To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay
By: Kathryn

In the dictionary, justice is defined as the quality of being just or fair. It also means the administration of law; the act of determining rights and assigning rewards or punishments. Injustice is an important theme in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. With all of the racist rules and regulations in the story, for examples: blacks don't get full rights in court, blacks couldn't try on clothes in a white person's store, blacks usually weren't served first when white customers were present, etc. In To Kill a Mockingbird there are many characters and situations who are examples of injustice.


Tom is a black man who helped Mayella Ewell, a poor white woman, with her work by doing odd jobs. One day, when he’s at her house alone with her, she decides to kiss him. Her father Mr. Ewell sees them kissing through the window and beats Mayella for kissing a black man. He then lies and says he saw Tom raping his daughter after beating her. In the courthouse, since Mr. Ewell is white and his family is white, even though he is obviously guilty, they say Mr. Ewell is innocent and that Tom beat and raped Mayella.


When it's his turn to testify in court, Tom explains how he would go by Mayella Ewell's house and help her out with her chores. She did flirt with him and asked him to come inside the house one day to help her chop wood. He states that she came onto him; he never took advantage of her. Tom, being accused by Mr. Ewell that he raped and beat Mr. Ewell's daughter, is innocent in this case. Because Tom is a black man, he is found guilty and taken off to prison.


Mr. Ewell attempts to kill Atticus's daughter Scout with a kitchen knife, and instead ends up with it in his rib. When Scout and her brother Jem were walking home one night, Scout is wearing her Halloween costume and Mr. Ewell spots her. She couldn't see who did what because she didn't know what was happening at the time because it was so dark. Atticus blames Jem for killing Mr. Ewell. Mr. Ewell says he would get Atticus back even if it was the last thing he did, since Atticus made Mr. Ewell look foolish and Mr. Ewell wanted everyone to think of him as a hero. Yet, Jem didn't kill Mr. Ewell and it could really scar him if he lived his life thinking he killed someone. It isn't fair to let a kid believe he killed someone when there is no proof that he did, and more proof that he didn't.


No matter what the case is, whether the accused is white or black, you have to give them a fair chance and examine all the facts. Don't think that someone did something just because it might be possible, and if there's proof that it's not, don't try to make someone believe that it is. Consider what Atticus said, when you're about to judge someone: "You never really understand someone until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Persuasive Essay - Bottled vs. Tap Water

Bottled vs. Tap Water
Essay by Kathryn

Ask yourself, why do you buy bottled water? If your answer is the fact that it's portable, that would be a good reason! Oh and don't forget about how stylish and slim it makes you feel. But do you want the real facts? The truth is, most bottled water comes from a tap, and there's nothing fun about plastic waste. Actually, about 4 billion bottles end up in the waste stream and around 70 million dollars is the outcome for cleanup and landfill costs each year. Save yourself, save the planet, and save the plastic. Don’t buy bottled water.


Did you know that about 70 percent of bottled water never crosses statelines for sale? While people correctly point out many water systems are aging and there still are hundreds of chemical contaminants, there's very little evidence that says bottled water is any healthier than tap right out of the sink. Coca Cola's Dasani and Pepsi's Aquafina are tap water coming from places like Queens, NY and Jacksonville, FL. Many other companies fill from the tap as well. And did you know that the FDA regulations don't prevent bottled water companies from taking water from spots next to underground storage tanks and dumps?


Bottled water produces 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. And where did all our oil go? The plastic that creates the bottle in "bottled water" requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. I know you'll just love this little fact: over 80 percent of the plastic bottles are then thrown away for good. Plastic waste is now so deeply out of control, that it flows into the world's most major oceans, creating a really high risk to marine life, killing birds and fish who sadly mistake our garbage for food. Most of the bottles then end up in landfills, and thanks to their slow decay rate (hundreds of years), almost every piece of plastic ever produced is still around today. When you drink out of the plastic bottle, you could be swallowing a chemical called bisphenoal A which forms the polycarbonate plastic used to make plastic bottles. For women, it raises a risk of certain cancers, decreases fertility, and could contribute to childhood behavioral problems like hyperactivity. If mice, frogs, snails, fish and various insects are exposed to bisphenoal A, it can change their behavior, sperm count and possibly their gender.


It's a great new success -- bottled water has become a must have.
In 2002, we paid 7.7 billion dollars for bottled water and we continue to build on
that number. Bottled water can cost 1,000 times more than tap water-- that's just like saying a sip of bottled water costs 1,000 times a sip of water from the tap. Tap water costs $.0015 per gallon, filtered water costs $.13 per gallon, and bottled water costs $1.27 per gallon! Take Aquafina and Dasani bottled water for instance, both are sold as 20 ounce bottles and can be bought from vending machines, right next to soda pop. Most tap water costs less than 1 cent per gallon. Let's say you manage to find a $1 bottle of water in the vending machine. That works out to 5 cents an ounce. The average price per gallon of gasoline is around $3. There are 128 ounces in a gallon, which means the current price of gasoline is over 2 cents an ounce. Therefore, gasoline actually costs less than bottled water.


Take charge and start using your home tap water. If you don't like the taste of your tap water, use inexpensive carbon filters that will turn most tap water fresh and healthy at a fraction of bottled water's cost. Buy a stainless steel thermos that you can use endlessly. Always remember to drink from water fountains when provided.

I'm A+ Material

(photo by: Masterfiles)

Today I went to the lab to get my blood drawn, hoping I would find out any allergic reaction I might have and what my blood type is. Turns out I am allergic to dairy, so from now on I will have a non-dairy, vegetarian, somewhat vegan diet.

My blood type is A positive, which is my mom's type. Because I'm adopted, it is hard to know my biological family's health complications. All I know is that asthma was hereditary (and I battled that for six years). My birth mother had asthma, I believe her mom had asthma, and her other kids had asthma-like complications as well. I feel very lucky to have the same blood type as one of my parents, in case I ever need anything medically.

I have begun to read Eat Right 4 Your Type by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. It's the personal book for your particular type.

Along with the A+ blood type comes B12 deficiency, and I've started taking vitamins for it. There is a plus: they're cherry flavored!

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