FR3

Trench Warfare

Living in the trenches was the worst lifestyle the soldiers could have endured. The trenches were a brand new way of warfare, brought about during the stalemate of WWI. It used to be that the two sides would meet in an open field and fire upon each other, without any cover whatsoever. This war became more of guerilla warfare; they would hide under cover and go after the other soldiers, and they would even sometimes ambush the army. Both sides were almost equal and dug out the trenches to hide from the gunfire and other weapons of the other side. However, because they were dug directly into the ground, the trenches didn’t always provide the most sanitary conditions for the soldiers. Trench warfare brought the worst of this war; even though it did utilize the new weapons, it made it much more difficult to advance. Trench warfare didn’t come about in the war until both sides realized they were at a [|stalemate]. This was very new to everyone, so no one really knew how it would play out. Soldiers at first were excited about this idea, but later became very dreadful; had said, “and to think we wanted to come here,” (58). This quote is emphasizing the fact that they were excited at the start, but later realized how much pain these trenches really caused. [|Trench warfare] had never really been seen before; Germany originally did not want to lose any ground in this stalemate, so they resorted to digging trenches in order to hold their own. This caught on with the Allies as well, since they too dug trenches, making it impossible for either side to really gain much ground at all; this added to the stalemate, when it was brought about to end it. The trenches brought about a lot more of [|death] throughout this war, not only because of the warfare, but also because of many diseases laying low inside. Of course, it was war and many people were going to die from the fire of machine guns and grenades, but the trenches ended up causing even more damage. The trenches were dug into the ground, and basically could trap the soldiers inside if anything was to really happen; this is how the gas became more effective in the war. The gas would be thrown into the trenches, and sit there, as it had nowhere else to go. This could trap the soldiers in it, killing them off much more quickly than if it was used in an open field. Also, since the conditions were nowhere near sanitary, as the ground was just mud, and there were many rats chomping away at the soldiers’ food. There were so many [|infections] spreading through the trenches, such as Trench Foot, Trench Fever, etc. _ __said “On any given day, almost 2,500 troops were killed… Almost one third of the deaths were from the trenches,” (Paragraph 9). The trenches did utilize most of the new [|technology] during this war. Many of the soldiers in the trenches used the machine guns, to protect their territory and not let enemy troops cross “no man’s land”. Also, mines were set up throughout “no man’s land”, to try and accomplish the same thing. However, that was one of the most difficult jobs for these soldiers, as there were already mines laying about that could kill you, and you would have no idea where the mines were. Many soldiers had grenades to throw, either at the troops coming towards you, or into the opposing trench. The planes were sent many times to try and clear out the troops as the others made their way across “no man’s land”; that would make it just a little bit easier to try and get across to take over the trench. You can certainly tell that these trenches would have been torn apart, but the reason they weren’t as bad, is because the trenches were zigzagged, making it so that if one part was damaged or taken over, the other parts still had a chance. There were also four lines of trenches to help: the front-line trench, the support trench, the reserve trench, the communications trench, and at the back was the long-range artillery for protection. The artillery – which could shoot well over the distance of the two trenches – was used for two purposes: one, to protect the trenches of their own, and two, to shoot at the enemies across “no man’s land”, and weaken them so the soldiers could make a move. The artillery was one of the leading causes in the deaths from the trenches. The trenches, yet new to the war fronts, were one of the most deadly areas of WWI; they were the cause of one-third of all the deaths in the war. The trenches were a great idea in turn, but did not result the way the could have. I think that maybe the trenches could have been more of a support than the main battlefield, resulting in less casualties and maybe a quicker end to the war. The trenches were the most dangerous territory of the war. They were constantly under the rain of fire, and it was very hard to avoid it. With all this new technology, there were too many weapons to counteract and survive. The trenches was one of the worst parts of the war, with all the death and disease, but essential for WWI.__


 * Assignment: Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.**

Memories and past experiences serve as a rail, a guiding support, for people in an effort to succeed in the present. People not only learn from the past, but the very act of going through something provides experience for a person who is to "move up the ladder of success and achievement". Some view failed experiences as a hinderance to future success. This is very untrue because history has a tendency of repeating itself, and in recognizing past failures, one can learn how to successfully approach similar situations in the future. An example of this is looking back in history to WWI. Sedition acts at this time allowed for the imprisonment of anyone who voiced an opinion against the president, or against the war. America recognized this shady time in its past, and instead of covering it up in a movement towards a more democratic nation, these acts were published in textbooks and taught to students. Americans saw the poor judgement of this situation and later with the war in Iraq, approached "patriotism" differently. With this present war, those adverse to the war are able to voice their opinions without fear of imprisonment or death. In seeing the undemocratic ways of an earlier era, America was able to recognize the bad and try to reform it. If the Sedition Acts had been forgotten then what is to say that they wouldn't come back? Remembering the failed times insures that improvement is possible. In my personal experience, I have found that the very act of living through something not only matures me, but also provides skills and knowledge. In remembering past events, I am able to use them as reference, and sometimes assurance. A personal example, somewhat juvenile, but also effective, is when my first pet died. I was devastated and wanted to just clear my mind of the event, but I didn't. After time, I recovered, but maintained the memory of this horrible tragedy. Later in life, another pet died. I looked back to that memory as a guide and learned from it that in time I would be fine and to just hang on. In this situation, a memory served as a reference and catalyzed in my personal growth and recovery. Memories, good or bad, assist people in obtaining success. Whether used as reference for guidance, or lessons on what not to do, past experiences can only offer a gap between the steps on the ladder of success. Forgetting the past can and will only erase experience and knowledge from a person and in affect hinder one in seeking achievement. In looking at historical repeats and personal events, it is clear that old memories can only aid in success.

I believe this essay deserves a four at most. It does use a lot of the grammar, like we have been learning, which was good, but he had a few spelling mistakes which would probably mark it down to at least a four or five before everything else. The words he spelled incorrectly were also his vocabulary words he was trying to use. He also uses an example from his own life, a personal experience, but could probably use more than that. Also, the length does not suit the expectations of the SAT graders. His ideas were decent, but it was not over the top.

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__**PART 1**__

You Will have 30 minutes to complete the writing task. Take a Few Minutes to think about the task and to plan what you want to say before you begin to write. You may use the prewriting/planning space to plan your text, but your prewriting will not be scored. **Only your writing on the lined pages of your answer sheet will be scored.** Do your best to make your writing clear and well organized. Keep your purpose in mind as your write and use your checklist. You must use a No. 2 pencil. You may either print or write your final copy. You may not use a dictonary or any other reference materials during the test. However, you may use the Writer's Checklist. If you finish before the time is called, review what you have written using the Writer's Checklist to read critically and improve what you have written.
 * //Directions://** Today you are going to take part of the High School Proficiency Assessment for Language Arts Literacy. The assessment contains different types of text and different activities. In the first part of the test, you will look at a picture and then complete a writing task. In this activity, you have an opportunity to demonstrate how well you can organize and express your ideas in written text. Refer to the Writer's Checklist of important points to remember as you write. Educators who read your writing will consider these important points when they read and score your writing.

An ancient proverb says, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Regardless of the artist's original intent, what we see in the picture can be very different from what others can see. What story does this picture tell you? Use your imagination and experience to speculate about what is happening. Then write your story.


 * __PART 2__**

You Will have 50 minutes for this part of the test.
 * //Directions://** In this part of the test, you will read a persuasive passage and then respond to the multiple-choice and open-ended questions that follow it. You may look back at the passage and make notes in the margin if you like, but you must record your answers on your answer sheet.

__**PART 3**__

You will have 50 minutes for this part of the test.
 * //Directions://** In this part of the test, you will red a narrative passage and then respond to the multiple-choice and open-ended questions that follow it. You may look back at the passage and make notes in the margin if you like, but you must record your answers on your answer sheet.

The afternoon grew so glowering that in the sixth inning the arc lights were turned on--always a wan sight in the daytime, like the burning headlights of a funeral procession. Aided by the gloom, Fisher was slicing through the Sox rookies, and Williams did not come to bat in the seventh. He was second up in the eighth. This was almost certainly his last time to come to the plate in Fenway Park, and instead of merely cheering, as we had at his three previous appearances, we stood, all of us, and applauded. I had never before heard pure applause in a ballpark. No calling, no whistling, just an ocean of handclaps, minute after minute, burst after burst, crowding and running together in continuous succession like the pushes of surf at the edge of the sand. It was a sombre and considered tumult. There was not a boo in it. It seemed to renew itself out of a shifting set of memories as the Kid, the Marine, the veteran of feuds and failures and injuries, the friend of children, and the enduring old pro evolved down the bright tunnel of twenty-two summers toward this moment. At last, the umpire signalled for Fisher to pitch; with the other players, he had been frozen in position. Only Williams had moved during the ovation, switching his bat impatiently, ignoring everything except his cherished task. Fisher wound up, and the applause sank into a hush. Understand that we were a crowd of rational people. We knew that a home run cannot be produced at will; the right pitch must be perfectly met and luck must ride with the ball. Three innings before, we had seen a brave effort fail. The air was soggy, the season was exhausted. Nevertheless, there will always lurk, around the corner in a pocket of our knowledge of the odds, an indefensible hope, and this was one of the times, which you now and then find in sports, when a density of expectation hangs in the air and plucks an event out of the future. Fisher, after his unsettling wait, was wide with the first pitch. He put the second one over, and Williams swung mightily and missed. The crowd grunted, seeing that classic swing, so long and smooth and quick, exposed. Fisher threw the third time, Williams swung again, and there it was. The ball climbed on a diagonal line into the vast volume of air over center field. From my angle, behind third base, the ball seemed less an object in flight than the tip of a towering, motionless construct, like the Eiffel Tower or the Tappan Zee Bridge. It was in the books while it was still in the sky. Brandt ran back to the deepest corner of the outfield grass, the ball descended beyond his reach and struck in the crotch where the bullpen met the wall, bounced chunkily, and vanished. Like a feather caught in a vortex, Williams ran around the square of bases at the center of our beseeching screaming. He ran as he always ran out home runs--hurriedly, unsmiling, head down, as if our praise were a storm of rain to get out of. He didn’t tip his cap. Though we thumped, wept, and chanted "We want Ted" for minutes after he hid in the dugout, he did not come back. Our noise for some seconds passed beyond excitement into a kind of immense open anguish, a wailing, a cry to be saved. But immortality is nontransferable. The papers said that the other players, and even the umpires on the field, begged him to come out and acknowledge us in some way, but he refused. Gods do not answer letters.

During the 1960’s, the youth of our nation rose up to create the [|counterculture]. This was brought about as a rebellion against the culture of most during the 50s. It used to be seen as all the same, with a daily routine, where everyone was always polite, listened to the same music, and did not do anything illegal or seen as morally wrong. This new movement group of the youth was known as the [|Beat Generation], completely different from anything seen in the past. The people of this generation were called Hippies. They believed in free speech, love, unique expression, and distinctive fashion. The Hippies of the 1960s were big on rebellion. They frequently used drugs, had sex, and dressed inappropriately in the eyes of elders and superiors. They would smoke cannabis all the time, as it gave them a sense of relaxation and gave them a feeling of freedom. They also had sex with many as they had a sense of love for everyone. Those were big symbols of the hippie culture. They would dress very different from most, as they wore many fringe and [|tie dye]. They would wear outlandish styles to show their individuality and make sure that they were noticed as unique. The youth of the beat generation were trying to counter the ideas of the 1950s – everyone being for the most part the same: acting the same way, no expression, etc – and made sure they did it with distinction. Music was also a huge part of this counterculture during the sixties. Many artists came about in the genres of rock and roll, reggae, and folk. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, [|The Beatles], The Who, and The Doors came about with their free expression in music. [|Woodstock] was a huge festival with many of the music artists and hippie youth involved. They were laying concerts and sharing their culture with freedom, expression, peace and love. You could see many of the youth smoking, singing, and bonding together portraying these qualities of their counter culture. This movement was viewed as one of the iconic events in this hippie culture. All over, kids as well as adults were seen as hippies and were showing their independence and distinctiveness.