Ocean  Depths    By  Hunter  Hill  

 

Ocean    Depths  By  Hunter  Hill  

Authors  Note   What I want to get are papers that not only answer their topic, but papers that go into depth and talk about the real story and real reason behind it all. Also I want it to tell how this issue has personally affects them today. Papers with depth to them hold the most emotion and have a strong sense of relate ability to it because we all have a purpose to do something or feel a certain ways. Also these papers have a hidden message to them whether it is thankfulness to an influential figure in there life, or towards a teacher. Having a relatable topic allows the reader to connect to what they are reading and find a deep connection to the piece. The process of the Zine changed my view towards writing in a way that now my writing has multi-purpose to it. Another aspect that changed in my writing is that now I like to incorporate a hidden message in the story. So the message is portrayed in a non-direct way. This gives allows the reader to think about the truth in the reason the paper was written even after they done reading it. I chose the title of “Ocean Depth” for like the ocean the papers that I chose they hold multiple layers in them. The overall topic is the surface of the paper and their explanation and reasoning for writing it serves as the depths.

 

 Table  of  Contents  

 

Checkmate ————— ————— ———————————————#1

Convince Me—————————————————————————#2

The New Social World—————————————————————#3

Three Versions of Me —————————————————————#4

Regrets ———————————————————————————#5

Family Love —————————————————————————#6

Street Paved With Sadness ——— ———————————————#7

The Promise—————————————————————————#8  

1  

1

Checkmate

Frustration overwhelmed me as my uncle Gene put me in checkmate hundreds of times. Everyone

has an algorithm or strategy, but my uncle was as harder to figure out then cracking the code to enter the Pentagon. I played against him many times but couldn't find I pattern. I looked for one move and tried to counter, but three moves later realized it was a set up to corner me in check. Determined to learn his trick I analyzed him play every weekend against the homeless and kupuna (grandparents) under the pavilion in Waikiki. Watching smiles and laughs being traded brought a new light to the game. There was more to it than just winning, there was learning new strategies, meeting new people, and enjoying yourself. As you watch these people play you really see the beauty in how the Hawaiian vibe intertwines with this strict intense pastime.                           Explanation

This paper fits under my topic because through the paragraph I find the true meaning of the game. Earlier I thought that Chess was about winning and tricking your opponents with the strategies that you obtained. Then through my frustrations of losing I began to open my view of the game and begin to not only watch and analyze the board and pieces, but also watch the people. Watching the way that everyone reacted weather win or lose I began to see this game in a new light. Later chess became fun and I changed the approach I had earlier into a more friendly learning process. During my years of the practice I began to wonder off the path of enjoyment and onto the path of intense competitiveness, this was the true meaning of my paper. It wasn’t just about my love for chess but it was about the realization of what it meant to me and also the gratefulness that I had for my Uncle for introducing the pastime to me. The Game of Chess was just the surface but throughout the paper I uncovered the true meaning, the depths. The true meaning of the paper was found through a narrative paragraph, starting with my struggles and ending with a newfound joy for the game. In this paragraph there are relatable examples and strong personal reflections/thoughts. Lastly this paper has a few cases of friendly language helping the reader stay interested.

2  

2

Convince Me I pick up the book and am instantly sent into a blizzard. The air is crisp, and white is the only thing I

could see besides my hands. My body shivering from the sub zero temperatures. But I can't worry about my senses for I'm looking for my dead father trapped under the ice of the river. The frozen water breaks from the strike of my hammer and I grab the limp body and pull it to the surface. The crippling pain and guilt I felt from sawing off his arm for proof he did not flee the state but was killed. Showing the judge my evidence brought justice to the family, and renewed our honor to the community. I close the book, and am instantly placed back into reality. I stare at the cover of "Winters Bone" and ponder about how I felt as if I was Ree Dolly, the main character from the novel.

Explanation Visualizing what I was reading wasn't a skill that came to me naturally. I struggled with reading for the majority of my younger years. It was so bad I got to a point in which I gave up. In my paper I talk about my thanks I have towards my Aunty and how she practiced with me starting with the basics and worked with me to where I am today. Taking me to the library at least three times a week I slowly improved in the skill. Finally after the constant practice I was able to see not only words on a page but I could see the world that the author was trying to get the reader to visualize. The surface of the paper was my love of reading. The true meaning of the paper was the immense thanks I had to my Aunty in how she never gave up on me and i got to where I am today because of her. The depths of the paper were depicted by a strong use of language that helps the reader visualize the image that the author saw during his experience when reading. Also by using narrative writing the reader feels as if they two are reading and experiencing the book first hand.

3  

3

A New Social World As the night of August 27 came I was full of excitement for tomorrow was my 16th birthday. I was

thinking of how happy I would be and thankful to all my friend that wished me "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” As sunrise the next morning a I awoke I heard a ding from my phone. A birthday wish from my cousin sent via text. Quickly I replied thanks and my morning moved one. Slowly the Facebook messages filled my notifications. All my friends took the time the write and message to me. But as I walked in school it seemed as if it was a normal day. A few congratulations were said, but mostly from my real close buddies. But that day didn't really feel special because although I did receive messages on Facebook I didn't get the vibe of joy and happiness. Until after school when I went of a dinner my family handed me a present and sang for me. I really felt their emotions and it made me happy to be there. That when I realized how important personal integration was.

Explanation

My paper talks about the struggle that people are having with socializing in today’s world without the

use of technology. Social media is now the go to way of communication. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter overwhelm the notifications on our phones and are suffocating our face-to-face speaking abilities. The paragraph that I chose is a personal experience of mine. I talk about how I was let down by my peers during my birthday. Excited about the next morning I struggled to get sleep in anticipation of the many “Happy Birthdays” that would come my way during school. Sadly I received very few personally but many over Facebook and Text. My pet peeve of technology was the surface of story, but the depths of the paper was the way it affected me and caused a dislike towards social media. The paragraph is a strong example that happens to most everyone in this generation. It is a very easy read filled with friendly language and based on one of the most relatable topics today. In the paper is packed with emotional highs and lows making it a entertaining read.

4  

4

Three Versions of Me As the years go on my views of school and life has changed. The main years that stand out to me was

sixth grade, ninth grade and my junior year. The main things that differ to me are the ways in which I acted. In sixth grade I felt that I was lost. In a new school and didn't know anyone. Forced to make friends was a skill that I haven't used since kindergarten. I walked into class my first day at 7:40 I was the last one and late. I had to sit where there was an opening not being able to chose whom to sit by. I grabbed a seat and scanned the room silently looking for a friendly face. We did an activity to learn the names of my classmates. The activity was to say your name the school you came from and something interesting. " My name is hunter hill I came from Kahala elementary school and I snowboard." Funny thing was I never snowboarded before. I said that to seem cool to stick out. My first day in sixth grade I felt to make friends you had to be "the cool dude" so I went for that. But ninth grade came it was a little different.

Explanation

As we get older it is natural for our attitudes to change through the years. This occurrence was the surface of the paper. I talked about three different times in my life, my sixth, ninth, and eleventh grade year and how my attitude differed throughout. Sixth grade coming to a new school I told a few fibs here changing my appearance towards the unknown people that would soon be my friends. This gave me a “cool guy appearance” which I wanted to help me make friends. Entering my freshman year what I wore changed, I purchased new clothes to not impress my friends but impress the upper classmen. The depth of this paper was the reasoning for my constant change through the years. We don’t constantly change for any reason, we change to fit in. The paragraph pointed out an insecurity I had about my looks and what others thought about me. What the paragraph did was create a blanket, which covered the true meaning of the paper. It displayed a message to the reader without making a direct connection to the point allowing the paper to become more narrative rather than too explanatory.

5  

5

Regrets Time is one thing that is taken away from us every day and little do we realize how little of it we

have. The ephemeral moments that are repeated day by day end up making the biggest differences. One of my biggest regret is time management and giving up on things. The things I could have done if I decided to stick with one skill or sport saddens me. I will always make the best of what I have and look at the things I did and didn't do optimistically. But I always wished I was really good at one thing. It didn't matter what it was, it could have been sports or a skill but I just never really went through with it.

Explanation

This paragraph fits perfectly into the theme of Ocean Depths for it has multiple levels to it. First the author writes about his regret of failing to use time responsibly. This being the overall topic of the paper it gets the readers to slip into the surface of the writing. Then throughout the paragraph the author begins to dig deeper into his topic. Slowly he reveals his reasons for regret, wishing that he focused his time more centrally on one activity. Thinking back he realizes that mastering one skill and sticking to it would have been in his best interest. The author depicts his feelings though a strong reflective paper filled with his personal regrets. The topic of regretting time and how you manage it is very relatable and the author’s explanation of why he has a feeling of remorse is told well throughout the paragraph.

6  

6

Family Love The most common love that is found is love towards family. To me family love is an expected love.

Although you don't always have to love them they are the ones who take care of you and have helped you grow. When I was younger I was adopted from Cambodia and growing up people would tell me that my real parents didn't love me and that's why they gave me up. They were wrong. My birth parents gave me up because they love me, they knew they couldn't give me what I deserved and they wanted me to be successful. That's something they knew I couldn't have been living in Cambodia.

Explanation

By bringing up a common topic in love, the author spun the topic around added some spice and in the

end put her own twist on it. Love towards family she wrote is the most basic type of love. Then instantly the story is spun she talked about how she was adopted from Cambodia. Piers began teasing her telling her that her family didn't love her. But in the end the author shined a new light on her adoption. Giving your child up for adoption is solely based on love. She talked about how her family knew that the options that Cambodia provided was slim and that they couldn’t equally provide what he adopted parents could. This paragraph is an excellent example of a paper with depth. How through adversity a view of gratefulness and thanks appeared.

7  

7

Street Paved With Sadness I walk slowly down the streets paved with sadness, Addicts begging for favors and pleading for change, Desperation plagues their dark hollow eyes And their hearts, they are empty and I I silently cry. I cry for the lost, the rich and the poor, Whose hearts have grown bitter and cold, For what could have been in their life is now gone, And left is the empty high of a drug that's unknown, I silently cry. I pray for the ones who have given up hope, Hope for a future of love, faith and joy, I pray for the lonely the sick and the lost, That someone would take the time to reach out, I silently hope, I hope for a future, a better tomorrow, For people who need compassion and care, I hope that bitterness melts with the touch of a heartbeat, I hope for the love that we can give one another, For are we not really everyone's brother? -Gery Anderson Explanation

In the poem the author talks about crying for all different types of people. Feeling pain and affection for others was the surface of the paper. Then researching into his life you find the true meaning for his piece. He was inspired to write this poem because of all the heartache that addiction causes. Gery read another poem of a girl whose brother ended up in the hospital with a crushed body, and mind and spirit robbed from addiction. It touched his heart and lead him to write this for all those near and dear to the lost in spirit. This poem seems to hold a basic feeling of sadness for people in need. But slowly throughout the work it begins to funnel down and become more precise. In the end it closes that with a thought of not only feeling sad for the drug addicts but for every one for they are hurting to from the decisions their loved ones made.

 

8  

8

The Promise “In this presence beyond presence,

In this place that is no place at all,

In this warm embrace I call myself,

Even a ‘no’ is a secret yes,

Even resistance is deeply allowed,

Even doubt is a celebration of life… “

- from ‘The Promise’

Explanation

The author of this piece is Jeff Foster; this quote holds deep importance. First when you read this the first thing that comes to mind is question. Wondering what this means why is there so much contradiction. This writing holds the true meaning of depth in it. Like the Ocean the quotes is an uncertainty. But as you continue to read and reread it becomes clear. It starts with a negative word, and shines a brighter light on it to turn it positive. The piece is encourages you to strive for you goals even through adversity. Like all papers there was a backbone, a reason to right it. Jeff wrote this right after finding his guide to lead him out of his deep dark depression with plagued his early years. This piece is a pure example with demonstrates my title of “Oceans Depths.” There is a deeper meaning a deeper reasoning for all papers and all writings.