No one in the world can live the whole life alone without friends and family. A family makes a person’s life to be warm and protected. Friends make life to be colorful and interesting. People choose a friend based on the character traits to know if that friend is right for them. A good friend to me is a trustworthy person who I can talk about everything to. Also he/ she have to be honest with me. Being generous to everyone is one of the important personalities that I look for at a friend.

As my opinion, the most important attribute that a friend has to have is trustworthy. I think I am so lucky for having a friend who is extremely trusty. She and I have been friend since we were kids. We have kept our friendship for 10 years and now we still are good friends. I trust her with all my heart. She is the one who keeps all my secrets. She would never tell others about my private stories. Whenever I feel sad or not at ease, I come to her to release my sorrow. I have never seen her breaking out her promise to any one. If she makes a promise with you, she will do as she said. Everyone likes her. Thank for being friend with her, I am now being a trustworthy person too! I do not think a person who has no others’ trust can be a good friend. How can people make friend with you if you are not trustworthy? How do you feel if you tell a friend your secrets and he/she tell it to others? People who do not have this trait will not have many friends. No one can rely upon them. It is not necessary if you are not beautiful or intelligent, but it is important for you to be trustworthy!

You and I are friends only when we are honest to each other. Besides being trustworthy, an honest person is also a friend that I look for. I can not make friend with a person who always lies to me. There is no relationship existing when people are always lying. When I was in eighth grade, I have seen my friend did break out her friendship with a girl because that girl many times did not tell my friend the truth. She said that she felt she was not respected by that girl and she did want a friendship with people who liked lying. I agree with her! Lying does not only make people disrespected but also not appreciate the friendship. An unshakeable friendship will be built if friends are honest to each other.

Is there anyone who wants to make friend with a selfish friend? I can say certainly that no one wants to be friend with a self- loving person. Friends mean people trust, honest to each other. Also they have to know how to share and give things without waiting for render. Tiffany is a pretty, rich student who is good at all subjects at school. However, she has few friends. Her classmates said that although she has everything nice, she never shares them with others. Whenever her classmates ask her to help them with homework or borrow her something, she refuses it with a bunch of sensible reasons. Everyone has asked her for once, twice, or more then they notice how her personality is. They admire her because she studies well, but they do not want to be her friend. Being selfish builds a wall between you and others. Therefore, friends and generosity can not exist in the same relationship.

I do not need my friend has to be beautiful, rich, or good at all subjects at school, but they have to be trustworthy, honest, and generous to me and people. I wonder that I am the luckiest person in the world because all my friends have those character traits. That is why we can keep our friendship longer than others. A true friend is not the one who has a good look but a beautiful soul.

Naturally all parents around the world have a great love and sacrificed for their children, even if their children are not good, do not listen to them, or leave them alone. Arnold, Victor’s father in the story “This is What it Means To Say Phoenix , Arizona ” by Sherman Alexie is one of them! At the beginning of the story the readers would think that he do not love his son, Victor. In addition, Arnold does hit his son just because Victor drops his beer. Hitting does not mean he does not love Victor! Having a space and not talking much to his son do not mean Arnold does not love Victor! If the movie’s starting makes people to build that thought, the end of the movie reveals how much he loves his son. There are scenes that Arnold tries to go inside the burning house to look for Victor and talks to Suzan Song about Victor will full of love. In deep of his heart, Victor holds an irreplaceable space.

Victor should forgive his father even if Arnold is not close to him or hit him. Arnold does not mean to leave his son. He does not want to! People can easily notice how much Arnold loves his family when Victor find out a picture with the word “home” on the back. It is enough for Victor to forgive his father!

Thomas and Victor haven’t talked to each other in years, but they are still good friends. When they were all kids, they liked hanging out together, watching fireworks, and telling stories. Furthermore, Thomas helps Victor to go to Phoenix to find Victor’s father. Thanks to Thomas, Victor could pull his foot out of the hole. If they are not friends, how come they help and play together? After traveling Phoenix , the friendship between them which is separated for years is going to be built again. When Thomas asks Victor to stop and listen to his story just one time, Victor does agree. “Victor waved his arms to let Thomas know that the deal was good.” (Alexie, 75) A sun light shines their friendship. Victor and Thomas do make a deal that they can be hanging out in the future.

Nothing is greater than relationship between husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and especially parents and children. A person’s life cannot be completed or fulfilled without a relationship with both their parents. It is important for someone to still respect, admire and love a parent who has left them. Just like Victor, he tries going to Phoenix to look for his father when he just heard about Arnold ’s death. This example reveals the love that he gives to his father. Arnold is the one who gives life to Victor. Arnold ’s blood is running in Victor’s body. Besides, Arnold loves Victor much. Those are enough for him to forgive his father. I think not only Victor but also those reasons are right for everyone who is in the same situation with Victor.

As reading and watching the same story, people can easily notice that there are a few important differences between those types of media: book and movie. First, Victor and Thomas go to Phoenix by plane in the story and in the movie, they reach there by train. As I know, these two boys are poor and they have not much money. It is more reasonable to set them to go by train at their period. Also, Victor can notice his love for his father by talking and listening to Suzan Song which is only appearing in the movie, not the story. People who read the story would think that Victor does not love his father because of what Arnold did to him. But in “Smoke Signal” people feel the warm of the love of Victor to his father. In my opinion, the setting of the movie is closed to people and relates to real life closely. Sometimes the happenings and the acts of characters do not give a concrete solution to readers.

Do the character trait of people relate to the characteristics of a country? The answer is yes! People made history, included their own customs and habits, and history created a country. People are like important symbols that represent a country. Just like America, others look at Americans and discover America’s attribute. In the United States, people cherish freedom, education, and optimism to be their values. Therefore, America is known as the most improved country in the world.

Many people from other countries come to live in America, but why they have to leave their countries and move to a new, strange one? In the world, there are still some countries that don’t have liberty. People find that in the U.S. everyone has freedom for everything. That is why they all leave what they have behind in their homeland and start over a new life with liberty. Congress values all people and they believe that people make country. They respect the freedom of people. Laws are made to protect the human rights. Everyone has the right of speech, right of press, right for asking compensation for wrong- doing of the Government. In Vietnam, there are some laws that prohibit people from reading some news paper which are not allowed by the Government.  However, people can read or report any new they want. It is a big difference between America and other countries.

To improve a country, the most important value that a country has to have is education. Why is it important? You can do nothing without education! If you have no education, you cannot improve yourself, change your life to be better, or achieve success. That is the reason! The Americans understand how significant education is so they give people the rights to study. In this wonderful country, children can go to school without paying money, even poor students can study.  In the improving or not improved countries, students have to pay money if they want to go to school. Because of that reason, only rich children can study and poor doesn’t have enough condition improve themselves. Also, it makes those countries cannot be developed. Education is an essential character trait for Americans, especially America!

Beside being free for doing anything and developing education, optimism is another necessary characteristic of Americans. How is your life if you have everything you want, but you doing not love your life enough? Then it is not a life anymore! The Americans understand that optimism is a primary factor to overcome the adversities in their life. In addition, a person who is optimistic always is happier than others. Just like my friend, Shanna, whenever she gets difficulties in her life, she tries to overcome it with a thought: “Nothing is impossible. I can do it!” Therefore, everyone who meets her can see that she always smile, even though she is in trouble. Being optimistic is the best way that helps people to achieve success. If you want to learn how to be optimistic person, let’s go to see the Americans!

Although the America has a bunch of positive attribute, it also has negative ones. No one is perfect and a country either! The Americans usually are not satisfied with their current situation. Keep wanting more and looking for a better future is not real bad. However, if they just keep wanting more, more, and more, they will become greedy. There are no good consequences for those who are greedy.

Now, if someone asks me what an American is, I will answer them clearly what it means to be an American. An American is built up with many positive characteristics, but I see there are three of them are the most essential. Nowhere else in the world has the freedom like in America. Poor people can come to America to receive education which they do not get in their countries. Last one, people will enjoy learning the key to open success in their life with the Americans. Valuing liberty and education, being optimistic by giving more love for lives creates a well-known America today!

I have asked for few people about the American dream and realized that most of them had the same opinion with me. In fact, I am only an immigrant and not an U.S. citizen yet. To me, the American dream is extremely simple: improve my family’s life and get the best education to be success. Basically, my dream is not different than the dream of others Americans. Everyone, including the U.S. citizens, the immigrants, and migrants, always wants to have a goof life without worrying about money, food, or clothes…also, to reach that dream life, education is required as the most important factor. That is why they all dream about education and a pink life. Because my family and I are the immigrants, our dreams are the same absolutely. It also is a dram that my [parents have put on me since I was a little girl. I wonder if there are someone says that the America is not fulfilling the promise of the American dream for everyone, I will argue them. In my opinion, the America has enough ability to make every dream come true. From dreams about life and wealth to freedom and equality dreams, the America can fulfill it. Just as people knows, the U.S. gives everyone the rights for freedom, make benefits for students to study, and creates jobs to help people’s lives. It is possible for any American to reach their dream. However, to see if their dreams can come true, it depends on people work hard or not. Of course, all people in America have equal opportunities to reach their dreams. I am sure that it is easier for some people to achieve the American Dream than others. Since being hard-working, people have more opportunities to make dreams come true. If people do not work and only wait for reaching dreams, the given chances will pass over them. The people around the world all have the same dreams with Americans, but it would not be possible to achieve in some countries. I believe the American Dream still worth believing and pursuing because those dreams are their future. Just like others, I am working hard to pursue my dream step by step. The first part in my American Dream is to get high grades in school and I make it come true. My parents feel so happy and proud of me since I get A’s for all my classes. I believe that my American Dream will be reached soon if I keep working this hard. Then I can render thanks to my parents with a better future.

Have you ever said with all your heart that you loved someone? Or have you ever thought about what would you do before you passed away? No one knows what will happen in the future. It is mystery. How unfortunate it would be when you were going to be gone but did not tell you loved ones that you loved them! Just as September 11, 2001, no one was noticed there was bomb on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. People who were there knew that they would die. The first thing they did was to call their family and friends. Just like “Messages from the sky”, written by Fred Moramarco after that day on the New York Times, a thousand words of love were sent from the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

“From the Towers, from the planes,

Love, and again, love…”

Whoever read the poem can be touched by its words. Although the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were dangerous with bomb and attacks, there were also the places where love was found the most. While reading “Messages from the sky”, I can imagine what is happening. A picture appears clearly in my head with three hijackers keep bombs to attack, people are hiding, feeling frightened, and calling to their beloveds. Some of them send love messages to their wives or lovers, other call to their mothers. Throughout the poem, Fred Moramarco sends the readers a meaningful message: everything can die and disappear, but not love. No matter what will happen, love is still there ever and ever. I was crying when I first read the poem. What a touched poem! I cannot really understand how they feel when they are trapped; however, I can feel how much they love their family and friends. What if they could not be back? A mom lost a son/ daughter. A wife lost her husband. Children lost their parent. That was only the thing I thought about while reading this poem. In “Messages from the sky”, I enjoy the line “From the Towers, from the planes, Love, and again, love.” Why do I like this line? I really do not know. I just wonder that true love can be found in danger.  It may be the reason why I favor that line.

It was a beautiful night in Vietnam with shining stars above the sky. I tried finishing my homework in the living room and my father watched TV for news. My ears suddenly caught up terrible news. Quickly, I put my homework a side and listened to the news. Three men with bomb attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the America. I was so worry for the people who were trapped. Would they be fine? Could they go back home? Could they see their loved ones again? A lot of questions appeared in my head. I expected that others in the world was concerning for them too! On the TV, many people were crying. How pitiful it was! In fact, that news did not affect my life much, but it made me to wonder myself. After watching the news, I had a conversation with my father about the attacks. That is all what I remember about that day. Because it happened eight years ago and I was a little girl at that moment, I only remember few things, which is impressive to me.

Whoever heard about that horrible news was relating to them. I did imagine what I would react and do if I was trapped on one of the hijacked planes. I would try my best in any way to find a way out for everyone. If there were no way to escape, then I would give my fate to God. I love all my friends and family. I have called to all of them, one by one. However, my parents would be the first whom I have thought of. I would say the words which were deep inside my heart, say that I loved them, and tell them how much they meant to me. Why would I have said those things? I was trapped and no one knew what if I could keep living or not. It was like no time left. I did not want to be unfortunate before I was gone!

Fred Moramarco is successful in writing “Messages from the sky.” Even though the words in the poem are simple, it touches people’s hearts. Love, which is send from dangerous places, is always true. Everything can change, but not love!