Friday, November 21, 2003

Persuasion
By Bonnie Boer

Are you easily persuaded? Would the opinion of another affect your own if there were convincing arguments to back it up?
In American literature, the junior class, under Mr. Van Uffelen, has been studying the literary works of early American writers. We have recently looked over Patrick Henry’s persuasive speech before the Virginia Convention, in which he urged the delegates to take up arms against England. By using repetition (the repeating of a word for emphasis) and rhetorical questions (questions with obvious answers that need only the use of common sense), he convinced the delegates at the convention to fight: “Give me liberty, or give me death!”
Once we had analyzed Henry’s speech, we were assigned to create persuasive speeches of our own, writing to influence the class or an intended audience of our choice. Topics ranged from the need for prison ministry, to the sin of abortion, and the dangers of body piercing and homework overloads.
We all worked hard to pick out clear supporting arguments, and many of us succeeded in persuading the class.
It is very beneficial to use the literary works of others as models for our own compositions. Throughout the course of American literature, we have attempted to create valuable literature using the literary techniques made famous by early American writers.
In the end, we see the advantages that we gain by studying persuasive speaking – we have learned how to recognize valid arguments and use discretion in evaluating the persuasive arguments of others. We have become more aware of the means used to convince others of our opinions, but more importantly, we know how to discern whether or not the views men bring forth are rational and Biblically sound.

Parting Ways
By Grace De Jong

"Even when you've played the game of your life, it's the feeling of teamwork that you'll remember. You'll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you'll never forget your teammates."
- Deborah Palmore
This year’s volleyball season has ended for both the varsity and junior varsity teams here at Heritage Christian. This closure is especially hard for the varsity team. Next year, when we return, two of our senior players will not – Meghan Looyenga and Katie Van Baren. As their teammates, we remember our tough wins against Covenant Demotte and Illinois Lutheran and our disappointing defeats at the Calumet Baptist Invitational. These memories will fade, but the memories of the times spent with Meghan and Katie will never be diminished. We recall the trials of their past season, but especially remember the way they overcame those trials. Both played this season despite injuries. Meghan played throughout the year with a broken toe on her left foot, but continued to play for the sake of the team. Katie sprained her ankle, yet still played for her very last game in which she dominated the court with some of her best spikes. Both girls have shown determination and increased skill in their play.
Their names have never appeared in the sports section of the “Times,” but the memory of the role they filled on this team will last forever. Their continual leadership, their hard work ethic, and their skill will not be forgotten. The camaraderie, the memories, and the friendships that have developed over the past three years will last forever in the hearts of us, their teammates.
As their sisters in Christ, we wish them both the Lord’s blessing in all the years to come, praying that they seek the Lord’s help in everything they do.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5,6.

Sonnets
By Katie Van Baren

The British literature class is studying sonnets, lyric poems that were sung and used as entertainment in English courts during the sixteenth century.
Sonnets have fourteen lines and are usually written in iambic pentameter, a poetic line consisting of five iambic feet (the iamb in the word “iambic” refers to an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The penta from the word “pentameter” means five). The iambic pentameter is the most popular poetic line in English poetry.
Some of the poets that we have studied wrote sonnet sequences, a series of sonnets based on the same theme. An example of a sonnet sequence would be that of Petrarch, an Italian. He wrote sonnets about a woman that he had loved for about eleven years. Eventually he figured out that she didn’t love him and gave up.
There are several kinds of sonnets, including the Italian (Petrarchan), English (Shakespearean), and the Spenserian. They are all very much alike, but they each have different rhyme schemes. Each sonnet generally expresses one theme or idea.
After studying what sonnets are, Mrs. Looyenga challenged the class to make them. It was challenging and it took a very long time. I give anyone who can write a good sonnet a lot of credit.

November Exam
By Gina Verburg

This year the juniors and seniors in accounting class did something that seemed a little strange. On November 12 we took an exam on what we had learned so far this year. Usually we take all of our exams at the end of the semester so we were a little confused by this.
In accounting class we have to apply what we learned in the previous chapters to the chapter we are learning at the moment. If we didn’t understand something in the chapters before then we most likely won’t understand the concepts of the new chapter. Because of this we go through the material quickly and sometimes it seems like we almost learn too much!
The accounting book that we use is divided into three cycles. Mr. Vermeer decided to help us by giving us an exam on each cycle instead of two huge exams at the end of each semester. So even though it seems like November is a little early for an exam the accounting class was grateful for it!