Control?

Here is my sentence that I have rearranged 7 times:

You can never tell the consequences when you release all of your control.

1. When you release all of your control, you can never tell the consequences.
2. The idea that you control your own life by taking drugs, which in turn relinquishes all of the "control" you originally possessed, is a faulty at best, because you will never know the consequences until it is too late.
3. Why take the risk of losing control, because you will inevitably have to face the consequences.
4. All actions have consequences and when you don't control the actions the unknown consequences just get worse.
5. Consequences are results of action, and no control of actions now is equal to no control of consequences later.
6. Control yourself and you will control your consequences, but if you don't control yourself you will never know the consequences until it is too late.
7. Please try and remember that every time you give up control, you lose yourself to the consequences that follow.

Same Sentence, Different Words

I am warm.

It is blasted hot!
My sweater is too warm.
The temperature is really high.
Why is it so hot?
It is hot.
I wish there was a breeze.
Someone should turn on the air conditioner.

Future, now gone

The main sentence is: We are affecting the future by murdering human beings.
1. What will the consequences be from the death of these unborn babies?
2.These human beings future now completley destroyed.
3. Who's friend, wife, mother, grandma was just killed by abortion?
4. that unborn child's future was already decided without its own consent.
5. The possible potential of this human being destrowed in seconds by abortion.
6. Abortion is not even giving them an opportunity to have a future.
7.Which abortion just killed the future leader, scientist, author or inventor?

The Argument

Original: The Argument seems to go on forever.

1. This argument is taking a long time.

2. This disagreement seems to be eternal.

3. I might be dead before we agree.

4. In the beginning was…. "The Argument".

5. This disagreement is ongoing.

6. This disagreement might finally be over by the time Christ comes.

7. Will this argument ever end?

lol I'm not to good at this........

Eight Ways of Hate

1. He was angry.

2. He was consumed with a fiery rage.

3. The man was furious.

4. His eyes glowed with hatred.

5. He had that smile now, that smile that let you know he was no longer pleased.

6. His soul had been warped and mutated by hate, like a Ziploc bag in the microwave.

7. His hot temper boiled up like acid, eating through any positive feelings that had once been between them.

8. Angry, he was.

Spanking

Original sentence: Why does a parent spank a child?

1.) How many times must a man spank a child, before you can call him a man?
2.) Parents-what is the infatuation with spanking?
3.) Mommy? Daddy? Why do you spank me?
4.) I cannot fathom why any parent would willing lay a hand on their child to punish them.
5.) Spanking is an act of abuse; why do parents do it?
6.) “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ”-would Jesus Christ spank a child?
7.) How can any loving parent feel they are justified in spanking a child?

An experiment in perspectives.

Jake crashed his skateboard into a nearby tree.

My poor baby had an awful accident on that "skate board" of his today!

I gave a piece of my mind to a whippersnapper that was being a little too friendly with Grand Old Wilson this morning.

Subject A-7683i proceeded to roll upon his skating device into a tall, sugar-synthesizing, carbon-based tower to perform a religious ritual.

Like, today?, like, that weirdo Jake, right? was riding his skateboard?, and he, like, totally gave me a look and then, like, crashed into a tree.

The tree was so appalled by the defilement of his boardy brother that he jumped out in front of the skating young man and bashed him in the head.

Carlos just promised his ant-brother that they would both make it safely to the farm in the tree when the ever-looming, ever-dangerous shadow appeared on the doorstep and sealed their doom to an even shorter, more pathetic, yet entirely more painful, ant-life.

Duuuuude, total wipeout!

Sentence Variations

Abortion; and it's no accident.

1. Abortion-it's no accident.
2. Abortion is not an accident.
3. Abortion is a deliberate act.
4. That abortion wasn't an accident.
   
5. It's no accident: abortion.
6. Abortion is no accident!
7. Abortion...it's not an accident.
   

Jesus is Pretty Cool

Original: I think Jesus is a pretty cool guy.


1. Jesus sure is a remarkable fellow.
2. Nice man, that Jesus chap.
3. I say, Christ sure is rather charming.
4. A marvelous man, that Jesus is!
5. Alas, I doth protest that Christ does embody perfection, quite.
6. I rather like that Savior of ours.
7. Jesus seems to me to be quite a likeable chum.

This was a bit flippant, I'm aware, but I was persuaded to use it. =]

The Seven Sentences

Original sentence: Rise and shout the Cougars are out.
1. Ascend and bellow for the mascot of the school.
2. Yippee skippy our team is playing!
3. Get on your feet and scream for the team.
4. If you are a fan, you should yell now.
5. Cheer on the team to victory.
6. Will cheer for Cosmo.
7. Watch out, here come the Puma concolors.

Wow…this turned out to be a whole lot harder than I thought.

Lost Love

My heart is broken.

An empty cavity fills my chest.

Jagged edges cut through my heart.

I feel no love.

My vital organ is shattered.

Love seeps through the cracks in my heart.

Passion has died with the absence you left.

Unfixable wounds pain my heart.

Stylish Sentences - :)

My older sister, Carrie, attended Brigham Young University.

1. Carrie attended BYU.
2. Brigham Young University was haunted by my sister's presence.
3. Carrie graduated from BYU.
4. The University of Brigham Young once held Carrie.
5. Carrie is a BYU alumni.
6. My older sister has escaped with a BYU diploma.
7. Carrie moseyed along through college.


P.S. Personally, sentence 2 is my favorite.

Sleep Deprivation

Original Sentence:
I am tired.

1. Sleep, my dear friend, where art thou?
2. I have not slipped into unconsciousness in a while.
3. I am exhausted.
4. I feel deprived of that which brings me rest.
5. I am but a hollow shell without that deep relaxation called sleep.
6. What is that thing called sleep?
7. Numbness creeps in to fell the void created by sleep deprivation.

Don't y'all know it's hot outside?

Original: It was hot outside.

1. It was a burning hot day.
2. Zounds, 'twas hot!
3. The air was thick with heat.
4. The heat enveloped him, like opening an oven door.
5. Waves of heat bloomed up from the pavement.
6. The sun was suffocatingly close; it burned her lungs and cracked her lips.
7. It was a still, sweltering day.

Sentence Style

Original: What happened to childhood?

1. Where did the sun in the child's eyes go?
2. Where did the sound of play run off to?
3. When did all the children die?
4. Are children even children anymore?
5. What happened to being a kid?
6. Children, here? I see none.
7. I see families, young and old, but no children.

Patriot Games

Well haha its been about 3 years sense I have picked up a book to read other than the scriptures... So its been a while, but a book that really stood out to me in my mind of really good writing is "Patriot Games" by Tom Clancy. Personally anything written by Tom Clancy is amazing writing to me! In his Novel of Patriot Games, he has a amazing way of making you feel like you are right there and that you are apart of the story. I had a really hard time putting this book down because I found myself feeling some of the same emotions the main character, Jack Ryan was feeling. It may sound weird but I was desperately wanting his family to be safe! and all I wanted was for Sean Miller, the Vengeful Irish terrorist to be put away and stopped! Some of the Styles he uses well are being concise yet with great clarity and detail. He also was great at voice, hence why I felt a closeness to Jack Ryan, and a hatred for Sean Miller. Over all a GREAT book and excellent style.

"Excuse me, Jack, tell me one thing in life that is absolutely for certain... (his response).... My daughter's love."

Spindle's End

So my favorite book may sound somewhat cheezy, considering that it is a fairy tale. It's called Spindle's End by Robin McKinley, and it has been my favorite since the seventh grade. This book is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story, execpt with the whole story. The book goes through and tells the rest of "Rosie's" life and actually brings her to be a person. In the end she has a head on her shoulders and doesn't just follow the prince away blindly. It's still sweet and fun to read, however, it just lets you into her life to be able to become part of the story. I don't actually have the book with me to get quotes from, but the descriptions in the book are amazing. The author does such a good job at describing everything without going into overkill. Its the kind of book I like to read on a warm vacation when I'm being lazy. Just one of the feel good ones!

"The Things They Carried"

“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien is, to me, an example of good writing. I read this book during high school my senior year and the messages and ideas in it have stayed with me until this day. This book centers on a company in the Vietnam War and describes various events in their experience that taught them various truths. O’Brien is very vivid, and sometimes very graphic, in his description of the environment, both physical and emotional. The book talks about the things that the soldiers carried, from everyday equipment to emotional scars and baggage that influence the way that they view the war, the world, and each other. One of the things that helped me understand this book more came after a very graphic description of the war. At the end, O’Brien casually states that the story never happened, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t true. As I read that I realized that this book was really trying to teach a lesson and show how individuals cope with trying circumstances. I feel that this is a good book because it does try to teach, it allows the reader to connect with the characters and most importantly because it forces you to think inwardly and discover what you are carrying and what it does to you.

“They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died so as not to die of embarrassment.”

Does Parenting Really Matter?

Being in a parenting and child rearing class now we have really discused if parents matter or not. It made me think back to an article I read last semester in my Human Development class called Does Parenting Really Matter? written by Laura E. Berk. It is a good article because it startes off saying why people don't think parents matter. For those parents who have kids that just went off the deep in its a nice excuse for them becuase parents don't matter. But then it goes on telling of research done showing that parents do matter. She says, "The idea that in a long-standing relation such as one between parent and child, the child would be influencing the parent but the parent would not be influencing the child is absurd." Berk goes on telling of different researches proving that parents matter and it is not the same experiment over and over again but she gives different kinds of experiments. She sums up saying, "parenting effects combine in complex ways with many other factors, including heredity and peers." After she states that she gives the audience four recommendations to ensure the best outcomes for one's children. So I think she ends it well also, she gives all this proof for how parents matter and then says how to help.

Alamut

I have recently finished reading, and have thoroughly enjoyed, a book called Alamut by Vladimir Bartol. Because it is a translated work, I cannot praise the diction or even the flow of the writing, which most likely have been altered significantly. Instead, what strikes me as the most commendable aspect of this novel is the amount of intimate detail given to things such as the political and individual actions in respect to the description of the characters' thoughts and feelings. Usually, such a manner of presentation would quickly bore most readers, yet Bartol manages to do something unique and extremely rare; he skillfully exposes emotion and a character's inner conflicts without relying on loquacious detail. Although the overall portrayal of the story is told in a tone that can only be described as one of reason, Bartol offers his readers glimpses of the emotional aspects in subtle actions: a misspoken word, an involuntary body movement, always something small and, on the character's part, left incomplete. Yet, these subtleties manage to be the most poignant and revealing parts of the plot. Because Bartol tends to avoid the excessively detailed prose known of most first time novelists, the reader is given what can be seen as a bird's eye view of Alamut's world: although three main characters are named and followed, there is no narrative presence playing verdict, no defending or attacking of any character's actions or lifestyle. The reader will likely find his sympathies shifting, finding flaws in the “heroes” and the noble in the “villians”. It is a tumultuous, hazy, endearingly realistic read. What I find to my liking is that this is an author who is not in love with his own voice; he never strews about excessive paragraphs filled with similes and imagery, does not rely on them or their like to tell the story for him, does not interject within the narrative to guide the reader's understanding. He also avoids the other extreme, that being blandness, by always revealing just enough, giving the reader exactly what they need to piece together the puzzle of their own making.

"Listen to me, boy. The supreme principle of the Ismailis is this: Nothing is true, everything is permitted.” - By revealing the supreme Ismaili motto, it is as though Bathol is inconspicuously handing his readers the key to understanding his work. To find the central meaning of the novel, the reader must see through the “delusion” of ordinary actions and dialogue, and see what he or she might not have thought possible before.

"Ibn Tahir fell back onto the floor. His heart ached bitterly. Yes, he was still in love with her.” - Barthol demonstrates here the poignancy of reductionism. Here the reader is suddenly and unceremoniously jolted with the reality that Avani ibn Tahir still loves the woman he had been hating and cursing for the past several chapters. The sentences are short, to the point, and lack any flowery words or adornments. Yet in relation to the preceding text, this quote provides all the emotion needed. In fact, it almost does seem as if the clipped tone and the blatancy are what make the quote so profound.

"It would be good to die now, he thought. Just one firm decision to throw himself over the battlements, and everything would be over. But God knows where he would awaken after that.” - The grand “mastermind” Hasan ibn Sabbah, the one who seemed omnipotent and remorseless in his plans, is suddenly exposed to be internally agonised and self-loathing. Barthol does not execute this revelation of his character's emotions through a drawn out description of feelings, a beautifully formulated history of ibn Sabbah's life story, nor anything of the like. The reader is given three sentences, a short glimpse into ibn Sabbah's secret musings. The moment is short and relatively plain. Yet everything that needs to be known is there for the reaping.