Rohit+Kanduri

**__ (Classic Pisces vs. Me) __**
 * __ Compare & Contrast Essay __**


 * Many people think that someone born in between February 20 to march 20 would be a Pisces, but I think the time you are born doesn’t affect the character traits you claim in life. Though, I don’t think I am like a regular Pisces. My nature is different than others, because I am not as sensitive as normal Pisces. I am also not weak-willed and an escapist. A normal, classic Pisces is very secretive and vague, but many Pisces I know, along with me, don’t feature that too well. I may be able to keep extremely important secrets, but I am imprecise. Therefore, I don’t like telling difficult riddles, I like to solve them. **
 *  One trait that I believe I possess is to be very intuitive. Working in groups, I enjoy, but I never get much work done, even if it’s a person I can cooperate with well. To me, it feels as if I am being just a bit distracted, even though my partner is trying to help. This is one out of the four traits I acclaim, just like a standard Pisces. While I do my homework at home in my room, I usually get right into it immediately. Last year, I was typing an essay for English and I was considerably far into it. My mind was only on that, until my door had opened just a crack. The tiny squeak that I heard made me lose my train of thought. I would have thought that my mom knew I was doing my homework and wouldn’t disturb me, but she had only come to call me down for dinner. When I came back upstairs, it took me a longer time to gather my thoughts and put them together, like a big puzzle with hundreds of pieces. The worst part was that I had to remember where each piece fit perfectly. My independence is important to me, especially when I am doing important work. If I were assigned a partner to do the essay with, I probably would have come up with 1/5 of the whole thing. If I was going off topic just for a minute to take a break, I wouldn’t be able to get back on track. **
 *  As a Pisces, I am told that I am not very ideal, but I don’t believe so. My dreams normally require lots of education and hard work, in all subjects. When I get older, I want my job to be in the medical zone, just like all of my cousins. They wish to be regular doctors or run a pharmacy, but I would like to be a job that is hard earned, just like most Pisces do. One dream I want to earn is to be an idealist to others in any way possible. I want what I earn to be an example for other family members of mine to look up to, or set equal to, just like how most Pisces are role models for their sibling or child. **
 *  The third trait that I believe I acquire is to be selfless. I try to give anyone something they need to borrow if I have it, even if I don’t trust them. I know that I will always get what I have back if borrowed, so usually I don’t mind. But occasionally I do. If someone borrowed something from me and never gave it back, I wouldn’t let them borrow from me until I receive that item. If they don’t return it, however, and keep it in the same condition I gave it them as, I may let them borrow something. Last year, I had given a pen that I really like for my friend to borrow, since he didn’t have anything else to use. I asked if he had it with him later that day in 6th period. However, he said it was somewhere in his locker. Knowing him, I said it was fine since he would take good care of it. At the end of the day, he walked over to me and gave me my pen in the same condition he received it in. If I have more than one of an item that I have or dislike, I give it to someone who I know is in need of it or just wants it. Like a classic Pisces who is selfless, I also want to give to anyone in need. **
 *  Another trait that I carry, but dread, is to be easily led. I may disapprove of something someone said, but I am usually in no authority to say that, therefore I am easily led. I only dread this because say I was in a big group and had an idea that was sure to work, someone would come up with a different one before I could tell mine. I would, of course, go along because I am not that much of a leader. After more ideas fail, I finally feel like I could do this, and we succeed. When the entire 6th grade went to camp Bernie last year for a field trip, one of my ideas was certain to work. My group’s goal was to find a way to get a bucket over a rope that was six feet high. The only objects we had was a rope, a pipe, and a blue carabineer. Everyone thought we should just throw the rope over and get it to wrap around the bucket, but I didn’t work. My idea was to tie the carabineer open with some rope, and send the rest through the pipe. Then, we swing the hooked-end over and pull the bucket over. Of course, this worked. Like most general Pisces, I am supposedly weak-willed, but I am the opposite. My will is strong, but I still argue between myself once in a blue moon. I have wavering opinions, but not so much that it takes me hours to decide. For simple ideas or topics, I stick with one idea and never change it unless I see a flaw. **
 *  I think this demonstrates how I am just a bit different from a perfect Pisces. The other traits that I didn’t mention in the other paragraphs are ones that don’t represent me that strongly. I am very sensitive in music terms, but just about half of that in regular terms. By this, I mean I am able to tell which section of a band is too loud or too soft, but I am not too sensitive outside of that. I am also compassionate, sympathetic and am kind, but these traits don’t are not the major factors that you can describe me with. I may not be able to escape many things without getting caught like others, but I am glad about that. I may try to cheat my way out of homework occasionally, but the truth will always find some way to come out over time. **
 *  Even though I like to solve riddles, coming up with them is harder, even if I knew ever riddle in the world. I hate to be unclear to anyone, because then they will be on my case and figure out ways to get whatever they want out from me in any possible way they can think of, even if it takes them a month. I am also very imaginative since I come up with great ideas and fiction topics at any time of the day, even when I zone out of the real world and day dream. These few traits may not demonstrate how I am compared to a classic, traditional Pisces but now you may have a basic picture of me in your mind, and how I may act. **

__Naming of Names __ “All dead cities have some sort of ghost in them. Memories, I mean.” This is one phrase that relates to the setting of Ray Bradbury’s “Naming of Names”. Harry, the main character of the story, says that everything has some sort of past. It also demonstrates that the setting will play a major role as the story progresses. The red, dusty planet known as Mars impacted the story’s timeline by morphing the earthmen inhabitance into Martian inhabitance. With this change of events, Harry began to realize that everyone who came to Mars from Earth would soon also become Martians.  As Harry sees changes in his friends and family, he realizes that everything is becoming different because of being on Mars for a long period of time. Not only were the people becoming taller and thinner, the food and animals began mutating as well. This proves that something on the planet is causing something in the living organisms to evolve into Martian-like creatures. This also shows how the setting would affect the characters.  The setting also helped the theme form. That is why the setting is also a major contribution towards the story. As we read the story in class, we discovered that the theme is to respect the original settlers. On mars, the original settlers were the Martians, so from the theme, we can conclude that respecting them is the right thing to do. By this, I mean that the earthmen should have at least kept some of the original Martian names instead of changing them into to completely different ones. When the pilgrims came to America to live a better life, they had the decency to have some old native names stay the same. On Mars, however, all the names were converted to ones that the Earthmen could remember without even sparing one of the Martian names.  I think Bradbury chose Mars as the setting because of the secrets it holds. There are many places not discovered by man or rovers on Mars. The emptiness that cloaks this maroon land is easy to replenish in any imaginative way, even if it is imagined as being the next land for humans. Bradbury probably thought that one day there will be technology that can allow humans to live on Mars freely, as if it is their second home. He might have also believed that life may be found on the Red Planet, or a back-up planet for humans in case of some tragedy on Earth.  This is how I believe the setting affected the story. “All dead cities have some kind of ghost in them. Memories, I mean.” This is the same quote I mentioned earlier, but it still holds the same meaning. The setting can hold the key to the past and is not just the place the story takes place and where the characters are. That’s how the people on Mars viewed the planet in story. They never thought that the past of the once luscious planet was right beneath their feet. If that idea popped inside of their mind, they wouldn’t have tried to make Mars theirs and only theirs. This planet can also represent the theme. Martians were first on Mars, so in reality, it is still theirs. Nobody can just erase the markings of the old Mars people because it was engraved into the planet. Ray Bradbury’s idea of choosing Mars is a great decision because of all the mystery the planet can hold. Although it is barren, it may contain some sort of extraterrestrial life. Although it has no minerals humans need, there are signs of water on Mars. This can lead us to believe life was once on Mars. The planets emptiness reminds me of the book called “The Alchymst”. In the story, the Yaggsdril, or the center of life, was destroyed. This massive tree was the center for more than a thousand different shadowrealms, or worlds. Once the tree dies, these worlds vanish too, leaving nothing but an empty, desolate wasteland, just like how Mars is viewed today.

__After 20 Years __

 With an exhausted look, I lugged my aching body through the waxed wooden door into the little condo. My long, white coat was becoming red in a few spots because of a once aquamarine uniform under it. The gloves that made it a uniform were tossed gently into the silver basin, where it rested between a broken glass and a napkin. Through the window in the back of the living room, I was able to catch a glimpse of my 2032 BMW. After a short pause to listen to all of the voicemails that my friends left me from the previous day, I peel of my doctor's coat and head to my room.

 I walked and walked through the apartment with heavy feet. Each step I took reminded me of each step I took while walking to the ER earlier in the day.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> At around 4 in the morning, I received a frantic call from the hospital I worked at saying a patient needed immediate surgery. “Dr.K!” I heard from the other end of my phone, ”Please come quick! A man was found lying on the side of the road with blood coming out of his head!”

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “I’m on my way!” I replied. I grabbed my surgeon uniform, lab coat, and the keys to my car as I silently approached my door. It gave a low creak which I prayed wouldn’t wake up my children.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> As I drove across the highway, I realized that there was more traffic than I expected this early. However, it did move at a satisfying speed. When I rode onto hospital grounds, a group of nurses escorted me to the emergency room, as if I were a general arriving at a bass camp. The man’s x-rays were handed to me, I immediately figured out what went wrong: a loose nerve.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> After getting into the room with the patient and a couple of nurses, I proceeded with the surgery. The first thing I did was cut open the patient’s head slightly so I fix the nerve that was not in the proper position. It was hard to find, though, because it was surrounded by other tiny nerves. Since I was doing this for years, it didn’t take as much time to find it. The silver tweezers I used slid through and I gently grab the thin cord. With a swift move, I placed it back in the proper spot, and pull the metallic piece of equipment out without harming the patient.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> As I finished reliving my operation, I thought, //Time to finally rest!// When I finished changing my clothes and washing my face, I glanced at the clock and the date almost made me jump. //It’s my birthday already?!// I shouted in my head.