CU Boulder Essay A

Prompt: Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?

“The Land Down Under”

The places I go where I am most content are not the ideal locations for being peaceful, but I somehow find them tranquil and intriguing in their own unique ways. The abandoned, long forgotten remains of buildings, structures, tunnels, and anything with a rich history of its past enthralls me, bringing out my adventurous personality, which makes up who I am. Each and every place I visit has its own personal story of what had occurred there. Looking around, I try to piece together what had happened; searching through the debris and rubble that once use to be a place of work or even someone's home. I always ask myself “Why did this place end up the way it did?” but then again, do I really want to know?  

My favorite place to go is not where most people would look. That is because it is underground. Not in a cave or some hole in the earth but in a long forgotten man made structure known as a Titan I Missile Silo. These structures are truly a man made marvel reaching depths of more than two hundred feet, with vast rooms of engineering masterpieces. However, time, erosion, and people have left their mark on the underground city. Graffiti covers the walls of it’s ominous passageways and flooding is apparent in its deeper levels; surprisingly, all of this adds to the incredible atmosphere that the location emits.  

Whenever I go to this place, it feels like it is the first time all over again. All of my senses are at full capacity; the cool, damp smell of the walkways, the touch of the rugged, rusty walls, the sight of the fading, yet colorful, rooms, and the sound of silence. Its almost too much to comprehend. I walk through every room or corridor with the same awestruck look each time, analyzing my surroundings and navigating through the remains of what use to be something great.   

This is where I am perfectly content. This is where I feel like who I am. Things are constantly changing, however. New people, adventures,and experiences will find their way into our lives leaving even our greatest memories in the past. All we can do is move on, accept the change, and look for the next great thing in our lives. You never know what you will find in the most unlikely of places.  

-- Max

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The Laramie Project: News Articles on the Matthew Shepard Case

1. Wyoming Local: (http://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/matthew-shepard)

This is a reliable source because it offers so much information about the Matthew Shepard case. It tells Matthews story from the very beginning of his encounter to the prosecution of his killers. This article offers detailed facts about what happened the day Matthew Shepard was murdered and includes the specific times in which most events took place. The author, Jason Marsden, is the executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. He is a well known reporter, who graduated from Harvard, and has covered a variety of topics for the Casper Star-Tribune. This article does not have bias. It stated the facts as simply and professionally as possible informing the reader of the tragedy that happened in Laramie. I think those who read this article will find it informative but will choose their own side on which they stand on the matter. I would give this article a 10 out of 10. It stated all the information without pulling the reader to one side of the situation.The author was very careful with his words and obviously did his research on the events that happened in Laramie, Wyoming. 

    

2. National: (http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/13/us/gay-man-dies-from-attack-fanning-outrage-and-debate.html)

This is a reliable source because the article is on one of the most well know news papers in the world, not to mention that it include gruesome (no pun intended) amounts of information about the Matthew Shepard case. The author, James Brooke, is an American journalist who graduated from Yale University. He's now the Bureau Chief for Voice of America, based in Moscow, Russia. The information posted is accurate judging by the reputation of the reporter and that the facts check up with other articles I have read. This article may have a small amount of bias, siding more with the pro-gay front. The article covers a lot on the subject of hate crime and passing acts to protect homosexuals. Those who read this article will get a good perspective on what has happened in Laramie and how the murder of Matthew Shepard has affected the nation. I would give this article a 9 out of 10. The facts were all on point and the author covered the topic well but i felt the slightest hint of bias in the article.

3. World: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/195158.stm) 

This is a reliable source of information but the information given is more general that that of the articles from the NY Times or Wyoming Local News sources. Instead BBC focuses more on how the event has affected the nation. Bridget Kendall, the reporter, is a graduate of Oxford and is an English contributing editor, radio and television correspondent at the BBC. This information is accurate as BBC is one of the most well know sources for world news. The information was presented without bias as there was no side taken on the situation. Those who read this will get a general idea of what had happened in Laramie and how it has affected the United States. I give this article a 7 out of 10. The article is informative but doesn't include the specific details that made the story as big as it was in the states. 

                   

Works Cited

“Americans Mourn Gay Hate-crime Victim." BBC News. BBC, 17 Oct. 1998. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Brooke, James. "Gay Man Dies From Attack, Fanning Outrage and Debate."The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Oct. 1998. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

"The Murder of Matthew Shepard." WyoHistory.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014."World: Americas


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Say It In Six

Scars: like memories, slowly fading away 

Future's so bright, gotta wear shades 

The Rest...

Experience is key to one’s survival

Everyone makes mistakes; live with it

New experiences, new faces, new life

True friends are there for you

Truth is what's brought to light

Replacement hurts, people are not disposable

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

The rush is what makes life

Lighten up, i'm not that serious 

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NPR "Story Corps" Response

Sometimes, when you read a story, it’s not just about the content that you read that makes it interesting. The topic alone can draw your curiosity from personal interests or past recollections. While I was searching through the numerous stories, I found one that had caught my eye. The title of it was “A Father's Memories of Auschwitz” (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4467864). Even though there wasn’t much there in terms of an actual story, I had a natural pull to the subject itself. 

Recently, I have read the book Night about the holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel. In this book he describes the full effect of the war on him and the Jewish people. He suffered though months of starvation and abuse in multiple concentration camps, including Auschwitz. To see someone else sharing their story enthralls me. It shows true courage when someone faces their devils. It brings back memories that should be forgotten but then again it is the truth.

 In class we've learned that sometimes it’s hard to accept the truth but eventually it will catch up with us. One must accept one’s life and make the best of it. In my life I will strive to make the right choices so that I won’t have to live a lie. One of the truths that I can pull from the person I am right now is my strong determination. I push through, thick and thin, to achieve my goals. When writing a story, the author should captivate the reader by making him interested in what the author has to say and in the end wanting more.  

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Practice Post

And Shepherds we shall be For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti

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