My definition of family is a group of people who are together as mom, dad, kids, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In my family, even close friends are relatives, because we all love each other and want to spend as much time together as we can. In my immediate family, I am the second of three kids. My role is to be the encouraging older sister and the annoying little sister at the same time.

My family is unique for many reasons, but most of all because when I was six, we adopted a baby boy who is now my younger brother, Ben. From my point of view, my family is just like any other. We live together, play together, go to school together, love each other, and, of course, fight with each other. My parents expect me to be kind to my siblings, but it is hard to manage this when they are mean to me. I like being the middle child because I have someone to watch over me and also have a younger sibling whom I can boss around.

One of the coolest things about my family is that we share two religious beliefs, because we’re both Jewish and Christian. That means we have lots of traditions. We also made a new tradition by including everyone to combine the holidays. For example, we decorate our Christmas tree with my Israeli savta (grandma), and we eat latkes on Hanukah with my Italian family.  We believe in the whole Bible, not just parts. That makes me feel special and unique. How many kids do you know who celebrate both?

My family makes me who I am today because of the love and care they give me. I also know my parents work really hard so that I can go to S.I.A., and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have the friends I do today. My parents have inspired me to adopt a child when I am older, but until then, I want to stick with making meals for my family because that is one of my passions.  My favorite dish is baked cinnamon tortilla chips.  I invented the recipe myself.  Everyone enjoys them.  I may own a restaurant someday and be its chef.  I will call it Juju’s Café.

Juliette W. (Grade 6)

FAMILY

As defined in the dictionary, a family is a group of people related to one another.   I believe that family means more than just being related to one other. I define family and what makes a family as brothers, sisters, moms, dads, uncles, aunts, and grandparents loving, helping, and sharing life together.

As the baby of my family, I was always able to get out of doing many chores.  I was always the smallest, least helpful and to my brother and sister the most annoying.  Being the youngest had many advantages.   Now that my brother and sister have gone to college, I am treated very differently.  I have to feed the dog, take out the trash, clean my plate at dinner, and help my dad with work around the house.  All of these things my brother or sister did before they went to school.  I thought I would like being the only child but I’m not so sure now because of all the work.  Along with my chores, I am expected to do well in school, attend mass every Sunday and CCD classes,  polite and well-mannered, and help my mom work the computer.

One really interesting thing about my family that I’ll never forget is the story my great grandpa told me about his trip to America.  He used to live in Italy and one day he hopped on a banana boat that was going to America. For days he was in that boat with nothing to drink or eat. The only food source was the bananas. He also had to hide from the other people on board so he stayed in the same spot for two weeks.  Finally, they reached America, and if it wasn’t for him, I would be living in Italy instead of America.

If it wasn’t for my family, I could be so much different than I am today. Thanks to my mom and dad believing that education is very important and teaching me how to be a good student, I love my school and enjoy doing well.  I have to believe that my brother is the one responsible for the endurance and drive I have as an athlete. No matter how small or young I was, he never went easy on me. At the time, I would get frustrated or angry, but he taught me how to work, never give up, fight back, and keep pushing forward.  He also helped me understand good humor.   My love for animals, and nature definitely came from spending time with my sister.  I would watch her take care of animals and we often would go to the park and hang out by the pond.  My parents are always talking to me about helping others, being kind, thoughtful and always doing the best I could.  All of the members of my family helped make me who I am today.

Nick C.

1984 and Fahrenheit 451

            In both the novels 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the protagonists live in a negative utopian society where the government attempts to control the people. In both societies, the government tries to limit its people from thinking on their own. In 1984, Winston Smith has been living in a society where the public is brainwashed into worshipping Big Brother, the face of the Party. Whatever the government says is correct, and if people think badly of it, they may be vaporized. There is no love or emotions shared among the citizens of this society. Love is only for Big Brother. In Fahrenheit, Guy Montag lives in a society where people do not read books, but watch extensive amounts of television. One of the most important themes that occurs in both novels is that of isolation and alienation, which is best shown through Winston and Montag. They come to realize they are different than their societies and don’t share the same values.

In 1984, the main character Winston does not fit in with the rest of his society. He has an ongoing feeling in the back of his mind that the society he lives in is not the way it is supposed to be. He decides to break the rules by buying a diary in a shop outside his community and starting a journal. He would write down his thoughts in this journal, which is strictly illegal. One day he found that he wrote, “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” From then on he knew he was against the government. Montag is in a similar situation as Winston. He is a fireman, but instead of putting out fires, he burns books. He has always felt very empty inside, for a reason he does not know. He tries talking to his wife about it, but she has a blank reaction and is only interested in the T.V. (her family). One day, after talking to a woman named Clarisse, who is a book lover, Montag has the desire to read books, an illegal activity in his society. He realizes that he is alone in his world, because everyone else is brainwashed and mindless, having no individual thoughts.

Although Montag and Winston both live in societies where they don’t believe in the values of the government, Montag has always lived in his society, while Winston lived life for about ten years before the revolution. Before the revolution, there were no telescreens, no “two minutes hate” and no Big Brother. He lived in a peaceful society, where he felt his mother truly loved him. Winston has a memory of this time, although the past gets altered by the government. On the other hand, Montag doesn’t have a memory of life before the government he lives under. He was always taught that books were valueless nonsense that should be burned. He has always lived with talking televisions and with unintelligent people all around him. He comes to realize on his own that the government is not everything he thought it was.

Winston and Montag are both very brave by rebelling against their government –Winston by having sexual encounters, and Montag by reading books. Unfortunately, Winston is not successful. He is caught by the government and is tortured until he changes — he learns to love Big Brother. Montag is successful and becomes one of the “Book People.”  He memorizes his favorite book to preserve it for future generations. The power of the government in these two stories is incredible, and it brings up the question of whether these societies could really take shape. Fortunately, the United States has a democracy, so that people have a say in the government. They have equal rights, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion.  Individualism and knowledge are benefits that everyone can attain. But, if there were a communist revolution, it is possible that the government could have complete control over the people. In these two stories, this fact is clearly shown.

Jillian A.

It's not uncommon to find Middle School students engrossed in their reading,

A Common Theme Between 1984 and Fahrenheit 451

 When the general population is under the influence of their government, they are not allowed to have individual thoughts. By “brainwashing” everyone, the government will have complete control over everyone’s beliefs. By not allowing the citizens to have individuality, the rights to think for themselves and to rebel are also taken away. Without rebellion, the government cannot be questioned or overthrown. Whether it is through the Two Minutes of Hate or by the use of pills, keeping the people at bay keeps the government safe.

In George Orwell’s 1984, the purpose of the Two Minutes of Hate is to let everyone release their emotions in a controlled environment. The Two Minutes of Hate steers real emotions away from rebellion and directs all of the citizens’ hatred toward Emmanuel Goldstein and the Brotherhood. The rebellion consists of people who feel discontent for the way Big Brother operates, such as constantly changing the past and endlessly monitoring everyone for suspicious behavior. People who have been brainwashed can’t think for themselves, so they do not understand that their “past” is a lie, created to make the past, present, and future blend into an endless war with no outcome. The Party seems to think that if the people believe one lie, they will believe another, until all of Big Brother’s lies will be accepted as the truth.

In the movie Fahrenheit 451, the fire department starts fires instead of putting them out. One of the society’s laws states that books are prohibited, which eliminates acquiring knowledge through reading. Without any other sources of information, the citizens are forced to believe what they hear on their two-way televisions, much like the telescreens of 1984. But instead of the Two Minutes of Hate, the citizens are kept content and subdued by taking pills similar to methylenedioxymethamphetamine, more commonly known as ecstasy. If they have to take pills to keep themselves happy, then they probably wouldn’t like their world much without the pills. Guy Montag’s wife, Linda, is completely orthodox; she believes that books should be burned — not read. When Linda realizes that her husband has been reading the books that he is supposed to be incinerating, she tries desperately to convince him to burn the books. Eventually, she turns him in to the fire department he works for.

George Orwell and Ray Bradbury both wrote about a dystopian world in which people are too easily convinced what the “truth” is. These days, peoples’ beliefs are significantly based on mass stereotypes and publicized ideas. If a well-known public figure says something, people automatically accept it as the truth, no questions asked. This closely resembles the ignorance of the citizens of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. Montag is instructed to burn books and does so without asking questions, because that is his job. Now, the media simply reports what they hear from their sources because it is their job. Guy Montag is easily likened to the modern-day media — simply the instrument of destruction, so to speak.

Kristine C.

Good morning.  As most of you know, I am a person who takes things seriously.  I like to read the finest publications like the New York Times on a daily basis, and I consider myself the voice of our collective social conscience.  Recently, as I spent my Sunday morning sipping tea and reading the New Yorker magazine, I came across an article about a very special individual named Juan Mann.  Juan is a personal hero of mine because he started a social movement that spread like wildfire and quickly became a nationwide phenomenon.  You see, Juan started the Free Hugs movement, and it soon spread to college campuses around the nation and later to countries around the globe.
At first, Juan would go around the local mall and hold up a FREE HUG sign.  While he was originally met with strange stares and few takers for his free hugs, some individuals soon decided to take him up on his generous offer.  People who were having a bad day, people who had just broken up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, students who had failed a test, and CEOs who had to lay off employees sought the warm embrace of this complete stranger…  And they liked it.

Suddenly, an idea hit me: we should have a free hug campaign here at SIA.  When I walk through the halls of our schools, I see people hugging all the time.  Students hug to say hello, to say goodbye; they hug when they are upset or anxious.  I bet you even the faculty hug each other in the faculty room.   I’m sure Mr. Ahern and Mr. Acquilano hug in celebration after another senior class graduates, or Mrs. Corigliano hugs Mrs. Import after another successful fire drill.   While public displays of affection are frowned upon in our hallways, we should not overlook the power of the hug. I know I love hugs, and they can make an enormous difference in a person’s life.  A hug lets people know that they are loved, and that someone will always be there to support them and cheer them up.  A hug is non-judgmental, and it brings utter joy to the hugger and the huggee.

I think that if we had a Free Hug campaign or a Hug Club in our school, it would be a fantastic success.  Free Hugs!  What could be better?  I see people all the time on our campus looking like they need a hug and a show of support. For example, just the other day, I was walking down the hall by Mr. Mazella’s office, and I noticed that he did not look like his usual self.   He seemed depressed or just down on himself. So I crept into his office and asked him, ”Maz, are you okay?” He responded with, “James, get out of my office.”  This was clearly a man who needed a hug.  “James,” he said, “I know what you are going to do, and the answer is No, I do not want a hug.” I told him, “Maz, I’m telling you — if you accept this hug, you will feel 20 times better.” I figured I would just put my arms out, and he would then come to me — but no.  I had to walk over to his desk and do all the work myself.  That’s when I noticed the Mazella smirk was back, and for the rest of the day, he was all cheery.  It was my hug that made him happy –I just know it.

I’m going to try my best to get this Campaign going.  Imagine a club being formed that has designated huggers on hand during break, lunch, and between periods.  Students and teachers could just walk by and grab a hug before shuffling off to their next class.  Visiting 8^th graders would automatically enroll in the school when they saw this, and I’m sure everyone would feel like a beloved member of our community.

In closing, as we get ready for the weekend and gear up for the warmth, cheer, and love of the holiday season, I would ask for everyone to look to your left or right, and just reach out and give that person a big, old-fashioned SIA hug before we leave this auditorium.  It will make a difference.  Thank you.

James M.