My father an African-American, who served in the Vietnam War as a soldier, met my mother, while he was stationed in Vietnam. Subsequently after the Vietnam War my parents arrived in America and days later married. ... I would like to conclude my life story by quoting Forest Gump "life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you"re going to get." ...

• Word Count: 950
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

(5-8) The guests continue to posture aggressively with intense seriousness and in this atmosphere even the chocolate birthday cake becomes a metaphor for a battlement of war when the birthday boy's mother describes it as "the dark cake, round and heavy as a/turret" (14-15). ... Peace and camaraderie starts to take root and for the first time the word choice changes when words like, relax, playing and celebrating are used, "they relax and get down to/playing war, celebrating my son's life" (25-26). ...

• Word Count: 1007
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography