Final exam

                                           Final Exam 

 ''An American Story''

 Anthony Lewis 

''Hunger of Memory''

 Richard Rodriguez          

                                       In the ''Hunger of Memory'' by Richard Rodriguez the point is that foreigners are not welcomed. So they do not belong there. In ''American Story'' the point is also ''belonging''. These two stories share a point. ''Hunger of Memory'' is the story of Mexican-American Richard Rodriguez, who begins his schooling in Sacramento, California, knowing just 50 words of English, and concludes his university studies in the stately quiet of the reading room of the British Museum. ''An American Story'' is about Thanksgiving weekend 15 years ago when a 10-year-old Vietnamese boy named Viet Dinh arrived in this country as a refugee. He was with his mother, four sisters and a brother.

                                  In the Hunger of Memory the writing style is autobiography. In American Story the writing style is news features. A news feature is journalists presenting a personal slant by including their own views. So between both stories their writing styles are different.

                                 The setting in ''An American Story'' took place in South Vietnam, during the 1950's. The setting in ''Hunger of Memory'' took place Sacramento. Before that they used to live in South Sacramento. (Lines 3-5) '' led them to a house many blocks from the Mexican South side of the town. Both of the settings in each story were different.

                                The conflicts were different in the two stories. In ''Hunger of Memory'' his conflicts were external and pulled him in many different directions. A conflict was that he didn’t have a full time writing job. This effected him because he had shortage of money and then had to look for other temporary job. He had had to make the decision to borrow or take a job from his rich friends or earn money doing the thing he loved, writing. In ''An American Story'' the Vietnam war led them to the United states.

                                The theme in both stories is to gain something, you must lose something. In ''American story'' all of the family members had to leave to go to the U.S but they had to leave their sister behind. The family was reunited after fifteen years. In ''Hunger of Memory'' in order to the thing he loved he had to work hard because he did not have enough money.


                             In ''American Story'' what is gained is first of all they were reunited with their family.  Second is education and success. In (lines 2-3) ''I graduated from the Harvard Law school in June and am now a Law clerk…''. Also in (lines 1-3) '' she was entitled to refugee status. In September 1992, she made it to Portland. Finally the family was reunited.


                           The solutions of both stories were successful. In ''American Story'', the family is employed and have great careers. In ''Hunger of Memory'' he did what he loved to do writing. I think also applies to real life. If you want to be successful, you have to give up something in life.
                               

winter break

                                            Winter Break

                                 My winter break was fun and relaxing but not that much because I woke up early around six-thirty everyday. It sucked, but I had to in order to pass the F.B.I physical test, what I mean is I ran every morning, slowly increasing my pace. I also went to Portland. Portland is just green and I mean all green. There are trees everywhere. I also went to the beach. The best part of my vacation was the beach and Voodoo donut's, which is in Portland. Its a really famous place and the line is about more than six-hundred feet long. Crazy right?

                             This is a place where I feel I am calm. A place that is peaceful in its own ways. It is the place to go to get away from all my troubles. It is the one place where I could sit forever, and never get tired of just staring into the deepest blue I have ever seen. It is the place where I can sit and think the best. A place where nothing matters but what is in that little moment. The one place capable of sending me into a relaxing moment. This place is the ocean.
                  
                             Just as I sit down on the sand my mind starts to unwind. The many spectacular sights jump at my eyes. As far as I can see there is turquoise water in front of me. Surfers wearing their bright colored suits grab their boards and head for the unknown. Light colored sailboats disappear in the distance. Looking farther out, I see dolphins peak out of the water. I cannot help but to think how it would feel to be so free and careless. Their grayish blue color shimmers in the fiery orange sky making me feel happy that I got to see them, even for a split moment. Couples decorated in their beach attire in front of me. I cannot help but to wonder what their rush could be. Children dancing around mounds of sand that within a short amount of time will yield the most impressive sandcastles.

                        Relaxing a bit more, I become more aware of the sounds around me. The seagulls seem to be talking to each other in their own language while they skim the shore for fish to eat. The ocean tide crashes on the shore, making a steady beat that quickly forms a song-like rhythm. The massive waves make a very comforting sound, soft to the ear.

                      Standing up, I can feel the sun rays embrace my skin. Walking farther down the shore my body gets consumed with cold chills as the texture of the grainy, wet sand squishes between my toes. The wind blows softly and blows my hair away from my face. At the same time my nose senses kettle popcorn stand. When I go near it I can hear the popcorn popping.

                    The smell of the ocean is what made this experience one of a kind. The fresh air that drifted in the air gave me the chills that ran up both my arms. The wet sand mixed with the salt in the water making an aroma that would make you have a flashback of your favorite memory. This was my new favorite memory.Eeach grain of sand loomed in my toes which stirred up a fresh smell that put my whole body in relaxation. Smells from the ocean over ruled the rest. There is nothing else like the smell of the sea. The beach contained various sounds. Waves would quietly lean back and then charge forward with a gentle roar. Pelicans flew in patterns around the beach making playful screeches.
                     Now lets talk about Voodoo donut's. The aroma smells beautiful its like if you would want to bite into the aroma. They have over 50 different flavors, each one spectacular in one way. Some of the flavors they have is mango tango, maple bacon, Miami vice berry, and guess what, if your vegan they also have a vegan doughnut. They have something for everybody. They are hand made and come in all shapes and sizes and full of surprises.