William+Mattingly

William Mattingly Assignment 1: My hero My father, Paul Mattingly, exemplified Joseph Campbell's idea of a hero every day of his life, as he fought off of a small dairy farm in Lebanon, Kentucky to become a lead lawyer and executive at one of the most prestigious law firms in America. As the ninth out of ten children, with the tenth coming 18 years after my father, he was picked on by his older siblings and this made him want to do something special with his life, thus he began to spend the time he was not doing farm chores reading. Clearly the reading paid off because he one of the smartest people I know. Also, growing up on a farm, where there was work to be done from before sunrise to after sundown, taught him how to work hard. Now, despite the obstacles he faced growing up, he has become an acclaimed lawyer helping to manage one of the largest law firms in America, and by doing so he has shown me that the dream, that many in this country are starting to doubt, of being successful, no matter where you come from as long as you work hard is true. Furthermore, he is much more than just a lawyer. My dad is a great father, loving husband, one of the funniest people I know, and one of my best friends. Paul Mattingly truly does exemplify a hero, because he has overcome a beginning, that many today do not rebound from, to be successfully married for over 25 years, father three kids, and become an expert in his field, all of which can be associated with hard work and perseverance. Assignment 2: My perfect world My personal perfect world centers around two things, sleep and food. Throughout this school year, I have rediscovered something I forgot about during the summer. This is that sleep is seldom and precious. Therefore, my perfect world take place in my bed with the lights off and some snacks next to me. Keebler's fudge stripes, cheddar and sour cream Ruffle's and a liter of Coke would be my chosen food and drink. Also, I would be watching a good movie like Forrest Gump on my computer as I slowly drift to sleep without a care in the world. Hopefully, all of these things will be customary during the summer, and as I write this, I look forward to the day where these are possible. While this writing might make me sound extremely lazy, among other things, it is my true perfect world and probably what the Golden Age was based off of. 

Assignment 3: Double-edged gift My double-edged gift is my netflix subscription, because it can provide good material and information, but it can also distract me from school, among other things. The subscription can be used as an education tool by watching shows like "The Eighties," a documentary produced by CNN or even "Narcos," which is a Netflix original about Pablo Escabor and his columbian drug trade. While Netflix can sometimes serve me well, it is more commonly used to watch shows made for pure entertainment, like "Family Guy" or "The League." As I run out of good shows or movies to watch on Netflix, it should be less of a distraction, but for the time being, it is my double-edged gift.

Assignment 4: End of Childhood My first realization that life is filled with misfortunes, or an "end of childhood" moment, occurred during the bombing of the Boston Marathon in 2013. The attack made me realize that people do have cruel intentions and that life should be lived with the passion of someone who knows they are living their last day. With that being said, living in fear is not an option. By doing so, you are marginalizing your happiness and ability to live life with excitement. Also, you are letting the terrorists accomplish their goal and advance their agenda. Sadly, America and many other countries have faced attacks like this since then, but good people continue to outlast those who have malicious, evil, and disgusting ideals and approaches to life.

Assignment 5: Cataracts of Heaven Here I stand, Looking and searching For any life in our entire land.

Vanquished by inhumane deeds All life is gone, Thanks to people exaggerating their "needs".

Wondering where it all started, I blame our society For leaving me broken-hearted.

Assignment 6: Changes One change in our mythology unit is the change that took place with King Midas and his donkey ears. The ears were set as a punishment from Apollo, because of Midas's outstanding greed and hubris. Midas learns that there are consequences for such nasty characteristics, making the punishment a good change.

Assignment 7: My Favorite Season Personally, I enjoy Summer the most. Summer is a time for baseball, sleep, the pool, and overall relaxaction. Also, there is more time to spend time with friends. My birthday is in the Summer, and while I am not much of a birthday person, I enjoy spending it with my friends and family. Oh, and the presents aren't bad either. Summer provides the best opportunity to go on vacations, especially those to the beach. Another reason I can attribute my love to Summer is baseball. The majority of the competitive baseball I play takes part in the summer, and I always enjoy playing on the same team as my friends and taking trips to the beach for tournaments there. Also, the majority of the MLB season is played in the summer. For these reasons, summer is the favorite season of mine, and many other

middle school archetypes My middle school experience has explicitly proven one fact that I know to be true. Summer is the golden age. Students wait all year for this golden age all throughout the excruciating process of a school, one that is eventually washed away by a painful flood, exams. Although, to us middle schoolers, these exams symbolize the future is bright, and near. This future is the glowing, exuberant summer sun. Summer is a time for leisure, baseball, travel, and most importantly, late sleep. To get through this treacherous path of school you need a god teacher, and mine is Mr. Prince. Mr. Prince has taught me good study habits and has made me develop a good work ethic. Now, the flood of exams is coming up on, but I will choose to interpret that as something good. It means the golden age is near.