New Life

Author’s Note: This piece is a prediction, please look for great vocabulary and creativity.

Depression, guiltiness, and sadness all went through Cody’s brain after walking out of the dark woods.  Cody knew he had to do something about it, because it was wrong to disobey the old man. Not knowing what to do, Cody walked home with tears spilling from his face with guilt. 

After opening the brown, old door to his house, Cody looked into the woods and knew this wasn’t the type of person he was.  With the attitude that he had at that moment, Cody rushed into his garage  looking for his shovel. “I got it”, Cody whispered.  He gripped the shovel and sprinted into the woods, to the spot of where Clarence was buried. As Cody started to shovel, he smiled thinking, I am going the right thing.

As the hole started to get bigger and Clarence’s body was uncovered. He put the gold piece in Clarence’s arms, and as doing this he knew this was the start of a new life.

Joe Castle learned his lesson!

Author’s Note: I am analysing the main character in “Calico Joe”, Joe Castle. Please look for the interesting content in the following paragraphs.

Imagine being in the situation when you are in the Minor Leagues of baseball, battling it out will other people that want to be a star in the Major Leagues as much as you do.  Would you keep on trying to get there?  And how long would you try?  That is what Joe Castle had to decide. In the book, “Calico Joe” by John Grisham you will learn to live life to the fullest and to give it your all every chance you get.

Although not everyone gets a chance that could change their life forever, Joe Castle did.  The Chicago Cubs first baseman was out with an injury, so they called up Joe from the Minor Leagues to be their first basemen.  Joe seized the opportunity by bombing twenty-one homeruns in thirty-eight games. After a couple of games Joe started to get cocky by walking the bases after each other of his home runs.

During his first at bat against Warren Tracey, a pitcher from the New York Mets, Joe hit a homerun and again walked the bases. Tracey was getting frustrated and angry by the way Joe celebrated. At Castle's next at bat Tracey wound up and aimed at Joe’s head and hit him right in the head and Joe was down for the count. Joe wasn’t able to play baseball again. He learned to be confident but not cocky and to live every moment to the fullest because you never know what will happen.

Within the book, “Calico Joe”, Joe changes just like Katniss Everdeen, but not in all of the same ways. Katniss Everdeen, the main character in “The Hunger Games”, was a brave person that didn’t care how long she lived.  After her experience, she transformed into a confident person that wants to live life to the fullest just like Joe Castle.  Although these characters are different, in many ways they still hold some similar traits.

In “Calico Joe” by John Grisham, I learned to live life to the fullest and be confident not cocky. Well, reading  “Calico Joe”, you learn that your actions affect other people in good and bad ways.