Student Authors

By: Jordyn Moseley and Addison Ray

🎉January Writers🎉

"Classmate Conversations"

by Emmaline Tharp - 3rd grade

"Sup dude, how are you doing?" Swede asked.

"Oh hey, I'm doing awesome today!" Beau lied.

"Well Beau, do you want to play Moss?" Swede questioned.

Beau replied, "Of course I wanna play Moss!"

"Okay go get your football," Swede demanded.

"Okay I will. See ya later," Beau replied.

The "Show Me" State

by Lacie Reagin - 12th grade

In the southwest corner of Missouri is a little town not much bigger than our own Douglas, Georgia. Neosho, Missouri—a name of Osage indigenous descent meaning "clear, cold water or abundant water"—has a population of 12,590 and was one of the later-founded counties in Missouri in the late 1800s. My dad and I recently traveled to Neosho to visit family; it’s a charming little town! The community is popularized by its clear flowing springs, most notably three blocks from the city square.

During the Civil War, Neosho served as a provisional capital for the secessionist government and was recognized as a part of the Confederacy in 1861, despite most of the state and county being union occupied. The county itself was divided into Union and Confederate supporters. The “Neosho Company” was established in 1860 and later joined the state guards under Captain Henderson Jennings. Several battles took place in the county boundaries, with the Neosho Affair in July of 1861 which resulted in the Union General Franz Sigel’s surrender to General Benjamin McColluch’s troops. Later, almost the entire square was burned down in 1863.

Despite the square being burned down, many of the original buildings still thrive and are home to many small businesses and restaurants. One such building, Eastside Social, was originally home to a general store, Heard Brothers, which specialized in dry goods, shoes, ready to wear. Another such building is the Hass Building. Originally built to house the offices of the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad—which went bankrupt before it ever opened—now serves as a local bank and apartment buildings.

Overall, if you’re ever in the “Show Me” state, this small community is worth the visit—it feels a lot like home!

🍂October Writers🍁

¨The Awesome Fishing Adventure¨ by Jude Paulk - 5th Grade

Once, my brother Jaxon and I went on an amazing adventure to the pond. It all started when our baby duck was swimming towards us in the pond. The baby duck got bitten by a soft-shell turtle, but it didn’t die. “Jaxon put a frog on your fishing pole. We‘ll catch that turtle. I think we will see it because it probably likes frogs,” I said.

“Cast beside that pole. I know he’s over there,” replied Jaxon.

“I know I'm going to catch something with a frog!” I shouted.

I begin to feel something on my rod. It fights like a hangry bull.

“Jaxon, can you get the big net and get the turtle? It’s bending my rod like crazy!” I shouted.

“Ok, I’ll be right there,” replied Jaxon. We caught him and got him in the net.

“Now you get something to kill him with, and I will get a bucket!” I shouted. I ran into the garage and grabbed the bucket, and then I took off towards the pond.

When I got back, we killed the turtle with a hammer and put it in the bucket.

Jaxon said, “ I got him dead in the bucket.”

“Jaxon, can you go ask Daddy what to do with him?” I asked.

“Yeah,” replied Jaxon.” He ran to ask daddy, and then said Go take him to grandpa and ask him if he can make some soup,” said Jaxon.

“Just put the turtle in the bucket on the four-wheeler,” I said. “I looked at grandpa and asked Can you make some turtle soup, Grandpa?” I said. He said no because it wasn’t big enough.” Just throw him out in the field right over there,” he said.

“Okay, " I said, "I’m going to take a nap when I get home, you can do whatever.”

I’ll go to Grandma’s,” said Jaxon.

“Jude, Jude, Jude! The turtle is moving across the dirt road right now, and my grandma just saw it. We decided to get rid of the turtle once and for all, so that day we stopped.

¨Lila and Avery’s Fernandina Trip¨ by Lila Bounds - Eighth Grade

I walk in the door after a very long two hours of being at cheer practice, the cool air of my house completely enraptures me as soon as I walk in, the familiar smell of my mom’s candle finds its way into my senses. My mom greets me, and I take my things to my room before making my way back to the living room.

“Did you have a good day at school?” my mom asks me curiously while she is typing on her laptop, probably editing pictures. I walk to the fridge and grab a Pepsi, and sit down on the couch before answering.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I answer nonchalantly and take a sip of my drink. My mom then looks up from her computer and smiles.

“Well, that didn't sound very convincing,” she states jokingly. “I do have a question, though,” she states flatly. She continues typing on her laptop as she speaks, and I give a look, gesturing to her to continue. “Would you like for me, you, and Avery, to go to the beach for three days on spring break?” I smile at that. Being able to hang out with Avery for three days at the beach sounds like tons of fun.

“Yeah, I will call her and ask.” I get up from the couch and before making my way to my room, I look back at my mom, “Thank you so so much also,” I say happily and then make my way to my room and grab my phone. I dial Avery’s number and she answers on the first ring.

“Hello,” Avery says curiously into the phone, and I can hear the questioning tone in her voice.

“Hey Avery, my mom was asking me if you wanted to come to the beach with us for 3 days during spring break.” I can practically hear Avery beam through the phone at this.

“Yeah sure! Let me go ask my dad real quick though.” She asks her dad and he agrees. We make the plans over the next few days, staying up late on the phone talking about all the ideas we had for what we could do, and also making Pinterest boards for it. The next few weeks dragged on slowly, until finally, school was out for spring break and the day had arrived. We pull up in Avery’s driveway. She was inside her house, packing her bag, since she had just got back from New York the day before and didn't have time to do so until now. My mom and I wait patiently, until finally Avery finishes packing her bag and runs out the house and gets in the car. We go get breakfast, then make our way to Fernandina. We head to our room once we get there and type in the code on the door. We sling our bags down onto the couch that pulls out and becomes me and Avery’s bed, and my mom puts her stuff into her bedroom. It's not long before we change into our bathing suits and walk over to the beach.

When we made it, the staff already had 3 chairs and an umbrella set out for us. Me and Avery walked to the water, but it was freezing so we reluctantly walked straight back to the chairs. After a while, we opened the sandwiches we packed and ate, we had one extra left over, so Avery being… Well, Avery decided to feed it to the birds. It didn't take long until the birds were surrounding us completely, we ran out of bread so Avery decided it would be a bright idea to throw rocks at them, they started fighting over the rocks, and a few actually ate them before finally realizing they were not eating bread anymore and flew away.

We had only been at the beach for about an hour before we decided it was far too cold out and went back to the room to change. We put on normal clothes and I throw my curly hair into a bun and we head out on a mission to find food. We settled on a Mexican restaurant, and sat at a table. Our eyes scanned over the menu, and the waiter brought us our drinks, some chips and a small cheese dip that was not small at all. On the plate was a pepper that Avery dared me to eat. I agreed and ate it and so did Avery. Avery's eyes were watering and I was just sitting there laughing at her reaction. I decided to grab the pepper, and eat the whole thing, (dumb decision, I couldn't feel my tongue for a solid ten minutes). My mom was just looking at us, entertained and probably slightly concerned, though that is the look most give me and Avery when we are together.

Later that night, after the whole pepper incident, we went to Goodwill and bought matching pajamas, we washed them when we got back and then changed into them. We curl up on the couch and I pull the blanket over us. We were drinking Pepsi out of wine glasses and watching my favorite youtubers, the Sturniolo Triplets. After a while me and Avery moved out to the balcony, and an older man was also on his balcony, watching me and Avery. We both noticed at the same time and before I even blinked Avery was inside, leaving me outside on the balcony locked out.

After ten minutes of pleading my mom got onto us cause we were being loud, so Avery reluctantly let me in. We did tons of really stupid stuff after that, some that involved Avery climbing into the sink, and others that had her doing flips onto the couch (which did not end well, she ended up kicking me in the head). We then decided to do something with less possible injury, so we watched Youtube once again until the sleep was heavy on our eyes, I turned off my Ipad and drifted away into sleep.

The next day we packed up our things and made our way back home. Avery and I talked the entire time, to the point my mom put on her airpods and listened to her audiobook to tune us out. In conclusion, I am so grateful for Avery and my mom for taking us on this trip, the conversations still live rent free in my head, and honestly? I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

"The Crash" by Flynn Harrell - Sixth Grade

One day, before my sister went outside, she asked me if she could ride my go-kart. I said, “Sure, I don't see why not. Just remember not to crash.”

She said, “Ok, I won't crash.” About 30 minutes later, we heard a loud ‘‘BAM,’’ and we rushed outside, and she had crashed. She was inside the go-kart, and it was turned upside down. She was crying as loud as a siren on a police car.

We picked the go-kart up and helped her get out, calmed her down, and asked her what happened. She said, ‘‘I don't really know what happened, but I was just having fun, and then Jack (The dog) jumped in front of me, and I swerved to try not to hit him, and then I crashed into the light pole!”

We asked her if she was ok, and she said I’m fine, but is Jack fine?’’ She rushed outside, panicking to check on Jack, and he was fine. She calmed down and went on with her day. A bit later, she told me that she never wanted to go on that go again, and I said, ‘‘hahah ok Miriam.’’

A couple of days later, she asked me if she could ride my go-kart again, and I said, “Are you sure you want to?” She said, “Yes, I'm sure.’’ I said, “I'm going with you, though. She said, “Ok, come on, “let's go.’’ I let her drive, and she said ‘‘I will be careful this time.’’

She started driving, and we did not crash. I was as scared as a mouse when it sees a cat. She looked over at me and said, “See, I told you I would not crash.’’ I said to her, “ Can I drive?” She said, “Your go-kart, your rules.” I laughed and said, “ok, get out and swap seats.’’ As I drove the rest of the way home, we saw a deer. She said, “Flynn, look at the deer!’’ I said, “Oh, cool, there might be more in the woods.’’

When we got home, we ate dinner and went to sleep. In the morning, I showed my sister how to put gas into my go-kart. When she drove it again, she had fun. When her friends were over, she asked me if they could go on a ride in my go-kart. I said, “It is a two-seater, how are they going to fit in it?” and she said, “I don't know, but we will figure it out’’ I said ok,” I guess. “When her friends left, I asked, “What did y'all do to fit all of y'all in my go-kart?” She said we just put Jowella (the smallest one) in the middle, and me driving and then another friend at the end. I said ok, but that's not really safe. She said, “I know, but it was fun!” In the end, Miriam learned to overcome her fear of riding a go-kart, and then it turned out to be fun!

"The Scariest Night of My Life" By Lauren Hall - 7th Grade

“Lauren,” my mom yelled. “It's time to go.” It was that time of summer. I was so excited. I have been packing for weeks. It was time for youth camp. A full week where like a million teenagers hang out. A bunch of people think that since it is called a youth camp, it is just for the youth, but it's for older people, too.

When we got to the campground, Hayden, Hollyn, and Lakyn were unpacking in the dorms. I hadn’t seen Lakyn in a while, so we went to hang out. Later that day, Lakyn and I went to put all my bags in my dorm. Kylie, Kaylin, and Amelia hadn’t gotten there yet, so I had the whole dorm to myself. It was amazing and I could do whatever I wanted. All my clothes fit perfectly, but I forgot that they had clothes, too.

Later in the week, a bunch of girls were hanging out in our dorm room when something terrifying happened. There was someone in the ceiling. Well, we thought there was. The dorms are kinda old, and there are tiny holes in the ceiling. We had some LED lights, and they were in the ceiling because we lifted the tile to put them in there. Before we moved them, they were hanging there. It was getting really late, so we were all in our pajamas talking before bed. We were just playing around, and I said, “Imagine if the lights turned on right now.” Right after I said that, the lights came on. We started freaking out. So then Kylie said, “If there is anyone in the ceiling, make the lights flicker. The lights started flickering. To make the lights flicker, you would have had to mash a button a few times. It couldn’t have happened by coincidence. The whole night, we were terrified because we thought the person was watching us through the holes in the ceiling.

A few days later, my mom and Kaylin’s mom decided to play a prank on us and trash our room for the dorm inspection. We got so mad, so we decided to do something about it. We were going to sneak out.

The day went by very quickly. It was finally time. We were all blacked out. We had black skirts, black shirts, and even black shoes. Kaylin had the bag of flashlights and tape. We checked the time, and it was 2:30 A.M.

“It’s time,” I said. We tiptoed down the hall. There wasn’t a sound. Amelia opened the door very quickly. “SCREECH.” We all jumped. Our main thought was getting our mom’s camper doors taped shut. We were crawling on the ground, jumping over things, and trying not to get caught.

We got mine and Kaylin’s mom’s doors taped shut. We were on the way to Amelia’s mom’s camper when we heard the golf cart. “Oh no,” Kylie said. We dove under a random camper. Kaylin decided to run off, so they saw us. “Get out from under that camper, girls!!” The night patrollers told us to tell them our room number. When we returned to our dorm, we had dirt and grass all over us. We didn't take a shower or take our hair down. We were so nervous, that we just laid down. We were all so terrified, and we couldn’t even go to sleep.

The rest of the week, they made us wash dishes. I think that was one of the scariest moments in my life.

"Consume the Rage" By Jordyn Moseley - 11th Grade

Rage is a dry biscuit

I have learned to swallow

I chew and chew to be discreet

The dryness chokes me

The crumbs explode like a firework

They descend on the evil and good alike

The crumbs do not pick and choose

Who they fall upon

They form into weapons in the air

Hurting others

When in the end

Rage is just a dry biscuit

My New Puppy By Kaylee Wooten - 6th Grade

“Aww, he’s so cute. I love him!" I said excitedly.

“He is precious,” said my mom.

“So what’s his name gonna be?” I asked.

“Boe,” said Avery in a baby voice while petting him.

“Yeah Boe!” exclaimed Colt. “Wait mama, let's also go to Dollar General to get Boe some toys, food, and a bed.”

“Oh yeah, he needs food, doesn't he?” asked my mom in that voice that sounds like she forgot.

“Well yeah, he needs food,” said Colt like he knows everything.

We finally made it to Dollar General. “Can we bring Boe inside?” asked Colt.

“No!” exclaimed my mom. “We will not bring him in, and he doesn’t have a leash so he’ll just run around the store, plus he’ll bark at everyone.”

“Fine,” mumbled Colt. When we got inside we went straight to the dog section. First, we got puppy food, because we can’t forget that. “Kaylee I’m going to pick you up to get the dog food, because it’s too high for me,” said my mom. I was picking out some toys for Boe, so I said

“Oh ok.” After I helped my mom get the puppy food, she helped us get a toy. We ended up getting this lobster that had little pieces of rope on the sides of it, because my mom said that he would probably chew the stuffing out of a regular chew toy that squeaks. Colt and I saw this dog collar that would look really good on him, so we asked my if we could get it and she said no that we would get one at Petsmart another day. Then, we got a bed so he didn’t have to sleep on the floor. My mom remembered that we needed some dog shampoo so that we could wash him. Then, once we paid and got back in the car, he was laying on Avery’s lap.

On the way home Boe got to lay in my lap. He kept sitting up and looking out the window. It was so cute! Every time we are in the car Colt and I play this game called Jeep. When you see a Jeep Wrangler or Jeep Truck, you say jeep then the color. Whoever has the most jeeps by the time we get home wins. Well, while we were playing Colt kept saying “Hey Boe if you see a jeep bark.” It got so annoying I told him multiple times that he doesn’t know what a jeep is, but he would not listen to me. Once we got home I yelled with excitement “I WON!”

Colt said, “ Cool, I don't care.”

“Nice,” I said.

“Let’s go in the backyard and let him use the bathroom, and y'all can play with him,” said my mom.

We let him run around, got some funny pictures of him attacking Colt, and then we went inside because it was really hot outside.

When it was the first time inside our house, he went crazy; he just attacked us and his lobster. Since my mom was doing the dishes and he is nosey, he got in the dishwasher. After we got him out the dishwasher, my mom said we had some Cheerios if we wanted to give him one every time he sat when we told him to. That first night he got a lot of Cheerios. Then after the first ten minutes he calmed down. He laid in his bed just chewing up his lobster. Colt got him all riled up again and he was saying “Mama, mama make him quit biting me. Uhhh! Mama help me.”

“You're the one that got him all riled up so if you calm down he will calm down,” said my mom.

“Here Colt let me help you,” I said while I sat down, “Come here Boe, come here boy.”

“ Thanks,” Colt said, “He was attacking me.” Boe sat in my lap for a while as I was waiting for Avery to get out of the shower so I could take one. Once Avery got out I took a shower, and by the time I was out it was time to “Can I sleep on the couch by his kennel?” I asked.

“Sure, but if you wake up grouchy because you couldn’t go to sleep, don't come and complain to me.” she said.

“Thanks , love you goodnight!” I said joyfully.

“Goodnight, love you too,” She said before getting in the bed.

That night Boe would not be quiet. He kept whining and I thought he just wanted to come out of the cage, but then my mom got up. When she got up I thought she was going to tell me to just go to my room, but she took him outside. She came back in and said, “If you're going to sleep out here with him make sure to take him outside when he needs to use the bathroom.”

“ Oh,ok I didn’t know he had to use the bathroom,” I said while kind of laughing. I ended up just putting my phone under my pillow and playing some music so I could fall asleep. The next morning I woke up for school and was really tired. We put him in his cage for the day then came back from school and let him out to use the bathroom.

That weekend we went to Walmart to get some candy and snacks because we were going to have a movie night. We watched Snow White. During the movie Colt randomly blurted out “Wait we should watch a movie with Boe!”

“Oh yeah we should,” I agreed.

“Hey, mama can we watch Cliffard?” Colt asked.

“Sure, why not,” my mom said.

The next day right when we got home we let Boe out like usual, then we took his bed out of his kennel, put it in the living room, and put him and his toys on it. He did not stay on his bed for long. Instead he decided to come and sit with me on our cushion that we got from Christmas that can be a chair or couch. While he was sitting in my lap, every time Clifford would bark or whine Boe would sit up straight. Every time he would do it I would say ”Aww, he is so cute.”

My mom would say, “Yeah he is. Get a picture.” Every time that I would go to take a picture I would remember that I left my phone in the kitchen, so I would say, “Mama get a picture.”

“My phone is dead,” she would say, and I didn’t want to get up and make him get up so I would wait until he got up. I finally got some pictures, but about fifteen minutes after I got a couple pictures the movie was over. After the movie, I sent all the pictures and videos I had of Boe to my mom.

Once the movie was over my mom said, “Time to go to bed.”

“Fine, but you should let Boe sleep with you,” I said.

“I think I will,” she said like she was already going to do it.

“Ok goodnight, love you,” I said before getting in bed.

“Goodnight, love you too,” she said while sounding like she was trying to get Boe to stop jumping on her. The next morning I woke up to my mom saying, “Boe!”

I said “What happened?”

“He threw up on my hand,” she said.

“Eww! That’s gross,” said Colt. My mom washed her hands, then we got ready for school. When I walked into my classroom, I told everyone about Boe throwing up on my mom’s hand. Everyone was disgusted. I thought to myself “That’s probably the last time he's going to sleep in the bed.”

✏️September Writers 📚

Immigration To The U.S.A By Kate Evans - 3rd Grade

During the 1850's, many people immigrated to the United States of America. Many people left Europe in search of freedom and better opportunities. Many families were miserable, they were traumatized, and also trembling with fear. Because they were surrounded by people throwing up from sea sickness and it was very crowded. It was very hard because if they were sick, they would have to travel back to their homeland. They were also were sad to leave their families. Although it was worth it in the very end.

Landmarks In The U.S.A By Beau Tharp - 3rd Grade

The United States has many interesting landmarks. One landmark is the John F. Kennedy space center. It was created in 1965 and NASA has launched 135 missions from there. Including the first people to walk on the moon. Another landmark is the Great Smokey Mountains National Parks. It was created in 1934 and it is one of the only large hardwood forests in the country. It's a safe place for animals. There are about 1500 black bears there.

Rock Cycle By Kaylee Wooten - Sixth Grade

The rock cycle breaks and builds rocks. For example, weathering and erosion happen in the rock cycle; weathering breaks it down, but erosion moves it. Sedimentary rock forms from weathering breaking down a rock then erosion moving it into the sea then happening over and over again until there is enough sediment to be pressed together to form a rock. Sedimentary rock also under great heat and pressure can form metamorphic rock. Igneous rock forms by volcanoes. It can form above or below ground. When magma and lava cool, it makes a rock. The faster it hardens, the smoother the rock. Metamorphic rock also forms by a volcano. This rock forms by great heat and pressure. The lava and magma push together to harden and form a metamorphic rock. Igneous and metamorphic rock both cool to make lava or magma. These rocks can go through the rock cycle many times.

"The Box Fox" By Brantleigh Taylor - 5th Grade

I have a fox

Her name is Fern.

She likes to be in a box

And she likes to learn.

She has two friends.

They are both rabbits.

They like to eat carrots

But they have bad habits.

What is Eating the Bait?

By Frankie Davidson - 2nd Grade

Once upon a time there was a man who was fishing. He is fishing on the Atlantic ocean on a Saturday morning sipping some coffee at 10 o'clock.

Suddenly his boat was going side to side, left and right, and it was a mermaid. She was yelling for help. No one came and she kept on yelling over and over again. He reeled her in and they got married right there. The end.

What is Eating the Bait?

By Bain Williams - 2nd

Ten years ago, a boy named Bain witnessed an event so crazy! There was a huge sea monster and a blown up satellite dish in the sea! As he said run, no one listened. So he was the only one running. Ten minutes later a huge tsunami came towards him. Rumors indicate that he never made it out alive, but he did. Thats crazy.

All About My Selfie By Elise Goddard - 3rd Grade

My name is Elise Goddard. I am a FA third grader. I am eight-years-old. My favorite sport is soccer. I love shopping. Now you know all about my selfie.

"Through the Tunnel": Literary Analysis By Callie Dockery - 9th Grade

Everyone has been through a time where they have to keep pushing themselves to never give up, and this story captured that experience perfectly. “Through the Tunnel” is a short story written by Doris Lessing. It's about a young boy, Jerry, who is on vacation and sees these older boys going under the water and coming back up again on the other side of a rock in the ocean, so he tries to do the same thing. It has been my favorite story that we have read so far, and I think everyone should read it. The four literary elements I have chosen to write about from this story are external conflict, imagery/sensory details, setting, and theme. I chose these elements to prove that this story is very well-written and the best of all the short stories we have read!

The first literary element I have chosen to write about is the external conflict. On page 37, Lessing writes, “Fifty-one, fifty-two… His chest was hurting. He let go of the rock and went up into the air.” This excerpt indicates that Jerry can only hold his breath for around fifty seconds, so he is going to have to really push himself if he wants to hold his breath for a longer amount of time. However, Lessing also writes, “And then, at a hundred and sixty, the water beyond the rock was full of boys blowing like brown whales.” (36). It takes the other boys one hundred and sixty seconds to make it through the rock. This means that Jerry will have to learn how to hold his breath for at least a hundred and sixty seconds to be able to go through the hole in the rock and then get back out on the other side.

The next literary element I chose is imagery/sensory details. Lessing states on page 36, “Soon she walked slowly up the path, swinging her striped bag, the flushed, naked arm dangling beside her.” This shows that Jerry’s mom doesn't have sleeves on her shirt, and her arm has been slightly burned by the sun while she was at the beach. It also gives us details about her striped beach bag swinging while she walks. Lessing also writes, “He was gasping like a fish… He could see nothing but a red-veined, clotted dark… He tore off his goggles and a gout of blood went into the sea.” (40). We can practically hear Jerry gasping for air as he gets out of the water. His nose was bleeding so badly that the blood filled his goggles to the point where he couldn’t see through them anymore. This is very descriptive and helps the reader visualize and even hear what Jerry is going through.

Another literary element I have is setting. This setting is at the beach on vacation. Jerry and his mom are staying in a villa that they have visited many times before for their vacation. As explained by Lessing on page 34, “Going to the shore on the first morning of the vacation, the young English boy stopped at a turning of the path and looked down at the wild and rocky bay, and then over to the crowded beach he knew so well from other years.” That being said, the setting is primarily in the water by the stone wall.

The last literary element I chose to write about is theme. I believe that the theme of this story is to never give up, but don't push yourself too hard. Lessing writes, “He wanted nothing but to go back home and lie down.” Jerry didn’t give up, and he completed what he set his mind to, but the way this was expressed gives me the feeling that Jerry has pushed himself too far, and the only thing he wants to do now is rest. Also, on page 41, it says, “And then, sharp and anxious, 'How did you bang your head?’” Not only was Jerry’s nose pouring blood, but he was also very tired and had hit his head, which is very dangerous. This is important because it shows that Jerry’s mom really cares about him, and it also shows how serious the situation was. If Jerry had hit his head any harder, the story could have ended.

In conclusion, this is a very well-written story with many literary elements, and I think everyone should read it. It has an interesting external conflict (man vs nature) that the main character tries to solve. It is very descriptive and helps the reader really feel like they are in the story. It explains the setting as at the beach where the characters are on vacation, and it captures the theme of never giving up very well. Ultimately, Jerry finishes his goals even though it leads to a few injuries.

"Contents of the Dead Man's Pockets": Literary Analysis

By Johanna Merritt - 9th Grade

Have you ever been scared just from reading a story? Well, the story I'm about to talk about can make you feel exactly that way. The story “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets” by Jack Finney has many different literary terms that you can use to describe it, such as conflict, setting, climax, and denouement. These literary terms can be seen throughout the story and are all very important to add details and suspense to the story that sometimes we can't even see.

There are a lot of examples that I can use for conflict in “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets”. Some of the conflict is external, and some is internal. An example of external conflict can be found on page 119 when the story states, “...the open window dropped shudderingly in its frame till it closed, and his wrists struck the sill and were jarred off.” I used this as an example of conflict because it gives the reader suspense and helps know how the character is feeling by visualising it. As the reader of the story, I felt scared that he wasn't going to be able to make it inside before he fell off the ledge. An example of internal conflict can be found on page 116 “At the same instant he saw between his legs and far below, Lexington Avenue stretched out for miles ahead.” I felt like this was an internal conflict because from the moment he saw how far up he was he got scared. This sentence not only shows the reader how far up he really is, it also makes the reader scared for the character. This is important because it gives the reader a sort of connection to the story.

I feel that the setting of the story is shown in many different sections of the story but one specific example is on page 110, “...with his own handwriting, beside the typewriter.” which shows that the story took place in the early 1900s. The setting can tell the reader many things about the story such as the people in it and what they are like, and different objects in the story, some examples for a setting in a story could be, old words that we do not say anymore and old things we do not use anymore, such as a typewriter, cassette tape, VHS tape, land line phone, and sometimes a radio. Another example on page 112 states “From his shirt pocket he brought out a book of matches.” which confirms the fact that I thought it was in the 1900s because we don't really use books of matches anymore because we have lighters. This can help the reader understand more about the story by getting a feel of what the character is like and how they might act in certain situations.

Every story has a climax. The climax of the story is usually the most interesting part because it has the most suspense. The climax is always the peak of the story ( when the most important events happen). The climax of this story is on page 112 when the author points out that Toms’s wife had not even been gone for very long “...he glances down at his watch; Clare had been gone eight minutes.” This gives the reader suspense on whether he is going to stand on the ledge long enough to live or not. This is a very important section of the story because it gives the reader a sense of time on how long he had been on that ledge, eleven stories up.

The denouement is the final outcome or ending of the story. The denouement is a very important part of the story because if we didn't have a denouement, we would not know the outcome of what happens. There is usually only one outcome of the story, but sometimes there can be many. The denouement of this story appears on page 125 when Tom enters his home “And as he grasped the edges of the empty window frame, he climbed into his home, he was grinning in triumph.” This statement gives the reader some relief knowing that Tom made it into his house safely. The importance of this statement is because it gives the reader more of a happy feeling and lets them know how safe he feels in his own home.

In the end, this story has many elements to talk and think about, but overall I think this story has many lessons that you can learn from it. It is always nice to get a lesson out of a story that you can use throughout life.

Published Authors

Tuesday, August 5

Mrs. Cherie's last-year third graders gave an open-mic reading of their Hurricane Helene stories from the fall at Chick-fil-A last night! Parents and families attended to hear the stories they had written, see the books they had published, and enjoy a great chicken meal. In Chick-fil-A's own words: "Tonight, we had the absolute honor of hosting some incredible young authors from First Academy for their 'I Survived Hurricane Helene' publishing party. These 3rd grade students didn’t just write a book — they shared stories of strength, hope, and resilience from one of our community’s hardest seasons. Hearing their voices and witnessing their courage reminded us all how powerful storytelling can be. At Chick-fil-A Douglas, we believe in celebrating what’s good — and tonight, these young authors gave us a beautiful reminder that even in the storm, light still shines."
Students in Mrs. Cherie's class were Addison Adams, Avery Batten, Vivian Brawner, Breckyn Brigmond, Avery Clements, Kason Crews, Jodee Fussell, Jordan Goodwin, Amelia Leavens, Isaac Mayes, and Kayden Tumblin. A huge shoutout to Chick-fil-A for hosting!

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