldn’t work. Your father—with all due respect—can be a very stubborn man at times. And why wouldn’t he be with this situation? Would any parent simply read the letter and go, ‘Oh, I guess she died. That’s too bad. . .’? Of course not!!! He would still search vigorously for you, because he loves you. Even if for some reason he doesn’t, Jaradias would.”

My heart stopped at the mention of my beloved brother. . .he had cared for me since birth, ever protecting me.

Curias continued, “Jaradias is very protective over you, he would never stop searching. There’s also your other brother, Edwin. He would care, too--”

“You forgot Stephen. . .”

Curias’ face went ashen gray, “Stephen left us long ago. Who knows where he is now.”

Curias and Stephen had been good friends—best friends, in fact. But he got as sick of palace life as I did.

He continued on, “As I have been trying to say, your family—and friends—would never stop searching if you did that. But. . .If you were to write one saying that you ran away, the situation may turn in your favor.  Or you could just leave with no note whatsoever. . .that would be the wisest option.”

“Perhaps,”

“To which one?”

“I shall leave them no hint as to what happened. I would rather have my father think that some evil person—you—kidnapped me than have him think I’m un-happy with my life,” I inhaled deeply, “We should start gathering supplies.”

“I shall be the one to collect things, you would look much more suspicious than I would.” With that, Curias left on his mission.

He had better not turn me in.   

I began to feel bad for assuming the worst out of him as he returned with two sacks filled with supplies.

“You take this one, it’s lighter,” Curias nearly shoved it into her face in a hurry, “We need to get out of here.”

I swung it around my back.

His face turned to stone as footsteps approached, “Fast.” 

~Elizabeth

Awards

Alright, then! So. . .We will be starting something new at RWR. If we find a blog we like, and we have an award designed that is suitable for it, then we will offer them an award. I have taken the pictures for these blogs, and did a TON of editing on them. Here are what a few of them will look like:

 



You can nominate your blog for an award if you'd like, or any other blog you find interesting. We won't be starting giving them away quite yet, I want to get a few more awards made before we make this official. I'll be adding a page with information on entering, and what to do if you win one. When the page is up, you'll know the award system has begun!~Elizabeth 

The Hunger Games

Quote: “Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games”
Summery: Katniss is just a normal, sixteen year old girl. Well, sort of.
She happens to live in the 12th district of an area called Panem that used to be known as North America. Oh yeah, she also has to hunt illegally to feed her family after her father died and her mom went crazy.It's either that or let them starve. Not average to our standards, but if you were to compare her to everyone else in Panem, she's just another girl trying to survive. 

Then one day, everything changed for her. Her sister, twelve-year-old-Prim, had her name drawn to be District 12's female tribute for The Hunger Games, the Capitol's way of making sure people are aware that they are in control. No exceptions.

Basically, everyone between the ages of twelve and eighteen has to have their name entered in for The Hunger Games, and there are two chosen from each district--one male, one female. Except, of course, if you want to enter your name more than once. Each extra entry gives a year's supply of grain and oil for one person. Katniss' was entered over twenty times that year. 

Katniss knew what they were like; everyone in Panem was forced to watch the televised Hunger Games each year.

There was no way she would let her little sister go through that.

So, Katniss pushed Prim aside and took her place. Then. . .The male tribute was chosen.

Peeta. The boy with the bread.

Peeta had given her family two loaves of bread a long time ago--that bread gave them enough nourishment to survive. She owed her life to him, and now she was going to have to be in an arena where she was expected to kill Peeta. Katniss began to think about the games as she rode to the capitol in a train ten times nicer than her own house, I'm about to die. I am. But I must stand strong, for Prim. For Gale. She pushed all thoughts of Gale outside of her head; he was a friend that she had hunted with for a few years, nothing more. I'm so puny and weak, how am I supposed to kill twenty-three youth I don't even know?? Could I come to the point where I turn into such a beast that I do kill people??? 

Katniss thought about it. The capitol does The Hunger Games each year to show the districts that the capitol has power over them. That they can do nothing against them when they steal two of their young ones to place in an arena where you must live off the land for a few weeks. And kill, let's not forget about that. See, only the last person standing in the arena can actually go home. Everyone else either gets killed or dies of "natural" causes.

As soon as she arrives, she gets bombarded by stylists making her look inhuman for the televised showing of all of the contestants. She is told to always stay right next to Peeta--to appear as his best friend. His girlfriend. 

Without Katniss' input, it appears that their way of getting sponsors for this is by acting completely in love.

"Think about it," Says Haymitch, their mentor, "It's a tragic love story. Only one of you can win. Trust me, sweetheart."  

But little does Katniss know, Peeta really is in love with her. And they've just been thrown into the arena.

Violence/Romance: Ok, so obviously this book has a decent amount of violence in it. For some readers, it may be a little more than they would care for. I personally like it, but it depends on the reader. As far as romance. . .Many kissing scenes do occur between Peeta and Katniss, although they aren't described in great detail. Katniss has to act in love with him, although she finds it becoming more and more real the further they go. Peeta, on the other hand, is extremely in love with her, and has been since they were five.

Spirituality: There's really no religion/spirituality in it whatsoever.  

What I liked: First off--this book is AMAZING!!!!! Probably the best I've ever read. The character development is awesome, and the way it's written is so good, I literally coundn't stop reading. It's not predictable, either; there are many things that you would never think would take place. 

Katniss is very protective over her sister, and it's nice seeing the affection that's there. In general, Katniss is a very affectionate person, you can really see that she's has a loving bond with the characters--therefore you  have a loving bond with them. Peeta is a great character, and again, generally cares about Katniss' welfare. I liked how the book showed that the people (some of them, anyway) didn't like killing, and wanted to remain. . .well. . .human. 

What I didn't like: I didn't like how Katniss seemed to be a little immodest at times--she is recorded as--not in any detail whatsoever--being completely stripped when the stylists design her outfit, and stripped down to but her undergarments to bathe one day--even though she knew that she was being seen by all Panem. There are a few h--l's thrown in there, but other than that, no swearing.  

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This book is really good, you should check it out!~Elizabeth

Theme of the Week

Here is the Theme of the Week winner written by Aylin

l' Rufus died today. You don't know how much I loved that dog. I had him for twenty-three years. I don't know how old he was when I got him. He was a mess of trouble back then, I'll tell ya, and he still would be if Death hadn't called Ol' Rufus' name. I remember how we met, all those years ago. Do you mind if I tell you?


I had walked into that little diner on the corner of Main and 5th Street – you know the one. It's old and run down now, but back then it was a shiny, brand-new place. It had pink walls inside and a black and white checkerboard floor. There was a big, old clock behind the counter with neon numbers. But that's all beside the point. Forgive me for reminiscing - I don't want to bore you too much.

Anyways, I walked in there that Saturday morning for a cup of black coffee and a fried egg. The door jangled and little Tammy Sue looked up and smiled at me from behind the counter. She was always there early on Saturday mornings. I sidled up to the counter and ordered my food. While I was waiting for Tammy Sue to fry my eggs, I whistled along to a tune playing on the jukebox.

Pretty soon, my food was done cooking, and I began to eat it. The door jingled and an old man and woman walked in. They sat down in a booth in the corner and Tammy Sue got their order. I hadn't but hardly finished my coffee when the door burst open again – the bell just a-clanging and rattling up a storm. I spun around on my stool to see a ugly, yellow mutt bounding through the door and tearing off for the kitchen. He ripped right past Tammy Sue and the cook who had just come in a moment before. The cook, I forgot her name, let out a holler like you wouldn't believe. Her pan full of oatmeal went flying through the air like a flying saucer, landed on the linoleum, and spun around and around until it finally settled on a black square on the floor. The oatmeal, on the other hand, had long since left the pan and dripped from the clock on the wall.

The dog didn't stop, even with the cook screaming at him. He kept running right through the kitchen, then back around toward Tammy Sue. He upset three cups of coffee and a muffin as he jostled around the counter. Then he landed right next to me. He just sat down and looked up at me with doleful eyes and cocked his head to one side.

“Is that foul beast your, Jim?” The cook screeched, her voice rising even higher than before. “Cause, I am gonna knock his brains out – just look at what he did to the diner!” I did look around then. The elderly couple had somehow climbed up on top of their seats, which was quite a feat for their age. The curtain on the bottom half of the door was torn from the brass rod. The pan had dinged up the floor and I noticed that the oatmeal had dripped mostly into a coffeepot. I looked at the cook. Her face was beet red and it was like steam was coming out of her ears. And then I looked down at the dog that was panting at my feet. Just a miserable, no-good critter like you've never seen.

“Yeah, he's mine,” I said quietly. “He's mine.” The cook screeched again and she came a-tearing at the dog and me. Well, I jumped up off of my stool and hightailed it out to my truck. I jumped in and the dog leaped in after me.

And, well that was that. That old dog stayed with me forever after that. I don't know whose he was originally, but apparently nobody wanted him, cause no one put an ad in the paper for him or nothing. I think he kinda always was my dog. It just took us a while to find each other – you know what I mean?

New Project

Alright, so this is a story that I started today. I decided that I'll keep posting more pieces of this every Thursday, for as long as it takes me to finish. Let me know what you think!!!!:

Jade stared into the eyes of her guardians as they dared her to be defiant.  Her soft, misty blue eyes were shaken and lit with fear—very much unlike the sharp, stilling grey shade of those who looked after her. She couldn’t take it—being a princess, being bound to a life of dresses and jewelry. She didn’t want to rule—no, she would leave it all behind in an instant to be free. Free.

She wanted nothing less than to run away, to get on a horse and leave forever. Then she could run to the elves for refuge. The only question was, how???

She pondered this for a moment.

Her father was holding an assembly with all of the residents of Rempavt that afternoon. . .nearly all of the guards would be there as opposed to “babysitting” her. . .It could work.  

Deliberately, she began to plan her escape. 

She glared up again at the guards—if only they knew what she was thinking. Jade twisted a smirk onto her face.   

“What are you up to?” One of the guards blatantly asked at her.  

“What could I be up to? Can I not simply admire the armory?” she replied as they walked through the rows of shields and swords.

She stopped, pretending to look interested in some of the swords, “I’m fine here. Let me browse for a moment—then I’ll go into my room to select a better gown for tonight.”

Her glaring eyes made the guards realize that if Jade’s brothers died in battle, she would become ruler. Would they try to get on her good side, or stick to their duty?

“Alright, highness, just remember that you have a dinner to attend tonight,” said one of the younger guards, Curias.  She looked tenderly at him and smiled, thanking him for understanding her need—the need to be alone.

Or maybe not. . . “I’ll stay with her; she may need guidance as far as selecting a sword is concerned.”

The other guards nodded, it seemed they didn’t like the idea of me being left alone.

“Couldn’t you leave me be? Must I always have someone watching me?” Hissed Jade as the other guards passed out of earshot.

“Highness, with all due respect, I don’t trust you. I know what you think. . .I see it in your eyes. They light up with fire whenever even one of us walks away.”

She glared at Curias, “Didn’t you say you would help me select a sword?”

“Yes, I did, didn’t I?”

 So look they did. But something peculiar happened—Curias and Jade reached for the same sword at the same time, and their hands touched. They both looked up, and for a few seconds, they had their gaze locked into opposite’s eyes. Jade’s widened at the spur of the moment, but soon they both let go of the sword, and there was a moment of awkward silence.

“My sword is good enough, I need not a new one.” Jade gulped. 

“Let’s talk about your plans of escape somewhere more private.” Curias whispered. . .so he did know after all.

“Let’s go to my room, and I’ll answer whatever questions you have.”

So they went in and discussed it. For some reason, Jade trusted Curias—he even offered valuable advice about the best ways to leave. 

But then Curias said something that Jade did not expect, “Look, highness--“

“Jade. My name is Jade.”

“Alright, Jade. Well. . .there’s one issue with your plan. I was the last one with you, therefore I would be accused of hiding you, encouraging you to leave, or possibly even murdering you. I could be executed.

“I obviously don’t want that, so. . .Can I come with you? I would be able to protect you, and I know the ways to the elves well. I don’t want to die, Jade. Please don’t let me die.”

School

In honor of the school year beginning anew, I thought that I would blog about school. Specifically school supplies. Am I the only one that gets a rush of excitement when you open a new notebook or get a new set of pens? Maybe its the possibilities of the contents or the novelty of something new. IT may sound corny, but I feel my creativity flow from my brain into the paper. I have come up with some of my best ideas for stories by opening a blank notebook. At the end of the year, my books are all full of notes, essays, stories and other things. I can look back and see all these interesting and boring facts. Still, there is nothing like new supplies. My little sister agrees with me too. We both like new supplies. What about you? What do you think about school supplies? For some silly fun, I think I am going to post a poll asking what school supplies you like best!

Summer Pictures

What, Summer's almost over?!?! I don't believe it. . .

Well, I've never posted any of my photography on here before, so I want to change that. Here are a few of my favorite Summer pics:

*I request  that these images not be used without permission* ~Elizabeth

TOTW

Here is the winner for this week's TOTW:


A Life
People make mistakes that hurt life
Some ruin their own chances at
Life. They use drugs or mind-numbing alcohol or
They commit suicide. They
Ruin their chance for a beautiful, fulfilling
Existence
That God gave them to live
Out to an amazing fullness in Him.
Other people commit homicide
They ruin other people’s chances at
Life
They may ruin a child’s life or
An adult’s life or even an innocent, unborn baby’s life.
That is terrible, gut wrenching
Sad
The person may get caught when they
Murder, but often
They get away with it. That is
Sadder
No one seems to mind when
A baby - a beautiful, perfect
Gem of life-
Dies because no one wants
To take the responsibility of a little life.
They need to know that they are still
Responsible,
They are responsible for a child’s
Death.
I would rather be responsible for a
Life than a death.
Don’t ruin your life,
More importantly
Don’t ruin someone else’s life
Someone no one will
Fight for
And who can’t fight for themselves. 

-Aylin Brandt