Write a diary entry or letter from the point of view of a teenager during the 1930s who has run away to ride the rails. Explain why you left and what you are experiencing. What are your hopes? What are your fears?

March 22, 1934

Dear diary,

Today was the day I left home. I know how risky it is, but I know that my family will not miss me. I have six siblings, and my parents will be happy to have one less mouth to feed. I know that they love me, but people are struggling so much now, it is not their fault. I will write to them as soon as I arrived to California.

I just could not stay in Oklahoma anymore. Our farm has become dusty, and we have no crops. Which means we have no food, no clothes and nothing that needs money. My family is thin because we have so little to eat. I had to leave in order to try to find work somewhere else.

I have heard that things are better in California. I hope so. I hope that when I arrive, I earn so much money, I get to eat a cheeseburger. I am also scared. I know people are not always kind to those looking for work. I am also scared of being so far away from my family. And I am scared of the dangers of jumping on trains and of policemen. But I had to do it. Now, I can only hope things get better.

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)

a compare and contrast essay is a piece of formal writing in which the author focus on the similarities between two ideas, objects, places, etc., and the differences between them. there are some aspects that the author should take into account when he/she is crafting the essay. first, the author has a clear idea of the effect that he/she wants to produce on the audience (a purpose). his/her main idea should be presented in the thesis statement in a simple but effective way which gives the audience a clear idea of the content and the direction of the essay. in addition, it is also important to focus to the similarities and differences that not only are interesting and relevant to the reader but also provide a new, impressive point of view or deeper understanding of a topic.