Should the state of Maine make panhandling illegal? Why or why not?


     The state of Maine should not make panhandling illegal. Panhandling is a way of making people aware of the poor and homeless.

Record numbers of homeless people crowding into shelters doesn't do it. People lining up outside soup kitchens doesn't do it. Reports of children showing up for school without having enough of the right food they need to be ready to learn just get well-meaning shrugs.But the sight of someone with his hand out - especially when he is standing in a median strip with a sign - people feel compelled to act.

People are dying because they are without shelter and food. Panhandling is their way of speaking to the public, it lets others know that these people are in need of our help. The fact that people have to stand in a median strip with a sign to get others attention, means that we aren't doing enough to help the poor and homeless in our community. Until we find another way to make people aware, panhandling should not be illegal.

Do you agree with the author that the threshold should stay where it is? Why or why not?


Yes I do agree that the threshold should stay where it is. No matter how much the threshold is lowered, lets face it, there will always be idiots out there who won't pay attention to it. It doesn't make a difference how many people get caught in the act of drunk driving, it won't change how these people think because it is what they wish to do.

         In Romeo and Juliet, I honestly disliked a huge majority of the characters, but I do like Rosaline. I know she didn't have any lines, and she was only mentioned a few times, but I believe she did have an impact on this play. Rosaline is Romeo's love interest in the beginning of the play and the reason Romeo is so upset, claiming he will never love anyone else. If Rosaline hadn't been in the play it is highly possible Mercutio and Benvolio would not have brought Romeo to the Capulet's party to cheer him up.  If Romeo didn't go to the party then he and Juliet would not have met, and we can make the assumption that no one would be dead.
          Also, Rosaline plays an important part in characterizing Romeo's immaturity and moody nature.  He drops his love for her so quickly, showing that he is both impulsive and not entirely serious. So as you can see Rosaline plays an important part in Romeo and Juliet.

Write a prediction of what will transpire throughout the rest of the play. Please give specific details and explain how this story will play out.


     So because of the prologue, we already know Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, ending the feud between the Montague and Capulet families. I predict that Romeo finds out about the wedding for Juliet and Paris, and comes back to fight for her, or do something stupid like that. Romeo fights one of the Capulet's or Paris, and gets seriously wounded and Juliet thinks he's did so she decides to be idiotic and kills herself to be with him. There's a lot of fighting and a few other people die. Then it turns out that Romeo wasn't dead and when he learns that Juliet is dead he kills himself. Juliet and Romeo are buried together and the families never bother each other again.

Summarizing Romeo and Juliet


            The play Romeo and Juliet starts off with a sonnet, telling the reader what is going to happen in the play. We are told where the story takes place, Romeo and Juliet die, the Montagues and Capulets have a grudge against each other, and there will be a huge fight. However the readers are not informed when or how these events happen.
            In Act One of the play, there is a huge fight between the Capulets and the Montagues, which was started by Sampson Capulet. They are said not to fight again, or there will be consequences. Then we meet Romeo, who is upset over Rosaline, a girl who he supposably is in love with. His cousin Benvolio tries to cheer him up, but fails, and the scene ends with Romeo saying he will never love again. In scene two the Capulets decide to throw a big party. Juliet is told that she is to try and get along with Paris, because she is suppose to marry him. Instead she meets Romeo, who wasn't even suppose to be at the party, but his cousin Mercutio had connections with the Capulets and Romeo got in. Romeo and Juliet meet, they "fall in love", and at the end of the party they learn that their families hate each other. Romeo sneaks over the Juliet's balcony and they talk and he asks her to marry him, and of course she says yes.
            Only the friar, and Juliet's nanny know about the wedding besides Romeo and Juliet. After they get married Romeo goes to see Mercutio and Benvolio, but Tybalt; who saw Romeo at the Capulet's party, decides to come along a pick a fight with Romeo. Romeo refuses to fight him because they are family now, but Tybalt doesn't know that, and starts to beat up Romeo. Mercutio steps in and Tybalt and him fight. When Romeo tries to stop the fight, Tybalt stabs Mercutio and Mercutio dies. Romeo then fights Tybalt to the death to avenge Mercutio and kills him, but in doing so he becomes a criminal and runs off. The Capulets don't believe Benvolio is telling them the truth about Romeo and Tybalt, and Romeo is banished from Verona. When Juliet learns this she is more upset about Romeo's banishment, than her cousin's death. We leave off with Romeo sneaking out a Juliet's room, and runs off to Mantua, and Juliet learns that she is going to marry Paris on thursday. When she says she won't, her father throws a giant fit and says Juliet will either marry Paris, or he will disown her. 

For your blog today, we are going to stray from the rubric a little bit. I don't need you to reference the article you are reading. I need you to reference the play. Please come up with a new situation that you can think to put Romeo and Juliet in without straying from the Shakespeare's themes. For example, in Warm Bodies, the theme of forbidden love is present, but instead of being from rival/feuding families, it is between zombies and humans. Be creative and explain how at least three of the themes would remain consistent.

Alright so say that there's a cop (Romeo) and a criminal (Juliet). So say Benvolio and Mercutio are also cops and want Romeo to come with them on a mission. Romeo winds up arresting Juliet and they fall in love, and obviously that's not suppose to happen, because cops and criminals hate each other. Then Romeo sneaks over to Juliet's prison cell and offers to help her escape, and Juliet says yes. Juliet's convinces her cell mate to help them escape, and they do. SoTybalt's apart of Juliet's little gang or something. Tybalt wants to kill Romeo because Romeo arrested Juliet, but he doesn't know that Romeo has helped Juliet escape from jail. Tybalt tries to fight Romeo, but gets into a fight with Mercutio instead and kills Mercutio. Romeo then kills Tybalt, and Juliet's little gang of criminals say that if they ever see him near their streets again they'll kill him.

Based on what you know about Romeo and Juliet, how are these two stories similar? How are they different? Use examples from the article to support your claims.


Hodhan and Elmi's story is very similar to Romeo and Juliet's. For one they are both really stupid and completely unrealistic. Both men fall in love when they first spotted either Juliet or Hodan. In the end they all die, and they can't be together because of their families and who they are. Oh and both Elmi and and Romeo write poems about their love for Hodhan and Juliet, and they are five times older than Juliet and Hodhan.
Unlike Romeo and Juliet, Elmi and Hodan's families are not enemies, just from different social classes. There is no fighting that leads to a bunch of deaths, it is only Elmi and Hodhan who die from depression. Romeo and Juliet commit suicide so they can be together, something a pair of idiots would do. Elmi and Hodhan's story didn't last only three days, and they married other people and tried to move on unlike Romeo and Juliet.