Self-Reliance Essay

Aatem Cooke

July 22, 2018

Write Alaska

Society

What my idea of Emerson’s message is independence and more specifically is independence of

society. He talks about being your own person and that only you know your full potential. Later on in

the excerpt of Ralph Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” he goes on about society being against individuality

instead valuing conformity and Emerson promotes them to be nonconformist or original, to know

one’s place in life. Then Emerson talks a lot about progressing and to keep on changing, “....

contradict every thing you said to-day.” and it shows that people change their opinions and ideas

everyday, nothing lasts forever. The central theme in the excerpt is independence of society in

decision of how to live your life, accepting one’s place in life, and continuously changing.

Throughout life people will tell you that you can’t do it, that it’s not your strong suit but people

don’t start out as experts in their field, everyone was once terrible. Like Einstein once said,

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life

believing that it is stupid.” and no one else but you knows whether you’re a fish or a monkey. So you

must not imitate because imitation is suicide and that none but he knows what that is which he can

do because people are one of a kind and society treats them as the same(Emerson). It’s seen in

magazines, articles, tv shows, in just about every part of people’s life society is something telling

them what to do, what to buy, and who to hang out with; it’s friends and family, it’s the ad on tvs and

phones, and the idols influencing you with their lives.

“Accept the place the divine providence has found for you,” - Emerson, I interpret this as

appreciating the things you have in life. This idea is mentioned throughout like when he talks about

envy being ignorance. When your envious of others you generally think of what you don’t have and

desire that, but many times that blinds you from the important things. Like when one sibling gets ice

cream everyone else wants one too, it’s similar monkey see monkey do or monkey see monkey eat.

So I think his message is not to compete with others to see who has more stuff but to value what is

already there and progress. Though it isn’t apart from society it’s necessary to where you are within

the world.

Finally is the idea of continuously changing, to not be tied down by what you said yesterday but

to say what you truly think, because people don’t stay the same forever and every single day changes

their ideas and beliefs. The people he mentioned have all been people against society and the

thinking of the time they lived in, they had ideas differing like Isaac’s laws of motion or Socrates and

him being one of the founders of Western thinking. Emerson is saying that it’s important of what you

think of to be your true thoughts and you don’t need to have your peers’ opinion or your past

opinion.

The central idea of being individual of society is present in Emerson’s writing about having made decision of your own will, being apart of the world, and continuously moving through life. Though Emerson didn’t know about tvs and cell phones and social media his ideas still apply to the world around us, just in a different way of what he expected. He wanted the messages of being yourself and continuously growing to get to the reader, but it applies to more today because of how much smaller our world has become.

Margaret Kava

Write Alaska

19 July 2018

Self-Reliance

Finding ourselves, trusting ourselves, and knowing ourselves. What do they have in common? They all lead to something: Finding our path. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “ Self-Reliance,” from 1841, has shown us what we need to find out what our paths leads to for us. We need to know and find about ourselves to thrive and stride to success.

“ We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents.” The power of finding ourselves is the first step to finding our paths’. Emerson is telling us that we don’t express fully of who we are to the people around us. We all tend to hide in what people want us to be and not who we want to be. That is the problem we face in finding yourself. If we don’t find out what we want to be then we will never be happy. We should not be ashamed or afraid of who we are.

Once we find ourselves then we must trust yourself. Emerson told us “ Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to the iron string.” We all trust someone in our lives, maybe more than we trust ourselves but, once we know what we want we must trust ourselves to reach the goal. No one can stop us from achieve our goal but ourselves. We must believe that we can do the impossible to achieve the impossible.

After finding ourselves and trusting ourselves, we must know ourselves. Knowing ourselves shows that we can do what we need to do to succeed with knowledge of the future. “ A foolish consistency is a hobgoblin of little minds” this shows us what Emerson believes in what knowing ourselves means. We should know our wants and needs fairly quickly, we need to know this so nothing can holds us back.

The essay Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “ Self-Reliance” from 1841, has shown us the steps of finding ourselves : find ourselves, trust ourselves, and know ourselves. These steps help you try us find what we need to do to succeed in life.

Tava Kairaiuak

Thinking for Yourself

It is extremely easy, especially in this world, to become a follower and forget to think for yourself. We become lost in what others are doing and forget we can have opinions and original thoughts. “Self- Reliance” an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1841, explores themes such as nonconformity as a way to experience goodness, trusting yourself and what has been given to you and the importance of having a mind that you can change.

Nonconformity, by definition is the failure or refusal to conform to an existing ruling or practice. Emerson speaks plainly about this topic and says, “Whose would be a man must be a nonconformist.” To me this goes back to my main point about being able to think for yourself and not be afraid to not conform. Emerson again hints at the idea of not conforming and thinking for yourself, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world…”

Emerson introduces the idea that you should trust yourself and what has been given to you. I think the quote, “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.” communicates trust in yourself and realize that you have a purpose on this world, which can also be interchanged with thinking for yourself. To further elaborate on the idea that every human has a purpose is a quote that says, “Accept the place the divine providence has found for you…”

Changing one’s mind is often looked at as a negative thing, but Ralph Waldo Emerson thinks that it’s crucial to being self- reliant. It shows your are able to think for yourself and change your mind. For example, if you thought one thing and then learned new information you would change your way of thinking and take account of this new information. Changing your mind also keeps things interesting. Emerson says, “With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.”

“Self- Reliance” an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a piece that embraces the fact that you do not have to conform, you should trust in yourself and your intuition and it is crucial to constantly and be able to change your mind. You should see his words and question, are we really self- reliant, should we be striving to be self- reliant or do we even want to be self-reliant?

Self Encouragement

One decision can set you up for life but you must have conformity to be strong. The truth behind being so strong is everyone struggles in their everyday life. Trying your best is what Ralph Waldo Emerson is trying to communicate in his “Self-Reliance” essay in 1841. Be independent, strong, and trust yourself.

You could be so foolish because something great is within your reach but you just don’t know it. “Great men have always done so, and confined themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their, predominating in all their being” this phrase is so strong that I believe it. Live and trust yourself.

Sometimes in life you have to be independent because not everyone has the same intentions as you. Be your own person because you don’t want to live in a society where everyone is the same. “He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness”, look for own goodness. Go in deeper to find the true meaning of goodness.

People set up resolutions to defeat their old self and old demons but why? For me people come out of their fragile shells to be stronger and tougher. Finding yourself goes a thousand ways like “To be great is to be misunderstood” that goes even stronger. Set foundations to elaborate and grow on. Only reminder to be great and strong is you only live once.

So in conclusion Emerson was saying try your best in everything. Be independent, strong, and trust yourself because you are here for a reason. Have faith in yourself because you cant hide all your life. 
- Keoni

You make independence

Adrian Cornejo

  You make independence

     

Why do us people always want to rely on other people and not be their own person? In this essay I'm 

going to be talking about the three main points of being independent. The main points are working hard, trusting yourself, and changing your mind.

The first rule of independence is hard work. One reason hard work is important is because if you don't do hard work, how do you work independently? For example, hard work is being independent. Since I was little my dad has taught me how to change the oil or the tires in a car and the outside maintenance so that when I'm older I can be my own independent man and not need to rely on other people. If you don't work hard, it doesn't matter whether it is school or work, you always rely on people to copy off of or to find someone to do your work and that's not independent. That is why I think hard work is a key point to being independent and not relying on anybody else.

The second key point to being independent is to always trust yourself no matter what. This is a big one because if you don't trust on the the things you think about, you let other people look better than you and you're not letting your smartness shine. So maybe you're in gym class and you guys are playing soccer and you get the ball and you pass it instead of shooting it. Like you didn't trust yourself, but relied on someone else. If you trusted yourself you maybe would have made the goal and had the glory. Another example is if you are buying a house and you don't know which one to buy. You ask a friend which one to buy. You should know yourself better than anyone so you shouldn't be asking somebody else for a house that you are buying and calling home just because you don't trust yourself. That's why I think that trusting yourself is important, because you should know what you want or you just never know if you get an achievement for doing what you need to do and not needing anyone's opinion.

My third key point is to change your mind. When I think of this point being independent it brings me 

back to the point of trusting yourself. So the second example I used for trust yourself I talked about how you should trust yourself to pick your house because you should not rely on someone to pick a house for you when you are going to be living there. The reason this point brings me to that is that even if you don't know what house you want is that you can always change your mind on which house you want to pick, or even if you are thinking of looking at new houses. That is one of the reasons I think changing your mind makes you independent. I think changing your mind shows that you have other ideas and that you can think for yourself. independent.

In my essay I talked about the three main point that I talked about in the thesis. I talked about how changing your mind lets you get better looks at stuff and that working hard will bring you the best things in life. Those are the reasons why working hard, changing your mind, and trusting yourself is the rules of being independent. 

Self-Reliance

The Essay of Free Thinking Inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson

In life, there are many things you must do yourself, like learning to do something. No one can learn for you, people can teach you or, you can teach yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson says not to follow what others say is normal and think for yourself don’t always rely on others. “Self-Reliance” was written in 1841, by Ralph Waldo Emerson on the importance of hard work, trusting yourself, and having the ability to change your mind and think for yourself.

 Emerson speaks on the importance of hard work for achieving your goals. “A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best” in this Emerson is talking about how when you try and put your hard work in to something you should be proud, even if you mess up it was yours and you worked on it and tried your hardest. This was one of the most powerful statements in the whole essay because he touches on two of the main points of this essay work hard and trusting yourself.

Then Emerson also talks about Trusting yourself. He even just says “Trust thyself” trusting yourself is an important part of Self-Reliance, if you don’t trust yourself how could you live? You wouldn’t be able to believe in your goals or ideas. You would be able to do just about nothing and you would always doubt yourself. Trusting yourself is key to SELF-reliance.

Lastly Emerson goes on to talk about changing your mind and thinking for yourself. “Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard word again, though it contradicts everything you said to-day.” in this quote Emerson is saying its OK to change the way you believe or change what ideas you have or think. If we all kept our same way of thinking we would never learn from each other or experience.

Emerson wrote this in 1841 but it is still relevant today. He spoke on the importance of hard work, free thinking and believing in yourself. He hoped to teach us how to be self-reliant. We all could use these things in our own lives. If it is watching the news and believing the media or your own ideas to building a table and it having one short leg and still being proud that you put effort and hard work in to something.


Jerry Morales

Self-Reliance Interpretation

There are many situation that requires for you to make a decision that can make you change your life.  Our decisions and our choice what make our identity, personality and our toil for stuff. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote his essay, “Self-Reliance,” in 1841, his essay still today teach people about truths today.  In his essay he urges us to find truth to your way, to exert oneself, and to find you way to think.

To many people try to find the truth to there way and if they can’t find there's they either try to force it upon you.  That's where you find the truth to your path. In this essay it says “To be great is to be misunderstood.” that line means everyone wants to be great but what you see is a misunderstanding about being great.  You find your truth to your path you'll will be great because you did it on your own. He also states “Trust thyself: Every heart vibrates to that iron string.” it means to trust yourself because with every step of the way your heart will lead you to the truth of you path.

People exert themselves and not seceded.  What I mean by that is people don't usually like hard work.  I'll ask you a question, would you be happy and fulfilled to make something even tho it don't look good or get something and say what ifs and if I had they would?  Personally I would take happy and fulfilled. He states “It is a deliverance which does not deliver.”  That is self explanatory.  You work hard get great results, but if you don’t work hard more what if and if I had.  What i am saying work hard because big things come out of hard work like big paycheck, promotions, and much more. “A man is relieved and gay when he put his heart into his hard work and done best”

To find the way you think that's on you how you interpret this.   “ Self-reliance is its aversion in loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.”  People think on what customs they were raised upon, some don’t.  The fact is that Emerson tries to tell from his essay that You create your world how you want it to be.  You create the way you think. You are the main key to the way you choose the way you interpret things. There are two ways for you to think.  It's the way people want you to think and they way you want to think. “These are those voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter the world.”   The voice that guided you here will not be there to guide you while your in the world so you wont have someone telling you how to thing. You think how you want to think in the world.

In conclusion, Emerson essay “Self-Reliance” has much more to say. You will learn many meaning behind his stories, books, and essays.  What I learn about hard work, the truth to your way , and the way you think was only what I interpreted from it, but you, the reader of this interpretation, should read it too.

Chester Tapafua

In the excerpt from “Self-Reliance,” Ralph Waldo Emerson is trying to communicate to us. What should we learn and what can we learn from what he has written in his story. Ralph wrote his essay “Self-Reliance,” in 1841. In his essay he wants us to find independence by his writing and the three things he wants us to find are to trust yourself, working hard for our goals, and by embracing the power of changing our minds.


Emerson first talks about is that we should trust ourselves and that every heart has a vibration to an iron string. Wherever you are that is the place that the providence has found for you, so you should accept what that has picked for you to be at. Many people have different childlike to their age. People make different decisions that they want and many people may pick a harder choice and will take them to another path.


Emerson also talks about working hard for our goals that we want to achieve. Many people have different ways to achieve their own goal and if they achieve it than that means they worked hard for what they get. They may have a easier task to accomplish their need and some may need a lot more work. Do what makes you feel that’s in the right path and have confidence in what your working for.


The last thing that Emerson talks about is embracing the power of changing our minds. We can change our mind into thinking what is bad and good. People may not have the power to change our minds without any thought. When he says “Speak what you think but now in hard words, and to morrow speak what to-morrow think in hard words again.” I think that it means that you should speak hard and then soft and then hard again.


Emerson wrote this in 1841 of self-reliance. He talks about to trust yourself, work hard for your goals, and by embracing the power to change your mind. These are some things he wants to try to communicate to us.


-Rylan

Ralph Emerson Waldo - "Self-Reliance"

Sarina

      Aptitude for change

      Ralph Emerson Waldo entices his readers to depend on yourself when it comes to your thoughts

and actions. To not conform to the nature of the many and follow your intuition. To accept and grasp

the potential for change. Emerson explains how that is a very valued power. Without embracing

change or having the ability to think for yourself, advancements for the better will never be made.

Emerson encourages us to think and speak for ourselves but still be aware of our surroundings.


      No profit earned by another's work can be calmly bestowed upon you. You can't take credit for

another's work without the consequences that come from your thoughts. You are at the mercy of your

own mind and to disrupt that would be the making of your own punishment. To work for what you

have and to feel you have earned it offers true relief and security. There is no greater feeling than

being acknowledged for the work you put in that led to your success or got you on the path to

your success. Working your hardest does come with its tribulations but the outcome is even more

triumphant. For we cannot appreciate the sun without the rain.


     Accommodating your thoughts and actions to suit the ideas of others would be the death of your

independence. In society, majority does rule with the reign of an iron fist. But you must not comply to

the prevailing standards that is society or nature. I don't believe Emerson is abolishing the idea of

relying on someone or something. He is simply stating in a complex manner to be your own person

and be responsible for your own decisions.


     We as humans are adaptable, but we don't like change. A reason we don't like change is we get

comfortable where we're at. Even if our current situation isn't perfect or even the best we accept it

because it's familiar. But what people don't understand is that change is inevitable. We as humans

prefer to stay in a mundane state of mind because anything beyond is misunderstood and people are

scared of what they don't understand. I believe one of the statements Emerson is trying to make is to

expand your horizons and keep an open mind to anything because change is inevitable and you have

to be ready for it.


       "With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do" Emerson stated in his excerpt from

"Self-Reliance". Most people don't take witness to their full or even some of their potential because

they are stuck in their own routine that is comfortability. Emerson says to say or do something

tomorrow even if it contradicts what you say today.  Don't go against your own moral values but learn

to accept what others value and keep an open mind to new principles if you are not satisfied with

what you have. Be charismatic with your independent mind and ideas. We live and breathe as a whole

but are different because we each have our own individual purpose.
 

Some things are good to have people beside you to help and support you, but there are times when you need to figure out stuff on your own.  Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote his essay, “Self-Reliance,” in 1841, in his essay he advises his readers to look and search for independence by trusting yourself, being you, and he also tries to convey information about the world.

One way of finding independence is to trust in yourself and your decisions even if it’s the wrong one. In Emerson essay he says “Every heart vibrates to that iron string.” I think this means everyone’s heart sings a song maybe a different note here to there, a different tune, or a stronger melody but we all have our own instrument to play. He also talks about to not be a coward or a traitor but a guide and a benefactor. Which means to not go against your decisions or to betray yourself, but to teach your truths and your mistakes.

Another way to find independence is by being you. “Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood?”, “To be great is to be misunderstood.” Who can be yo better than you? I think it's better to be a window then a mirror. Say you're a window people will see right through you and if the window moves they’ll probably never see the exact same thing twice, a window always changes but if you are a mirror you're just an imitation of the person that is looking at you. Everyone wants to be this wants to have that to be the next big thing or the person that matters and their never really themselves and it's a shame there are more mirrors than windows in this world because you'll never get the chance to see clearly in a crowd.

Lastly Emerson tries to convey that being independent is not a bad thing because to be independent is to be free. “Absolve you to yourself.” He's saying to set free or pardon yourself to you, to let yourself know who you are and to not cover it up because if you've found yourself why would you what to lose it. He talks about to always know that being independent will be a good thing to yourself and it doesn't matter who says otherwise should not influence your choices.

Emorson’s essay covers a lot of good points to find independence by trusting in yourself, being you, and has a good way of conveying the message. These points that he has made has carried over through the times as well not only was it for the time period that he wrote it but has been used even today. As a whole I think self-reliance means to be dependant on ones self. Everyone might have a different view on what it means but it's your own stand point no one else’s.

-Jyotis

Oh Why? Oh life!

Oh why? Oh life! Pain I feel all day in mind and soul

Oh pain of love I receive from family and friends

Oh pain of lies I am told daily by my demons

Oh pain of the life I live and never want to see tomorrow

For why am I no good to understand human love I receive

For why am I not grateful enough for what I have to support me

For why am I fighting to stay alive each day just to wanna leave another

For why do I wish I had gone each night before I rest?

   Answer

You have a light shining brighter than most before, and you have so much good in you, that evil wants to fill as much darkness in you as much as there is light.

Oh WOW!

Oh wow! I struggle and repent

Oh wow! I fly then lose altitude

Oh wow! Faithless to find the answer 

Oh wow! I ask you to show me the way

Oh wow! Contribute to live

Oh wow! So many paths intertwined to the answer

Answer:

We struggle to find the answer but It's litterally right in front of us.

Go and look you will find endless roads but to find out you are truly blessed 

Contribute a verse

My Life

My life in it what will I do?
If it's my life can I choose what I do?
The struggle of Identity is the hardest to break.
To find out what I mean.
To find out what I'll do.
what will I do?
Answer,
Simple I will live and do what I like and can do.
                                                                         -Jerry

Oh me! Oh life!
Of the endless cycle of work, eat, sleep, repeat.
Of the vain concept of beauty always just out of reach.
Of the sad self talk and the unrelenting material desires.

Oh me! Oh life!
What does it mean to by happy?
What does it mean to walk in love?

                   Answer:
Learn to Relax. Learn to Love.
Love for yourself, love for others, love for Life.
And always remember that We are wonderfully and fearfully made.

-Ashley

O Life

O life, what is the meaning of time?

How would it be, if it were reversible?

If only we could understand your music,

because your song is the hardest to play.

We cannot paint your picture,

we have not the right eyes nor the right hands.

Some question why it is we're alive,

but maybe we weren't made to comprehend the answer. 

O Life

O Life! It has many struggles but,
at the end you may ask what is life.
You may think you're foolish of what decisions you made.
Many people are faithless, some people may have faith.
Ask yourself "why am I here"
You are here for a reason,
everybody has a meaning
and an identity

Poem inspired by Whitman's "O Me! O Life!"

"Safety in the Raft"

By Larry Wilson

We walk with webbed feet on dry land

Vainly striving to find our way

Amidst the brace, yet we were born

To struggle within intertwined flocks.

The battle to stay afloat can demoralize

Any poor soul that swims in the ponds of adversity.

Why should we continue to bust our wings

Against the turbulent winds and streams? Why?

Love and hope are the two forces that 

Pull our hearts and push our desires.

We are the ugly ducklings. We are all

Searching for the life raft, only to fly.

O Life Goes By

Oh Life, what have I done,
What have I done to be this unlucky,
The time I have been here has already been done.

But have I the strength to go on this foolish life?
With no faith, I am faithless and truly confused
With the power of time I have been too foolish
What will I do with all my remaining time?
                 
                    Answer
Please don't think that this is all the end
Just live the life with no regrets in the end.

Oh life

Oh me! Oh life! of the question of life,

Of the endless pain you get,

Of myself forever thinking of the pain and

unfaithfulness of people,

Of seeing people from the top all the way back to the bottom,

Of the jobs getting fired from,

Of the people pushing you back to the ground,

Oh me! Oh life! this is the twisted life we live.

O Life

There is a recurring question,
The question of life.
This question haunts many,
And the answer is no better.
Some say the answer is 42,
Others say the meaning is self-evident.
Though no one knows the answer,
Everyone finds their own meaning.
                                             -Aatem

Oh Life!

Oh life!
The recurring chores
The recurring Sports
Oh life!
The life of a athlete
The life of a kid
The life of an academic, outgoing, and adventurous person
Oh life!
So amazing

O Life Poem 

O me! O life! I am so completely in-between, 

I am between brown buildings and crowds of people, 

I am a slave to public transportation and waiting times, 

I am a secret as well as an open book, 

I am reproaching myself and I question too much, 

I can never appreciate people's sordid manner, 

but I accept it too often. 

How am I supposed to be an acceptable person, 

amidst all this good and bad. 

Answer 

I am here, and I am good. 

I am secure and exist in the way I want to. 

O me! O life!

O me! O life! Of the questions of these recurring

Of all people who to give, Of all who won't speak

Of the circle all follow, Of infinite objection

Of obtuse dreams and acute execution, Of exploitation

Of blind extraordinary acts, Of overlooked disorder

Of confusion and composure, Of less good more bad

Of traps for rats green cheese, Of the unknown

O why me? O why life? O what am I? O what is life?

Answer
I don't know yet.                                          -Jyotis

Day Nine: Alyeska North Face and Winner Creek

We started our day of with a quickwrite then we ate lunch. As we got ready to head out we made sure to make this day a great day. There were two kinds of hikes- an easy one and a hard one. Most of our class went to the easy one, which started off great with music and one person falling in the water. When we reached our endpoint Abby said if we go back fast we can ride the tram. Personally, I was scared to ride the tram because I'm scared of heights. When we were getting ready to leave Alyeska we got snacks and drinks and then we headed on the bus and opened the windows 'cause it was hot. On the ride back some of the boys were doing the bottle flipping challenge and some people were sleeping. It was a good day filled with many memories. - Keoni

When we got onto the tram it was a little packed with all the students in our class and other people we didn't know. It started out really slow and then sped up as we were going. The view was beautiful, the mountains still had snow on them. When we were going closer to the top the tram got a little wobbly, but we made it up and were surrounded by mountains. We took lots of class pictures and it was actually really hot out. We walked around a bit and headed back down. It was about at two to three minute ride to go up the tram and back down. It was really fun and I would go back again if I could. -Ange

Day Eight: Hope

The day started out nice and sunny. Not many clouds in the sky. A long bus ride, but worth the rest for most students and staff. We get to Hope and there are more fishers there than last week and they are already catching fish. As we ate lunch, three other fishers caught a fish. After lunch the students who were gonna fish went and started fishing, and the hikers went up a trail near the area. A few students caught a lot of fish this time. Then we started cooking and eating hotdogs. I had fun cooking the hotdogs. There were still a lot of bugs, but bearable. Hope was a great trip for many fishers and explorers.

Day Seven: McHugh Creek to Potter's Marsh

Our day started out with a quick write and a paper on self-reliance. We worked on a study guide with  Larry about self-reliance. After we ate lunch and headed out to McHugh creek, where we met up with Gavin to go hiking. During the hike we took a couple breaks, where we could write in our journals and take a breather. As we were hiking, we had to stop a couple times, just for safety issues with bears around the area. There was multiple fresh piles out on the trail of bear doo. After the hike we enjoyed a cold water or Capri-Sun. Got back on the bus and headed back to the classroom.

Day Six: Portage Glacier and Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

So our day started just like a regular day- reading a poem out loud and having our daily quick write. The only thing different was that we had Larry take over our class as a teacher for this week. After class we headed on an hour bus ride to the glaciers. When we arrived we went on the trail and made our way to the glacier and it was a really fast trail. When we got there we all just looked at the glaciers and talked to our friends. Then we headed back to the bus, but before we got on the bus Jerry, Elijah, Gavin, and I just made jokes about country and rap. Now I will pass it on to Keoni to talk about the conservation center. -Adrian


As we left the glaciers we headed to the conservation center to see the animals. When we got off the bus everyone went to the restrooms. We were on a time limit because we left late. The whole class walked around to see the animals. In ten minutes we were able to see the bears, deers, moose, and the foxes. When our time was done we got on the bus and everyone was hungry and thirsty. Satisfaction to quench our thirst was great. Everyone was tired on the long ride back to anchorage. Our day is supposed to end at four, but being that we left late we came back late. It was a very good day.  -Keoni

Where I'm From

I am from a dog who played with me
I am from many places near the sea
the nights jumping on the trampoline.

I am from the long list of family members
and the ever lasting tree
I am from the pain of losing my great grandmother
no one crying but me
because she was mean to everyone but me.

Where I am from

I am from the cold and dangerous
I am from the overbearing and not caring
I am from the trees and the smoke
I am from the village houses and chopping wood
From the truck rides and the dusty ground

I am from sheet music and angry moms
From being up to no good to being in hospitals
I am from bike rides and train tracks
I am from ball courts and fish camps
I am from running and rifles

I am from the high times and out of breath moments
I am from tribal drumming and late night walks
I am from the elders and storytellers
From songs and dances
I am from the ocean and sky

I am

I am from cleaning

from folding and vaccuming

I am from the dirt under the couch

I am from my grandma telling to clean

as if the mess were all my own

I am from Colombia

from talking very loud and sale prices

I am from poverty

from finding better life

I am from playing soccer on the streets

I am from drawing and video games

from the thrill of the games,

also from listening to music wth my sister

This is where I'm from

I am from trailer parks,
from shag carpet and busted doors.
I am from late nights at the casino,
and ear infections.
I am from gloomy days,
and Baby Phat.
I am from long plane rides,
and back and forth.

I am from Chedas and Chudas,
from aunties and uncles.
I am from Mom and Dad,
and their new partners.
I am from Fathers and Matushkas,
from incense and long robes and men with beards.

I am from salmon and moose,
from akutaq or nivigi.
I am from many siblings,
and a million cousins.

I am from good and bad people,
I am from good and bad places.
I am from everyone and everywhere.

Where I'm From

I am from Kong with honey buckets and tons of family.

I am from Bethel, the place I was born in.

I am from Anchorage with technology and a different world.

I am from Alaska, born and raised here all my life.

Where I'd run wild in Kong as a child.
Where I'd visit cousins in Bethel all year long.
Where I'd begin reading books in Anchorage
Where I'd become the person I am today.
                                                  - Aatem

Day Five: Anchorage- Ghost Tour and Coastal Trail

We took the bus down town and walked to this historical hotel for a Ghost Tour. The tour guide told us the story about how a painter knew he was going to die the next day. When he did they say he still haunts the hotel that he lived in. Then we went to the 4th Avenue Theater and heard the story about the beautiful woman in the white dress who fell and died on the staircase before her big show. The Hotel Captain Cook was our next stop and we heard about a woman who haunts the bathroom by shaking the bathroom stall door. The last place we walked to was the Snow City Cafe. Years ago there was a woman that was getting in a divorce with her husband and was trying to get custody of kids but one day she was sitting in front of the Cafe and her car bombed and she passed away. It was believed that her husband did it to get custody of her children. The ghost tour was really fun, but I wish we got to actually walk around inside. -Ange

Friday, we started our bike ride at Elderberry Park. It was partly cloudy, the wind blowing in on our face. We were heading towards Point Woronzof. Up hills and down hills, left turns and right turns. We had some problems on they way, but we overcame them. Someone said, "What a big family." After The Point we headed towards Kincaid. Like all bike rides, there was beautiful scenery. Along the way we saw bear poop, dogs, and other people. When we started to go by Kincaid there was this hill that was very exhausting if you biked up. Most people didn't, but some people did. All in all the bike ride was nice, and new to some people. Beautiful, hard, and refreshing to some. It was FUN! -Chester