Hey there, I am Connor Corrigan and these are a list of 5 songs that mean a lot to me, or make me feel better about myself. Without these songs I do not know what other kind of memories I would have. I think this is a very solid list and I cant wait for you to five right in and experience it with me! Enjoy!

This song is related to me because whenever something is tough for me I listen to this song. This song picks me up and really speaks to me. The reason I turn to this song is because I think it is very inspirational. I also listen to this song first before every sporting event I take part in.

This song is very special to me because it is the first song me and my grandma ever sang together, We both love Sam Smith and one time I played this song and we both sang it and ever since it has been our song. Every time we are with each other I play it, and it never gets old.

I chose this song because it is a song that reminds me to chill out. If times are stressful or I just need a song I can vibe too, I turn to this song. This song males me feel younger than I already am and just puts me in a good mood every time I listen to it. Sour Patch Kids also happen to be my favorite candy and it is the name of the song.

This is one of my favorite songs ever because it was one of the first country songs I had ever heard. My mom showed it to me when I was little coming home from Target on a shopping day. Ever since she showed me this song I make sure to play it every once in awhile. It is also my moms ringtone, so when ever she calls me I hear this song and thunk back to the time she showed me.

This song means a lot to me because one of my close friends sent me this song after the passing of his father. He said he felt broken and that he could not really put to words how he felt, then he sent me this song. I text him every time I hear this song just to check in and make sure everything is okay. This is not a song I always want to hear, but this song means a lot to me and stands for something greater.

Sports and School

My life revolves around sports and school

I do not know what I would do with out them

I have made so many life long friendships along the way

And I will never forget the memories these two experiences have given me

I have never once regretted playing or going to school

I look forward to each activity every day

When high school is over then they too will be over

And that will be a very sad day

Hey you, do you think courage is important?I think courage is a very important aspect in life. O’Brien uses courage as an occurring theme in the book “The things they carried“. In this chapter, O’Brien talks about a man who came back from the war who had Post Traumatic stress disorder, and in the end ended up killing himself because he could not handle the throbbing stress of the war. Post traumatic stress disorder is when some one from war or has had a really really bad experience keeps thinking about it and can not seem to shake it off of their mind.

Norman got back from the war and tried to fight it but he was too far deep into his own mind. He had no will to live and everything to him just did not seem to have any importance. I think the notes were a very important part because they showed the story and what he was going through. It showed the side of him that no one really ever saw and why he could not take the effects of the war once he was back in his home town.

In my opinion, it did not change the way I saw or interpreted the story. My appreciation stayed the same because either way I think that the invention was still good. Even though the whole story is not true, the parts that are truthful still show the most meaning to me and I think that is why my appreciation did not change. Courage is really hard to have in my opinion and I do not think that Norman had a lot of courage. If I was in Normans spot, I do not know what I would have done. War can have a really really bad after affect to people once they go back home and that is exactly what Norman had.

Another thing that I think effected Norman was the death of Kiowa. O’Brien says, “Norman could not talk about it and never would. The evening was smooth and warm. If it had been possible, which it wasn’t, he would have explained how his friend Kiowa slipped away that night beneath the dark swampy field. He was folded in with the war; he was part of the waste” (123). He thinks that he could have and should have saved his buddy in his own unit. But instead he left him for dead and saved himself. When he went back home to Iowa that is all he seemed to be able to thunk about. In the world today, the highest numbers of suicide is the cause of grief, guilt, or own fault. Norman  could not get over the fact that he let his buddy die. He tried telling himself that it was the stench, or that if he tried saving Kiowa too that they both would have been left their to die. Him thinking all these thoughts was the main reason Norman decided to take his life.

After everything that we learn from the story and in Norman Bowers notes, I think people should cone to appreciate what happened especially with what we had learned from the previous we had read. I think that it is important for people to be open with each other and always tell someone if something is wrong. Even if we do not think people know what we have been through, some one does and someone is hurting just as bad and that is what Norman did not understand.

In the story, ” The things they carried” O’Brien explains what had happened to Mary Anne. How she clanged from when she first got there and to when she left. What i think turned Mary Anne into a killer was her curiosity. She was always so curios and ready to learn and always wanted to learn more. She later realized that if she wanted to remain in the Vietnamese lifestyle she had to change her way of living and become one with the land.

I also do not think it matters that Mary Anne is a woman. Man or woman, if you have the heart, courage, or bravery to stay in that life style and be able to thrive in it, then it does not matter what gender or race or size or anything. I think in most ways, girls are just as capable at doing things as guys are. You do not need to be a man to be able to survive in a new place. As long as she is able to respond with the climate and the way of living i do not think it matters if Mary Anne is a woman.

What I think transforms people in today’s society is almost everything. It can be a variety of things. Watching things on TV and watching is so much it becomes normal. I think if people see things in movies, or on the news, or video games they want to try it out in real life. It interests them but since all the can do is watch it they translate it into their everyday life. Another things that changes people in today’s society is cell phones. People these days are not very social and do everything on their phones, tablets, or computers. People do not know how to talk to people or have a conversation with anyone because they all depend on doing it all behind a screen. Another thing that changes people in today’s society is the music they listen too. I feel like you are what you listen too. If you listen to soft songs your more of a sweet heart and if you listen to songs about drugs and girls then that is mostly what you will care about. The last bug thing i think changes people in today’s society is the crowd they hang around with.

I do not think we are looking for something. I think most people just want to fit in or stand out. I do not think people are looking for answers either they just want to feel known and respected. If anything people just want do what they think will be cool or get the most popularity.

Even though Rat’s story was made up and not very true I personally do not think it takes the believe factor from the story away. I still think that the story is still very very compelling. Truth or lie it still pulls people in because it is something different and almost a breathe of fresh air because it is so out there and different. I personally do not believe Rat’s story but I too did think it was a very very compelling story, I think in a way it does fit O’Brien’s criteria for a true war story. O’Brien told a similar war story that was not true but it was still very very compelling and us the readers believed us but he later told us that it was a made up story and did not really happen.

I think people exaggerate the truth when we tell stories because we want our audience to be engaged and into the story and laugh at it. Sometimes we think the story is funny and when we are ready we find out it is not that funny to other people so we exaggerate it to make it sound more daring and funny and sometimes maybe even moire believable.

losing collage

My collage depicts aspects of losing. Losing a family member, or losing a game, or friend etc. It also shows that after all that pain, we become closer with each other. We become a close team after losing. We also become a closer family after losing a loved one. In today’s world losing is a good thing. Even though it doesn’t seem like it at that time losing is one of the best life messages we can receive.

      O’Brien describes courage as, “ I headed straight along the rainy river, which separates Minnesota from Canada, and which separated one life from another”(O’Brien 45). O’Brien is talking about himself crossing the river from a familiar place to a place unknown. He did not know what was on the other side, but he had the courage to cross the river and find out. He ended up making the right decision and staying back, but also had the courage to stay be strong enough to turn back. 

I would define define courage as being in a situation we are not familiar with. When we do something, even though we might be scared and still do it. That is courage in my opinion. I think courage is getting over our fears, and defeating them. I also think courage is being out into a situation that you are uncomfortable with and being able to have a clear mind about it and push through. We can have courage and fail, but if you fail and try again with the possibility of failure and then succeed, we have not only shown courage but we have conquered our fear. In my quote, O’Brien is debating whether he should flee from the war or stay back and go to war. He had the chance to cross the river and he was scared too but he still went out there. He had the chance to get out of the boat and go to Canada. He did not take the chance and turned back and decided he would fight in the war. In both instances he showed courage. He was scared to fight, but he was also scared to flee. He ended up conquering one of his fears and turned back to go to Vietnam.

I believe that O’Brien was also trying to show that it is alright to be scared. O’Brien states, “and I would have disappeared. I was wired and jittery”(48).  At this point of the story, he was with Elroy. Elroy was trying to help calm him down because he was so hyper and had fear. O’Brien was trying to show that he was scared, and that it is alright to be scared as long as we have the courage to over come it. This relates back to my first point, that courage is when we have fear, but over come it and succeed. What me and O’Brien have in common is that we both believe is that fear will drive a person to overcome what they are uncertain for and bring the best out of them.

In conclusion, the main message O’Brien is trying to state is that fear in a persons life is good, and if we have to courage to over come that fear, it is even better. Of course the soldiers are scared to die, they are fighting for their lives but they all had the courage to go to the war and give it all they had to survive and make it back home.

Hi, my name is Connor Corrigan. I am a junior at Naperville north high school. I play football and baseball there. I am a starting Defensive end for the huskies Football team and I am a pitcher for the baseball team. I have played football and baseball since I was in first grade. I have always loved playing sports. I played basketball from 2nd grade all the way up to eighth. When i was younger, I played for my school teams. I went to Saints Peter and Paul school downtown Naperville, IL. I have always started and tried to be the best at my position. I think I would have to say my favorite sport is football. My favorite professional sports team is the Chicago Bears, and for baseball the Chicago Cubs. I play travel baseball for an organization called the 29ers. We travel all over the country and play teams from all over in a variety of different tournaments. I am also a pitcher for that team as well as a right fielder. I would like to either play football or baseball in college. I think it would be a cool experience and keep me in shape. Sports for me is more than just a game though, it has shaped me to be a better person, and I’ve gained so many life lessons and life friends. I have  learned that in sports winning is not everything. We all have to work for everything and nothing is handed to us. I have also gained so many life long friends and learned so much from the sport, and them. I think the most important thing i have learned from the game of football is that it takes a team to win. We all have to work with each other and have each others backs if we want to overcome the challenge. It is a brother hood. The most important thing i have learned from baseball is that no matter how bad it gets, its never over. Perseverance and patience are things that I’ve gotten good at while playing sports. I think those two things can take you very far in life. There is nothing i would rather do then play football, baseball, soccer, basketball, any sport in that case with my friends or my team. I don’t play all those sports but if its in a competitive atmosphere and i am with my friends it feels like i do. I don’t know what i would do with out sports. My whole life revolves around sports. My school, what i watch on TV, movies, and so much more. Sports are a great thing in this world that we live in today and it has helped millions of kids makes friends, get them and their family’s out of bad situations, and many many more. Sports bring people together as one no matter what race or where you are from. I believe sports keep the world at peace to a point. I love sports and i think everyone else should too.

this is my blog about Fiji water. Fiji is the best water there has ever been. It is so smooth and refreshing you cant get enough.