Longship Ledger #2
- longshipledger
- Mar 3
- 29 min read
Updated: Mar 25
ᛏᚺᛖ ᛚᛟᛜᛊᚺᛁᛈ ᛚᛖᛞᚷᛖᚱ
The Longship Ledger
It’s early morning, just around 6 o’clock. The sky is still a dull gray, the world quiet with only the distant hum of traffic. A young woman, Jenny, sits at the bus stop, her hands wrapped tightly around a cup of coffee that’s long gone cold. She’s staring off into the distance, lost in thought.
Behind her, the quiet shuffle of footsteps signals the arrival of someone else. An older man, probably in his mid-70s, sits down on the bench beside her with a slow, gradual movement. His face is saggy, with the deep wrinkles of time shown in his skin. He clears his throat before speaking.
“Hi, my name’s George. What’s yours?”
Jenny takes a little bit to respond, but after a moment, she looks up. Her eyes, tired and distant, meet his. “Jenny,” she says.
For a moment, there’s an uncomfortable silence. Then George breaks it, his tone gentle but straight to the point, “You’re not okay, are you? Do you wanna talk about it?”
Jenny hesitates, her eyes drifting back to the empty street ahead. Her shoulders sag, and she takes a deep breath in. “My dad,” she starts, her voice breaking. “He’s sick. The doctors... They say he’s got about a year left, maybe less. He has a personality disorder and stage three colon cancer.”
George doesn’t say anything for a few moments. He simply nods, his face portrays a mirroring sadness. “I’m sorry to hear that, Jenny. I’ll pray for him.”
She doesn’t look at him as she speaks again, her words coming out in a quiet rush, like they’ve been stuck inside her for too long. “It’s just... hard. You know? Watching someone you love get weaker every day, knowing there’s nothing you can do to fix it.”
The silence that follows is heavy. Jenny stares at the ground, her hands still gripping the coffee cup, now empty. George watches her quietly, unsure of what to say next. It feels like he’s witnessing something far too out of his control.
Two minutes pass, and the distant rumble of the bus signals its arrival. Jenny stands slowly, the weight of her father’s illness settling heavily on her shoulders.
With the same look on her face, Jenny looks back at George and says, “Come on, Dad.” George slowly but surely gets up as both of them get on the bus….
Sick Day - Promise Dockery
Kirara, a young girl who lives in NYC, recently transferred to a private school. The change was hard for her, leaving her friends, and typical routine behind, (not to mention the classes), but her friend, Angelo Sikatuna, has made it bearable. Recently, he hasn’t showed up for school. Worried, Kirara goes to look for him.
Mr. Sikatuna - Pink, Kiri - Purple, Angelo - Yellow
_________________
Kirara knocks on the door of Angelo’s apartment.
A few seconds later, Angelo's father, Mr. Sikatuna, answers the door.
“Kiri! I hadn’t expected to see you.”
Mr. Sikatuna looks tired, but his smile is genuine, and Kirara returns it.
“Me neither, really. Is Angie okay? Nobody’s really seen him at school and I was getting worried.”
Mr. Sikatuna’s smile drops, and he peers off to the side. He doesn’t seem enthusiastic to be talking about his son.
“I thought he was at school these last couple days..”
He looks at Kirara as if she is Angelo, staring straight into her soul.
“So you don’t know where he is?”
“No, no, he's in his room now.”
There’s a weird tension...
“You can go see him, I need to go to the store.”
Mr. Sikatuna sighs and walks out of the apartment. He seems very annoyed…
Kirara shrugs it off and walks in.
She walks straight into Angelo’s room. Unlike the rest of the apartment, Angelo’s room is messy, and there are clothes, papers, and random items scattered and stacked everywhere.
Angelo himself is hiding under a thick blanket. Kirara approaches him and taps it. Angelo groans.
“what”
“Where have you been?”
“Places.”
“Certainly not school though, right?”
“What are you, my mom?”
“Might as well be.”
Angelo sits up and stretches. He looks sickly?
“She’s dead, so have at me.”
“Oh..sorry”
“Don’t be, I'm fine.”
“I’m just joking anyways.”
“Wait, so your mom isn’t dead?”
“Oh no, my mom’s dead as hell. I just wasn’t being serious.”
Angelo laughs, Kirara just stares at him.
...
“...Is that all you’re here for?”
Kirara jolts. Angelo falls back onto his bed, arms crossed.
“..Kinda?”
“I mean I expected this to last longer.”
“Also you don’t look very sick at all.”
Kirara crosses her arms, she looks like an agitated mother.
“Trust me, I am.”
“My room never looks like this for any reason.”
Angelo scans his room, he looks very disappointed in himself.
“Feel sicker just looking at it.”
Kirara skips over and takes a seat at Angelo’s desk, turning to face him.
Angelo coughs loudly, it sounds like it hurts.
“Do you think you could get my medicine?”
Kirara leans back in the chair.
“Just because I said I had to act like your mom doesn’t mean I am.”
“Pweaseee mommyyyy.”
Angelo pouts his lips and clasps his hands.
“Don’t make it weird.”
“I’m not.”
“Seriously though, I need medicine.”
“I dunno..”
Kirara has a smug look on her face.
“Please Kiri? I'll uhh..buy you those overpriced coffee cake thingys.”
“Fine, fine.”
“Just no more begging okay?”
“Okie dokie.”
Angelo gives Kirara doe eyes.
“Stop acting like a baby.”
“Also, where is the medicine?”
“I don’t know, probably in the bathroom.”
Kirara stands up and walks to the door.
“What kind of medicine?”
“Just regular cough syrup if you can find it.”
“I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks.”
—
Kirara gets the medicine from the bathroom and returns to Angelo’s room with a capless-bottle of children's cough syrup and a spoon.
She sets the spoon down on Angelo’s bedside table, which is covered with snotty-tissues (she’d gag if she wasn’t being nice).
Angelo inspects the bottle in Kirara’s hands.
“Are you sure that's like… safe, dude?”
“I dunno dude, but you asked for it.”
Kirara pours some of the medicine onto the spoon, it’s dark, brown, and sludgy.
“Open wide.”
“Uhm.”
“I’m not sure that I want to take that…”
“Of course you are!”
“If you wanna get better then you’ll take it.”
“Now.”
Angelo looks off to the side nervously, not sure if he’s sweaty from sickness or from the situation he’s in.
“I just don-”
As Angelo opens his mouth to speak, Kirara shoves the spoon into his mouth.
Angelo pauses, tilts his head, and slowly (and reluctantly) swallows.
“Good boy.”
(Kirara even had the nerve to clap during this torment.)
Kirara walks over to Angelo's desk and sets the medicine down.
Angelo quickly takes a tissue and wipes his tongue of the medicine.
“You should probably blow your nose too.”
“Meh meh meh.”
“What was that?”
“Nunnin.”
“Does your mom know you’re here?”
“...not really, no.”
“Dude.”
“How are you gonna judge me when you’re sneaking off too.”
Angelo loudly blows his nose.
“...At least I'm sick.”
“Well, I just don’t feel like talking to her.”
“Did something happen?”
He looks at Kirara curiously.
She looks off to the side, at Angelo’s window.
“Bad argument, don't want to say anything else”
“Okay then…”
…
“You sure you don’t wanna talk about it?”
“I’d hate to budge. It's just you came here and helped me, so I want to return the favor if I can.”
...
Angelo scoots to the side of his bed and pats the open area.
“You should come sit. :D”
Kirara obliges, she sits back-to-back with Angelo.
She looks out the window, it's getting dark.
“My mom’s gonna be pissed.”
“My dad will probably flip when he's home so..”
“..We’re in this together?”
Angelo gives a half-baked smile.
“Why’d you not go to school?”
“I told you, I’m sick.”
“Yeah, but when I get sick I don't hide from my dad.”
“You don’t even have a dad.”
“Ouch.”
“But true.”
“Guess you could say he’s the one hiding from you.”
“Hahaha. Very funny.”
“-In his grave.”
“Don’t push it.”
Angelo lays his head down on Kirara’s lap.
“...I didn’t go to school because I was angry.”
“And why is that, Tommy Tough Knuckles?”
“A couple days ago was the anniversary of the day my mom died.”
“Oh.”
“I was emotional, and my dad acted like none of it mattered.”
“I said some pretty hurtful stuff, there was lots of yelling, so my dad’s girlfriend took my sister out of the house until I could calm down.”
“They haven’t come back yet.”
“I didn’t want to talk to my dad or do anything really.”
“So I stayed out of school and did whatever.”
Kirara brushes her hands through Angelo’s hair.
“I understand.”
“You’re kind of an asshole, though.”
“I know.”
“And a wuss.”
“Yeah…”
“And you should probably apologize.”
“To who?”
“I dunno.”
“I don’t know the ins-and-outs of you and your dad’s relationship, but he's family, Angie. You can hold any grudge against him, sure, but you shouldn’t involve others in it.”
“...Especially people who have nothing to do with it, like your sister. “
“So bottle my feelings and suck up all of my dad’s b.s.?”
“Maybe? I don’t know.”
“It’s just I went through the same thing when my dad died.”
“My older brother is kind, sure, but he had his moments, and watching him yell and go on in the way he did was scary.”
“I wouldn’t put anyone through that, ever.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not the person you should be apologizing to.”
“I know, I know.”
“I don’t even know where they are.”
He nervously scratches his head.
“Just gives you more time to think about what you should say.”
“Guess you have time to do the same right?”
“Huh?”
“You need to talk to your mom too.”
“...”
“And I’m not saying ANYTHING to my dad if you won't say anything to your mom.”
Angelo sits up and turns to be face-to-face with Kirara.
“WHAT.”
Kirara waves her hands in front of her.
“I didn’t agree to any of this.”
“But if you care about me and my relationships then you would.”
“Unless you don’t, Ms. Hypocrite.”
“...Kiri-crite.”
He had a devious grin on his face.
“Fine! Fine!”
“But you’re forcing my hand.”
“Pleasure doing business with you.”
Angelo shakes Kirara’s hand.
“Little asshole.”
“Meh meh meh”
“Also I am NOT little.”
“5 '3 is pretty little.”
“Im still taller than you.”
“Yeah but think on a grander scale-”
“Oh brother.”
“I’m getting tired of you.”
Angelo yawns.
“I’m getting tired in general.”
“-Mostly of you though.”
“Then go to sleep.”
“I can’t if you’re here.”
“Just go to sleep, dude.”
Kirara crosses her arms.
“Only if you stay with meee.”
“You are a CORN BALL.”
“Haven’t I been such a good boy though.”
“Pwease mama.”
Angelo was practically on his knees.
“Stop calling me mom, it's getting weird.”
“How ‘bout you get your head out the gutter.”
“You’re the one who wants me to stay, loser.”
“If ya wanna go then just go.”
...
Kirara stands up and walks to the door.
“What are you doing?”
“Leaving, like you said.”
“I wasn’t being serious.”
“Cmon, the bed is calling for you.”
Angelo motions to the area beside him. Kirara would never admit it, but it did look comforting.
“...Fine.”
She walks over and lays next to Angelo. Angelo shuts off the lamp that was illuminating the room.
...
“Do you think I could really talk this out?”
“Your situation?”
“Yeah, with my dad.”
“It’s not hopeless.”
Kirara takes hold of his hand in hers.
“And you’re not doing it alone.”
“You’re doing it with me, together.”
“Together, yeah.”
Angelo and Kirara fall asleep together.
This is a special edition of silly short stories. How they work is that a student would begin the story with an opening sentence and then crumple the paper and toss it across the room. Another student would pick it up, write another sentence and repeat the process. Thus making our collection of silly short stories. Each handwriting represents a different student. At the end, the stories were given back to the original owner and they completed it with a last sentence.
Triston K.
Once upon a time, I woke up in what seemed like a basement. It smelled like my mother’s cooking. So I sprayed some perfume and it made the scent even worse. The room was dark and cold, but the scent was worse than anything. I decided to find an exit, but the visibility made it difficult. Plus, the stench took away my ability to smell my way out. My senses were so overloaded, I began to feel woozy. At that very moment, my body went limp. When I woke up, light filled the room. I must have hit the switch on my way down.
Kai H.
The warm, yellow sun peeked over the hill and met my eyes. The warmth quickly turned to an immense heat as I felt my body start to melt. My body relaxed as it lost its form. Quickly, I moved to find shade as I regretted melting. Sore from the sun, I felt the cool breeze coming in. But my body was too far gone, and I was forced to lay under the tree for the rest of time.
Landen H.
Once upon a time, I met Stephen Curry on an island. I asked what he was doing here. He said he was “ballin’.” He balled too hard and we had to put him down like a dog; we euthanized Stephen Curry. Stephen Curry Re-spawned as a god. Curry doubted all the haters and euthanized the nobodies who tried to kill him.
Hina M.
He really didn’t think things would turn out like this. Turns out that his lover didn’t truly love him. She declared to plot his death. She began to buy small items at various locations, such as bleach, gloves, trash bags, etcetera. But she was busy and hired someone to do it for her instead. Turns out, the hitman she hired was an undercover cop and she ended up getting arrested and thrown into jail. He got to move on with his life and found himself a partner who truly loved him.
Josh K.
The sounds and flashes of bullets and traces echoed through the alley. By instinct I ran, I ran as fast and as far as I ever had before. I heard the faint sound of a cry out for help. I stop and try to sense the direction in which the cry came from. But to my surprise, nothing is there. Except for Chris Hanson and Josh Black.
ᚾᛟᚾ-ᚠᛁᚲᛏᛟᚾ
Violence in Video Games - Isabella Avila
Video games have been around since 1952 when British computer scientist Sandy Douglass created a tic-tac-toe game named OXO. Years later in 1958 a computer game named Tennis for two came out by Physicist William Higinbotham. Through the decades of the early 70’s to now, video games have changed art styles, genres, and story-telling. During the 70’s popular video games genres were based off of science fiction due to Star Wars, like Space Invaders (1978) and early action games such as Computer space (1971) and Tank (1974).
When video games became more popular the effect they had on people's minds became more clear. Video games have positive effects such as improving cognitive skills (i.e eye to hand coordination and decision-making) as well as having negative effects, for instance parents viewing video games as detrimental to the psyche of young minds fearing they won’t socialize with others by isolating themselves by playing and lowering attention spans.
As games adapted with society the genres started to become more violent. Violent video games had been around since the 80’s but it was in the 90’s when violent video games sky-rocketed such as: J.B Harold murder Club (1991), Mortal Kombat (1992) and Grad theft auto (1997-present). Video games are like any other medium for art and story telling. They weren’t the only form of media that used violence. The 90’s also reached a new height for horror movies like IT (1990) and The Sixth Sense (1999) which incorporated comedy into the mix. When we view violence or death in comedy the side effects aren’t always clear, we become desensitized to violence and diminish violent acts such as murder, robbery and vulgar language.
The impact of desensitization of violence in media was shown when the school shootings of Columbine and Sandy hook happened. As stated in the book Criminology Today “The two killers at Columbine High School in 1999 were addicted to Mortal Kombat, and Adam Lanza, was described as “obsessed with violent video games”. As stated in the article a whopping 97% of teenage boys play video games with 66 to 78% of those teenage boys play violent video games regularly (Przybylski & Weinstein, 2019) but only 69% of teenage boys play games that contain some form of violence (Gottfried & Sidoti, 2024) The profile of video gamers and the criminal profiles for mass school shooters match in age, race, gender, and personality. The profile being white teenage boys being the ages of 14-18, some of which are described as quiet, shy, and easy targets for bullying. This was made clear when Columbine happened.
The mass shooter's actions were not only tied to the violence of video games. The background of the shooters in Columbine were tied to the isolation they felt at school due to them being “harshly bullied, being called homophobic insults and a cup of fecal matter thrown on them (McAndrews & McAndrews, 2020).” It is clear that the desensitization of violence in video games which are consumed mostly by teenage boys does lead to them belittling the impact of physical and emotional harm because when games teach that killing people can rack up points or is necessary for survival it affects how they view death in real life as a result they think they are in a video game and view real life people as NPCs (non-playable characters). This fact is shown in the U.S, the number one country for mass shootings in schools and the development/consumption of violent video games.
A scientific social experiment that can assert the fact that violence in media including movies and video games desensitization does lead to potential of kids killing is a simple one, comparing the psyche evaluations of kids who play violent games to mass shooters or juveniles who commit crime either in youth or in adulthood. If we are able to compare their mental state we can visualize the damage that it has done to young psyches. Juveniles don’t always make the best choices, and haven’t seen what life means or how they fit into society and with violence being shrugged at or mocked. It’s understandable when they don’t blink an eye at violence until it leads to mass shooting or other violent acts, where they are forced to see the reality of violence and not just through a computer screen.
Reference page
Anderson, C. A., Gentile, D. A., & Buckley, K. E. (2007). Violent Video Games: Background and Overview. Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents, 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195309836.003.0001
Biography.com Editors. (2020, June 18). Dylan Klebold - Columbine School Shooting, Parents & Journal. Biography. https://www.biography.com/crime/dylan-klebold
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2017). Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics: Their Proper Use. https://ucr.fbi.gov/ucr-statistics-their-proper-use
Gottfried, J., & Sidoti, O. (2024, May 9). Teens and Video Games Today. Pew Research Center; Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/05/09/teens-and-video-games-today/
Johnson, K. (2023, February 13). Kids and video games: the good and the bad. Inside Children’s Blog; Akron Children’s. https://www.akronchildrens.org/inside/2023/02/13/kids-and-video-games-the-good-and-the-bad/
McAndrews, A., & McAndrews, A. (2020, April 20). What We Still Have Not Learned From Columbine: Schools Can Be Doing More To Address Bullying - McAndrews Law Firm. McAndrews Law Firm - Providing Exceptional Legal Representation and Advocating for Families for over 40 Years! https://mcandrewslaw.com/what-we-still-have-not-learned-from-columbine-schools-can-be-doing-more-to-address-bullying/
Pearson+. (2025). Pearson.com. https://plus.pearson.com/products/a88a49c9-0f95-4957-836a-b58829b26db4/pages/urn:pearson:entity:effef6e8-a2f7-43ed-9bde-a791f1f3d689?userPreferredType=read
Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2019). Violent video game engagement is not associated with adolescents’ aggressive behaviour: Evidence from a registered report. Royal Society Open Science, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.171474
The Language of Common Sense - Isabella Avila
Languages were created out of the necessity of communication and have been around ever since. Languages allowed for people to express their emotions and necessities both verbally and non-verbelly such as a baby crying that signifies to the mother to feed it or someone screaming to signify an urgency. Through evolution people have adapted these non-verbal calls and responses and turned them into words that convey infinite possibilities. The creation of words is humanity's most powerful and deadliest invention. The power of language allows for the connection and disconnection between person to person or country to country and it is with words that anything is possible. Words can create laws, societies, countries, and revolutions such as the American Revolution.
The American Revolution's main cause was the lack of communication exchanged between the colonists and the British Parliament. Over the decades starting from when the French and Indian war started on May 28th 1754 to the end of the American Revolution on September 3rd 1783, the American Revolution was only an effect of a tyrannical empire who financially abused their colonies. Tax after tax on a colony that has been politically isolated from their forefathers' country over a preventable war that only evoked one emotion, frustration. Frustration was the colonist source of motivation with their protests and boycotts being fueled by the emotion.
Through the tax laws such the Sugar Act (1764), Stamp Act (1765), Townshend Act (1767 and 1768), and the Intolerable Act (1774) (Students of History, 2024). These Taxation laws provoked boycotts and letters to the British parliament over the unjust robbery of the colonists that the British government was imposing. When the British responded with statements declaring their divine power that allowed them to ignore the hardships of the colonists, one colonist responded with a pamphlet contradicting England's true power.
The Pamphlet was titled “Common Sense” after the idea that revolution was inevitable and it was common sense of who caused it. The pamphlet was written by Thomas Paine, a man whose life in England was quoted “marked by repeated failures” due to his unhappiness with his jobs and divorces, until he came to the colonies and met Benjamin Franklin (Foner 1999). Franklin introduced Thomas Paine to Robert Aitkin and gave him a job at Pennsylvania Magazine (Foner (1999). During Paine's time writing for the Pennsylvania Magazine he wrote several pamphlets such as The American Crisis, Right of Man, and most famously Common sense. Common sense was a fourty-seven paged pamphlet that critiqued the loyalists and Paine “relentlessly insisted that British rule was responsible for nearly every problem” Miller (2024) and the problems could only be resolved through gaining independence. Paine's philosophy on Independence was influenced by the Enlightenment era and philosophers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Paine was inspired by Locke's perception that “liberty was a natural right” (Cram.com (2022) and directly contradicted the British's treatment of the colonies as piggy banks in order to pay off war debts.
On January 10th, 1776, Common sense was published with the support of Benjamin Franklin in order to communicate to colonists the time to revolt. Common sense was widely supported and became a best-seller due to Paine's simplistic language that “any average person, even an illiterate colonist hearing the pamphlet aloud, could be swayed” WorldStrides (2024). The simplistic language allowed for Paine's arguments to be understood and hold more significance than a fancy letter that is too overcomplex to the point that it is left up to interpretation. Common sense represented a non-violent means of protesting that not only democratized the argument for independence but highlighted the importance of the revolution itself. Besides the pamphlets critiques of the monarchy and calls for actions, the pamphlet shifted public opinion for the undecided to lean into patriotism. With the widespread support of Common sense, it later became a crucial catalyst for the Declaration of Independence.
Common Sense signified the impending revolt in every colonist's mind by restating the obvious culprit of the colonists' problems. Paine's main arguments were on the bias of Britain and the colonies' abusive dynamic stating “even brutes do not devour their wrong, nor savages make war upon their own families" (Miller (2024b). Paine's quote alludes how Britain's parental authority infantilized the colonies to depend their economy solely on trading between England. Paine's structure and ideas fueled the fire on an already burning colony and the impact Paine left of the revolution is shown greatly in his work.
Thomas Paine and Common Sense impacted the revolution in a way no gun, no knife, no law, and no tyrant ever could, embodying the phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword”. Paine's choice of weapon against the British parliament signified a new era. An era influenced by enlightened thinkers, an era of democracy built on the financial and emotional hardship of colonists. The pamphlet that spread across the colonises may have only been forty-seven pages, but it contained infinite discussions. Discussions of individual rights, democracy, and the natural rights entitled to each individual. These discussions fused with paper create a new language, a language spoken by many but understood by less. This language has transpired out of the pages and into the mouths of colonists to create the true American Revolution, a revolution of philosophers and independence, not only from an empire but from the hands of mistreatment. With this revolution we free ourselves to create a new culture, a culture that speaks the language of its forefathers, which is common sense.
References
Cram.com. (2022, April 9). Comparing Locke’s Common Sense And The Declaration Of Independence. Cram.com. https://www.cram.com/essay/Comparing-Lockes-Common-Sense-And-The-Declaration/80CC6261183CAF29
Foner, P. (1999). Thomas Paine | Biography, Common Sense, & Rights of Man. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Paine
Goldstein, R. (2016, July 1). Three things you didn’t know about the American Revolution. NewsCenter; University of Rochester. https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/three-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-american-revolution/
Miller, J. (2024, July 12). Thomas Paine’s Common Sense - Jack Miller Center. Jack Miller Center. https://www.jackmillercenter.org/our-work/resources/thomas-paines-common-sense
Office of the Historian. (2019). French and Indian War/Seven Years’ War, 1754–63. State.gov; Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/french-indian-war
Students of History. (2024). British Acts That Angered the American Colonists. Www.studentsofhistory.com. https://www.studentsofhistory.com/stamp-sugar-intolerable-acts
WorldStrides. (2024, April 21). Common Sense. Worldstrides.com; Worldstrides. https://worldstrides.com/en-us/teachers/how-it-works/blog/common-sense
North Carolina Structured Sentencing and Sentencing Guidelines - Isabella Avila
Under the judicial branch, judges are responsible for determining fair punishments for each defendant without any biases or prejudice in order to fulfill complete transparency. Methods have been implemented in order for judges to have a rubric or guidelines on what is or isn’t an acceptable punishment and the most common method among judges is structured sentencing.
Structured sentencing is a method that correlates the severity of the crime and the offender’s criminal record in order to give the judge an estimate of the amount of years to give the defendant. This method created the minimum and maximum sentencing that benefit judges across America by creating transparency with the length of sentencing for the defendants. This method has provided clarity for the defendants and their families by taking off stress of “how many years do I have?” or if the defendant is serving too much or too little time for the crime. As always every case depends on factors of time, type, who, what, when, where, etc and for these underlying circumstances laws have created the guidelines we use to determine sentencing in North Carolina.
North Carolina uses structured sentencing to organize criminal sentences by using the structured sentence guidelines to determine a just sentence. “Structured sentence guidelines are rules that judges consider during sentencing a defendant for a federal offense” (Headquarters, 2023). The purpose of sentencing guidelines is to reduce judges' prejudice either in favor or against the defendant biased by race, gender, or even case itself, and force them to use rational thinking instead of discrimination to validate their actions. These guidelines have reduced the biases of judges in sentencing. Sentencing guidelines promote transparency by forcing judges to provide valid reasons for the length of sentences based on the specific factors in the case itself. This ensures that the punishment is proportionally to the crime and embodies that philosophy of the Hammurabi code that the American justice system is influenced by.
North Carolina’s structured sentencing system works by implementing four steps into a judge's decision on sentencing. North Carolina’s system can be described as “grid-like” with how the state compares an individual crime to crimes similar to get an average sentence and this system helps determine a minimum and maximum sentence. Step one of the system is to classify the offense such as a felony or misdemeanor and the defendant's prior criminal history. Step two the judges decide if there are any underlying circumstances that affected the crime or defendant, and finally the judge decides sentencing. The judge selects the minimum or maximum sentence and the type of punishment to impose such as active (incarceration), intermediate (probation, incarceration, or community-based punishment), and community punishment (Structured Sentencing | NC PRO, 2018). This process strives for consistency and implements the concept of deterrence for reoffenders as well as using the selected punishment for rehabilitation for one time offenders. The sentencing system determines punishments for specific cases by using previous cases and their sentencing to use an average. North Carolina’s sentencing system reflects on the principles of proportionality, uniformity, and reduction of sentencing disparities by ensuring that that the length of the sentence is proportionate to the severity of the crime and uniformity by ensuring people who commit the same crime get the same sentence to reduce sentencing disparities caused by biases either on gender, race, religion, etc.
Structured sentencing impacts judicial discretion by placing clear limits on sentencing and by giving them the sentencing grid used to give specific sentencing ranges and giving dispositional constraints. Dispositional constraints are “final result, or termination, of a trial; typically refers to the sentence or other punishment imposed following a criminal or juvenile court case.” (Judicial News for #Date#, 2025). An example of this is when a judge cannot differentiate between the sentence by choosing a lesser or severe punishment even if they believe the defendant deserves it. (Smith, 2017) Another example is when a judge has two defendants of the same crime but different means, one defendant might be a reoffender while the other one is a first time offender. The migrating circumstances are applied in the structured sentencing by giving the re-offender more time than the first time offender in order for the punishment to fit the crime and the defendant. Structured sentencing limits judicial discretion by limiting the power of judges and their sentences to promote fairness and transparency in the justice system.
All in all structured sentencing allows for one thing to be guaranteed, which is time. Time is a privilege that is overlooked by many and we only realize it when we have it taken away. When defendants are sentenced they lose the privilege of time either with their families or friends, but with structured sentencing they have a guaranteed range of how long they have to serve. The guarantee of how long their punishment is provides comfort for the defendant and their family or friends and eases the transition of punishment of either parole or incarceration.
References
Headquarters, V. N. (2023). Eisner Gorin LLP. Thefederalcriminalattorneys.com. https://www.thefederalcriminalattorneys.com/federal-sentencing-guidelines
Judicial News for #date#. (2025). Wa.gov. https://www.courts.wa.gov/training/global_scripts/gloss.cfm?glossid=2755
Smith, J. S. (2017, December 5). Structured Sentencing in North Carolina | How Much Time Am I Looking At? - The Law Offices of J. Scott Smith. The Law Offices of J. Scott Smith, PLLC. https://www.lawsmith.net/blog/structured-sentencing-north-carolina-much-time-looking/
Structured Sentencing | NC PRO. (2018). Unc.edu. https://ncpro.sog.unc.edu/manual/301-1
I woke up and had a dream. This dream will forever be remembered. It is not one that gets forgotten. It was about little black boys and little black girls living in harmony with white people. But how am I to make this beautiful dream come to life in a world so ugly? I think for a long time about if this dream has a deeper meaning.
Gunshots,
instead of the bell,
ring out through the hallway.
Both dismiss the students.
Little baby boy,
staring up at the muzzle of a shotgun,
pointed at him by his classmate.
And instead of formulas or verbs,
today’s lesson will be on,
how to be very quiet,
and hide in the corner,
with the lights off.
In P.E.
we do not play dodgeball or soccer.
We play dead,
and learn to run as fast as we can.
“It won’t happen to me,”
is what all the dead kids thought,
before they were dead.
Not our school.
How do you know?
How do you know the person
sitting beside you in English
isn’t going to kill you?
When it’s all over
and you walk through the halls
stepping over the carcasses of your friends and teachers
how could you have known?
Never again.
Until it does happen again.
Never again.
It happens again.
Never again?
I am drowning.
I am drowning in my sorrow, wondering if I care about making it to tomorrow.
I try to remind myself that there are people who care.
That if I left, it wouldn’t be fair.
I don’t see the hands that try to break through–
Don’t believe them to be true.
For I am a monster.
I hurt and I hurt and I hurt.
I hurt my friends, I hurt my head
I hurt my skin and hope it mends.
I don’t feel joy from cutting my thighs.
I only stifle my cries.
It's unhealthy, I know.
But I don’t know how long I want to keep saying no.
Truly, who would care?
No one would listen if I tried to share.
Everything is changing.
Everything is rearranging.
I am drowning in my self-hate, struggling not to succumb to the bait.
I am drowning.
ᛚᛖᛁᚲᚱᚨᚱ
Plays
Living Newspaper - Kaydence McDaniel
Characters:
Mira
Arin
Mrs. Smith
Jenny
Sammy
Loudspeaker
Eliza
Teacher
Stage Directions
Scene One:
(MIRA runs from the stage on the right, while ARIN and JENNY come from the stage on the left, hand in hand. ARIN is talking while JENNY seems to be distracted while trying to listen, they stop at the Center of the stage)
MIRA
GUYS, you won’t believe what I just- WOAH (MIRA trips over her untied shoelaces and face-plants at the feet of ARIN and JENNY) ow..
ARIN
(ARIN covers his mouth in an attempt to not laugh out loud, it doesn’t work. JENNY shifts slightly, her laugh seeming forced) What a dramatic entrance Mira, is that how you always walk into a room?
MIRA
(muffled) Oh shut it Arin! (MIRA looks up from the floor, glaring before pushing herself up into a sitting position)
ARIN
C’mon moviestar, up you go. (ARIN lets go of JENNY’S hand and extends his hand to MIRA, who takes it and stands up, wiping her sleeves off before grinning)
MIRA
So back to what I was trying to say. Did you hear that Abby and Mason broke up? They had a huge argument in the lunch room and ended it. Right there. In front of the WHOLE LUNCH ROOM! A three year relationship just ended like that! (MIRA throws her hands in the air before crossing her arms)
ARIN
Thank you for the information about two people I have never met and didn’t even know were together Mira, very informative.
MIRA
Well it wasn’t for YOU! Jenny, can you believe it?! I mean- (MIRA stops, seeing JENNY standing there looking at the wall beside them like it was interesting, not paying attention to anything MIRA was saying) Jenny, were you listening?
JENNY
(JENNY flinches at the sound of her name, looking up at MIRA and ARIN who are both giving her worried looks) Huh what did you say?
MIRA
I was telling you guys about how Abby and Mason broke up, it was this huge thing. You really didn’t hear anything I said?
JENNY
Sorry Mira, I’ve just been distracted lately. I didn’t sleep well last night. (JENNY smiles, she puts her hands behind her back. ARIN wraps an arm around JENNY’s waist, pulling her close)
ARIN
Is it your dad again, babe? My offer for you to come stay with me still stands.
JENNY
It’s fine Arin, he’s just a little strict. I’m used to it. (JENNY pushes away from him slightly, ARIN lets go of JENNY’s waist, letting her pull away from him completely) I’ll meet you in science class Mira. (JENNY walks off the right side stage, leaving ARIN and MIRA alone)
MIRA
Does she seem off to you, Arin?
ARIN
Yeah…can you try and talk to her during class for me? My mom’s picking me up early today and I won’t be back until our last class.
MIRA
Of course! I’ll see you later, Arin. (MIRA walks to the left of the stage and into the wing while ARIN goes to the right of the stage, into the wing)
(LOUDSPEAKER enters from the right side of the stage)
LOUDSPEAKER
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in 2023. Considering how hundreds to thousands of kids are in high school, more start to think about it every year. That means hundreds of people consider, or worse, attempt suicide.
(LOUDSPEAKER exits to the right sidde of the stage)
Scene Two:
(MRS. SMITH walks in from the right side of the staget.The students are sitting at their desk center-stage-to the left and are writing in their notebooks. JENNY walks in from the left side of the stage going to the Center of the stage and sits down in a chair with a desk in front of it)
MRS. SMITH
Good morning Jenny, I hope you had a good weekend.
JENNY
It was fine. (JENNY stands up and gives the TEACHER a paper) Here’s my work from Friday.
MRS. SMITH
Jenny…this worksheet is from last month. Are you feeling okay?
JENNY
I’m fine. (JENNY walks back to her seat and sits down. She puts her head down on the desk and pulls her hood up over her head. MIRA runs into the classroom right as the bell rings, panting, and sits in her seat next to JENNY)
MIRA
(out of breath) That was close.
MRS. SMITH
Cutting it close there Mira.
MIRA
Sorry Mrs Smith!! I got caught up talking to a friend.
MRS. SMITH
Well try to be faster next time before you’re late.
MIRA
Yes ma’am.
(MRS. SMITH stands up and walks over to the board. MIRA turns to JENNY, who’s head is still down with her hood on. MIRA leans over to her.)
MIRA
Hey, is everything okay with you Jenny? Me and Arin have been worried about you and-
JENNY
(JENNY lifts her head up, avoiding eye contact with MIRA) Just leave me alone Mira. I’m fine, stop asking.
MIRA
Jenny, I'm not stupid. We’ve known each other since we were five. Maybe you can pretend around Arin or Sammy or anyone else but not me. But Arin’s worried about you too.
JENNY
It doesn’t matter.
MIRA
Of course it matters Jenny! You’re my best friend and you have been for 10 years now. It doesn’t matter how stupid or irrelevant the problem is, it's your feelings. Your feelings are always gonna be important to me.
JENNY
You wouldn't understand Mira. (JENNY turns her head away from MIRA)
MIRA
Then help me understand! I won't just sit here and act like I'm not worried about you.
JENNY
Just leave me alone Mira. I don't want to talk about it.
MIRA
I'm not just gonna leave it alone Jenny! Is it your dad again? You know that my mom and Arin's mom would both be okay with you staying at either of our houses. My mom knows that your dad can be strict at times, but if it's more than that please tell me. I want to help you but I can't if you keep pushing me away.
JENNY
Maybe I don't want your help? Have you ever thought about that?
MIRA
(MIRA reaches out and grabs JENNY’S hand. JENNY flinches and pulls away) Jenny… please talk to me.
JENNY
Leave me alone Mira! God you're so annoying, mind your own business and continue being the favorite.
MIRA
Favorite?! What is that supposed to mean!
JENNY
It doesn’t matter. (JENNY stands up from her chair as the bell rings) Leave me alone. (JENNY walks off the stage to the right, leaving MIRA sitting in her chair watching JENNY leave)
SAMMY
(SAMMY walks in from the right side of the stage, looking back at the side where JENNY had run out) Uhh why did I just see Jenny run out of here like she was being chased.
MRS. SMITH
Sammy, Mira, please take this conversation to the lunch room before you miss lunch. I also need to prepare for my next class.
SAMMY
Yes ma’am! C’mon Mira, let's go. (MIRA nods and stands up from her chair, following SAMMY off stage to the left. MRS SMITH goes off stage to the right)
Scene Three:
(SAMMY and MIRA come back on stage from the left side of the stage, stopping at the direct center. SAMMY turns to look at MIRA, who is looking down at her feet, fiddling with her hands.)
SAMMY
Alright so explain. I have never seen Jenny that upset before, she's always all sunshine and rainbows.
MIRA
She's been acting off lately but won't tell me why. And she yelled at me when I confronted her about it in class.
SAMMY
Wait wait wait, she yelled at you?! She never even raises her voice near you, she gets quiet whenever you're in the general vicinity.
MIRA
Yeah… I'm really worried about her, Sammy.. She's been so distant lately and-
ELIZA
MIRA! (MIRA flinches at the sound of a yell and turns to the right, seeing ELIZA run on stage from the right, panting.)
SAMMY
Eliza? What's going on? And did you run here, you never run anywhere!
MIRA
Eliza..?
ELIZA
It's Jenny! She's… She's on the roof and I think she's planning to jump! One of the teachers is there trying to talk her down but she's not listening and- (MIRA pushes past ELIZA before she finishes her sentence and runs off the stage to the right.)
SAMMY
MIRA WAIT! (SAMMY takes off sprinting to follow MIRA. ELIZA sighs and watches them run off)
ELIZA
Great more running. (ELIZA follows SAMMY.)
Scene Four:
(JENNY is standing on the edge of the roof, on the front of the stage in the center, looking down, tears streaming down her face. The TEACHER is standing farther back in the center behind JENNY.)
TEACHER
Jenny please back away from the edge. (The TEACHER takes a step forward.)
JENNY
One more step and I'll jump! I swear to god I'll do it! (JENNY takes a small step closer to the edge.)
(Everyone freezes and LOUDSPEAKER enters from the right side of the stage)
LOUDSPEAKER
Suicide deaths among 10- to 24-year-olds increased by 62% from 2007 to 2021. Research released this summer found that suicide is rising dramatically in preteens as young as 8 years old as well, with an 8.2% annual increase from 2008 to 2022. Jenny seems to be a part of those statistics. While considering suicide isn’t the same as doing it, there is still an increase in the amount of teenagers who seriously attempt suicide. Many times not being caught until it’s too late.
(LOUDSPEAKER walks right offstage and everyone unfreezes. MIRA sprints over from stage right as JENNY takes a step off the edge. MIRA gets to JENNY and grabs her hard, pulling her away from the edge. JENNY and MIRA fall to the floor.)
JENNY
Mira?
MIRA
(MIRA sits up, staring at JENNY with tear filled eyes. JENNY stares at MIRA in shock, frozen in place.) What were you thinking Jenny?!
JENNY
I… You weren't supposed to… I didn't think you'd…
MIRA
Didn't think I'd what?
JENNY
(Softly) I didn't think you'd care.
MIRA
Of course I care, you idiot! You're like a sister to me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ever lost you. (MIRA grabs JENNY and pulls her into a hug. JENNY hesitates before hugging back MIRA.)
(SAMMY runs from stage right, followed by both ELIZA and ARIN.)
ARIN
Jenny!! (ARIN runs past SAMMY and ELIZA over to where JENNY and MIRA are sitting, crashing into them with a hug.) I love you so much Jenny. I'm so sorry if I don't say it enough..
JENNY
I-I love you too Arin. I'm sorry.
(MIRA lets go of JENNY, and ARIN fully embraces JENNY. JENNY hugs him back while shaking. SAMMY and ELIZA walk over and join the hug. The scene freezes once more and LOUDSPEAKER comes on stage from the right.)
LOUDSPEAKER
(To the AUDIENCE) The signs that someone is dealing with suicidal thoughts or is planning suicide aren’t always obvious. If you ever see someone struggling, don’t ignore it. Don't just tell yourself that it’s fine or that they’re being dramatic. Pay attention to your friends and family. Tell someone you trust about their behavior, such as a parent or guardian; even your principal or a teacher you trust.
(LOUDSPEAKER walks off stage to the left. The scenes resume’s. MIRA reaches out and clasps JENNY’S hand.)
MIRA
You're staying at my place tonight. My mom’s won't mind. I'll just tell them that it's a sleepover.
JENNY
Are you sure?
MIRA
Of course I'm sure Jenny. We're gonna help you. All of us. Starting with getting you a therapist.
JENNY
Do I have to?
ARIN
Jenny I love you with all my heart and hate forcing you to do stuff you don’t want to, but if you don’t I will drag you to the building.
JENNY
Okay;okay I’ll try it.
THE END!!
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