English Grade 9 Autobiographies
What's In a Name?
The name was decided after a long period of time spent arguing between my parents about which would be perfect for me. My mother disliked my father’s ideas and my father
disliked my mother’s. After a long time of being worried that they would have no name when I was born, they decided that none of their ideas were great and they continued to search online for names. Finally, they found the perfect name, Justin Peter Senackerib. They chose Justin because they liked the sound and because it meant "just, upright, and righteous", Peter because it was my father’s middle name, and Senackerib because it was my family's last name.
It was a beautiful Mother’s Day on May 14, 2000. Beautiful to everyone, except for my mother. Who was lying in a bed at the Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, pa, many hours into labor and missing a delicious lobster dinner. That was when it happened, as if the gates of heaven had opened up for one quick second, my dad entered the waiting room and announced "it's a boy!" As screaming baby Justin Senackerib got his first glimpse of the world. My mother had the chance to celebrate her first Mother’s Day. My whole family was extremely happy, my mother had finally had her first child.
I was being taken out of the hospital room. At this point I was meeting and being carried by these strangers that I did not know. I would later learn that this was my family and I would know them for the rest of my life. My eyes were starting to open completely and I was having my first experience of the world I live in now. I could see the deepness of the blue walls in the waiting room, it seemed as if I was in an ocean, swimming in my family members arms. The dark brown of the wooden chairs. I could smell the freshness of the cookies that my grandmother had baked for my mother, they smelled as if they came straight out of the oven. I could hear the excitement coming from everybody in the room and I was blown away by it all.
After hours of being in the hospital, I was given to my parents and they drove me home. The ride was extremely fascinating. I was having my first sights of nature. I could see dark green trees flying by, dancing in the wind. The birds and squirrels that were moving about. Whenever the car turned, my seat slid and my mother would pull my back into my place. We had finally gotten to what would now be my home, I was carried through the door and placed on the floor in the living room. My father was dancing with joy while my mother, also extremely happy, was lying on the couch in pain from her first child.
As I started to grow up in that house, my name began to suit me. I was starting to look like a Justin, acting like a Justin, and even though I was just beginning to talk, I was talking like a Justin. I was becoming the one and only Justin Senackerib and I embraced it. The name started to become more important than two words. It was going to be the title to the story of my life. A story that would be long and beautiful. A story that my children would hear and that they would pass down for generations.
The Day I Was Born
I share a birthday with:
- Mark Zuckerburg- created Facebook
- Miranda Cosgrove- famous actor in the tv shows Drake & Josh and iCarly
- Roy Halladay- famous baseball player that played on the Phillies
- Matin Garrix- famous dj
- Clay Matthews- famous football player
On May 14 throughout history:
- Lewis and Clark departed
- Frank Sinatra died
- First American Olympiad
- State of Israel is proclaimed
- Smallpox vaccine was tested and successful
In 2000:
- A postage stamp cost 33 cents
- Average car cost was about $18,000
- A gallon of milk cost $2.88
- Average movie ticket cost $5.06
- Bill Clinton was president
- The Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Car was the best toy car
- Gladiator, Remember the Titans, American Psycho, and X-men came out
- Johnny Depp was the biggest movie star
- The most popular tv show was Gilmore Girls
- Most popular song was Breath by Faith Hill
- Most popular sport was baseball
- Neckties as belts were the greatest fashion trend
Storage Trunk
When exploring my mother’s old photo book from college and high school, we found many things that were very interesting. One of these things was a youth appreciation week citation presented to my mom by the Rose Tree Media Optimist Club. The citation came from doing community service. Another interesting item we found were cards from when my parents became engaged. Eventually, my parents married so my mom kept them as a memory.
These objects were very interesting because they have connections with my family. First, the citation presented by the Rose Tree Media Optimist Club was very interesting because the same club also sponsored the club lacrosse team that I played on from 2-8 grade, also my family goes to school at the Rose Tree Media School District. The engagement cards were also very interesting because without an engagement, my parents would not have married and would not have had me.
Even though the old photo book was very dusty, it remained in very good shape. Most of the pictures and items inside it were preserved very well and not damaged too much. We found many other school awards and items from college. We even found a rose that my mom thinks was from a dance at school.
An Alphabet Chapter
A is for active. I can not stay still for long without moving.
B is for brave.
C is for cheerful. I always have a smile on my face.
D is for determined. If I want something to get done I will work until it is finished.
E is for energetic. I am always full of energy.
F is for flawed. Everyone has their differences.
G is for good-natured. I am very kind and friendly.
H is for honest. I always tell the truth.
I is for intelligent. I am very smart.
J is for joyful. I am always very happy.
K is for knowledgeable. I am very well-informed.
L is for likeable. I am very easy to like.
M is for merry.
O is for optimistic. I always look on the bright side of life.
P is for playful.
R is for responsible. I am mature and can handle responsibilities.
S is for sentimental. I tend to have a hard time letting go of objects.
T is for thoughtful. I like to think deeply about things.
U is for unique. I am different than anyone else on Earth.
W is for worriless. I have no worries in life.
X is for xenodochial. I am friendly to anyone I meet.
Y is for youthful. I am young and have a long life ahead of me.
z is for zippy. I am always full of energy.
A Family History
Part One:
My immediate family is my mother, father, and brother.
I am eating with my grandparents from my father’s side, my 3 aunts, 3 uncles, 7 cousins, my father and mother, and my brother. We are eating at my grandparents’ house.
Part Two: The meal we are having consists of turkey, both real and made of tofu (my cousin is vegetarian), stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a corn casserole.
Part Three: My family moved to The United States when my grandmother’s grandfather moved from Syria, he came through Ellis Island and moved into a poor town in New York. He then received a job at Palisades Park where he sold fries from a stand. All members of my family live on the east coast except for my cousin who is going to school in California. My family members tend to stay on the east coast. I think they do this because they enjoy being near each other.
Part Four: My family follows many Syrian and Christian traditions.these traditions can from special recipes to praying and going to church. My grandparents usually organize these family rituals. One thing that they make is a lot of Syrian food. They have a special recipe for Syrian rice that everybody in the family loves. They also hold a lot of special events such as birthdays and holidays at their house. Many of these traditions are being lost because family members are starting to become more busy and cannot come to some of these gatherings. I think these are important because it brings our family together.
Part Five: My family only fluently speaks English, my grandmother knows some Syrian words and she teaches us them but her vocabulary is limited. Many stories about my family have been passed down. One of the more known ones is the story of the Assyrian king Sennacherib who killed many people. There are also stories about my father's grandfather who was an engineer during the World Wars. My family also tells many funny stories about my aunts and uncles as children.
Part Six: My family has a few keepsakes that were passed down from my great grandparents. One of these keepsakes is my great grandfathers chest of memories from when he fought in World War Two. My family has many photo albums that we keep. Almost every family member has one of their memories. One skill that almost my entire family participates in is skiing. Every year we go to Vermont during winter break and we stay at my grandparents condo and ski. My whole family looks forward to it. I have skied since I was 3 and I do not remember the learning process but I do know that I have progressed as I have done it more.
And the Band Played On
Music can change my mood, enhance my mood, and is a way to escape from what is going on in my life. I like all kinds of music, I listen to whatever kind of music I am in the mood for. If I am sad, I listen to sad music, if I am happy, I listen to upbeat music. Some music groups that I like are alt-J, MGMT, Flume, The Avett Brothers, The Beach Boys, Tiny Tim, Fitz and the Tantrums, Glass Animals, ODESZA. Some of the songs from them that I like are Sandias, Memories That You Call, Biting Down, Above The Middle, Ends of The Earth, Behind Blue Eyes, Another is Waiting, Don’t Gotta Work It Out, Seven Nation Army, and Black Mambo. A song that I can connect to is What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.
My theme song:
It must be winter in my heart
There's nothing warm in there at all
I miss the summer and the spring
The floating yellow leaves of fall
A million colours fill my eyes
The roman candles and the stars
Calendar says July 4th
But it's still winter in my heart
They say flowers bloom in Spring
Red and gold and blue and pink
They say seasons turn in time
Theirs are changing
Why won't mine?
It must be winter in my heart
There's nothing warm in there at all
I miss the summer and the spring
The floating yellow leaves of fall
The air in there is frigid cold
I don't know what the reasons are
Calender says August 1
But it's still winter in my heart
They say flowers bloom in Spring
Red and gold and blue and pink
They say seasons turn in time
Theirs are changing
Why won't mine?
It must be winter in my heart
it must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart
I don't know what the reasons are
It must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart
I don't know what the reasons are
It must be winter in my heart
It must be winter in my heart
“Winter In My Heart” by The Avett Brothers.
I like to listen to this song when I am feeling sad, it is a sad song but it makes me feel better.
Sometimes I feel the same exact way as the artist does in this song. Feeling like everyone else is happy when you are not, feeling left out. I think everyone feels like this sometimes.
"They say seasons turn in time
Theirs are changing
Why won't mine?"
These are the most meaningful lyrics because they represent how I feel when I want to listen to this song.
Chapter Seven
Surprised, by the rude awakening from his phone alarm, he hit it in a daze. Without waking up, it seemed. The second that he slid the screen to turn the phone off was the second that he fell back to sleep. Only to be woken, more pleasantly, by his mother who had come fifteen minutes later. He hopped into the steamy shower in a rush. If he did not finish his shower by 6:10 he would not have enough time to eat his two Eggo waffles in peace and brush his teeth. Luckily, everything worked out. He got onto the bus and on his way to school realized he had forgotten something extremely important to him. The only way he could ever make it through the day, his pencil. He would have to “borrow” one from his friend or pray that he still had one in his gym locker. First period was Physical Education, the perfect class for waking up in the morning. After what felt like the quickest game of knockout ever, he headed to English. After many pages of grammar he was off to science. Science was perhaps the most difficult of his classes, they studied all there was to know about the environment. The bell rang and he sprinted to lunch, only to remember that he had a quiz to study for in fifth period. He scarfed his food and ran to the library. The distraction of students in the library led to a very difficult quiz in Social Studies the period after. He then went to Spanish, where he learned about Spanish culture. After Spanish he walked to Tech. Class, where he 3D printed toy car wheels. Math, which was the next and last period of the day, was full of theorems and formulas. He then had to run to his bus which was on the other side of the school and took it home. When he got home he had a snack and did his homework, having a lot of downtime afterwards.
Poem
He spots the weakness and secrets with piercing eyes;
powerfully with both talons on the prey.
Amazed by the indifference of the wprld,he watches .
The twisted mouse between his claws will wait another day;
The mouse is driven to despair,
And knowing his time has come he gives up.
Likes and Dislikes
Likes
Weekends
Skiing
Spending time with friends
Lacrosse
Playing with dog
Having free time
Listening to music while falling asleep
Going on the internet/ social networking sites
Vermont in the summer and winter
Running
Sleeping
Dislikes
Slow movement
People that show off during unnecessary times
Teachers that are unorganized (losing homeworks/ forgetting to put grades in)
School
Loud people
Waking up for school
Being yelled at
Grammar
Stress
Pain
Long term homework papers
Strict teachers
Lessons Learned After it Was Too Late
Bad behavior will always result in punishment
Not studying hard enough for a test and failing
Waiting too long to take action
Not having a plan B:
I like to have a straightforward plan that should work perfectly if everything goes according to plan. Many times, something has gone wrong in this plan which throws everything off track. I need to learn to make a backup plan in case my first plan does not work.
Hiding from my fears:
Ever since I was little I have had social anxiety, it runs in my family. It was much worse as a younger child and it was because of my fears of not seeing my parents and facing the unknown. I eventually learned that there was nothing to worry about but I still get anxiety in situations where I have to meet new people.
Helping others before helping myself
Friends
My friends consist of people from a lot of different groups and like different things. Some of my friends are in the band and are very smart, others are into sports and dislike school. I met a lot of my friends through activities both through school and not. Some of my friends like to hang out outside of school but a lot of them talk with me at sports and inside school. Being around my friends makes me feel happy and I would assume that my presence affects them the same way. We are friends because we get along, share common interests, and do not argue.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/140fVkPQnFKWmJ_IKsKHCAdBO5HZhBH4sc1SE5eVb7kY/edit