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Hey everyone, I am entering this contest for a local newspaper. The top three articles win money. The topic for the article is how your community has impacted your development as a person. Tell me what you think of my article, and what you think I should change before I submit it.
The Riot
Volume: 2 Issue: 9
"Home Is Where Your Heart Is" -1/16/05
By Michael Lemme
In the song Jesus of Suburbia, Billy Joe Armstrong sings, "home is
where your heart is, but what a shame, 'cause everyone's heart doesn't beat
the same." There are over 295,734,134 people in America. That means
there are at least 295,734,134 different emotions and different
characteristics in America. If everyone had the same emotions and characteristics
we would not be who we are today. We would all be a group of people who
revolt against thinking differently. Ironically enough George W. Bush
would probably still be our leader.
All of these emotions and characteristics come from various aspects of
life, especially one's environment. If you grow up in a neighborhood
with a lot of violence, you have more of a chance to take part in violent
events in your life. When someone grows up in a household full of
prescription pills, arguments, and attempted suicide, that person is bound
to grow up and become a comedian.
I never actually became acquainted with my community until the age of
10 or so. I was very sheltered and over protected as a child. We would
never explore the great city of Chicopee, but we would always travel to
another city to have fun on occasion. Northampton was the first area I
knew of, because it was home to Look Park. Look Park is a beautiful
park in Northampton that my family would always go to on the weekends. The
weekend trips to Look Park created a strange part of me. I believe Look
Park made me more of a passionate and happy person. Nothing in this
world can compare to the outrageous beauty of a pond at the park on a fall
day. Once you see the blissful park in the fall all of your problems
seem to disappear, and you become a happier person.
Growing up I never had a strong relationship with my parents or
friends. It is quite sad to admit, but I probably received the majority of my
characteristics from television. Whether it was watching Doug, Boy
Meets World, or Zoom I learned something from every show I watched. From
Boy Meets World I learned to not give up on love, which I use more as a
teenager than as a younger adolescent. By watching Zoom everyday I
learned that anyone with a blender could make hummus, but no one with half a
brain would eat it.
At the age of 10 an almost tragic event changed my family forever. This
event made me sad for a number of years, but it also broadened my
outlook on life. I was finally able to walk outside and see Chicopee,
Massachusetts in all of its glory. I quickly ran inside, because I became
bored after about seven minutes.
If you ask the majority of the teenagers who live in Chicopee to
describe Chicopee in one word the answer you will receive is boring. I also
used to find it boring, but now I look at Chicopee differently. Chicopee
is my home, where all my friends live, and where everything great has
happened to me. I wouldn't want to have lived anywhere else but here for
the past 16 years. This city and its people have molded me into the
sarcastic jerk who is writing this.
This community is very generous. Many moons ago the family car broke
down in the morning of a school day. My mother thought of a genius plan
to walk down Memorial Drive to our school. The walk would have taken a
good half hour, but half way threw the walk our neighbor pulled up
beside us and offered to drive us to school. Till this day I still
appreciate that ride. The community of Chicopee has made me a very generous
person.
Chicopee is full of amazing people including my friends. My friends are
the greatest aspect of my community that have molded me into the person
writing this article. Without friends I would become a lonely,
depressed, hermit. I feel incredibly lucky every time I get to be surrounded by
people I care about. I have grown into an excellent person thanks to
the guidance of close friends and family. All my humor, all my love, and
all my happiness I owe to various friendships. Chicopee, Massachusetts
might be full of horrible, boring, obsolete stores like Wal-Mart, but
Chicopee is also home to the greatest people in the world.
In two years, I plan to be attending college in New York City or Los
Angeles. I'm sure there are hundreds of people out there in America who
are waiting to affect my life in some way, shape, or form. No matter how
many more people touch my life in someway, the community of Chicopee,
Massachusetts will always hold a special piece of my heart. Indeed, home
is where your heart is.