Reading Response

        What really hard things are happening in this text? Are these things happening in the world now? Where?

        Around the world, many people are currently going through hard problems such as abuse, poverty, divorce, bullying, etc. Some people who aren't going through some of these things may take life for granted. This is why I think the Author Craig Thompson wrote "Blankets" to show readers what it is like to go through some of them. In the book "Blankets", written by Craig Thompson, the Author puts some of the main characters through hard things that are happening in the world today.

        The first common social issue the Author puts one of the main characters through is going through a divorce when he was used to seeing his adopted parents happily married for a long time. At a certain point in time, children's parents may not have the same love for each other as they used to. Sometimes this may lead to a divorce. Depending on the person, each child will react differently. One of the common emotions a child will feel is anger. Raina's adopted brother Ben finally expresses the anger he has been holding in for a long period of time. "You can't get a divorce!" He screams to his adopted Father. "NO DIVORCE DAD! YOU AND MOM ARE MARRIED!....IT SAYS SO--IN THE BIBLE!" (Thompson 352). He then slams a chair into the wall, Throughout the book, after throwing that small tantrum, Ben locks himself in his room for long periods of time and refuses to talk to anyone. This quote shows the effect divorce can have on a child.

        Unlike others, some children weren't born into good homes. Some of them may be abused physically, mentally, or sexually almost every day, and are too afraid to tell this problem to anyone. This is what happened to Craig and his little brother Phil. Whenever their parents went out together, they would hire the same babysitter to look after them. He would trick Craig and Phil into going in a room with him to "hear a joke", when really he would just touch them inappropriately and do other things. "Hey I've got a really funny joke. So funny, I can only tell it to you one at a time" (Thompson 31). Is what he would say. Then he would take one of them into a room and when he was done, both Craig and him would come out laughing. This quote shows what some children have to go through in their homes.

        The last common social issue the author puts one of the main characters through is being bullied. Sadly, close to half of all children will experience bullying while they are in elementary or middle school. Atleast ten percent are bullied on a day-to-day basis. ("Bullying Statistics" 1). In the beginning of the book, Craig was constantly being bullied in middle school by a group of older kids. "You know it's not just you we hate, it's your whole family. Your dad looks like a Mexican-- too poor to feed you, and your mom is so religious it makes everyone in town sick!" (Thompson 21). After insulting him Craig would get angry and try to hurt them, but since he was smaller than them it did nothing. They would say, "Sorry we don't fight babies." and then throw him into a pit by the school. This quote shows one of the many hard things people go through regularly.

        This text makes me realize that I should be grateful that I don't have to go through any of those things today, and that I shouldn't take my life for granted.

Monday Muses

Who's perspective is missing in this text? What would it be like if we put it back?

        In the book "Blankets", written by Craig Thompson, I think that Craig's little brother's perspective is missing in the scene after they were sexually harassed by their babysitter. Even though Craig is the main character and the story focuses on his love life with Raina, it would answer any questions about how Craig's brother is doing. For example one question I had after reading that part in the story was, how did he feel about what happened to him? Will he ever be healthy emotionally/mentally? Since they were both sexually abused he had to be damaged emotionally or mentally in some way. I think it would've been better if they added his perspective as well and not just Craig's. The only time the reader see's Craig's brother is towards the end of the book when they are seniors in high school. But even then the Author makes no detail of how Craig's brother was doing.

        If the Author added Craig's brother's perspective, it would allow the reader to fully understand what their childhood was like growing up, and how being sexually harassed effected the both of them. For example, since the author brings that social issue up more than once, it is obviously important. We would've also learned how he felt about Craig after he let the babysitter do that to him when he knew what would happen.

Reading Response On Divergent

        If the character in your book has problems, can you see how those problems are about having or not having money, struggling with others for power, or being cheated, or helped by society's rules?

        In the book Divergent written by Veronica Roth, one of the main characters Beatrice had to struggle for power the become one of the top five in her faction. In this dystopian world, there are five different factions. They are, Eruidite, Abnegation, Candor, Amity, and Dauntless. Every day Beatrice and about twelve others were tested to see how strong they were and had to compete against each other. Almost every day She was matched up to a partner to fight. Based on how well she did in each test, she was ranked. Whenever Beatrice did better than some of the other people competing against her, they would brutally beat and taunt her. In the end, she becomes one of the top five in her faction, and would not become factionless like the others who did not make it.

Monday Muses #2

      My favorite children's picture book is "Biscuit Goes To School". 

When I was younger, I would remember flipping through the pages 

constantly, and always asking my parents to read it to me. Today,

this book still reminds me if my former neighbor's dog Biscuit that

had died of old age.

Argument Essay Draft #1

Today, many parents are complaining about their teens reading inappropriate books in School Libraries. They think that some of these books do not portray a good message to their children. One of the Young-Adult books multiple parents are trying to ban is “Rage” written by Jackie Morse Kessler. Parents are afraid that the protagonist may influence teens to consider self-harm as an option when they are facing emotional problems. As a teenager myself, I feel that some Young-Adult books such as “Thirteen Reasons Why” written by Jay Asher should not be banned from the eighth grade library because banning books makes readers more interested in reading them, and this book can help readers with their problems.

Many parents want to ban most Young-Adult books from school Libraries, but they do not realize that that does not stop a child from reading it. In the article “Banned Books We Have Loved”, Meade, an author quotes, “I honestly don’t think that banning a book ruins it’s reputation or makes children afraid to read it. In fact, the opposite will happen.” In fact, teens read these “dark books” because they are driven by the social dealings between people. They also enjoy reading them because Young-Adult books that are either forbidden or cause great horror are appealing to teens.

What people fail to realize is that allowing teens to read these Young-Adult books can actually help them. In the article “Darkness Too Visible” it reads, “These books can help comfort a teen through emotional times because they can relate to the protagonist. This can help them to eventually manage their emotional problems that they are dealing with.” In a second article “Banned Books We Have Loved”, it talks about how even though some of the classic books may have inappropriate content, they shouldn’t ban them because they actually teach them something.

In the book “Thirteen Reasons Why”, written by Jay Asher, on page one hundred seventy three, the protagonist Hannah says, “Or maybe I wanted someone to point a finger at me and say, ‘Hannah. Are you thinking about killing yourself? Please don’t do that, Hannah. Please?’ But deep down, the truth was that the only person saying that was me. Deep down those were my thoughts.” Here, Hannah is silently reaching out for a cry for help. This book can teach teens what a suicidal person is thinking, and how to consult someone who is thinking about suicide.

Parents need to realize that Young-Adult books aren’t as dark as they seem. Sometimes a book’s blurb makes the book seem more cruel or inappropriate than what it actually is. “Most of the Young-Adult books are leavened by it’s redemptive endings.” quotes the article “Teen Fiction Plots Are Darker And Starker”. A second protagonist from “Thirteen Reasons Why” written by Jay Asher on page two hundred seventeen says, “How many times after the party did I stand right here, when Hannah was alive, thinking my chances with her were over? Thinking I said or did something wrong. Too afraid to talk to her again. Too afraid to try. And then, when she died, my chances disappeared forever.” This is also another example of how teens can relate to a Young-Adult book. It can help them deal with losing someone important to them in their life because the protagonist was going through the same thing in the story.

Hopefully the DOE doesn’t go through with banning “Thirteen Reasons Why”, or Young-Adult books from School Libraries. It will do nothing to stop teens from reading them. I know that if most Young-Adult books are banned teens, including myself, won’t have anyone to relate to them when they are going through emotional problems. This might lead to a more severe illness.

Monday's Muses

Heartbroken .

I loved you,
you loved me.
4 years.
I remember staying up
for countless hours
texting you.
Tick
tock
tick
tock.
As time elapses,
our love grows apart.
No more warm kisses.
My cheeks feel cold
like a frosted winter day.
No more laying in your arms.
Countless tears
falling down.
Drip
drip
drip.
You were the bee,
and I was the flower.
We both needed
each other.
But now 
you don't need me anymore.
I'm unwanted.
Like crumpled paper
thrown into a waste basket.
Forgotten.
My computer blasts
the music that
reminds me of
what was once us.
"Perfect Two" is what
we used to be.
I keep hoping
that one day
you will love me again
like I love you.
And every night
I stare at the time
and wait.
I don't blink.
I can't.
11:11.
I always wish that
one day the love
we used to have
will somehow come back,
but it never comes true.

Sincerely (Second Blog Make-up)

         In the book "Sincerely", written by Courtney Sheinmel one of the main characters, Sophie goes through a big change. This was how I was able to find one of the themes; Don't kiss up to a person just because you want them to like you. In the beginning of the story, Sophie would be hurt when her best friend Jessie would ignore her and make her feel left out. Where as towards the end, Sophie learned to become more independent and to stop kissing up to Jessie.

         The way Jessie was acting was effecting Sophie in the beginning because they were best friends for a long time. Sophie also wasn't used to Jessie suddenly not including her by not hanging out. Whenever Jessie would treat Sophie badly, she would cry in her room silently. By Jessie treating her this way, it brought out Sophie's jealous trait. Some ways Jessie would leave her out was by not including Sophie in any plans she made with other friends, deciding not to sit with her at lunch anymore, not coming over Sophie's house anymore, and hanging out with new people on Halloween.

         On pages 188 and 189 in the book, Sophie learns she doesn't need to kiss up to Jessie and is finally able to understand that their friendship will never be the same. This was how I was able to come up with the theme.

By The Time You Finish Reading This I'll Be Dead

      
        The book I chose to write this reading response on is, "By The Time You Finish Reading This I'll Be Dead" written by June Ann Peters. It is about a fifteen year old girl named Daelyn Rice who suffers from bullying, and tried to kill herself many times. She is unable to speak because of a failed suicide attempt. A theme that I think this book has, is that bullying can really effect a person's life.
        On page twenty five, an important quote from the book I found was, "It's so Oprah, but to feel better I ate away the pain. Then the pain ate me." This quote means that instead of Daelyn telling someone about the pain and hurt she is going through, she kept it to herself and decided to show no emotion. Sadly, when the bullying had gotten worse, it destroyed her. Not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. This is what led to her suicide attempts. In the book she tells the reader that at ten years old she was already trying to commit suicide.
        Another example of how the theme in this book is that bullying can effect a person's life, is because Daelyn forces herself to not show any emotion to anything. This way when someone bullies her, they wouldn't be able to tell if what they are doing is effecting her, even though it is. On page 45, Daelyn thinks to herself, "He has a nice smile. No he doesn't." Here you could tell she is in-denial about how she feels about this boy. This is an example of how she is refusing to show her true feelings.

    Free? Stories About Human Rights: Amnesty International

    To be honest, when my Dad ordered this book online for me to read, I wasn't too thrilled to be reading this book for summer reading. I thought it was going to be boring, but to my surprise, I was proven, wrong. As soon as my eyes starting reading the first page I was hooked. No matter where I went, I took this book along with me. It didn't matter if I was only able to get a couple minutes of reading, in. I never wanted to put the book down. There are about fourteen different inspiring, life changing stories written by different Authors. Although some stories may be a bit long, this book will really change how you view our world. I would definitely recommend reading this book.