"The Bravest Girl in the World" by Malala Yousafzai

This week, I read an article called the "Bravest Girl in the World". This article is about a young women, named Malala Yousafzai, who lived in Pakistan when she was attacked by the Taliban. By the time of 11 years old, she was already known in her Pakistani town for speaking out for education rights of girls.
    The author of the article is actually, Malala herself. Most of the article is actually about her attack and why she got attacked, however Malala wasnt trying to get you to feel bad for her. She wanted you to think about how it;s notonly her who was a victim, but also other girls. Yes, not everybody got shot in the head, but hundreds of girls are being stripped of their education. The only reason she got shot was because she spoke out against them. In the article, she also talks about how she loved doing normal teenager things. For example, gossiping with he friends, listening to Justin Bieber songs, exchanging beauty tips, and riding the bus. In fact, she was on a school bus when she and two other of her friends got shot. She talks about the gory detail of it, how "by the time they [we] got to the hospital, my long hair and Moniba's lap were full of blood. And also how the shooters arm was apparently shaking when he fired. She does this all to make us see how terrible things are for Pakistani girls specifically.

    Malala later speaks about how even after her attack, at 15 years old, she is still expressing her opinion and fighting for equal rights. She wants us to know that this message is so important for her to get across, shes risking her and her families lives. She also wants us to realize that the goal can be met. Already, at 16 shes been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize spoken at UN, and inspired hundreds of other young women around the world. This article really educates you on how terrible women still have it in countries specifically affected by the Taliban.

Persopolis- inquiry question 2

    The perspective that is mostly being shown in persopolis is maryjane, a young girl that narrates the graphic novel. Maryjane is actually the author of the graphic novel. the whole story is about experiences she has grwoing up in iran. The story not only includes the difficulties of living in a war torn county, but also just growing up in general.
    it is un maryjanes perspective because i think people can relate to her best that way, not only people who have had to grow up in such difficult situations, but also just young girls. the story is just as much focused on her growing up as it is focused on the war happening in her country. she didnt want the story to be about some random person living in iran, she wanted it to be about a kid, if it wasnt about one, the story would be so foreign to readers, but now, kids can relate to it, which makes it more appealing to them, in fact adults could relate to , considering they were all kids at some point. and part of the reason it was in her point of view is obviously because its a memoir. maryjane satrapi was just explaining her life in an interesting graphic novel.
   The perspective missing is the enemies, or in this story, the government. it is not being shown, because it would send across the completely wrong message. it would make them seem like the good guys, which would not only send a controversy across readers because they were not the "good guys", but also thats not what maryjane wanted to do. she was a victim of what the government was doing at that time, she would never want them to seem good.
    overall, i think maryjane made the right choice in putting it in her point of view. she wanted to share her experiences with the world, not somebody elses. and by doing it, it made an interesting book and character.

YA fiction essay

Lately in the literary world, YA fiction has been a raging topic. Outraged parents, librarians, and teachers have been trying to convince people that the current literature has become to dark for their audiences. And authors and kids have been disagreeing. And according to my sources, their attempts have not been too convincing. Teens should be able to read any books they choose because many of them go through the same things as the characters, and it would just be pointless to take it away.

Young adults appreciate YA fiction greatly. In “Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood”, an article written by Sherman Alexie, author of the award winning novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” explains just how much teen readers love his novel. He says he gets letter daily thanking him for his frequently challenged book. He even includes that he has still not gotten a single complaint concerning his book coming from a teen. He says that when he was a child, he read a lot of YA fiction himself, the types of books that might be considered “dark” now. And he explains he read these books “because they taught me how to battle the real monsters in life.” Right there, just shows how much kids appreciate these stories. So, when I saw Meaghan Cox Gurdon, in the article “Darkness Too Visible” trying to convince you that books like these just spread problems, I knew it was ridiculous. She says that the “logic” is that when a reader reads things like this, they can relate to the books and it will help them manage. Which is exactly what it does. Telling from all the letters Alexie gets, it seems like it does anyways.

Taking away teen beloved young adult fiction would sere as beneficial to no one and just be pointless. According to Sherman Alexies article, many children go through grim experiences similar to those faced by the characters in these stories. He states that he’s spoken to numerous schools where the kids are victims of sexual and physical abuse, racism, poverty, depression etc. These are all “dark” topics that play a big role in a lot of teen fiction today. Many of which are reasons behind banning a lot of popular teen fiction. Seeing that kids are going through these things themselves, what would be the point of banning these books? Sherman Alexie includes a powerful quote about his own childhood. “They wanted to protect me fro sex when I had already been raped. They wanted to protect me from evil when a future serial killer had already abused me. They wanted me to profess my love for god without considering that I was the child and grandchild of men and women who had been sexually and physically abused by generations of clergy.” This is coming from someone who has experienced darker things than any one could imagine, and has watched as people try to take away the novels that helped him and hundreds of other teens bear these experiences, for what he knows is absolutely no reason. Alexie in Gurdon’s article says that kids can find just as bad stuff online. Yet another reason for why taking away teen fiction wouldn't help anyone. Since kids spend almost all their time on the Internet now, I’m sure kids have found worse things surfing the web. Again, this proves another one of Gurdon’s silly arguments to be invalid. She talks about “Scars” by Cheryl Rainfield, and how the cover might make a victim of self-mutation relapse. I’m sure this picture of a “horribly scarred forearm” is nothing compared to what kids discover on various social networking sites like twitter, tumblr, and instagram.

Even teenagers themselves agree that YA fiction helps them. In  Mary Elizabeth Williams article “Has Young Adult Fiction Become Too Dark?” she speaks about a reoccurring trend on twitter, #YAsaves. According to the article, the hashtag has endless links to teen and adult blog posts. She recalls one child’s heart-wrenching post on a reaction to Meaghan Cox Gurdon’s article. She says,” Good literature opens up all the good parts of us, the parts people like you have deemed too dark, inappropriate, grotesque or abnormal for kids to be feeling- and try stitch is all back together before we even realize they’re talking about us. This explains exactly how teenagers are reacting to all these attempts at taking away their books, which is exactly what Gurdon failed to do in “Darkness Too Visible”. She even tried to convince you that children don't read YA fiction at all. This honestly just made me laugh, because if she’s trying to tell me that, why did she just write a 4 page article trying to get kids to stop reading these books. She explains that a local bookstore owner visited a private school (which are typically very small already), that only 18 kids actually admitted to reading teen fiction. However, just one poll done by a random woman from a bookstore isn’t exactly a good source. And again, if kids aren’t reading these books, why are you trying to take them away?

Telling from several the articles I read both and against YA fiction, and being a young adult myself, teen fiction should not be banned or challenged. If YA fiction does anything at all, its most definitely help us. There’s been various stories of kids benefiting from teen fiction, but I haven’t heard a specific story of a child being harmed by it. And again I have read several articles against and for YA fiction. And Sherman Alexie, an award winning author, Mary Elizabeth Williams, mom of teenagers, and thousands of other parents’ kids feel the exact same way. Trying to limit what we read wouldn't help anyone and just upset readers that depend on these stories just to get him or her through their difficult adolescence.

The Fault in Our Stars

       Recently, I finished "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green. This along with other novels bu John Green has gotten great reviews from the YA audience. I think, that Green yet again, really expresses what its like to grow up. The book tells a story of Hazel, an 16 year old with incurable thyroid cancer who at a cancer support group meets an Augustus Waters, a seventeen year old cancer survivor with a prosthetic leg. Throughout the story you get to know and like the characters so much you sort of wish you knew them yourself. He gets into the little details about what a 16 year old girl would be feeling, from being upset about missing episodes of her favorite TV show, America's Next Top Model, to falling in love for the first time.
        And yes, the main two characters have cancer, but that's certainly not what the book is centered around. In fact, the main character, even explains how much she despises cancer books. "but its not a cancer book, because cancer books suck", she says about "An Imperial Affliction", one of her and Augustus' favorite books. This book plays a big role in the novel. Without it, there would probably be not story. The book is what I think really brought Gus and Hazel, and is a big part of the plot. Through out the book Hazel and Gus are trying to reach their goal, which is to meet Peter Van Houten, the author of AIA who lives in Holland and have him answer the endless questions Hazel has. However, when the couple finally gets to meet him he turns out being quite a disappointment, and a "drunk doucheface" as Hazel says.
       However I don't think actually having answer the questions was the reason why going there was so fun. It was fun because Hazel and Gus were going on adventures and "drinking stars" (champagne) and making memories as much as they could before they had to face facts. Like in many of John Greens novels, (spoiler alert) he kills off one of the main characters, Augustus. Who was exactly who you didn't think was going to die. The whole time Hazel is worried about dying and hurting Gus, but alas the exact opposite happens. Its revealed that he has cancer all throughout his body. "I went in for a PET scan. I lit up like a Christmas Tree, Hazel Grace.", says Gus. And so, Hazel has to watch what we were sure to be her soulmate die. For the rest of the book the once blue eyed crooked smiled Augustus Waters turn into a "pitiful", dying cancer patient in a wheel chair. However Gus never lost his sense of humor, the last time you get to see the real Augustus Waters was in Holland. Again this is why Green included this part, to have Gus and Hazel go on a final adventure.
       On one hand, your sort of mad at John Green for doing this to you, having you to get to know these kids so well, and right when your convinced they're meant to be and are going to grow old together, he kills Gus. On the other hand, the story would've ended too well if that did happen. But in the end, I think Green did a great job at creating great characters, and also an interesting plot. This book made me laugh for a good ten minutes and at the same time, made me bawl for a good ten minutes. Which is what I think really makes this such a great book.

Non Fiction- "Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood" by Sherman Alexie

          This week, I read and annotated "Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood", by Sherman Alexie. The article is a response to Meaghan Cox Gurdon's, "Darkness Too Visible". The whole entire article pretty much is focused on contradicting Gurdon. He also wants to make the readers see how ridiculous Gurdon was being and feel and really know just how hard some young adults lives are.How does he do this? He proves his points by using stories of children hes met throughout his years of being an author, and even using his own personal information. Hes trying to prove that there's no point in trying to stop Young Adults from reading "dark" fiction, when many of them have gone through the things in the stories themselves. And that fiction does not expose teens to profanity but actually helps YA's. In a paragraph talking about Gurdon, he says "Does she [Gurdon] believe that a YA novel about murder and rape will frighten a kid who already lives in hell?" This sentence pretty much sums up the point he is trying to prove. Then in order to show the audience just how "dark" his and hundreds of other kids lives are he discusses his childhood. "They wanted to protect me from sex when i had already been raped. They wanted to protect me form evil though a future serial killer had already abused me. They wanted me to profess my love for god without considering that i was the child and grandchild of men and women who'd been sexually and physically abused by generations of clergy." That detail really spoke to me because it shows me that he went through a whole lot when he was kid, things similar to what children are going through now, and he really knows what he's talking about. However Gurdon does not. She doesnt include a single quote from a YA at all, and definitely not one that is a victim of abuse. He even says that he wishes he could've read Laurie Halse Anderson's "Speak" when he was a young adult. This shows that after being through hell, he thinks YA fiction would actually help him get through. Alexie even puts us in his shoes, and says that if they tried taking YA fiction away when he was a kid hed just say "Wow, you are way, way too late." When he puts us in his perspective like that its pretty much the same as quoting a YA. He did this so we could see how stupid and unbeneficial taking away YA ficiton would be. In the beginning of the article he says hed spoken to students that had "survived depression, attempted suicide, gang warfare, sexual and physical abuse, absentee parents poverty, racism and learning disabilities," He tells us about all these different things that kids have been through to again, point out how horrible things are for some kids. He also includes a story about a 17 old id he met that wanted to be a writer, but his father was forcing to be a soldier. He discussed how "Yes, he was old enough to die and kill for his country. And experience the infinite horros of war. But according to Ms. Gurdon, he was too young to read a YA novel that vividly portrays those very same horrors." This is yet again just another story that proves his point. He completely contradicts Gurdon by using this story. And once again, he puts you into the kids shoes. "I don't want to be like my father, I want to be like myself. Like in your book." That practically just says that YA books help readers. Not only victimized ones (the 17 year old had never been abused) but also ones facing problems like this. After this quote Alexie also talks about other teens. He says, "There are millions of teens who read because they are sad and lonely and enraged. They read because they live in an often terrible world. They read because they belive, despite the callow protestations of certain adults, that books- especially the dark and dangerous- will save them." He included that part of the article because it pretty much sums up the whole entire point of the article. Showing us all these upsetting and "dark" details about some YA's lives, and then leaving us, with his point. Which is that YA saves kids, and taking that away would be completely pointless.

Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tschiya

       "Faithful Elephants" by Yukio Tschiya zooms in on just one of the horrible anecdotes of Word War 2. The picture book is about a zoo in Japan, caught in between a time in Japan where they get bombed almost every night. We learn that the army is forcing the zoo to kill all dangerous animals, including the elephants must be killed because of the war. The book begins on a spring day in the Ueno Zoo, where a zoo keeper looking at the elephants begins to tell us a story about the Elephants from years ago. The story then becomes in the point of view of someone during the war. As the story goes on, the first elephant dies and afterwards the 2 others do as well. Even though it is just a childrens picture book, the author is trying to send a ver obvious and important message and i think the story indicates it very well.
   I think that even though "Faithful Elephants" is very specific to one story, it is showing a much bigger picture. I think that Tschiya is trying to convince readers at a young age that war is horrible and incredibly destructive. The author teaches young readers this by using Elephants, a friendly animal that most people have sympathy for and showing the terrible experience they had to endure starving to death instead of talking about the holocaust and all the people that lost their lives in world war two. Yukio includes very depressing and heartbreaking details, even putting you in the elephants shoes. At one point tin the story, when the elephants try to get noticed by the keepers by doing their banzai trick, the author writes"surely their friend would reward them with food and water like he used to do.", putting you in perspective of the elephants. The author also included how the people at the zoo specifically one zoo keeper there were also suffering, watching as their elephants that he "loved as if they were his own children" slowly starved to death, the elephants becoming weaker and weaker by the day. When the elephants finaly died, the zoo keeper yelled "the elephants are dead! theyre dead!" as he ran into the office stomping his fists on the table in frustration. I think Yukio put such upsetting details in like this to really show readers how difficult the war was on both the elephants and the zoo keepers. Yukio has a very obvious opinion on wars. After the elephants die, the zoo keepers put their fists up in the air and yell "stop the war! stop the war! stop all wars!" Tschyia could not have a more evident stance on the war, and decided to put it towards the end of the story to conclude the lesson of the book. Overall, I think the narrative expresses how bad war is, and that it is a Person Vs. Society , showing that the enemy is obviously the army and just wars in general.

The Great Gatsby

This summer one of the books I read was the Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. Not only is the Great Gatsby a great book itself but it shows an interesting metaphor. The book begins with Nick Caraway, an educated man from Minnesota. Nick goes to his friend, Daisy, and her husband Tom's house, and becomes good friends with Jordan Baker, a young famous golfer at the time.

The group of friends soon meet Gatsby, Nick's mysterious neighbor who throws huge parties weekly. Later, we discover that during the war Gatsby and Daisy had gone out a few times and ever since then Gatsby has been searching for Daisy. Eventually Daisy and Gatsby reconnect, and once again fall in love. Tom, however, is also having an affair with a woman named Myrtle Wilson.

One day Tom, Daisy, Nick Jordan and Gatsby all decide to go into the city. After getting there Tom, who'd been suspicious of Daisy and Gatsby for a bit, gets into an argument. After Daisy admits that she loved Gatsby, Tom Nick and Jordan get into Toms car and Daisy and Gatsby gets into his. Daisy drives back and accidentally hits Myrtle Wilson after she had just gotten into a fight with her husband George Wilson, and Daisy kills her without even stopping. They return home and Tom and Daisy aren't heard from. The next day Nick hears shot coming from Gatsbys pool and finds Wilson dead, having shot himself and Gatsby.

 After Gatsby's funeral (which no one attends) Nick sees Tom in the street and we find out that Tom had set Gatsby up to die. Apparently Wilson had came to Tom wanting revenge for his wife's death, and not wanting him to kill Daisy Tom lies and tells him it was Gatsby who was driving, not Daisy.

I think that "The Great Gatsby" doesn't only have a good plot to it, but it also expresses how selfish and careless Americans were at the time and sometimes still are. Tom and Daisy for example didn't care that Gatsby was the one to die as long at it wasn't themselves. They are "careless people, they smashed up things naif creatures and then retreated them bad into their money on their carelessness or whatever kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made", says Nick in the last chapter.

The novel is an example of what the American mind was like by showing how Tom and Daisy only cared about their own well being. However, it also expressed that Americans were hopeful and optimistic, by showing that Gatsby "believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes us. It eluded us then, but thats no matter--- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms father… and one fine morning--- so we beat on, boats against the current borne back ceaselessly into the past."

The reason why i enjoyed and appreciate "The Great Gatsby" is not only because of the plot, but because of the fascinating message it sends to its readers.

girl interrupted- re read

today i re read girl, interrupted. I also recently saw the movie and can now compare them. Girl interrupted is about a young, 20 year old woman in the 1970s in the middle of the Vietnam war. Susannah Kaysen is an independent woman that goes about her bussiness everyday and has a passion for writing. One day, after taking 50 advil she sits in a therapists office as she is told that she is being shipped off the the nearest mental hospital.

There, susannah meets lisa and other friends. Susannah is played by Winona Ryder, an experienced actress who portrays Susannah, who was also to author of the book. Lisa, the most crazy person in the mental instituion, being a sociopath is played by Angelina Jolie. Although most of the characters are played by good actors, is plot is changed.

The movie is mostly circled around Susannah actually getting out of the Institution. However the book is focused more on susannah and her character. About half the book, susannah is out of the instituon but in the movie, she gets out at the very end. Personally, I think the book expresses susannah well, just like the author wanted.

persopholis

This week I read, "Persopholis" Its a graphic novel based on a true story about a young girl living in Iraq in the 80's when there is a war going on. Its about how difficult it is living in a city with war and chaos and at the same time, growing up as a normal young girl. Throughout the book you see how she changes, and the phases she goes through, the different friends she has, and the different experiences she has as well. It shows even the littlest scenes that happen in her life, that might seem unimportant but are also very honest and realistic.
      Even though it is a graphic novel, it really teaches you something about what life was like in Iraq and is not what most graphic novels are. It is almost scary at some points, but also very realistic. I've already read it twice but I feel like a got a lot more out if it this time and learned a lot more than the other times. I enjoyed it and am planning on reading the sequel.

I think that the author wrote the book not only to tell her story of her childhood, but to also teach young women. She wanted to send a message to women like her not only in Iraq but everywhere. A message saying that young and old women can survive like she did. Even though she did have to do things she did not want to do, like moving to Austria alone, it was for the best. Even though I do not live in the same conditions and am not in the same situation as her, the book inspires me alot.

sold

This week I started to read the book sold. Sold is by patricia mccormick. The book tells a stroy of a thirteen year old girl named Lakshmi. Lakshmi is from a desperately poor family in Nepal, where she lives with her younger sibling, mother and stepfather. Even though Lakshmi is poor, she aspires to do bigger things than what her home in nepal offers.

However one day, her world is changed. Her stedad intoduces her to a woman that offers her a job in india as a maid. Lakshmi takes the job obviously. She arrives at a place called "Happiness House", however she soon learns that she is not going to be working as a maid, but as a prostitute. She realizes that her family purposely sold her into prostitution and is forcing her to stay until she pays off the family debt. However, a woman named mumtaz cheats her and makes it so she can never leave the so-called "Happiness" House.

Lakshmi struggles to survive in Happiness House and depends on the support of other girls at the Happiness House. She remembers back to what her mother said "Simply to endure is to triumph”. Eventually the time comes for when she can risk her life for a chance to have a fresh start. Sold is an amazing book with a story that has never been told before in such detail.

iwp

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*Note: I did not the write poem. (It’s from “the perks of being a wallflower”)

Dear Friend,

Today, I hung out with Sophia. She slept over at my house like she does every Saturday. It was very sentimental. All we did was look at old scrapbooks, because she refused to do anything else. - Fiona

Dear Friend,

Sophia’s mom called our house today and told us that Sophia killed herself. -Fiona

Dear Friend,

Today was my first day in school without Sophia. I’ve never experienced something so challenging and upsetting. I’m doing everything independently. I walk to school alone, I walk in the halls alone, I come home for lunch, and I never talk to anyone. There’s no more seeing her across the street at 8:00am every morning. The fact that I hurt my ankle 10 days ago just makes things worse. I have to take the elevator everywhere, which makes me late for my classes. I feel like I’m a weird friendless loser, which I guess I am. I’m starting to realize why Sophia did what she did. I use to think my world was perfect, and I though Sophia thought so too. Obviously the world is not perfect. But, I don't think Sophia ever knew that. I don't know why she did what she did. She was perfect. Pretty, smart, popular, she didn't get bullied, she was flawless and everybody envied that. Mom said if I wanted to I could not go to school for the next couple days. –Fiona

Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Chops"
because that was the name of his dog
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and a gold star
And his mother hung it on the kitchen door
and read it to his aunts

Dear Friend,

 It’s been nearly 7 days since Ive seen Sophie. I’ve been out of school for the past 5 days. I’m not planning on coming back any time soon. My ankle is almost healed, but there’s no way I could go back to school. Not until I find out what happened to Sophia. For the past couple of days I’ve though about it and I still can’t see why she killed herself. Her parents say she “had pressure on her”. Then again, they probably haven’t had a conversation with her longer than 2 minutes since Elementary school. I don't think ill ever be able to come to terms that she’s gone until I know why.

That was the year that Father Tracy
took all the kids to the zoo
and he let them sing on the bus
and his little sister was born
with tiny toenails and no hair
and his mother and father kissed a lot

And the girl around the corner sent him a
valentine signed with a row of X's
and he had to ask his father what the X's meant
And his father always tucked him in bed at night
And was always there to do it

Dear Friend,

It’s been 16 days since seeing Sophia. It’s nearly 2 weeks into the school year and I haven’t been to the actually school since the first day. It’s okay though because I “accidentally” re fractured my ankle. But that just gives me more time to think about Sophia. All I can think about it reasons why she wouldn't kill herself. She had never had plans to kill herself. She’d always planned for having a future. According to my mom, who’s a physiologist, people who are planning on killing themselves don't do that. The only thing somewhat strange was her favorite poem. Sophie was a hyper giggling out going girl, but for some reason her favorite poem wasn't. She told me that it described depression so well and interesting. I didn't pay any mind to it though, because who knew that she actually knew what depression felt like.

Once on a piece of white paper with blue lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Autumn"
because that was the name of the season
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and asked him to write more clearly
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because of its new paint

Dear Friend,

Mom says that I’ve become obsessed with Sophia. All I ever think about is Sophie. She says that the only reason why I won’t stop think about her is because I refuse to accept what happened. But really I know its because I just need to know why. Her parents don't even care about the cause. All they do is sit around moaning for her. I can hear her mom sobbing all the way from down the hall. They didn't even care about her. I’ve started school again, and it’s never been worse. I don't talk to anyone, and nobody talks to me. I feel sort of lonely and bored, but I don't care. I just want to know what haooened to Sophia.

And the kids told him

That Father Tracy smoked cigars

And left butts on the pews

And sometimes they would burn holes

That was the year his sister got glasses

With thick lenses and black frames

Dear Friend,

It’s been 18 days since I saw Sophia for the last time. I’ve been slacking a lot in school and I think mom is starting to tell. For the past 3 days, I have barely been to any classes. I can seem to face them without anybody there with me. And I still don't know why I even have to face things alone. Sophie said that she was always going to be there with me the last night I saw her. Does that mean something? She was planning for a future but was it a future that she was actually going to have? Of course that would’ve never occurred to me on that night. She was acting completely normal. She was her giggly beautiful perfect self up until the morning. That was the morning that she took the pills. Instead of saying goodbye like she usually does, she just walked outside. I didn't think it was a big deal, nothing had happened the night before and that wasn't a reason for her to even be the slightest bit upset, and certainly nothing bad enough to compel herself to take 50 Advil. In fact, Sophia had always hated the idea of killing herself. When she was younger, cousins that she was close with killed themselves and ever since shed cringe at the word “suicide”. She said she had never felt so alone when they died, and I knew she would’ve never wanted to put me in the same position. –Fiona

Dear Friend,

It’s been 19 days since Sophie’s killed herself. I’ve been thinking about Sophie more and more lately. I think I know why she did what she did. Its' because she thought she deserved it. The only reason why Sophia was happy and giggly and cheerful is because she thought she needed to be. Sophie was and over achiever that wanted to please everyone and everything. That's why she was such a good friend. That's why she liked that poem. That's why she hated the fact that good friends killed themselves. She thought that they died because she let them, because she wasn't good enough and the poem expressed that perfectly. –Fiona

When he asked her to go see Santa Claus

And the kids told him why

His mother and father kissed a lot

And his father never tucked him in bed at night

And his father got mad

When he cried for him to do it.

Dear Friend,

It’s been almost 21 whole days since I’ve seen Sophie. Its still haven’t been to any of my classes in a while and I think mom is starting to catch on. All she ever does is ask me how I’m doing.

Once on a paper torn from his notebook

He wrote a poem

And he called it "Innocence: A Question"

Because that was the question about his girl

And that's what it was all about

And his professor gave him an A

And a strange steady look

And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door

Because he never showed her

Dear Friend,

It’s been 25 days since Sophie killed herself and I’m starting to blame myself for it. I wasn't a good friend like she was. I can never concentrate anymore. Anything I do makes me think of Sophie, which makes me feel guilty. I can’t focus in school for the very few classes that I actually go to. And I never even talk to my family anymore. I feel stuck and guilty all the time and now that I’ve figured out why Sophie did what she did, I just feel guilty for the fact that she did it. -Fiona

-

Dear Friend,

The day Sophie killed herself was the day after her cousin did. That means she was planning it for a long time, and I still didn't notice. -Fiona

That's why on the back of a brown paper bag

he tried another poem

And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"

Because that's what it was really all about

And he gave himself an A

and a slash on each wrist

And he hung it on the bathroom door

because this time he didn't think

he could reach the kitchen.

Dear Friend,

It’s been almost 1O days since I’ve last written to you things have changed a lot. I’m currently in the hospital. On Friday, I did the exact same thing Sophia did, almost 1 month later to the day. Or I tried to, halfway through the bottle my mom found me in tears bunched up in my room. Lately, for the past month I’ve been ignoring my mom and my whole family. Obviously that wasn't a good idea because now they’re super conscious and won’t take an eye off of me. I’m not even sure why I did what I did, after being so upset and outraged about the fact that Sophie ever did that to herself. But now I’m stuck in the hospital for another day and when I’m out I’m going to have to go to therapy every single day and actually start going to class. I don't know how I’m going to be able to get through even 1 day of and especially not a whole year of 8^th grade.

Dear Friend,

It’s been fine around the house lately. I go to school like a normal person but I still don't have many friends. Everybody thinks I’m sort of weird and I guess I’m a little bit of an outcast. I go to therapy and it actually helps a bit. All I want to do is get through the year, but I still have about 9 months left. -Fiona

Dear Friend,

It’s been almost a year since Sophie has died and since I’ve even thought about writing to you. I’m in high school and I guess I have my own crew of friends. I still go to therapy once a week and Sophie is a big part of my family’s lives and me. Sophie’s family moved away to Florida so I don't have to be reminded of her every time I walk by her house. I got through the year fine, I had some bad days but mostly it was ok. By now I am almost back to normal and I don't even know how I was ever in the hospital less than a year ago. -Fiona

angelas ashes

This week, I finished Angela's Ashes. After reading it for about 3 months going on and off. The book starts out with Malachy as a young boy in New York in the twenties. After a chapter or two, Malachy and his family move to Ireland, looking for work. Him and his family hope that his father will no longer eb a drunk, coming home late and singing "Kevin Barry" everynight from "the drink", however his ways dont change, and might even get worse.

His family moves to a different town in Ireland and everntually, Malachy sr. gets a job and things get better. However, thungs dont stay like that for long. In the end, Malachy sr. gets a job as a soldier, and doesnt send money home leaving

Looking for alaska

Today, I continued to read Looking for Alaska by John Green. This week, I got up to the part in the book where it says "after". John Green organizes his book in two sections, after Alaska dies and befire. Every new day, it either says blank days before, or blank days after instead of dates. Green organzied this so the reader can have suspense leading up to a certain point, instead of just having random dates and a big event happening suddenly. In the book, Alaskas death is very sudden, and if the reader didnt already know that something massive was going to happen, it wouldnt be a good idea.

John Green, is known for kiling off his amin characters, which is what he did in Looking For Alaska. The night before it happened, or the night of, a major thing happens for the main character. Miles, or Pudge finally gets together with Alaska. Throughtout most of the book, the reader is waitinf for Pudge and Alaska to get together. Eventually, Pudge goes out with a charming, nice girl named Lara. However, right after they start dating, Alaska and aPudge get together. The whole book, the reader has been waiting for this, however that is when "after" starts.

The next morning, Chip and Pudge awake to the eagle knocking on their door telling them to come to the gym. Instead of being yelled at like they were expecting, they find Mr Barnes with tears in his eyes telling the whoke school that Alaska Young has died in a car crash the night before. So far, Pudge and The Colonel are having a hard time accepting that Alaska, the smart, funny, beautiful girl is dead. I am eager to see how they deal with it, and if they are ever going to accept the truth.

hurricane song

In the book "Hurricane Song" by Paul VOLPONI Miles and Pops charatcers become more caring and respectdul towards each other, because of Hurricane Katrina. The author wants the readers to know that the Hurrican changed hundreds of peoples of liveas and Miles, Pops and his uncle are just one example. Volponi wanted to put hio readers in the milles shoes so you could see what it was like.

By putting you in miles shoes, volponi puts you into hundredsof other families shoes. Though hUrricane song is not justr a factual book that tells you what it is like to live in new orleans during hurricane katrina, but i also shows good examoles of character change. For example, at the beginning of the book, Miles and his father had a horrible relationship. Pops didnt care abiut miles football and miles didnt care about pops music. But as time went on, that changed.

By the end of the book Miles and pops wouldve dine anything for eachother. For example, in ther last couple chapters Miles and his dad faced dangerous parts in new orleans. After they escaped from the superdome, miles and pops went out on the sreets and had to protect eachother. Pops told somebody to "keep their hands off his son" which is just one detail, but sort of symbolizes what their realtionship has grown to. Pops, who was less eager to become close with miles as his son was, was now risking his life for him.
In conclusion, miles and his father are a good example of charatcer change, and hurricane song is a good example of what it is like to be in hirricane katrina.

the boy in the striped pajamas

This week I started to read the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. This book is a story of a young boy that has to live through the Holocaust. However, this story is the opposite from many other holocaust books. This story is about the 9 year old Bruno and his family having to move from Berlin to the small countryside in a house called "Outwith". Bruno's father works with "The Fury" which what seems to be the Nazis. So far in the story, Bruno has been trying to adjust to the new house, and the idea of leaving Berlin.

The author shows Bruno as being a boy who loves his father, but doesn't understand why his dad would make him do something so horrible. Brunos mother is also struggling to adjust to "Out-With". She, being older knows why Brunos dad is making them move here. Even though she wants to be loyal to her husband, she cannot agree with what they're doing. For example, in chpt. 5, Bruno remembers back to what it was like when they were leaving the house in Berlin for the last time. "We  should have never let the Fury come to dinner. Some people and their determination to get ahead", said his mother as she walked out the door. This is showing that his mother obviously didnt agree with what her husband wanted.

I think that eventually, Bruno is going to realize that "Out-With" is his real home, and hell continue to want to see his father less and less. I think Brunos mother will become even more angry with Father than Bruno, as she finds out more and more about "The Fury" and why they had to move from Berlin. I think that the "Fury" isnt really a group or the nazis, b

Looking For Alaska

This week i started to read "Looking for Alaska", by John Green. The book begins to tell a story of a nerdy kid, Miles in Florida ready to leave his uptight parents and go off to a boarding school in Alabama. Although I am very early in the story, I can already inference about what may happen in the future. This book is similar to many others, for example, Go Ask Alice. It seems like it is leading up to a big twist that will change the characters world completely. The main character, Miles is fascinated with Alaska, a bouncy and bubbly girl down the hall of his dorm, that will have a big impact on the story. As I continue to turn the pages of the book, I am more and more convinced that there will soon be an unexpected change in the story.

The book so far has only introduced three or four characters, but I can tell that they will be very crucial to the story. We have met Miles or "Pudge" as The Colonel calls him, the main character, The Colonel, Pudges roommate, and Alaska. The "gorgeous, clever, funny, self destructive, screwed up and utterly fascinating Alaska Young.", as the author describes her. Since the book is called "Looking for Alaska" I'm inferring that she will contribute to the big twist yet to come in the book. Pudge has already become interested with Alaska and I can tell Alaska likes Pudge as well.

Currently, the book is very calm, and still introducing the characters. However, I can tell that that wont be for long. The book is set up so the dates say "136 days before". Before what? Im inferring that it most likely has something to do with Alaska. In man of John Greens other books, he kills off many of his main characters, and since Alaska in a very important character in the novel, and Miles is the point of view the book is in, Im guessing it may be her. Because it says "134 days before" Im geuusing it hs a big impact on Pudge and all the characters, so Pudge will most likely become very close with Alaska, especially since because he is interested with her already, at page 25.

Overall, I have many thoughts about what will come of Pudge. at the beginning of he book, John Green has already left his readers with a lot to think about. I am excited to see what will happen next in the story.

hurricane song

Since I am sorta between book this week, I decided to talk about Hurricane Song. Hurricane song is the book that we are reading as a read aloud in class. The book tells a story of a teengae boy Miles and his dad and uncle, doc trying to find refugee in the superdome. After realizing that it was too late to go anywhere else, Miles and his family decide to go into the superdome, not knowing how bad it was in there. As the book goes on, people become more and more desparate. The government is untrustworthy and unfair, and the people there struggle to survive one of the worst hurricanes in US history.
          Not expecting the storm to be bad, New orleans and many poor, helpless citizens are overcrowded in the enormous arena. The dome is disgusting and hot, it being the middle of summer. There are no doctors or places to use the bathroom and the people have to bring matters into their own hands. While some try to get thorugh, others cannot . For example, Cyrus a grandfather and father recently decided not to continue. After a few days of being in the dome, cyrus jumps off one of the uper levels of the dome.
      Miles and other people start to relaize the horrible conditions. They knew that it was bad, but no tthis bad. People are practically ebing treated as animals. Cyrus' body is being thrown in to a freezer along with the small remnant of the food. This makes miles and his family think about what they are going to do, and how they will survive in the unsurvivable place.

Catcher in the rye

This week I decided to take a break from Angela's Ashes and read "The Catcher and The Rye", by J.D. Salinger. Though I have only read 2 chapters, I am enjoying it a lot. The book is about a young kid in his teens who has been kicked out by various schools several times. He is now leaving yet another school and moving to New York. The book starts out right before the Holidays, and he is saying his last goodbyes to the school. In the first chapter, as he thinks about what is about what is about to happen to him, you learn a lot about the Character. Holden is more of a slacking, lazy guy who is mostly just trying to get through his childhood. However, you can still tell he is a smart guy who is charming and nice. 
    I also learn a lot about the Author, J.D. Salinger. His style is a lot more laid back and realistic than many other famous books. He has Holden talk and think as if any other teenager would. I really enjoy the type of style, as oppose to other novels from the past.
   I really am liking "Catcher in The Rye and am going to continue reading it after I finish Angela's AShes.

Angelas Ashes

This week, I started reading Angelas Ashes again. The book is challenging, and is for someone in 8th or 9th grade, so its taking me a while to finish. The story has continued to tell the story of Frank and his family, which has changed much. Since the last time i blogged, Franks family has trickled down to 5 people. Both twins, Ollie and Eugene have passed away. The family had never been so small, and it was weird to Angela and Malachy SR. They blamed it on The River Shannon. "It was the damp" says Frankies father. The family had never suffered such a blow. After a while, the got over it and started going back to their old ways. Living off the now very small dole money, having hungry bellies and losing jobs in the third week.
    Soon, you start to see Francis grow up. Both boys start school and see the difficulties in trying to not get bullied and please the teacher at hte smae time. Frank becomes more independent, and starts to get different jobs here and there to please his mother. (his father continuing his bad habits in drinking) Angela once again become pregnant with a boy, and before you know it, Micheal is already walking and talking. Both boys make new friends and have more experiences, and soon the idea of Ireland being unfamiliar is outrageous. And though the boys have started to grow up, their father still hasn't.
    Malachy Sr. is still getting drunk and having pints every week, and soon I think that itll start to hit them. His bad habits can not continue. 

Crank

This week I started reading Crank, by Ellen Hopkins. Who also wrote Burned, Impulse, Glass, Identical and Tricks. Most of her books are about kids having trouble with drugs. Crank is about a girl named Kristina. that moves to Phoenix with her dad. Her mom and dad were divorced for years, and Kristina hadnt seen her dad in years. When Kristina is there, she meets Adam, and all of a sudden she turns into a new person named Bree. Bree is a completely different person from Kristina. They're almost polar opposites. Kristina is a good teenaged girl who got good grades and didnt get in truoble. Bree is a girl who does drugs, gets bad grades and gets in trouble.
      Crank is very similar to "Go Ask Alice". Go Ask Alice is a book based on all completely true diary entries about a girl who gets into trouble with drugs. Just like Kristina, the girl (Anonymous) meets a person, and her world is turned upside down. Only one person changed her life, just like Adam did to Kristina.
    Kristina has already changed a lot in just a short time in the book because of Adam, and I expect it just get worse and worse. Though I haven't read much of Crank, I can tell Bree is going to be a completely different person by the end of the book.

DG and DP

Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie

            Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblicks is about an 8th grader named Steven, who is a normal teenage boy living in New Jersey. He has a 5 year old brother named Steven who is always bugging him, when he’d rather be playing the drums or thinking about Renee Albert (the most popular girl in school). One day when Steven is making Jeffrey “moatmeal” he gets a nosebleed and is rushed to the hospital. All day Steven is only worried about being punished for getting Jeffrey hurt, but really that doesn’t matter to his parents, because when he comes home that day, he learns that Jeffrey has leukemia. Steven’s life is turned upside down as he struggles to keep his family happy and normal and is forced to sacrifice things he loves in order to be a good brother to Jeffrey.

              When Steven shaved his head is shows how much he cared about his brother. Jeffrey had been bullied at school about him being bald, and it was the first time anyone had really mentioned it.

When Steven quit his drum lessons, it showed he really wanted to help his family. Even though Steven was just a 13 year old boy, he still took advantage of what he could do. Drumming was his favorite thing to do, and it was really the only thing he had to himself. But he knew he’d rather sacrifice drumming rather than his family having barely enough money. It shows how he started to become responsible and grown up.

When Steven missed out on the concert it showed that he had become less selfish. The concert had pretty much been dedicated to him and he decided to miss it. A couple of months ago, Steven would rather have died than miss out on a concert. Not only is he no longer selfish, he is also more than that. Most people would expect for a parent to go with them, but not a brother. In fact he might’ve not even gone if he hadn’t met Samantha. “Stay with your brother, Steven,“ Samantha said. Steven knew that Jeffrey needed him just like Samantha needed her sister. This really shows how Steven changed into a kind, loving brother.

As Steven goes through 8^th grade, he has to sacrifice the thinks that he loves. By the end of the book, Steven changed into a whole new, more responsible, caring person. He realized that it was time for him to start thinking about other people besides himself and Renee Albert. When a family is going through something as difficult as he was, people often change in some way. I have been through similar experiences, and I have known people in almost the same situation as Steven, and all of us changed. Knowing that someone you love is in danger affects your personality. You become more grateful and caring and try to help the situation get better. Which is exactly what happened to Steven.

Memoir

Margo Johnston 705                                                                                     12-12-12

Memoir

           

It is a warm, bright, sunny day in Jamaica, like every day. As I walk on the soft burning hot sand the refreshing smell of the ocean fills my nose. I run over to the seashore, awaiting for our boat to arrive. I see a small canoe with a motor on the shore and stop right in my tracks.

“Is that our boat?!” I asked my dad, expecting a no.

“Uh…er…I guess…? He stuttered.

I slowly walked into the swaying boat. I eyed the old life jackets stuffed into a corner as I got myself comfortable on a flimsy bench. I looked out into to the ater, it was going to be a burning hot 25 minute ride, with 9 people on a boat that holds 6. After waiting, I soon saw the other family I was vacationing with scurry out on to the sand. Finally after some squeezing and shoving, everyone somehow found their way on the boat.

It was a tight fit and for all 25 minutes we were trying to make sure we didn’t get to bad of a sun-burn and at the same time make sure we didn’t fall out of the boat. By the time we got to the place we wanted to go, a little fish shack on a sand bar, we were burnt to a crisp from the bright sun. We ran out, relieved to be safe at shore. We dipped in the cool refreshing ocean and ate delicious food from the shack. But soon, it started to grow darker. We were forced to go back on to the wooden death trap. We squeezed in again as me, my sister and my dad took a seat on the floor of the canoe-type boat. Everyone else got a seat on the benches.

“Alrighty, folks, it may be a little bit choppy on da way back,” The driver yelled in his thick Jamaican accent.

 I kept a firm grip on the bench beside me. At first the ride was smooth and pleasant, but soon the boat started to sway, left to right, left to right, left to right. The waves got rougher and rougher as we skidded across them jumping up into the air and down again. I looked back to see if the driver was worried, but instead I saw him smiling, sitting on the edge of the boat.

“Are ya alright?! I told yeh it might be choppy!” I could hardly hear him over the wails from the people as the boat rocked left and right.

 I started to sweat and think about what might happen if we drowned. I couldn’t even swim, what am I doing on a boat like this? I could tell everybody was freaking out too, because all 8 of us had to grab onto something so we wouldn’t slide off the edge when the boat practically turned on it’s side. Everybody shrieked and immediately moved to the opposite side of the boat, just to be rocked towards the opposite side again. I turned my head to see the water practically right next to my face. I was almost smiling I was so shocked that I was actually in a situation like this.

“Hold on!!” yelled the driver as we leaped in the air for half a second and come back down again, almost turning completely sideways.

“Almost there!” I looked out and saw the beach and let out a relieving sigh.

“Finally home!” I heard the driver yell.

We all quickly jump out of the boat and walk up the beach, shaking from terror.     Home again, Home again.