Although I did not enjoy the way the speech was delivered, the speech that resonated most
with me was the sunscreen speech. The reason why I remember this speech is
because I can relate to it. The speaker gives valuable advice about a number of
different youth-related issues that I could potentially implement in my daily
life. After hearing the speech, I learnt that the subject matter is essential to
connect with the audience and hold their interest. If the audience cannot
connect with the speaker, it is very hard to keep everyone engaged in what the
speaker is saying. This speech was written very well, as it made a strong
connection with the youth in society.

Today I was exposed to various speaking styles: monotonous, emotional, and convincing.
The speaking style used by Barack Obama, however, appealed to me most. He truly
spoke with all of his heart and with conviction. I enjoyed the way he emphasized
and enunciated certain words and points in order to assist in getting his point
across to the audience. The way he paused at certain times in his speech also
allowed the audience to reflect and ponder upon what he had just said. The
pausing made his speech much more dramatic and impactful. What I admired most,
however, about his speaking style is how he incorporated humor into his speech.
It was all of these little things about his speaking style that kept me
interested in what he was saying the entire time.

 
With Lennie’s mental condition, he would not be able to survive in the world by
himself without his companion George, especially during a brutal time like the
Great Depression. A father-son relationship is evident between Lennie and
George. Lennie is incapable of understanding serious situations or the severity
of his dangerous actions. In Weed, Lennie grabbed a girl’s dress because he was
attracted to the softness of it. When the girl started screaming, Lennie started
to panic and in confusion, gripped the dress tighter and would not let go.
Without George there to help Lennie understand the situation and run away from
Weed, Lennie could have gotten himself arrested.  Not only is Lennie unable
to understand things, but also cannot control himself. Lennie cannot seem to
understand how dangerous he can be with his enormous size and strength. As Slim
remarks, “God awmighty I never seen such a strong guy”. Without much effort,
Lennie can destroy and kill things. When Lennie pets mice and they end up biting
his finger, he panics, and as a result squeezes their heads. The killing of mice
may not threaten Lennie’s survival, but this proves that Lennie is capable of
  destruction. Without George around him, he might end up hurting another human
  being. In conclusion, without George to help Lennie understand things and to
  prevent him from destroying things, Lennie would get himself into lots of
  trouble and would therefore not be able to survive.

After reading Chapter 2, I learned a lot about Candy. Candy is an old man with a missing hand, and has been working on the farm for several years. He is friendly and likeable, and has a good relationship with everyone on the ranch. Candy has a dog, which is also old and crippled.  What stands out to me about Candy is that unlike the other characters, he doesn’t seem to be working towards anything. My inference is that the farm is his life, and that he doesn’t have anything else to go back to outside the farm.  The only reason Candy seems to be working on the farm is for survival.

People dream of a perfect world, a place where sickness, war, and poverty is not evident. This fanatical dream is not one that can be accomplished. However, I believe that every human being has been given the opportunity to be able to succeed. Although people who are born into wealthy families will face less obstacles in trying to reach this goal as oppose to people born poor, everyone has the opportunity to succeed. The recipe for
success is simple: hard work. Jay-Z was born and raised with virtually nothing in the toughest area in Brooklyn, a place where drugs and gun violence was the norm. He did not let all of this influence him, and he worked extremely hard in school and focused on his rapping career, which served as a distraction. Nowadays, Jay-Z is a world renowned rapper and has had immense success with his career. Jay-Z is definitely not the only one who worked hard to get to the top, as many of the other celebrities we hear about on a day-to-day basis also faced many adversities in their lifetime. If they can do it anyone can, but success comes from hard work.

In The Necklace, Mathilde was displayed as a shallow and greedy character. Mathilde could never be satisfied, as she was always wanting more and never once could appreciate what she already had. When Mme. Forester had generously offered some jewelry to Mathilde to wear to the ball, Mathilde replied, “You haven’t anything else?”
This action clearly displays Mathilde’s greedy and rude personality. I was so disgusted with Mathilde’s character that even during the moments in the story where I understood her reasoning for doing something, I still could not manage to feel sympathetic. If I was to feel sympathetic towards anyone in the story, it would be Mathilde’s loving husband. Mathilde’s husband was so cooperative with his unruly wife and is portrayed as always bending over backwards to ensure her happiness. When Mathilde wanted a new dress for the ball, he sacrificed the sum of money he had been saving up to buy himself a gun so she could buy another dress. Mathilde is very undeserving of such a great husband.
At least Mathilde learns her lesson at the end of the story, although unfortunately for her, she learns it the hard way. 

Without a doubt, my favorite place to be is at the beach. The beach is so
special to me because it is so peaceful and serene. The sensational feeling I
experience at the beach allows me to forget about all of my worries. The heat
radiating from the Sun blankets me and the soft golden grains of sand cushion my
feet. Just the soothing sound of the waves licking the shore brings pleasure to
me. Not only is the beach a place of comfort, but it is also a place where I can
play and have fun. At the beach, I love playing soccer and volleyball with my
friends. I also enjoy the water activities available, such as tubing and
sea-dooing. The beach is like my second home, as it is a place where I can
unwind and enjoy myself.