Lit Portfolio

8/6/2019 Lit Portfolio

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Tyler Patrick

Tyler’s Treasure Trove of Tales2010-2011

5th Period



Table of Contents

The last day of… 1

Randy doesn't stay our after dark. 2

List ten memories that you do not want to forget. 3

Picture of shoes 4

Who was or is a strong influence in your life? 4

Write about something you hate in terms of loving it 5

Show don't tell, messy car 5

Write five opening lines. 5

Well to be honest, I threw it away. 6

Use "dropped the ball" in a piece. 7

What have you seen on TV that has been disturbing? 8

List smells and describe a memory of one. 8

Use host, rose, promise, jewel, nurse, and insect in a poem. 9

The first time ____ heard ____ she/he/it was/were____ 9

Picture of chain 9

Open any book to page 18. Look at the third line and create a piece using this line. 10

Picture of a path in the woods. 10

The color blue. 10

Reflection 11



The Last Day of…

The Last Day above Ground

It was the last day above ground.

That is the starting sentence for my essay in history class. My name is Maggie

Thrasher and I am in the 10th grade in bunker UK-235. We are currently studying the 21 st

century, and the Fall of the Nations. It occurred sometime around the middle of the

century, when mankind had finally established World Peace; or so they thought.

World Peace was a world wide treaty stating that, in layman’s terms, if any

country got out of line, the other countries would, without fail, gang up and destroy it. As

you can imagine, it was a precariously balanced situation.

Every country had to carefully maintain its outside image, projecting a peaceful

demeanor. However, unbeknownst to the others, each country was stockpiling resources

and weapons, preparing for the day that war would break out. They all feared that, if it

did turn to violence, that the effects would be irreversible.

Nobody knows who fired the first shot. If there had been any records of the event,

they were all destroyed in the war. Is it right to call something a war that lasted less than

a day? Whatever you want to call it, it was the worst disaster that mankind had ever

witnessed.

Because of the nuclear fallout from countless amounts of bombs and missiles

fired from each and every country, the survivors were forced underground. There are

videos of ash falling from the sky. The ash looks like snow, but you can see a person

screaming as it burns their skin where it landed.

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It is currently the year 2300, the turn of the century, and the radiation levels are

still too high to emerge from our dark fortress deep beneath the earth. Maybe someday

we will be able to go outside again, to open our doors and feel the warm sunshine on our

faces, and the earth will have healed and Mother Nature will be ready to accept us once

again. For now we wait until that day. We wait — for the New Beginning.

Randy doesn't stay our after dark.

Ever since anyone can remember, there have been night goblins. Grotesque in

nature, they wear only loincloths and carry large clubs. Their faces are wrinkled and, of

course, they’re green, like every other type of goblin. They come out after dark, and

smell very strongly of sewage. That is actually very good, because if you couldn’t smell

them, you wouldn’t know that they were coming. They are invisible to the naked eye.

However, once they die, they become visible again. If you are caught you are caught by a

night goblin, you are beaten senseless and then eaten alive, from the toes up. That is why

Randy doesn’t stay out after dark.

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List ten memories that you do not want to forget.

My Beach Memory

One memory that I never want to forget is my time spent on Jekyll Island, or,

more specifically, going out on the beach in the morning to collect shells. I would wake

up whenever I felt like it, and get dressed. Taking my time I would walk into the kitchen

and fix myself a cup of coffee and a Poptart. With the sun streaming through the window,

I would just relax and sip my coffee. After that, I would stretch my body and put on

sunscreen. Then, in just a pair of shorts, I would depart out the door and down the street.

After taking the beach access stairs down to the beach, I would walk a mile and a half

down to where the sandbar met the beach sideways. I would always walk on the right

side of the beach going there, and then the opposite side, next to the ocean, going back. I

would meander along the beach, picking up sea shells that I deemed good enough to save

as I walked. I wouldn’t pick shells with holes or cracks in them; only ones I thought were

“perfect”. Walking along the beach, with the ocean breeze blowing and the sound of

waves, the sunlight shining down on me, and feeling the sand beneath my feet, it was the

most peaceful I have ever felt.

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Picture of shoes

The Shoe Hermit

The hermit walked the silent forest paths, looking for lost or abandoned shoes.

For some reason, shoes always seemed to turn up in his forest. Perhaps there was a

certain magic about the place. A few hours and many shoes later, the hermit made his

way back to his cave. The entrance was a curtain of shoe laces that had been woven

together and dyed all colors of the rainbow. Strips of leather glued together made up his

bathtub, and his bed was a hammock that was also made of shoe laces. Lining the walls

of the cave in neat little rows were the soles of the shoes that he had obtained. Shoes

hung from the ceiling as flower baskets, and small kid shoes were arranged on the floor

as a rough carpet. The hermit sighed with happiness; life was good.

Who was or is a strong influence in your life?

My parents have always been a strong influence in my life, but more so in the

early years, when my mind was easily sculpted like a soft lump of clay. Later on in my

life, my friends have also dived into the influence pool, helping me make hard decions.

Sometimes they have been less than helpful, but other times they have guided me on the

road to happiness. Either way, for better or for worst, my parents and my friends have

helped make me into the person that I am today.

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Write about something you hate in terms of loving it

When my sister comes over, she brings her cat. I hate that cat so much. It refuses

to drink out of a bowl, doesn’t cover up its poop, and meows to be let out early in the

morning. That last part is what I hate the most. Combined with his ability to open nearly

closed doors, that cat is a menace. However, when it’s late at night and I’m relaxing on

the couch, he will hope up and transfer his warm cat body onto my lap. He will then

allow me to pet him, and that is why I love him.

Show don't tell, messy car

Mangled metal littered the road. The smell of burned motor oil filled the air.

Shards of glass twinkled like little stars as the bright afternoon sun beat down upon the

asphalt. A twisted guide rail lay on the side, with a big tear in it. There stood the car

wreck.

Write five opening lines.

1. It’s kind of hard to talk when your tongue has been cut out.

2. Have you ever been eaten alive, because I have; twice.

3. This is a story of how I died, came back, died again, ate a hamburger, sold my

soul to the devil, and got it back.

4. I am one of the few people that can lasso a cloud and ride it; a BIG cloud.

5. When you’re a jungle explorer, like me, you’ve got to watch out for the

carnivorous chinchillas; they’ll eat you alive.

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Well to be honest, I threw it away.

Stanley the Thief

My name is Stanley, and I’m the best thief out there. Or, at least, I used to be. No

job was too big for me. I could break into any safe, pickpocket even the most guarded,

and con any businessman. But those are stories for another time. The story I would like to

present to you is a short one of a man who turns a new leaf. It began something like this:

It was a dark and stormy night. The wind howled through the trees like a pack of

ravenous wolves, and lightning flashed, making the sky as bright as day. The job that I

had picked for myself was a rich business man who owned a penthouse apartment in the

center of Tokyo, Japan. He was, and still is, one of the richest men alive. I cannot tell you

his name though, because if I did, then I would have to kill you.

My goal was a vault on the top floor, guarded with lasers, poisonous darts, and

venomous snakes. However, those were no obstacles to me. I won’t bore you with the

details, but just know that I managed to get up there without a scratch.

Having reached the vault, I cut open the door with my razor sharp teeth. That’s

right; I used my teeth. Once the vault door had been opened, I climbed inside. I grabbed

my prize; a diamond the size of a baby, and stuck it in my bag. I then briskly made my

way back to the bottom of the building without being spotted. Jubilant in my success, I

didn’t watch where I was going, and when I left the building, I got hit by a car. That

moment changed everything.

I suppose that it was the knock on my head that did it, or maybe just the

recognition of what my life had become, but I completely changed my way of life. I

stopped stealing from the rich and not giving to the poor, I didn’t pick pocket old rich

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men any more, and I talked actual business with people instead of scamming them for

every penny they had. Ah, but you wonder what happened to the diamond? Well, to be

honest, I threw it away.

Use "dropped the ball" in a piece.

The squeak of sneakers of the gym floor. Shouts of adoring fans ring in my ears.

The dull thud of the projectile as it smashes into our nimble hands. This is speedball.

We sprint down the court, ducking and dodging, catching and passing, hoping to

score a touchdown or make a basket. As I get behind the basket, I’m wide open. Devin is

at the other end of the court, and makes a full court baseball pass to me. As the ball

hurtles toward me, I brace myself for impact. As it bounces off my hands, I can’t believe

what just happened. I dropped the ball. Booing fills the air as I hang my head in shame.

However, we will win the game, and I will prepare myself for the next game. This time, I

will be victorious.

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What have you seen on TV that has been disturbing?

I have seen many disturbing things on television. However, the most disturbing

things are cartoons these days. I shall talk about two: Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! First off,

Pokémon has changed a lot since I watched it as a small child. Back then, Ash, Brock,

and Misty all went on their merry adventures, battling team Rocket as they went along,

with the 151 original Pokémon.

However, these days they have new companions and weird, freaky Pokémon. I

think they are running out of ideas, because one is called a Mamoswine, which is just a

large, furry pig with curly tusks and a wide variety of unlikely facial expressions.

Secondly, Yu-Gi-Oh! Same as Pokémon, it had Yugi and his two other pals. Now

it’s not even focused on them. The last episode I saw was some random people having a

card duel on motorcycles! I mean COME ON. Talk about changing the storyline.

Both of these cartoons have been seriously altered to keep the series going, and

it’s disgusting. The produces should never have changed the plot, because now it is

warped and twisted. That is what I find disturbing.

List smells and describe a memory of one.

Whenever I smell school halls, they remind me of elementary school. I don’t

mean high school or middle school halls; I’m talking about elementary school hallways.

It’s very strange, but they have a distinct smell. When I say they remind me of

elementary school, I mean my entire time there; all seven years of it. I just remember the

time when my sweet, child-like innocence had not yet been crippled by middle school,

like an attack dog that had been set upon your leg with violent intent.

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Use host, rose, promise, jewel, nurse, insect in a poem.

The nurse walked over to the man lying down on the hospital bed and loving

brushed an insect off his face. “It’s Valentine’s day,” she whispered in his ear, even

though she knew that she would get no response. A red rose sat in a glass by his bedside

table; its sweet smell filled the room. “You promised that we would get married today,”

the nurse said as she touched the jewel on her engagement ring. However, it was unlikely

that they would ever get married, because her fiancé was a host to a parasite that slowly

ate away at his brain. Kissing the man on the forehead, the nurse slowly turned and

walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Picture of chain

Chains. Chains are made of metal. Chains are made of metal links. Chains are

made of metal links that are welded together. Chains are made of metal links that are

welded together so that they can move and still hold strong. Chains.

The first time ____ heard ____ she/he/it was/were____

The first time Bin Yusef heard Whip My Hair by Willow Smith, he was

immediately overcome by an overwhelming desire to whip his hair back and forth. He

then proceeded to whip it real good.

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Use third line of book page 18.

You have hope, and the world before you, and have no cause for despair.You have hope

Even when everything looks bleak

Do your best, try not to mopeEven if you want to weep.

Think about the bright aspects of lifeAnd of your supporting family and friends.

And though your days may be filled with strife,

Just hang tight around the bends.

Appreciate the shining morning sun

And the nightly bright moon.

In the evening relax and have fun

For your life will get better soon.

Picture of a path in the woods.The Forest

The forest is lush and green

With a grass grown path

Heading to its center Perhaps to a stream

I know not the secrets of the forestIn shadows lie hidden mysteries

And I cannot guess the names of the plants

Because I am not a florist

With trees as far as the eye can see

And birds chirping here and thereThe feeling of walking peacefully

Will never again come back to me.

The color blue.Blue

Blue is a color Blue is the color of my pencil

Blue is how I feel when I am sad

Blue is the color of a pristine seaBlue is the recycling bin

Blue is the poster on the wall.

Beautiful blue bears briskly bounce bringing blue blueberries.

Blue.

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Reflection on My Writing

When I write, I want to take my readers to another world; a world where they can

relax and enjoy themselves, and be caught up in the fictitious land of literature. I chose

the pieces that I did because they reflect my writing over the course of a year, and its ups

and downs. That’s not to say that I didn’t try to pick pieces that you, the reader, wouldn’t

enjoy; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. I wanted to pick pieces so you could feel what I felt

when I wrote them: sheer creativity, with nothing held back.

In each of these pieces is part of me. I put my feelings desires into them. Some

days I might be feeling sad, or glad, or just mellow, and this is put into my writing. I may

want to laugh, and write a humorous story for all to enjoy. I may want to share my

sadness with others, so that they can understand how I feel. However, no matter what the

tone, you can always find my creative spark.

During the year, I do believe that I have made progress. Every year it seems that I

learn more about my writing and how to improve it. We have worked on many types of

literary devices over the course of the year, and I have tried to take those to heart. Also,

editing has been a big part of my writing. Even though I say to myself, let the creativity

flow, I try not to let it get out of hand. When writing this portfolio, I have had to make

changes to my writing, adding and subtracting parts of the pieces as I see fit.

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