Short Story

The grave of Asa Abbott is set in Andover, Massachusetts. He was born in 1721 and died in 1797. He had a wife named Elizabeth Abbott and had five children. His children's names were Elisabeth Abbott, Asa Abbott, Calab Abbott, Daniel Abbott, and Nathan Abbott. What drew me to his grave was the carving of the unhappy and unsatisfied man. It seemed to me that he was thinking hard about something he did. I got the impression that he was imprisoned in a tower even though there aren’t any bars and the hat on his head made me think of a robber or a burglar. I want my short story to be about a man who has a loving wife and children, but isn’t very wealthy and wants more for his family. He’s unsatisfied with his family’s poor life style and wants the best for them, so he decides to become a thief and steal things that his family needs and to provide them with whatever they want. In most stories, the thief is the person that the audience isn’t very fond of, but in my story the audience won’t feel that way because of his positive motivation. The audience may actually want to help him. In my story, the audience will be able to get inside Asa’s head when he is robbing a place, when he comes back home after committing the crime, how he feels when he is finally able to provide his family with what they want and need, and how that motivates him to continue the crimes he commits. The audience will see how much he sacrifices his well being for the good of his family.

You Learn Something New Everyday

My grandmother passed away when I was young so I don't have much memory of her. I do remember visiting her in Alabama from time to time though. Since I didn't remember too much about her, I asked my mom to tell me a little about her. My mom told me that my grandmother went back to school to get her Ph.D when she was 55. During the time period in which she went back to college, 1972-1975, it was a major accomplishment because it was during the time of segregation. It was even more of a major accomplishment because the college she attended to get her Ph.D was Alabama State, a place where segregation was really bad. Under the circumstances, the goal was difficult, but with the strength that she maintained and the perseverance she had, she was able to accomplish that goal. My grandmother was a strong black woman that had her mind in a strong and positive state and didn't let anything hold her back or bring her down.

An Interesting Experience

1. Wednesday, October 28, 2009, my english class and I embarked on an expedition to a small suspicious graveyard on the Cochran Shoals biking trail. I thought it would be a short journey to the grave but it was no where near what I expected. First off, it had rained the previous day, so the pavement to the trail was wet. I attempted to take off my shoes so that I wouldn't mess them up, but the the path was rocky, so sadly I forced myself to put them back on. I knew it was best. Soon we got to the trail, which was dark and swampy. It too had become wet from the rain of the previous day. This upset me even more. Dodging pits of mud, I struggled up hill to the grave, which was a ten minute hike. Breaking a sweat, I finally caught up to my class and they were already at the grave site analyzing different aspects of the grave. I joined them and analyzed as well even though it was quite hard with all of the mosquitos swarming after me. The graveyard had the graves of the Scribner family and another woman with another last name. The site of the grave seemed a little odd though because it was in the middle of the trail. We were able to deduce some facts about the Scribners: Mr. Scribner was a doctor who lived during the time period of the civil war; he had a wife and died before she did; he had two sons who didn't live past two years old. Although we found out quite a bit of information, I could sense that there were a lot questions buzzing around in everyone's head wanting to be answered. There were so many questions, but so little answers. It was clear that there was more to the story of the Scribner family and the causes of their deaths. It is a mystery waiting to be solved. We are up for the challenge.