Student Writer: Brenna Kaylyn DiMella

This week’s featured writer: Brenna Kaylyn DiMella

School: Thomas Hooker Elementary School

Age: 11

Grade: 5

Teacher: Mrs. Garbarsky

What have you learned in school that makes you a better writer? Mrs. Garbarsky has taught me the technique of using similes and metaphors. I have been taught to never use run on sentences. Most of all I have learned that writing is an opportunity to be creative and share my thoughts and ideas.

What is your favorite book? The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

What do you like to do outside of school? I love to draw, play softball for MGSL and I dance at Renee’s School of Dance. I also play tennis.

Brenna’s writing:                                                     

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay

            Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, ‘’People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other;  they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.’’ To me this means that people don’t get along because we have never met or talked to each other. The only things we know about each other is from other peoples' personal point of views. The only way to truly get to know each other is to correspond. There are many groups of people who can prove his point. For example, popular kids and their cliques don’t get along with unpopular kids and their cliques. Different races are another example to demonstrate how people get along. Lastly, diverse religious groups often come to blows and don’t get along.

            Many popular kids don’t get along with unpopular kids. There are many books and movies that demonstrate these conflicts. The book series The Clique tells about Massie who is a ring leader to a popular group.  It is about girls who try to bring down the popular kids in order to be popular. At the end of each book the girls find a way to work things out between them. The movie Mean Girls is another perfect example to show how popular kids and unpopular kids aren’t very kind to one another. It also shows how unpopular girls try to defeat the popular clique. They realize all girls have secrets, faults and problems even if they might be the most popular teenager at school. There are many ways to fix any difficulties like this. You can see how it is to be popular or unpopular. Remember not to judge a book by its cover or in this case a person by how they look or who they hang out with. They might seem mischievous but you might find they are engaging and friendly. If you are in a situation like this you can try talking to people like your parents, close friends or a school counselor. This could help you get advice and make you think harder. If this person is being judged or made fun of, stand up for them.

            When people are a different race they tend not to get along. For a period of time dark and light skinned people didn’t get along. African Americans were forced to be slaves or work on a plantation for no reward or money. After a while things got better. African Americans were free, but sadly black and whites still were not friends. Many American heroes like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln helped merge us together. They fought for their beliefs in a good manner. We are very lucky they did. We can help too. Always keep in mind we are not that different. Just because they might have a different color skin then you, doesn’t mean you can’t be friends. Try talking to them; be friendly and kind to them. Stay away from any stereo types or any jokes that have to do with being different colored. If you see them sitting alone at lunch or not playing with anyone during recess, go hang out with them.  If you want to make a big difference, go to a black and white petition. Even though it might not seem like an immense act you are helping to change our world.         

            Many different religious groups don’t get along. There have been wars because some people believe everyone needs to be the religion that they are. For example the crusade was a holy war that lasted from 1095 to 1300. The Christians believed everyone needed to believe in Christianity and the Muslims believed that everyone needed to believe in the religion of Islam. But over time people earned their rights to choose what religion they wanted to be.  Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Islam or any other religion, we are all the same. Some people worship all religions and aren’t sure which one they want to be. For example in Confessions of a Closet Catholic a girl named Justine is Jewish, but wishes she were Catholic. She discovers all the different types of religions and ends up liking them all. Some people don’t even have a religion they basically don’t believe anything specific. To help out with any kind of religious miscommunication you can learn about diverse religions as well as venture out and visit other kinds of churches besides your own. You can celebrate religious holidays that you normally don’t celebrate such as Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas or Sabbath Day. You might find you enjoy them. If you know someone who is another kind of religion then yours, go up and talk to them. You could make a potential friend or learn more about a new religion. There are lots of churches, masses and religions in this world which means there is plenty of information to find out about.

            Obviously for the most part popular and unpopular kids don’t get along. As you can tell several different races don’t always get along. Clearly, you can see various religions aren’t always friendly to one another. Without a doubt you understand you can help merge us together by putting aside our differences and becoming friends. Martin Luther King Jr. 's quote ''People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they do not know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other.'' is a true fact. It identifies the lack of communication between different groups of people. Growing up Martin Luther King, Jr. went through hard-hitting times because of his race. One of his best friends wouldn't play with him because he was a different race. He knew this was a problem that needed to be fixed. As he got older he began to fight for what he believed in. He did many petitions but never got physical. He was a colossal inspiration to other people; they soon began to follow his footsteps and fought for their freedom. We should follow in his footsteps as well. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his followers helped make the world a better place so why can't we? He fought for justice and received the justice. He proved we may look different, but we all are the same on the inside. Sadly Martin Luther King, Jr. died because some people disagreed with him. They thought we should be treated differently. Even though he died his words will forever and always stay with us.