Angel Allen

19 November 2012

Ms. Harmon

English 10

My Grandparents Place

It was my grandma’s place where I remember most of my child hood. Being married to my granddad made their house even better. I will never forget the address numbers 139 and 1121.I first remember when they lived in apartments. Apartment number 139.I loved that little apartment in West Memphis.

My granddad acted like one of us. Down the street was a humongous family of pecan trees. We would get a Wal-Mart or Big Star plastic bag and fill it up with lots of pecans. Moesha, my little cousin and I would race to fill up our bags.

            “Look at my bag, Moesha.” I would say.

She would try to hide her bag so I couldn’t see how much she had. She was really competitive. Once we got back home, my grandma would ask us to grab her a bowl, some hot sauce and another plastic bag. That’s how she ate hers. Gross! We were always excited to help out.

            Now it’s the next Saturday. The front porch was filled with little slimy snails. Either Moesha or I would run and grab a handful of salt and share it with the other. We liked to run. We would sprinkle a little salt on each snail to see them suffer. That’s pretty weird, I know , but that’s what we liked to do.

            Moesha would excitedly say, “Look Angel, look!” I would turn around, look at her dying snails, and we would both laugh.

            Now I see a moving truck in the front yard. I thought to myself that it had to be in the wrong yard. I walked in the apartment and see rolls of tape, markers and boxes being put together. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought all of my fun Saturdays with Granddad were going to end as I saw my mom, grandma and tete pack boxes and move them to one side of the living room. 

But come to find out, the new house wasn’t so bad after all. House number 1121. It was much bigger than the apartment and it had lots more playing space. In the back room was the din, the place where I occupied most of my time. It was my granddads favorite room in the house too. Back there, he would let me grease his scalp, and put my bows in his hair. When I got done, he looked like a little girl. He didn’t mind looking like a fool. He did anything to please his grandkids.

My grandma’s place was the place to be. Even though my granddad has died since the move, I still remember all of our memories. There is and was no other place to be than my grandparents place.

           

Childhood Reading Memories

So who remembers exactly all of their childhood? I don’t remember much about my past but I do remember learning how to read. I would be sitting there while my mother, my godmother, and my daycare teacher read to me.

            When I was younger my mother and godmother kept a book in their hands, and they still do. When I was first born, my grandmother told me that my mother already had a book in her hand. I’m not sure if that’s one hundred percent accurate but I got where she was coming from.

            I was one of those kids who grew up around books. Everywhere we would go, my mother had something to read nearby. If it wasn’t in her purse then most likely it was in the glove department of the car or in the trunk. She didn’t mind reading anywhere she had the chance. She would even read while we were eating. She was a bookaholic.

            I guess that’s how my reading life began. If she had a book in her hand and my brother or I was around I’m pretty sure she read aloud. I was fascinated by the way she could speak so effortlessly. It was like she mad a magic mouth or something. I would just stare into her mouth as she spoke word from word.

            Before I knew it I was trying to mimic my mother. Like every other child, I started off reading by holding the book upside down. I was too young to know any better. My mom made sure she corrected me though. I would just hold a book like I was the one actually reading it while my mother was reading another one to me. Don’t get me wrong though, my godmother was also a very important part of my reading life.

            My godmother and my mother were just alike. She like reading books too. Even if I didn’t like reading, I had no choice but to begin to like it. Books were all around me. The difference between my mom and godmother was that I actually pronounced my first word out of a book when I was with my god mom. At the time she didn’t have any children of her own so she treated me as her little princess. I got whatever I wanted. But, unlike most children, I wanted to be able to read like I saw her and my mom do. So if I asked for a book, I got it.

            That’s why we spent so much time together. I was a little spoiled brat. All day I was just want to sit in my favorite high chair and read. Well, try to read. I thought I was too smart for my own age.

            Shortly after I began kind of pronouncing and recognizing words from books, I began daycare.  Daycare was also a big part of me learning how to read. I was there for about eight hours a day. I was at a placed filled with toys and bookshelves. I was never the normal child out the bunch so of course I picked the bookcase instead of the noisy, little toys. All I remember was staring at those books, being too short to reach one and thinking will I ever be tall enough to get one down myself. Until one day, my daycare instructor picked me up and let me pick a book. The first time she would read the sentence out of the book, and then after that she would point to each word, say it slowly and then I would attempt to repeat.

            Everybody thought I was pretty darn smart to be only four. I don’t know a four year old today that would be that interested in a book.

            I started kindergarten the next year. I would already spell and recognize my name when I saw it. I could also read a little. Only certain words though.  But that didn’t matter because my mom told me I was still ahead of most of my peers. The new words I learned, I shared with my mother each day that I learned them. And therefore on, I just continued to read and say little word and sentences. Shortly after that I was up in age and reading books my mother would choose.

            So without my mother, my godmother, and Ms. Ann, my daycare instructor, I wouldn’t be the reader I am today. Like I said, I don’t remember much more of my childhood but I did remember those things. Those things kind of stuck with me. Today, most of my spare time, I’m either reading a book or getting told by a teacher to put it away because of other work. I’m glad I grew up around books because if I didn’t, I think that I would have missed out on all the wonderful places a good book could take you.

           

Lincoln was a very angry president that believed slavery was wrong. "It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread rom the sweat of other men's faces ..."Lincoln believed that even though they believe and worshiped the same God,neither sides should ask for harm to anybody."Let us judge not, that we be not judged." Lincoln believed that you shouldn't judge one another because everyone has flaws and is capable of being judged."North and South, this terrible war" Lincoln didn't believe in slavery and he wanted it to end as soon as possible. He also blamed the Civil War on the South. He didn't like the fact that we were at war. "... and a result less fundamental and astounding." The wars result shocked everybody . No one actually won because soldiers were killed from both sides."...Peace among ourselves, and with all nations." All Lincoln wanted was peace, to stop slavery and to end the war.

I Am

I am loud and beautiful

I wonder if the world's going to ever end

I hear him whispering in my ear

I see everyone that loves me

I want an unlimited supply of food

I am beautiful,loud,and curious

I pretend that I'm the president

I feel loved and special

I touch my long, pretty hair

I worry about my loved ones

I cry when I think about my dad

I am beautiful,loud,curious and goofy

I understand that everyone is equal

I say "I love you"

I dream about my future

I try to make my mom proud

I hope I marry the love of my life

I am beautiful,loud,curious,goofy and caring