Dave's Essays

This is a compilation of most of the essays that I have written thus far in high school. I have not changed any of these essays from their original form. Therefore, the essays that I have written more recently should be better than the essays that I wrote a long time ago.

I am not necessarily proud of all these works. In fact, I'm downright embarrassed by a few of them. But I did create all of them with my own brain, and contrary to popular belief, I'm not perfect, so the failures should be shown along with the major successes. Most of them are good though. I have taken painstaking effort to ensure that these essays have no misspellings. But if you should happen to notice an error, please E-mail me. Here they are:

My freshman year (1995-1996)

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
I wrote this essay for a biology report.
Animal testing
I wrote this one for an English essay, learning the MLA style of writing. It may sound a little inhumane. I have changed my opinion about this topic since my freshman year.
Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp
This was a research project for my English class's study of the Holocaust.
Captains Classification Essay
This was an essay to learn the classification format.
Christopher Columbus's Place in history
I needed a little bit of extra credit for World History, as I was on the borderline between an A and a B. So I wrote this essay and got the better grade.
Douglas MacArthur biography
I needed some extra credit for World History again, this time in a different quarter. So I wrote this and again pulled off the A.
Is Everything Determined?
Good question. This essay had to be built around literature, though. I wrote a better essay on this my sophomore year, but I can't seem to find it. If I ever do, I'll put it up.
Margaret White and Frederick Douglass comparison
A simple comparison of two great people.
Romeo & Juliet Quotes
We read Romeo & Juliet my freshman year. Then we had to do some projects of our own choice. This was one of them.
Romeo & Juliet Timeline
The second project for Romeo & Juliet. This is a basic timeline of the story.
Space Oratory
This is one of the early drafts of my freshman oratory. The speech changed quite a bit by the end of the year, but my low scores didn't. Judges always said that it was well-written, just not performed well.
Timeline of Night, by Elie Wiesel
I don't know what was with me and timelines. This one deals with Elie Wiesel's experience in the Holocaust.
To Kill a Mockingbird character sketch
Another set of English projects. This time I didn't write a timeline. I wrote this character sketch, among other things.
To Kill a Mockingbird newspaper
Oh joy, a newspaper. It was one of the best things on the list, and I did a pretty good job with it too.
To Kill a Mockingbird poem
I don't recommend this. I wasn't much of a poet my freshman year. That's changed quite a bit though. I can write decent poetry now. But if you really want to see how bad I was, read this poem.
Treknology
My English teacher said that this is one of the best freshman essays that she had ever read. Enjoy.
Trial
Okay, so I wasn't much of a script writer either. This is a script of a mock trial. A couple of friends & I acted this one out. The end was kinda funny.

My sophomore year (1996-1997)

Career in Physics
Oh yes. The big sophomore career unit. This one is an outline of various aspects of a career in physics.
Confirmation Saint
I had to write this short paper on Albertus Magnus in order to be confirmed.
Health Essay--Smoking
I actually had to do some paperwork in P.E. It was mostly running and sports, but we did do a health unit. This is a transcript of my speech that I had to give.
Physics Technology Interest
I wrote this as an essay to get into an engineering camp. I got accepted, but I went to NFL Nationals instead. I had much more fun there.
The Most Dangerous Game and Bargain comparison
A comparison of two short stories. I actually used Bargain in a debate round. So, reading does pay off.
The Fall of Kang
Maybe I was a little better poet my sophomore year. But I still left much to be desired. This was for a computer class. I had to insert an image behind the text. oooooh tough. Yeah right!

My junior year (1997-1998)

Boy's State Bill
Self explanatory. A bill making community service a requirement for high school graduation.
Capital Punishment Speech
A persuasive speech on capital punishment. I got a 97 on this one. I guess being in speech makes you a better public speaker.
Classification Essay--Theories of Existence
Evolution or Creationism? Find out which one, if any, is true in this essay.
Compare/Contrast Essay--Kirk and Picard
We all know which captain is better. But this one compares them in an objective manner.
Effort Oratory
I did really good with this one at the beginning of the year. Then I hit a brick wall.
Global Shift Informative Speech
5/5/2000--The day that the world ends? Maybe. Read the speech to find out more. By the way, I got a 97 on this one without even practicing the speech.
Essay on the Symbolism in Moby Dick
Moby Dick had a lot of symbolism in it. Find out more in this speech.
Narrative Essay--TWA flight
Never, ever, ever, fly on TWA. Here is my own personal experience.
PreCalc report
One word describes this: Hell. It was tough to put together, and it was so dry, not that that's unusual for math.
Prom introduction
I was the master of ceremonies at the prom. So I had to write my very own introduction. Here it is.
Science Never Sucks!
This is the second oratory I wrote my junior year. Parts of it are quite humorous. I wrote this one in a day.
Spanish Argentina Report
Spanish isn't just about learning a language. It's about learning a culture. Here are some things that I learned about Argentina. I had to write this report then give an oral speech on it. Believe it or not, I memorized this whole darn thing verbatim.
Thoreau Quote essay
We had to pick out a quote from Henry David Thoreau, then write an essay about it. Here is mine.