Graduation Epidemic
My high school graduation was one of the saddest moments of my life. Although I was excited about graduating, I did not know what I was going to do with the rest of my life. In Maya Angelou’s “Graduation,” Angelou was excited and proud of all that she had accomplished. In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Late Encounter With the Enemy,” Sally Poker Sash was proud that she was finally graduating and just wanted to show that off to all the “upstarts”. In the two readings the pupils are contrasting in a few different areas, and a couple of those areas are in pride and feelings that their families have being involved in the graduation. In both of the readings the pupils have a great sense of pride; however the pride is in
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Obviously Sash has not worked very hard and does not even care that she is graduating with a degree, all that she is proud of is that she gets to show it off.
In both stories the main characters have family involved in their graduations, but they are involved for entirely different reasons. Angelou’s mother is proud and excited of her daughter’s graduation. To show this she gets started right away on her butter-yellow pique dress that all the girls are wearing for graduation. Also on the day of graduation her mother makes a Sunday breakfast even though it was only Friday. Another thing, her brother Bailey was also very happy for his sister. We get to see his happiness for her when he gives her a box that is wrapped in Christmas paper. Bailey had saved his money for months to be able to buy Angelou a soft-leather bound copy of a collection of poems by Edgar Allen Poe. In contrast, the only person that Sash has is her grandfather General Sash. “The General did not give two slaps for her graduation…” Also the General would not have even gone to the graduation if Miss Sash had not promised that he would get to sit on stage. Anytime, anyplace that the General can sit on stage, he is there. So it was not even about support, it was about his selfish reasons just as much as it was Sally’s. In concluding, every graduation is different. The feelings that people have and the way that the families are involved are usually different for
Although the first year of high school is a big transition, it’s crucial in determining the remaining years of high school because, First, having good grades will determine whether or not you get accepted the university you want and there are more opportunities for scholarships. Second, joining a club in high school will give you an insight in leadership and teamwork. Third, Slacking of your freshman year in high school is a bad thing to do because it will affect your senior year and all the classes you missed or failed, you will have to retake all of them. Lastly, all of these factors all come into play your senior year they can either help you or make your high school years miserable. First, having good grades in your freshman year will open up the doors to more opportunities coming your way. My freshman year wasn't the best I got D's and C's and almost failed two classes. Laziness played a big factor in why I got bad grades I was lazy to do homework and any projects. I had some advice from my cousin’s they would always tell me not to mess up freshman year, but, I ignored them and you start to pay for it senior year by retaking all those classes you failed. To get better grades I set up a planner and wrote down due dates and set up a time organizer at home and this helped me better organize my time to do the work. My advice to all new freshmen is to set up a work schedule for your work it will better your studying habits and make you aware of due dates and the time you
Pride had also entered into her character as she explained her smiling soreness, as she "had taken to smiling more often and [her] jaws hurt from the unaccustomed activity;" (835). "As a member of the winning team (the graduating class of 1940)" (835) she was moving headfirst toward the future. It was obvious that she was delighted that she had accumulated a plethora of achievements displayed with colored stars on the bulletin board. Even though Henry Reed had been awarded valedictorian, "instead of being disappointed [she] was pleased that [they] shared top honors" (836). A sense of approval flowed though her and she was genuinely and deservedly happy; "she was headed for the freedom of open fields" (835).
My fellow classmen, as we look back on our years here at school we should remember the meaningful words of a fellow class member of mine when she said, "Dude, where's my iPod?" It's hard for me to think of a better way to describe the many layers of adolescence, because deep down aren?t we all "dudes?" Do we not all have our inner "iPods", and are we not constantly searching for them? Now, we're leaving our childhood behind to study the vast sphere we call planet Earth, into the notorious world of high school, where things will be so much different. Of course we will still have our varied studies, Geometry, Biology, maybe even Forensics or an Accelerated English class here and there. We will still struggle with the daily setbacks formed by
From the outset of the story there is an overwhelming sense of hope that has enveloped the entire community and school with the upcoming graduation.
Achieving a high school diploma is extremely important to me. With a high school diploma I can go to college and after wards get a really good job, I can’t be as successful in life as I want to be without my diploma. I wouldn’t be able to make as much as money as I want to or travel the world without any education. I cannot be a independent woman like I always wanted to be So that’s why I have to work really hard to get my high school diploma so I can go far in life This will also set a good example for my younger brothers and sisters, I am the oldest in my family yes I won’t be the first to get my diploma my little sister actually got hers before me threw pen foster and I am following her steps cause I also want to do big things with my life.
While becoming a valedictorian can be an honor to those who receive the title, others are debating whether or not valedictorians should continue to exist, or if it should switch from being exclusive to one person in a high school senior class to multiple high-achieving students with similar scores, GPAs, and effort shown throughout their high school tenure. In “Best in Class” by Margaret Talbot, the author emphasizes the idea that having only one valedictorian motivates students due to the prestige associated with the title, as shown through her use of logos and ethos throughout her essay.
Graduation is often a time of celebration for not only those graduating, but for the family members and friends of those going through the ceremonial transition. The children in Stamps, Arkansas that are graduating alongside Marguerite Johnson know that they’re celebrating more than just that. Upon reading the story, Angelou reveals the initial feelings of excitement and hope for everyone’s future; Those feelings quickly overwhelm with disappointment due to human prejudices. In Maya Angelou’s, “Graduation”, Marguerite Johnson’s ultimate feeling of pride in her academic achievements and approaching graduating is confronted when the commencement speaker delivers an undermining speech that addressed his stereotypical views of African-Americans
The night of graduation we all lined up the same way we did at practice, ABC order, as I walked out I felt so rewarded that I was able to make it to my high school graduation. We all sat in a huge gym surrounded by our loves ones, Black and gold caps and gowns filled the room. I waited anxiously for my name to be called; with my last name starting with a W I was pretty much at the end. I walked up and across the stage, shook their hand as I received my diploma and smiled for a picture. As I walked back to my seat I feel my eyes start to water because I felt so proud of myself that I made it to this point after years of hard work. I look around once I’m seated and see how happy everyone is. Next year everyone will be going their separate ways, starting college and making new friends. The ceremony ends with a bunch of smiles, some tears and caps being thrown up in the air while everyone is clapping for
The beginning of this work focuses on speaking of excitement and joy due to the upcoming eighth grade graduation, "The children in Stamps trembled visibly with anticipation" (835). The children were shaking with excitement due to the impending graduation services. The graduation is the most important thing happening in the town of Stamps, "We even made a sign for the Store....It read
Through out life people go through so many hardships. Whether it be good or bad there is always something that comes out of the situation. One of the most exciting but yet scariest events would be graduation. For a lot of people, graduating from high school is a goal. It takes a lot of time and effort to achieve that goal. In the long run, it opens a lot of opportunities for people to succeed. Graduation is the end of high school, and the beginning to life.
I’ve just entered my senior year of high school. I know that this is a very important year. I have a lot of decisions to make and not much time to make them. These decisions will either make or break my life, and I want to make sure that I make them to the best of my ability because there is no turning back. I need to make sure I definitely want to attend college. The decision is totally up to me. There are many positives and negatives of attending college. Go over them, and then decide. I know myself better then anyone else, and I won’t let anyone else tell me what to do. I will make sure if I am going to attend college that I have something in mind that I will want to do, to succeed in. Choosing a major can be a
You know, there is a lot more to graduating than leaving Rufus and getting a diploma. It's more than that. I mean, why do you think we get to wear these cool robes?
Graduation is an exciting time in a person’s life, especially a high school graduation. When I think of family and friends gathering together to celebrate a joyous occasion, I feel I accomplished my strongest goal. It never occurred to me that graduation would be the end of my youth and the start of adulthood. Graduating from high school was an influential event that gave me an altered outlook on my existence. Life before graduation, preparing for graduation day, and commencement day overwhelmed me for reality.
Monday, May 16th, graduation day. It’s 5:37 in the morning and I remember this cause I never wake up earlier than 8 unless I have to, but today I didn’t have to. It’s the day culminating twelve years of hard work and dedication into a three hour ceremony in which I will actually have to do something with my life other than a routine I believe I’ve perfected throughout these last four years. I roll over and pick up my phone, a dim light comes through a slit in my window shades just to remind me how early it actually is. I can’t fall back asleep so I decide to get out of bed. I sit up on my bed rubbing my eyes trying to make sense of the room around me, I may have lived here for 18 years but I can never find the cord to my ceiling light. I
Many people have experienced the over whelming excitement that you feel as you approach high school graduation day, and for me, that’s a day that I will never forget. The amount of emotions that you feel on graduation day is unbelievable, and I have yet to experience anything else like it. I can remember feeling anxious to celebrate the big day with my friends and family, while at the same time I was panicking thinking about having to walk across the stage in front of that many people. Then, the more I thought about the reality of graduation day, I started to get curious, but nervous, about being able to start a new chapter in my life once graduation day had passed. There are several reasons why I, still