Quicksand: A Short Story

We landed our axel and a new jump consistently, and a bliss came over us. Joy filled our bones and we finally felt free from the weight that was once upon us; however, two or so weeks later we lost both jumps and thus the longing to try again. We could feel the disappointment growing in our parents’ and coach’s faces. Heaviness grew upon us every time we stepped a foot into that ice rink, it was time to move on.

The Harlem Renaissance period in Modernistic American Literature began when Black authors wrote about that with which they were familiar—what it is to be black. Writers such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Willa Cather proved through their writings that the African-American lives were not only different from that of their white counter-parts, but that the writings were relevant for the historical period and beyond. Another Harlem Renaissance writer who led the way for future black writers was Nella Larsen, author of the story Quicksand.

My journey started once I stepped foot in the gym. Travis, my trainer, greeted me with excitement. Weighing close to 200 pounds, I knew change

I've always been the odd man out on any sports team who looked forward to conditioning at the end of practice and would hold my plank an extra few seconds until I really felt the pain. I loved pushing myself beyond my expected limits and the satisfaction of leaving the gym knowing I gave my full effort. Although the thought of taking a weight lifting class was extremely intimidating, I acknowledged my deep love for training and bettering myself.

Among these strengths, I have some weaknesses and challenges I will need to overcome. Foremost among these is the physical side of the Service Academy lifestyle. I lack upper body strength, and I seldom hold myself to any rigid or intense training regimen. Because of this, I will have to overcome the physical barriers presented by the candidate fitness assessment and daily physical training at an Academy. To prepare myself for this, I have begun working out almost daily at home, focusing on my own personal weaknesses and striving to overcome the challenges they

As the famous bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.” During my 3 years of training, I learned much about what it takes to make an out of shape person to a healthy and fit person with just the right decisions and knowledge. For instance, I learned the importance of consistency, in which in order to be actively fit and healthy, there must be consistency. As a young fitness fanatic, I

The weather was glorious. About 90 degrees, with nothing but sun shine! Not even a cloud in sight. I jumped out of bed, and made my way to the bathroom down the hall. As I was finishing with brushing my teeth, I spit in the sink, looked at myself in the mirror with a stern glance and said, “You made it”. After all, I was only 2 short hours from making my way to the Minnesota Vikings first training camp practice of the 2001 NFL season, located near the hotel I was staying in, in Mankato. Although, that wasn’t the only reason why I credited myself. I have been known to struggle with my weight in the past, but I felt good

World War II was the obvious winner when it came to the most deadly catastrophe in human history. The world was convinced that it was the worst of all wars that they have ever seen because it did not just claim over 60 million lives but the fact that it left a permanent scar on the other innocent souls that lived to see the true nature of war that made it truly deadly. Because of the damage it has done, I have become a committed pacifist. War is unnecessary and pointless. People think that violence is the key to solving something but it does not. It just makes the situation even worse with having to send so many innocent souls to fight for their country and then watching them die right in front of your eyes.

At 10pm we sat silently in my mother’s car. I had just spent the entire day competing in a wrestling tournament, and not well I might add. I was frustrated, and ready to quit. My 8th grade wrestling season had been a disaster, and I decided I was done. But I had been wrestling for half of my life, for 7 years and my mother knew this was difficult for me. She looked at me and said, “Just give us one season of high school wrestling Justin. I have a feeling you will really like it if you just give it a chance.” I looked at her cautiously, “One season. Fine.” Ordinarily, participating in an extra season of wrestling wouldn’t sound serious, but I thought it was. Toward the end of middle school I weighed only 75 pounds; I was small for my age. In high school the lowest wrestling weight class is

When I started working out, I wasn't the strongest critter in the jungle. I felt ashamed of myself, I was a walking stick, my little sister weighed more than me and most of all, I was below the average height, but I didn't let that stop me, in fact I used it as a motivation to accomplish my number one goal of a healthier lifestyle

Guo Sheng squats down and clutches the coarse and bumpy bar as sweat trickles down his forehead. He pivots his feet outwards, straightens his posture and thrust his chest outwards. He takes a few deep breaths, and finally he lifts with tremendous power. The 80kg weight is now at his shoulders. Guo Sheng stops as the cumbersome weight rests on his shoulders, and he prepares his final stance of the Clean and Jerk.

Iliades, C. (n.d.). 7 reasons to add strength training to your workout routine. Retrieved January

An elegy is a mournful poem, usually about the dead. So, King is telling his audience that if the promise of democracy is not fulfilled then our nation is no better than dead. A psalm, on the other hand is a hym to praise God and creation. If the promise of democracy is kept then the pending elegy will tansform into a psalm of brotherhood. He then uses a more confident tone to encourage his audience. Quicksand is an unstable sinkhole that is hard to escape, and solid rock is considered to be a good place to build. So if racial injustice is a sinkhole impossible to escape and King is fighting against racial injustice making the “solid rock of human dignity” his ultimate goal. King uses metaphors all throughout his letter, multiple times in a

Sitting aside in weight training class, I had ample time for self-reflection. As my peers exerted themselves, I thought how I too had grown stronger. Rather than whining, I chose to walk while unbalanced and study while resembling a festive pumpkin. Never again could I make excuses, because I proved to myself that nothing can deter a strong will...besides a urinary catheter. In the midst of self-reflection, I drifted back into reality and gazed upon my sweat-covered classmates. Though my peers were hoisting gargantuan weights, an even heavier one was lifted off my chest. No angst, agony, or annoyances left. I had

Weight training originated in the Egyptian-Greek era. Since war was common in those days, weight training was a tool to gain muscle and stamina. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s did a man named Eugene Sandow change the way people viewed bodybuilding. In those days, weightlifters were called “strongmen”. These “strongmen” entertained people with their displays of great strengths by lifting animals and pulling carts. Many “strongmen” were overweight with meaty limbs, in which today’s society would view as “overweight”. It wasn’t until Sandow came along that the concept of weightlifting changed. Sandow was able to display great acts of strength, but unlike the “strongmen”, had an appealing physique to the public. His physique drew people in by the masses. People became intrigued with weightlifting and many researchers began to study the sport. Through their research, they