Quote

"Make sure you dream big, and never sell yourself short."

Profile

Hello! I'm Travis Aaron Willis III. I am fifteen years old and in the tenth grade. I am the oldest of five brothers and am currently enrolled in West Florida High School in Pensacola, FL My dad is in the US Airforce, and is currently deployed to Izmir, Turkey.When he returns my family and I will move to London, UK where he will work in the US Embassy. I am a huge basketball fan, and my favorite team is the Miami Heat, the current World Champions. I also enjoy reading, movies and most other sports. I hope you enjoy reading my blog!

Bibliography

Goodreads Inc. To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes. 2012. 08 December 2012 <http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3275794-to-kill-a-mockingbird>.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: J.B. Lippincott, 1960.

Luminary Group LLC. Jesse Owens Olympic Legend. 2009. 09 December 2012 <http://www.jesseowens.com/>.

White House Historical Association. George Washington. 2009. 09 December 2012 <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington>.

White House Historical Association. Abraham Lincoln. 2009. 09 December 2012 <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington>.

Mrs. Plummer:

 

"Work hard to keep the doors open that will allow you to achieve your dreams....and each day as you walk through your door-BELIEVE in YOURSELF and find the smile in the day."

 

Karen Plummer is the wife of the Commanding Officer of NAS Pensacola, Florida, Captain Chris Plummer. She attended Virginia Tech college, and also graduated from there. She has three daughters, and two of them are in college. Her daughter Kaite followed in her footsteps, and is currently attending Virgiana Tech. Allison her second daughter, is at  FSU, this is her first year there. Finally, her third daughter, Margaret, is attending Bailey Middle School. Mrs. Plummer is a retired math teacher, and now is subbing in various schools throughout Escambia County. Mrs. Plummer is very active in the local community, and recently organized a Christmas party for 100 underprivileged children in the local area.  She is a kind and generous person and a very good role model to follow.





My Dad:

"Do right always, no matter what"

My dad, Travis Aaron Willis Junior, was born July 21st 1965 in Chicago, IL. As his father worked for a chemical company his family travelled a lot through work, so he grew up all over the US, including Texas and Florida. After he graduated high school, he went to UTA, University of Texas at Arlington and studied Criminal Justice. When he graduated from college, he then joined the US Airforce, of which he has been a part of for the past twenty-seven years. In 1990 he was stationed at RAF Lakenheath in England.  In 1994 he met Emma Gunson, who he eventually married, and had five children, all boys. He is currently deployed to Izmir, Turkey and will be returning later this month after 18 months away. He will return briefly to Pensacola, FL, and then the family will move to Washington DC, and then to London continuing his military career.  My Dad is a great teacher and role model and I aspire to be like him every day. 

 



One of Three Great Americans

Abraham Lincoln:

 

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm".

 

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. Lincoln did many extra ordinary efforts to attain knowledge, while working on the farm, splitting rails for fences, and keeping store at New Salem, Illinois. He was a captain in the Black Hawk War, spent eight years in the Illinois legislature, and rode the circuit of courts. He married Mary Todd Lincoln, and they had four boys, none of whom lived to maturity. In 1858 Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas for senator of Illinois, but actually lost that race. However, in the debate they had Lincoln gained much national respect. This reputation helped him and the republicans win the election in 1860. Lincoln also brought our nation back from the most difficult of times. He was able to maintain America as we know it by winning the Civil War. This is also the time period in which Lincoln gave his best speech, The Gettysburg Address. Lincoln died on April 14th, 1865 because of assassination by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's theater, in Washington DC.  This occured when him, his wife, and two guests were watching the play "Our American Cousin."  Abraham Lincoln set the bar high for all presidents that followed him.  He was well loved and respected by many and his teachings and leadership lessons are still followed today. 

 

 

-A picture of Abraham Lincoln sitting down and reading.

Two of Three Great Americans

George Washington:

 

"The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves."

 

 

George Washington was born in 1732 in Virginia. His family was a Virginia planter family and taught him good morals, manners, and a body of knowledge required for an eighteenth century Virginia gentlemen. At a relatively young age, Washington started to develop an interest in military arts and learning about western expansion. In 1754 he became a lieutenant colonel, he fought in little skirmishes, which eventually grew into the revolutionary war. The next year he had survived four bullet shots being ripped through his coat and two horses being shot out from under him. In 1775 at a congress meeting, Washington was elected commander in chief of the continental army. On July third, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, he took command of his army and declared war for America's freedom. In 1781 they won the war after six grueling years and declared their freedom from the British. In 1789 he was elected America's first president, in which he set the standards for all American presidents today.

 

-A famous picture of George Washington leading the troops into battle, while he is next to the American flag.

Three of Three Great Americans

Jesse Owens:

 

"Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it and you'll start believing it."

James Cleveland Owens was born September 12, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama. He was the seventh child of Henry and Emma Alexandra Owens. When he was nine they moved Cleveland, Ohio were Jesse attended Cleveland East Technical High School, in his senior year of high school he set a new high school record by running nine point four seconds in the one-hundred meter dash, tying the world record. Jesse Owens was offered many track scholarships, but chose Ohio State University, even though they did not give him a scholarship. Instead he worked a number of jobs to support him and his young wife, Ruth Owens. In the 1935 big ten championship, a year before the Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens set three new world records in the long jump, the 220 yard dash and the 220 low hurdles and tied a fourth in the 100 yard dash, in a span of only forty-five minutes. In 1936 he traveled to Germany to compete in the Olympics.  The leader of Germany at that time Adolf Hitler believed that the Games would support his beliefs that the German "Aryan" people were the Dominant race. However, Jesse Owens became the first American track and field Athlete to win four gold medals in one Olympic Games. Not only did Jesse take home the gold, but he also defied Hitler, the Nazi Campaign, and the German "Aryan" theory. Jesse Owens died on March thirty-first 1980 in Tucson, Arizona, were he was eventually buried in Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago, IL.
 

 

 

-Jesse Owens running the 100 meter dash at the big ten championship in 1935, a year before the Olympics.

Five spectacular Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird

Quote 1:

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” (pg. 33, Ch. 3)

 

-This quote tells us that you can’t judge anyone unless you are able to understand them and their reasoning for doing something. You can’t judge a person unless you know what they are feeling or what is going on in their life.  You also shouldn’t judge them, but you should respect them and their decisions in life. Since you cannot physically get into someone‘s skin, this quote is saying that you cannot judge anyone at all no matter what, but be willing to consider their views and actions. The lesson we can take from this quote is that you must be prepared to listen to someone, respect their decisions, and understand why they do things a certain way.  You must put yourself in their position and try to walk in their shoes.  There may be a good reason behind their actions, even if you don’t fully agree with them.  This quote was said by Atticus, one of the main characters of this novel, who was wise and full of wisdom. He says this quote to Scout after her first day at school, when she is telling him about Walter and Miss Caroline and what happens between them. I find this quote to be words of wisdom because it is telling you that you shouldn’t judge people at all, unless you’ve been through what they have experienced or you are able feel the same way they do.  

-Atticus said this quote when he was talking to Scout after her first at school, when she is telling a story about Walter and Miss Caroline. 

Quote 2:



“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

-This quote is telling us that you never really no how much you loved or needed something until it is gone. People do not love breathing, but we don’t know how valuable it is until it is gone, it involves life or death. This quote was said by Scout, the little girl in which the book was seen through her perspective (third person view) whose teacher discovered she was literate, because of her father. Scout could not remember not being able to read.  She began by studying the Mobile Register news paper every day and singing the hymns when they attended church.  Scout’s reading was something that just came naturally to her, like breathing does to us.   She learnt a lot from her father and was only struck by this when Miss Caroline the teacher told her to tell Atticus not to teach her any more (that did not make Scout happy, at all).  She then realized how important reading is in this world. Also she realizes how much she has learnt from being around her father without knowing it until this Miss Caroline points it out to her in school. There are some things in life we take for granted, but don’t realize how important it is, until we think about it, never take anything for granted.

 

-Scout said this after she realized her reading abilty, that she had somehow picked up from her dad.

Quote 3:

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” (pg 128, Ch 11)

 -This quote is said by Atticus to Jem about Mrs. Dubose who had recently died.  Jem had become so angry with her that he had destroyed her garden.  When Atticus found this out he made Jem apologize and read to her regularly.  Mrs. Dubose was a complex, slight person weighing only 98 pounds.  She was a morphine addict, but through courage was able to quit the habit just before her death.  She died at peace, owing nothing to anyone.  It infers that courage is not shown by the person with the upper hand, but by the other person who knows beforehand that they may lose, but continues to fight and try his best until the end. Courage is many things, but true courage is knowing that you may not emerge victorious, but holding on longer and still fighting your hardest no matter what.   Mrs. Dubose fought a tough battle with morphine and through her determination and perseverance won.  Atticus also had lots of courage because he took the Tom Robinson case, no matter what the consequences would be.  He knew he may lose friends and make many enemies, but he took the case anyway as he felt it was right and necessary.  If he did not, he knew he couldn’t look his kids in the eyes again.

 

 

-Atticus was the one who said this quote to Jem, when Mrs. Dubose died, after Jem had destryed her garden.

Quote 4:

"Jack! When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake. But don’t make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ‘em. No...you had the right answer this afternoon, but the wrong reasons. Bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time when they learn they’re not attracting attention with it. Hotheadedness isn’t. Scout’s got to learn to keep her head and learn soon, with what’s in store for her these next few months." (pg. 99, Ch. 9)

-This quote is going off of what Scout asked Uncle Jack about what a “whore lady” was. Uncle Jack did not know how to answer the question because he was embarrassed by her bad language, since he had never had kids, so he just kind of brushed it off, and did not really answer the question. This was a conversation with Atticus and Jack later that night (each having lines in this quote). Jack was saying how Scout was not an adult, and did not need to know that. While Atticus, was saying that he knows his kids are not adults, but he still is upfront with them about everything, as he believes they should know. Jack’s excuse after was that he had never had children before, so he was not sure exactly what to say to her. Plus, he was not sure if Atticus would get angry at him for saying that to her. This is another example of how Atticus is raising his kids, and how he feels about them. You can tell that he really respects them, and thinks very highly of them. I believe that he is a good parent and knows how to handle bad situations like that. Plus, he is very honest with his children and respects them.  However, this was not Uncle Jack fault because he had never had kids before.

 

-Atticus was the one who said this quote to his brother Jack finch, he said this quote to him because he was not upfront with Scout about a horrible thing she asked him earlier, instead he lied and mislead her.

Quote 5:

"'The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.'" (pg.120, Ch.11)

 

-This quote was said between Scout and her father regarding his defense of Tom Robinson.  Both her and her brother have been subjected to many cruel taunts from the conservative community disgusting that Atticus is defending a black man.  With great compassion Atticus tells her that no matter how many people go against you, if you think your conscience is right you will go with that instead of the other people’s views.   Yet you must also be courteous and respectful of others opinions, even if you do not agree with them.  He tells Scout she must be strong and live her life not the way the most would, but live it according to her own morals and values.  So if you know that something is right and it obeys the law, then you should probably not go with what the other people are saying if you know that it is clearly wrong and against the law. So instead of Scout listening to all of the negatives people are saying to her, she is instead living the life that she wants to live, not how other people think she should live. Scout seems like that she will stick to her guns no matter what happens.

 

This quote was said to Scout, when she started to doubt Atticus' decision to take the Tom Robinson case because of what other people were saying.