Samantha+St.Victor

= Memoir =

My little sister being born was a moment in life that I can never erase, even if I tried. During the months of my mom’s pregnancy, I was not thrilled at first about having a new member in the family because I was the baby in the family. But as the due date came closer and closer, I started to change my thoughts about having a new sister. I began to like the idea of having someone come to me for advice and being able to teach them new things. The birth of my baby sister opened my eyes to a whole new world of responsibilities and taught how to grow up. I knew I was going to enjoy seeing my sister grow up to be the best she can be from the help of her loving family. The love and the memories that I share with my sisters will always have a place in my heart.  ** Our Little Firecracker Named Saadia **  Being a kid at the age of 11, my life was on the road of happiness, if I do say so myself. I had everything a girl like me could ask for. I had two parents that love me dearly and older sister who was my companion, even though we budded heads every once in a while. Besides my family, I also had other things that made my life even more perfect, like friends, good grades, and other things I could call my own. So there was no point in thinking, my fairy tale life could get any worse. Then, that one day came and proved me wrong.
 * Author’s Note: **

At first, I didn’t make sense to why my mom’s belly kept growing to the size of a plump tomato, until we had our “annual family meeting”, which every kid dislikes. My parents sat my sister and me down to have a very important talk. As I was sitting in the hot seat, all these thoughts climbed into my overcrowded head. My heart beat grew faster and faster by the minute from me wondering if I was in trouble, for what… I do not know. “So… Bailee and Samantha,” my parents said in unison. I let my eyes flicker back and forth from my parents’ stare as I waited nervously for them to continue their sentence, which was basically eating me alive. “You are going to have a baby sister,” they finally announced, dragging out each and every word. Those 8 words were words I didn’t think would come out of my parents’ mouth. At first I didn’t know how I felt. I kind of just sat there thinking, “Wow, a baby sister”. But I knew my mind was clear on one thing, that my so called fairy tale life was about to be a whole lot different.

With this kind of news in my possession, I didn’t know how to handle it. It was taking over my body. The news of having a sister was all I could focus on. Now don’t get me wrong, I was happy that my family was getting a new addition, I’m just not jumping for joy. If you want to know the truth, I’m worried about my “title” in the family. If you put having a new little sister and me being the baby in the family together, the results is me sadly not being the baby anymore. You might tell me it’s time to grow up and take on more responsibilities in life, but being the baby in the family for my whole life is not an easy thing to give up. If having a new sister meant I was going to have to give things up, it also meant I was going to have to work on getting used to change before the baby steps foot in this world.

Finally it came! The day I count down for. The day I prepared for. The day that is going my life completely. “Okay Girls, your father and I are getting ready to go to the hospital,” my mom shouted as she moved franticly around the house, like a mad women, making sure she had everything ready for the big day. The house was bursting with excitement. Everyone was on a mission to finish everything that need to be done. And there I was in the middle of it all, just soaking up as much as I could, like a sponge. It was safe to say that I was pleased for my baby sister’s arrival. I was already starting to plan all the stuff we could do together. I told myself I was going to teach her everything I know, since I’m the master at most things. I could finally say that my heart and brain came together as one. I was truly happy that I was getting a sister who could count on me for advice. There was only one small problem now; I couldn’t wait any longer for my sister to come.

Back and forth, back and forth was what I was doing as I impatiently waited for the phone call to tell me my sister was born. It felt as if time was teasing me as I wished for it to pick up its pace. I wouldn’t have this issue if I was only allowed to go to the hospital. I was stuck at home, when the most exciting and important event was happening elsewhere. My cell phone tickled me as I was receiving a call for my dad. I quickly answered it praying he called to inform me that my sister had finally arrived into this world. To my surprise, it was news I wanted to hear. I was going to be able to meet the new St.Victor tomorrow afternoon. A rush of joy came over me as I now waited for tomorrow to appear.

Driving in the car to the hospital, I stared out the window while having deep thoughts about my new sister. The one thought that I was dying to know, was what she looked like. Smiling with excitement, the hospital came into view. Right there and then, my skin was itching to get out the car quickly. As the three of us walked side by side, my dad, my sister, and me, we all had the hugest smiles that were unable to fade away. Standing still as a statue, I took in one deep breath before following everyone into the room. Feeling the need to memorize every single detail of this moment, I let my eyes roam around the hospital room. It wasn’t short after when my eyes fell upon my mom laying down in bed. “Hi Mom,” I whispered while making my way to give a small kiss on her cheek. In response, she kissed me back and smiled. I turned back around wondering where my sister was, and then I laid eyes on her in my older sister’s arms.

“Can I hold her now?” I asked my sister. She looked up at me and nodded her head yes. Her small body fit inside my arms like it was made just for her. I could barely describe how I was feeling when I was holding this little bundle of joy in my arms. It was everything about her that could light up my world. I studied each and every detail on her face, like I was never going to be able to see her again. “Hi baby Saadia; I’m our older sister Samantha.” Ever so quietly, I talked to the little person in my arms. Her soft little finger wrapped around my index finger as her cute brown eyes stared up at me. I could sit there for hours and hours, feeling that there is no one else there, but my little sister and me. Breaking the staring contest that was going on between us, I let my eyes look up to see my family around taking pictures and talking about this moment in life. Sitting back in the chair with Saadia still in my arms, I took in this moment as if it was my last day on earth and smiled. “Now my family is complete and my fairy tale life ended in a happily ever after,” I thought to myself.

Now that I’m older, I realized that I had lost the title of baby, but gain the title of older sister. I’m perfectly fine with my new title and all the responsibilities that come with it. As being the one of the oldest for my sister, I want to be the best that I can be. I need to be there for her and understand she is going to need a lot more attention than I do, which is why she fits the title baby in the house. My love for my sister grows more and more each day. My heart made room to love one more St.Victor deeply. We are family and I have all the sisters I need. The connection I share with my family can never be broken and nothing in the world can change that.

  **The Outsiders – Critical Review ** <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 180%;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">While reading or watching the movie, __The Outsiders__, the question you must ask yourself is, do the Socs and Greasers really come from two different worlds? Throughout the movie and as well as the book, written by S.E. Hinton, rivalry between both gangs broke out due to prejudice. But towards the ending of the story and movie, the main character, Ponyboy Curtis, realizes that both gangs, Socs and Greasers, don’t really come from two different worlds. They’re all humans who have problems, emotions, and dreams in life. After seeing and reading __The Outsiders__, in my opinion, I believe the movie best portrays the actions of the characters, vivid details, and emotions better than the book. Watching the movie, __The Outsiders__, is an efficient and emotional way to capture the audience’s attention. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 180%;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> From the first scene of the movie, you already get a clearer understanding of the main characters and how they act. As an audience you get to hear and see how each character acts in certain parts of the story. While reading the book, the reader is unable to actually see or hear how the characters feel. The movie is a way to let the characters’ personalities shine. For example, you get the chance to see how annoying and stubborn Dally is when he’s bothering Cherry and Marcia, two Soc girls, at the movie theater. I can conclude that Dally can be a caring guy when he wants to be, and at others times he’s able to make your skin crawl. In other words, the movie is a splendid way for the audience to get more background information about the characters, instead of them reading it in the book and having to use their imagination to picture everything about the characters. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 180%;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Just like most movies, __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Outsiders __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> had details in each scene to make the story plot more memorable. The director of the movie added scenes that had an effect on the story and made it clearer of how the scenes were supposed be told in the book. To be more specific, the director added one major scene in which gave a full emotional understanding of how Dally truly felt when his friend Johnny died. In the scene you were able to see how frustrated and depressed he felt about losing the one thing he really cared about in life, his friend. Dally <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> didn't <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> know how to handle himself. It was kind of like his mind went blank and his body became numb while he was mumbling and punching the magazines in the store; the sales clerk asked if Dally was all right. Due to the director adding that one scene, you are able to see how emotionally attached Dally was to Johnny. Johnny was a brother to Dally, and to lose someone you care about can really have a great impact on you. Therefore, the movie gives a better sense of how the characters reacted to the death of Johnny from their body language and facial expression, which you can’t see while reading the book. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 180%;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> Emotion is in all books and movies. It’s a way to tell a story. Without emotion, the story would be unable to come alive. The movie shows the emotion of each character better than the book. While watching the movie, you can actually see how the Greasers treat one another. In their mind, they are not just members in a gang…. they are family to each other. Emotion is evident in the scene when Dally went into the burning church to help save Johnny from dying. He <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> didn't <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> give a second thought whether or not to risk his life to save someone else. That shows the pure true emotion that characters have towards one another. You can live through the emotion and know how the characters really felt. When reading the story you can’t see the bond that the Greasers formed over the years, that no one can break, or how if someone needs help they would come running to their side in a hurry. With a book you are only able to imagine it. Seeing the movie is absolutely better in showing how the Greasers see each other as a family. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 180%;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> Ultimately, I highly recommend people to watch the movie, __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Outsiders __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">, if you want the full effect. The book may have some things that the movie <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> doesn't <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> but that doesn't mean it is not any good. The movie shows the important ideas, such as the pain of losing someone, the growth in a family relationship, having tolerance for people, and staying golden. In the end, the Greasers may still want to be seen as Socs, but they are different from them. They are people who watch sunsets, rob stores, work hard, care for their brother, want a family, and are trouble makers. But, more importantly they are humans in this world who are just trying to make it in life. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 180%;">