The Third Option

    America has been a home for immigrants since the country was first formed. The people living here have always struggled with honoring their past and their identity as an American. Although it is hard to find there is a balance.
 
     My parents come from two completely different backgrounds. My dad is very American and grew up in Florida. While my mom is hispanic and grew up in Bolivia. They both have such different stories to tell about how they grew up. While my dad lived a typical American lifestyle, like going surfing and playing football; my mom grew up in Bolivia and went to a private German school. They have never pushed me into a certain a direction but it was never hard to find a balance between the two.

    When i was younger spanish was my first language and many family members worried but before I even started kindergarden I had already learned english as well. Growing up we always had such different things going on. My mom has a huge family and they're always around and they always brought food that they grew up with, which are some of my favorites. On the other hand my dads family was very small but they had their own traditions as well.

     I've managed to blend the two cultures into a perfect balance by doing what i enjoy while honoring their past. For instance, my moms family always opens gifts for Christmas on Christmas Ever after a huge dinner, while my dads side of the family has always opened gifts on Christmas day after breakfast. So what we have always done is open half of the presents from my mom and dad on Christmas Eve along with my moms family's presents then on Christmas day we open my dads side of the family's presents along with my parents other half. When i was little I didn't get it and just wanted to open all of my presents as soon as possible. Now that i'm older i've grown to love this tradition. In the end its not okay to be Maggie or Dee because you have to find some sort of balance between who you are and enjoying your families traditions.

Haunted Houses

    

    For many years we have made a countless amount of horror stories about haunted houses. Edgar Allan Poe managed to create many stereotypes that are still used today. For instance, In The Fall Of the House of Usher, Poe uses an old deteriorated house, a dark night, limited amount of people, the return of a dead person and an uncertain ending.

    The use of and old deteriorated house is effective in creeping the audience out from the beginning. The idea of an old house that is barely standing creeps people out. When walking into a house and everything is dusty and creaks, it starts to worry you. As soon as the narrator arrived to the house he noticed it was old. He also mentioned that it was the same house the family had always lived in, which  creates a sense of mystery.

    In every horror story they always use the idea of everything happening in the dead of the night. The day time creates a sense of security that the night doesn't create. The night time is uncertain because you can't see everything clearly. Since you can't see anything every little noise makes you jump. When the narrator arrives to the house of Usher it is not completely bright outside. Which makes the audience unsure of what might happen next.

    Poe manages to keep the character list to a minimum. The narrator, Roderick and Madeline. With keeping the list short the  creepy factor is higher. There is no one to help if something were to go wrong which helps keep the audience on the edge of their seat.

    What is a horror story without someone coming back from the dead? Even though Roderick knew Madeline wasn't dead he decided to bury her anyways. Which just leaves the audience wondering what is actually going on in that house. The idea of the dead coming back to haunt us has always scared us and makes the story stronger.

     The uncertain ending always makes the audience think a little. Did it really happen? Is the narrator the crazy one? With the house falling to pieces leaves no evidence of the event happening. It could have just been the narrators nightmare. Leaving the audience to decipher the ending helps build the suspense and creepiness of the story.

     Although if I were to write a horror story i would decide to help the reader understand more by explaining some background information. Although it takes away some of the mystery it would help the reader understand the story a little better. Also I would explain the deaths better. Did Roderick want to kill Madeline or was it an honest mistake? How did Roderick die? Although mystery is good the audience does enjoy an explanation.