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My best friend is named Peydon. He lives with his brother, sisters, mom, and grandparent. My mom and his mom are sisters, so we are cousins! He either goes to a public or private school. He is only three days younger than me. His birthday is March 3rd. Peydon wears glasses and so do I. In fact, some people thought we were twins because we look so alike! He is a very good friend.

We also like to do a lot of things together. We usually like to watch moves together, and because he likes Star Wars so much, we usually watch Star Wars movies. We watch other movies too. We also like to play games. We prefer a game called Cameleon or  Forbidden Sky. Those are Peydon’s favorite games, but we do not play them very much. He even has a Play Station 4, which we like to play most of the time. 
He is a very good friend and so is his brother, but Peydon is my best friend and a very good friend.

My favorite hobby is reading. I like reading good stories. A good book must have interesting characters. My favorite books have extremely interesting characters. the books are “The Hardy Boys.” There are two main characters. Their names are Frank and Joe. They are private teenage detectives. They have help from their friends and father. They are extremely good at solving mysteries and catching bad guys. It is a very good story. In last year’s literature, I read a play by William Shakespeare that had very uninteresting characters. All they did was try to get someone’s daughter to marry someone else, which is just boring. It is very short too. I like somewhat long stories.

A good book also has a good climax. The climax is when the problem reaches a dramatic height. In most Hardy Boys books, the climax is when at least one Hardy Boy is captured along with a friend or two. Older books like “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe and “White Fang” by Jack London barely have a climax at all. But “A Knight of the White Cross” by G.A. Henty and several other earlier books have an extremely interesting climax. 
I like reading books that are entertaining. I like reading fantasy, actions, science fiction, and many other genres, but I mainly like mystery storybooks like “The Hardy Boys”. They are very entertaining. I also like the book “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” by Andrew Peterson. It is a fantasy story and has a very interesting climax.
I also like reading about herpetology. I am making a YouTube channel on herpetology, so I need to know everything I can. I can get a lot of herpetology books at the Fairview Heights Public Library. I also have a lot of herpetology books to read.
I also like entertaining books like “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne. It is extremely exciting. the characters go in a submarine and see several strange, amazing, and weird things and sights, like battling a gain octopus. It is also Science Fiction.
I really like reading because it is entertaining and also teaches you things. My favorite book of all time is the Bible. It is entertaining, plus it teaches you important things. I just love to read.

The furthest I have ever been from home is when my family and I went to Washington D.C. Some of our friends live there. My friend, Preston, his sisters, parents. and dog live there. It is about a 16-hour drive. We sometimes stop for bathroom breaks and purchase a meal, but other times we take our own food. Sometimes we even stop for gas. Sometimes we go to a hotel to spend the night.

When we get there, it is usually night time, so we say yellow, spread out our sleeping stuff, brush our teeth, and go to sleep. when we wake up, we usually eat breakfast, get dressed, get in the car, and drive to go see the sights. We usually stay for 5 days and don’t stay long at the house because we want to see everything we can in those five days. We usually see the Washington monument and a whole lot of other monuments, and we get to look at things in a bunch of different museums. We even got to see the Original Constitution, Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, and the Declaration of Independence. After we leave, it is another 16-hour drive home. When we get home I think, “It is so good to be home.”

My favorite school subject is Science, because it has so many different sections to learn from, like how to make YouTube videos and why science is important. I even got to make some YouTube videos! I also learned about robotics; how to make one, how they work, how to make them have a mind of their own, and other fun things. I even learned about health and fitness, how to get and stay healthy, the right kinds of food to eat, and other ways to stay healthy. Applied Science on Ron Paul Curriculum school is so cool.

My least favorite school subject is history, because; although I like learning about the past and how things began, I can not follow along that much. When I was learning about Rome, then I switched to Greece, then back to Rome, I was confused for a while. Plus, I don’t like writing long essays. I know the long essays are so I can remember and write about the past week, but I wonder if instead of essays, some people do quizzes. Despite all this, I still like history.

My favorite hobby is reading. Reading is so much fun. It helps you pass the time, plus it can teach you about things like if you’re reading an invention book, it teaches you about inventions. If you’re reading an insect book, it teaches you about insects. If you’re reading a robotics book, it teaches you about robotics and maybe even shows you how to build a robot. I like reading about herpetology, so I can be a herpetologist someday. I also like reading about mystery and fantasy and action books because they are entertaining.

My favorite books are “The Hardy Boys” and herpetology books. “The Hardy Boys books are mystery books. They have an entire series containing 66 books. I have 44 of the books. That means I have 22 more books to collect. I also like herpetology books and reptile and amphibian books. I want to learn more about them, so I can become a herpetologist someday. I also like learning about birds: how they fly, how their feathers work, and other things like that. I just love to read.

One of the things I liked this year was that I got to read a lot of fun books like “Robinson Crusoe” and “Treasure Island”. Another thing I liked this year was I got to learn about vocabulary words like First, Second, and Third Person, Cast, Script, and a whole lot of others. I also liked learning about poetry because I didn’t understand poetry until I took this class.

One of the things I didn’t like this year was I had to write long essays and book reports and that took forever. Another thing I didn’t like was short lessons. I would prefer longer lessons. 
If I were in charge of the Ron Paul Curriculum English Literature, I would make the lessons a little longer to explain things more, because I didn’t really understand what he was talking about. I would also make the essays a little shorter and simpler because sometimes it is extremely stressful. 
I learned a whole lot this year in English Literature like how to write good papers. I also learned how to identify prose, poetry, and drama. I also learned how to read poetry in the way it was meant to be read. This year’s English/Literature was a blast.

     This is an overview of what I learned this year in English Literature. There are three main types of literature, prose, poetry, and drama. Prose is writing that is not poetry. Poetry is the reading and writing of poems. Poems are “an arrangement of words, especially a rhythmical composition, sometimes rhymes, in a style more imaginative than ordinary speech or prose”, according to Webster’s Dictionary. Drama is “a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or to tell a story usually involving conflict and emotions through action and dialogue and typically designed for theatrical performance”, also according to Webster’s Dictionary.

     Some examples of Prose writing are Robinson Crusoe, books by G.A, Henty, Little Men, 
Robin Hood, and A Christmas Carol. Examples of Poetry that I read are “Idylls of the King”, “The Odessey”, and “The Raven”. Examples of drama pieces I read are “The Taming of the Shrew” and
“Macbeth”. I enjoy watching movies and television shows that are dramas, but when I am reading, I prefer prose writing.

     I learned about the elements of a good story. They are the characters, theme, and plot. One of my favorite books this year was A Knight of the White Cross, by G. A. Henty. The characters were brave, perseverent, and they were skillful in fighting. Some of the themes in A Knight of the White Cross are friendship, bravery, and adventure. A good plot makes a good story. A plot is the storyline of a book and is the most important part of a book. It introduces the character, themes, and other elements that make a good story. The plot of A Knight of the White Cross is that Gervaise leaves England to join the Knights of the White Cross and helps defend the Island of Rhodes from the invading Turks.

     A good book has five parts to the plot. First, the exposition, which is the beginning of a story in which the characters and the setting are introduced. Then the rising action, which is where the conflict is introduced. For example, the rising action in a mystery story happens when the characters are discovering clues and getting closer to solving the mystery. The climax follows the rising action and is when the problem reaches a dramatic height. Again, for example, in a mystery story, the climax is when the characters solve the mystery by catching the bad guys or when they find the missing object. The falling action happens next and is when the story slows down and the problem or problems are resolved. Lastly comes the resolution which is the ending of a story.

     Literature is often influenced by the author’s worldview and by his or her own writing style. The Oxford Dictionary defines the word worldview as “a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world”. Daniel Defoe was most likely a Christian because in his book Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe read his Bible and prayed every day while he was stranded on the island. Howard Pyle seemingly believed that all people should be free because in his book Robin Hood, he featured men and women who wanted to be free from taxation and oppressive government rule. Homer’s works were influenced by early Greek and Roman culture. This was probably what influenced the writing of “The Odessey”, a Greek mythological story. Greek mythology influenced many of Homer’s writings. We know this because in his writings he included several mythological creatures like the Cyclops, Siren, Scylla, and Charybdis.

     Every author has a different writing style. G.A. Henty included numerous details in his books. He used historical facts and explained the elements of warfare to make his books informative, but also exciting! Mark Twain wrote his books in order to encourage young children to be brave and adventurous and to remind older people what is was like being a kid. William Shakespeare wrote plays, which are dramatic pieces performed on a stage. The Taming of the Shrew was a romantic comedy, but Macbeth was a tragedy. Poetry is another style of writing I read this year. Edgar Allen Poe put several dark elements into his poems, like “The Raven”. “The Raven” alludes to Heaven, Hell, and the Devil, even though it is only a four to five page poem. “Idylls of the King” is another example of poetry. It is written in the form of blank verse, which is “verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter”, according to Webster’s Dictionary.

     Vocabulary words help analyze literature. To analyze something means to study it in greater detail. “Setting” is a vocabulary word that I learned. It tells me where the story is taking place. “Plot” is another vocabulary word I learned. This one is important because it is the “main event of a novel, play, movie, or similar work”. The vocabulary word “Metaphor” is “A figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as if it were another”. Vocabulary words are extremely helpful if you are trying to find the meaning of the book you are reading.

     I had the opportunity to read numerous famous works of literature. I had heard of some of these books, but I had never read them before. Two of my favorite books from this year are A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. They were both written by Mark Twain. Other works of literature I liked were The Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth, both written by William Shakespeare, who was an extremely famous literary author. “The Odessey” is an exceptionally famous work of literary art. It was written by Homer in the 8th century B.C. “The Odessey” has been alive for thousands of years!

     Another famous book I enjoyed reading was A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This book is ready by thousands of people, every year at Christmas time. It is one of my favorite books. Even though it was written over 150 years ago, it is a timeless tale. It teaches men, women, and children alike that there is more to life than making money. It teaches us to be compassionate and generous to the poor and needy. This is why it is a timeless tale.

     Journey to the Center of the Earth was a favorite of mine this year. It was written by Jules Verne. Jules Verne is sometimes called the “Father of science fiction”. He even made subterranean fiction popular with his book Journey to the Center of the Earth. This book inspired a number of people to
begin using science fiction in their books and movies like, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, and Star Wars and many others.

     Another book I read that I enjoyed reading was Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. It is a children’s classic and it is also a timeless tale. Boys and girls, young and old, have enjoyed reading this story for dozens of years. This book has been made into several motion pictures. Its first publication was 155 years ago, but it is a book still loved and read today. I am glad I was able to read so many fantastic books this year, and learn about the authors, and expand my knowledge and understanding of literature.  

   

   

There are three main types of literature: prose, poetry, and drama. Prose is “Writing that is not poetry.” Poetry is “the reading and writing of poems.” Poems are “an arrangement of words, esp a rhythmical composition, sometimes rhymed in a style more imaginative than ordinary speech or prose.” Drama is “a literary composition to be performed by actors, play, esp. one that is not a comedy.”

Examples of Prose are Robinson Crusoe, G. A. Henty books, Little Men, Robin Hood, and A Christmas Carol. Examples of Petry are Idylls of the King and The Raven. Examples of Drama are The Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth. I like drama because modern movies and TV shows are examples of drama, but when I am reading, I prefer prose.
Next are elements of a good story, for example, characters, theme, and plot. My favorite book this year was “A Knight of the White Cross.” The characters were brave, perseverant, and they had skills. Next the themes. Some of the themes in “A Knight of the White Cross” are friendship, bravery, skill, and smart. Then the plot. A plot is the storyline of a book. The plot is the most important part of a book. It introduces the characters, themes, and other elements of a good story. A good book has five parts to the plot. First, the exposition, which is the beginning of a story in which the characters are usually introduced. Then the rising action, which is where the conflict is introduced. For example, the rising action in a mystery story is when the people are finding clues and getting close to their goal. Then the Climax which is when the problem reaches a dramatic height. For example, in a mystery story, the climax is when the people catch the bad guys or when they find thee missing thing. Then the falling action in which the story slows down and the problem is resolved. Then comes the Resolution which is the ending of a story.
Literature is often influenced by the author’s worldviews and his or her writing style. The Oxford dictionary defines the word worldview as a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world.” Daniel Defo was probably a Christian because in his book “Robinson Crusoe”, Crusoe read his Bible and prayed every day when he was on the island. Howard Pile probably believed that all people should be free, so in his book, “Robin Hood”, he featured people who wanted to be free from taxation and government rule. Homer probably was influenced by Greek and Roman culture, so that’s probably why he wrote The Odyssey (a Greek myth). Greek mythology influenced Homer’s writings. We know this because in his writing, he puts a lot of mythological creatures like the Cyclops, Siren, Scylla, and Charybdis. 
Every author has a different writing style. G. A. Henty put a lot of details into his books. He also used historical facts and details to make his books informational, but also exciting! Mark Twain writes his books in order to encourage young kids to be brave and adventurous and to remind older people what it was like being a kid. William Shakespeare wrote plays. The Taming of the Shrew was a Romantic Comedy, but Macbeth was a tragedy type of play. Poetry is another type of style of writing read this year. Edgar Allen Poe put a lot of dark stuff into his poems, like “The Raven.” “The Raven” represents Heaven, Hell, the Devil, and other dark stuff like that; although it’s only a four or five-page poem. Idylls of the King is another example of poetry; however, it is blank verse, which is “verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter. I had the opportunity to read many famous works of literature. I had heard of some of these books, but I had never read them before. Two of my favorite works of literature are “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” and “Tom Sawyer”, and they are both written by Mark Twain. More works of literature I liked were “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Macbeth”, both written by William Shakespeare, and extremely famous literary author. “The Odyssey” is an extremely famous work of literary art. It was written by Homer in 8th century B.C., so “The Odyssey” has been alive for thousands of years. 
Vocabulary words help analyze literature. To analyze something means to study it in greater detail. ‘Setting is a vocabulary word that I learned. It tells me where the story is taking place. Plot is another vocabulary word I learned. This one is important because it is the “main event of a novel, plan, movie, or similar work.” Another important vocabulary word is Metaphor, which is “a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as if it were another.” Vocabulary words are extremely helpful if you are trying to find the meaning of something.
Another famous book I read was “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. This book is probably read by thousands of people at Christmas time. It is one of my favorite books. Even though it was written over 150 years ago it still teaches people and it still has meaning for people today. It is a timeless tale. It teaches people that there is more to life than making money. It also teaches us to be compassionate and generous towards the poor and needy. It is a timeless tale. 
Another favorite of mine is “Journey to the Center of the Earth” by Jules Verne. Jules Verne is sometimes called the “Father of Science Fiction.” He even made subterranean fiction popular with his book “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” This book inspired many people to start using science fiction in books and movies like “The Hobbit” or “Star Trek” or “Star Wars” and many others.
Another book I read that I like was “Alice in Wonderland”. It is a classic because it is also timeless tale, and boys and girls, you’d or old enjoyed it for many years. This book has been made into several movies. its first publication was 155 years ago, but it is a book I still like to read and listen to today.

Dawn broke through the clouds in a pinkish color as the sun broke through the darkness to start a new day. I awoke from a deep sleep in my warm, comfy bed. I looked out my large window and it said good morning to the awakening farm. My dog whimpered against my leg, whimpering for food. It was 5:30 AM when I ran down the steps to do my early morning chores. First, I fed my dog, then I went to feed the chickens, horses, and cows. I milked all the cows, and when I was done, I got four filled buckets with milk! Then my dog and I headed the cows and horses out into the green field where they ate. I gathered the eggs and brought them inside for my mom to make breakfast. I found my mom making breakfast and gave her the egg to work with. When she was done, my dad, mom, older brother, and I ate a sweet, buttery, pancake breakfast.

My mom said, “Hurry, you don’t want to be late for school.” I got ready as quickly as I could. I put on school clothes, got my backpack, school books, and my pencil. When I got ready to leave, my dad reminded me that if I do good in school, we could go fishing. I headed out the door and walked to school.

When I got to school, I sat down in my chair and listened to my assignment. I was to write an essay on the seven continents. When I got home, I showed my parents my essay. I got an A+! “Well,” said my dad, “I guess we’re going fishing this afternoon.” I was so excited.

Half an hour later, we went to the big blue lake. I could see so many fish. There were bluegill, sardines, and so much more. We got the fishing rods and put the worms on the hooks. We cast out the fishing lines and caught seven big, fat fish. We brought them home and gave two of them to mom to make dinner. The rest, we saved for another time. Then we took nice, warm showers. When we were done, the hot tuna fish dinner was ready.

After dinner, we had evening devotions. That night, it was Proverbs 24. Then we got ready for bed. I brushed my teeth until they were clean. Then, I got my P.J.s on. Then I kissed and hugged my parents goodnight. I needed all the sleep I could get. Tomorrow is another big day.