It was a rainy day in October of 2008, and we were playing the best team in the league. It was late in the fourth quarter and we were leading them 14-6 with only 2 minutes left in the game. We hard prepared extremely hard for this game, with practices lasting late. They had the ball at their 40 yard line and were driving. We had them stopped on a 4th and 10. I could see the defeat on their faces. We knew that all we needed was one stop and the game was over. We played the last last play with all the energy we had left, but little did we know, things were going to change. Then the game started to change in their favor. The refs called a 15 yard personal foul penalties on us. This gave them the first down and gave them new confidence. After that its like all the energy we had left, went down the drain. Then the refs called 3 more personal fouls, which resulted in them having the ball within the 1 yard line. The ran the ball in for an easy score, and now the game was tied. After they scored it felt like all the hard work we had put in that previous week had gone down the drain.Since there was no overtime in high school football back then, the game resulted in a tie. I felt like everything we worked for was taken away by the refs.

Portfolio

I have made a lot of progress on my poem for my portfolio. I think its just about done but you could let me know what you think i should add or take out.

So you say cant win just because of our past
But I say your wrong
We've been on the grind since dawn
We are CHAMPIONS

You say we cant compete
And all we do is get beat
But I say we are hungry for this ring
And its time for us Lions to EAT!!!!!!!
We are CHAMPIONS

They say it cant be done
But to me we've already won
We've got others scared
By how much we've prepared
EAT LIONS, EAT!!!!
We are CHAMPIONS

You may call us lucky
For what we will achieve
...........

and this is were i got stuck.

For the short story i have narrowed it down to two events that have stuck out to me. One was a game were we lost on account of the referees. The other is when we lost to team that clearly wasn't as good as us. These events stuck out because they both effected me in different ways.

Portfollio

Today i made major progress on my writing portfolio. I found out what i wanted my third type of writing was going to be. I have chosen to use a poem.

I'm preparing to do this by looking at some poem ideas and seeing which ones interest me. The one that i really liked today was called I live by Angelia Davis. I like it because to me it came off with this certain attitude that should be picked up if you read. I think i am probably going to model mine after. The other thing that i liked was that how it asked a question then she answered with a simile or metaphor.

The other forms of writings that i chose was a short story and a letter from somebody in the sport of football.

For the short story i was going to explain one situation in my football career that really stuck with me. I chose the time that we lost to a school 6-8 because of a missed call from the referee.

I was going to write a letter from Adrian Peterson. The reason i chose him is because he is my favorite football player. This is because i like the way he carries himself, he is not to cocky and he gets what he needs to get done without any flash.

Word Choice and Voice and how they relate to todays class

Today we learned about how women in the DRC are treated.We were told to make up questions from the article. All of our questions asked why women were being treated unequally in the DRC. This topic really worries me because i can imagine my my family in this situation. It makes me sad because these women have no where to go. So in a way they have to live with being raped on a daily basis. It's like they have nowhere to turn because the feel like they have to stay in the DRC.

I believe that if i were to write a paper on this i would have a very strong opinion on it. It would focus on answering why this was happening, and trying to find a solution to fix it or at least help. I would also want somebody to read this so that they can help fund my effects to stop the rapings and senseless killings that happen in the DRC.

To me i hear about this situation too many times in different society's. This happens because some men get it in their heads that they are superior(something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind) to women and can do what ever to them. in countries like the DRC most of the abuse is done physical, but back home the abuse is done mentally. Society tells women that they will never be better than a man. That a wrong way to look at things, because in my eyes all people are equal. I do also feel that the United States is getting better with their prejudice toward women.

Football

Football is a very energetic and fast pasted game. It is a branch off from early rugby and association football. Once it came to America in the early 1940 the games were fused together to be what is known now as American football. Now football is arguably the most popular sport in the United States. It is most known for its hard hitting and big participants. You probly heard of some of the greats such as a Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, or Jerry Rice. At one time football was just as racist as the rest of the USA. Many teams passed on a Heisman Trophy(awarded to best college football player) winner just because he was black. His name was Ernie Davis and he was eventually drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Even with all his hype he never was able to play a single play in the league because he had Leucemia. But he paved the way for teams to start looking black players. I believe that football is one of the more racially diverse sports in the world. To people looking in football might seem like a very violent sport and has no purpose. If you break it down it takes great concentration and reaction to play and be successful. You also in a way have to be smart to be able to react to all the situations you are put in. Football is a really important part of my life. It gives me a way to channel my anger in a constitutive manner. It also gives me a since of control because i feel that whatever happens is in my control or my teammates. We control our destiny in my eyes. I feel like football is one of my tickets out of DC. I always figured that i would be able to get a scholarship for playing football. My dream has always been to play professionally but i have faced reality and told myself the only way to get there is to put in hard work every single day. That's why i try my hardest when I'm playing.When i play it makes me feel like I am carrying on a legacy at Carroll. This is because my stepfather was really good when he played for Carroll in the 80's. He has always helped me when i come to him questions about football. He has been at 95% of my games, and after wards even if a win or lose he is there to cheer me up and give me constructive criticism. That is one of the many things that connect us.