Blog Reflections

To be honest I think I’ve learned more about myself as a writer or responder than a reader. After all this redundancy and practice with responding to texts, it’s no longer a chore for me. I’ve established some sort of stamina and willingness to express my feelings or thoughts on a book, considering this used to be somewhat difficult for me.

Now I’ve figured out different ways to say what I want to say in the most coherent yet formal way possible. It’s almost as if every couple of weeks was a new challenge to expand my vocabulary, and I’m positive it has grown since the beginning of the year, as well as my writing skills.

Although I don’t feel like I’ve changed as a reader as much as a writer, I think that I’ve established a new perspective or way of looking at a text for things such as building an argument, understanding an author’s craft, or being critical and objective towards a text. All of this  practice has ensured my growth as a writer.

I’ve seen this by reading my old responses, and even I could say that I’ve seen an improvement in my vocabulary most of all, my ways of reaching out to the reader, and just my strategic measures of getting my point across.

All in all, this blog has helped my reading and writing grow in many ways.

NF Critical Analysis: A Smarter Gun?

In “A Smarter Gun” by Patricia Smith and Gabriel Tyler, Smith and Tyler discuss a new invention, originally created as a science project, which introduces a new way to achieve safety when dealing with guns. One thing Smith and Tyler do is start out the reader with some brief statistics, like “In 1999, two students at Columbine High School killed 13 people at a shooting rampage”. Then the authors explain how this could be a possible motive for Kai Koepler to create this gun. After that the rest of the article builds off of that, and explains “the debate over guns [which] goes back to 1791”. This chronological order of thinking is very coherent and could help the reader understand how this all ties together.

Smith and Tyler intend to present an objective, Koepler creating ‘a smarter gun’, and connect that with the history of guns. After informing the reader of all sides of the story the reader forms an opinion. This happens by designating an entire subsection, “Two Centuries Of Debate”, to the history of guns and the laws regarding them. Also, the authors present an objective piece of the Constitution, “ A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to people to keep and Bear arms, shall not be infringed”. This quote could be taken in two completely different ways, where guns are either in favor for the militia or the ‘free people’. This way the reader could form an unbiased opinion based on history, as it was.

I think Smith and Tyler have achieved their supposed goal of presenting an unbiased overview of a very important debate in history. Therefore, this is a good source and presents this issue of guns in an accurate way.

Reading Response: The Virgin Suicides

“The Virgin Suicides” by Jeffrey Eugenides shows a unique way of writing a mystery. Because this entire book is only depicted through the perspectives of a group of boys that are acquaintances of the Lisbon sisters. So we only know as much as them which continues the mystery even when the book is over. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t supposed causes for their deaths. For example, the parents restricted them as much as they did even as they got older, triggered Cecelia’s death. The rest were practically hypocrisies and fell like dominos.  

There were lots of symbols that indicated the Lisbon girls’ being adolescentes unfortunately with the same restrictions. For example, they weren’t allowed to wear makeup even the littlest amounts while most teenagers were allowed to do such things. There were also multiple signs of rebellion which indicates the girls growing out of their restrictions. One of the girls waxed her mustache area but had to secretly because it was against her parents’ rules.

As I previously stated these girls got older but their restrictions remained. This is what I think caused Cecelia’s death. Cecelia’s bravery, I guess, to take that big step probably showed the other girls that they could do it too. That’s eventually ended up in every single sister committing suicide.

But then again this is just a theory. We don’t even know if this was murder. It could’ve been suicide out of a feeling of obligation. Or it probably wasn’t a mystery at all. And it was just suicide to escape their current lives.

Reading Response: One Two Buckle My Shoe

         Now that I’ve come to the completion of “One Two… Shoe” I’ve realized that I’m not exactly sure who the protagonist and antagonist is. And I think this was the author’s purpose. Because although I was sure in the beginning, that the kidnapper/ rapist/ murderer was the antagonist and Emily, the victim, was the clear protagonist, surprisingly now I’m not so sure. This leads me to think that a present theme in this book is that everyone starts out as an innocent person, but there surroundings affect who they become. So there’s a good little boy or girl in everyone, no matter how deep.

When George, the chocolate man, was little, he was a real mommy’s boy. He had his moments and got scared like the rest of us. Only, he would have vivid flashbacks of when he’d get locked in a closet because he was being an immature kid. George suffered mental torment from his mother and this appears to be the fuse for his constant murders. He copes in making little bays feel as helpless as he was at the time. Yet he still thinks of his mother as an angel. Now this kind of torture does not turn to drastic measures all the time, but with George’s obsessive-compulsive disorder it’s taken to extremes. So George only goes to these horrid measures to cope with his vivid past.

I think this theme is portrayed beautifully throughout this book. As George does not kidnap a little boy, he accidentally takes Emily instead. But he does not kill her and they actually form quite a unique relationship. Emily sort of plays the absent role of his mother once she figures just how vulnerable his emotional state really is. And once George sees this he comes to be fond of Emily and does not want to kill her, even when he has to because the police were closing in on him. Emily brings out this harmless side of him throughout the story, and even when he’s caught and the police rescue her, she still believes that he’s a good child, just emotionally scarred. With the last line referencing his obsessive-compulsive disorder, “One two three four five six seven, all good children go to heaven.”

As this book completely changes the stereotypes for murderers and kidnappers, it shows that everyone, even the murderer, was once a good little boy. And I figured this as I maneuvered through George’s complicated past.

NF Critical Analysis: Return Of The Measles

In “Return Of The Measles” by Patricia Smith, Smith wants to inform her readers about the recent outbreak of the Measles and how it could have been prevented. Something the author did to discuss this topic is use statistics to enhance the importance of this issue. Another way Smith enhanced  certain issues is she made some quotes big, bold, and red to catch the reader’s eye. For example, “ The US vaccination rate is lower than in Bangladesh.” Thirdly, Smith explains how the outbreak started to give the reader a better understanding of how it could have been prevented. For example, “The outbreak started at Disney Land… when a visitor infected… passed it onto… [7 others]... six weren’t vaccinated. From there it spread to 17 states”. These things depict how the author tries to use various methods to bring attention to the fact that this disease could’ve been prevented.

Patricia Smith expects to prove to her readers that this entire outbreak could’ve been prevented if people stopped trying to defy the government, and their rules about medical needs.

She achieves this by including biased political cartoons that support her perspective on the topic. These cartoons show that ‘anti-vaxxers’ are doing more harm than good and it’s their own children that they’re putting at risk. Basically, the author uses these cartoons to explain the irony of the situation. Also, Smith includes only certain quotes from doctors that were sure to support her argument. There are always going to be people opposing her position but it’s her job to counter other people’s claims. Patricia Smith fails to do that in her article, which weakens her argument as a whole.

After reading the article, “Return Of The Measles”, I have been informed on a topic I didn’t know about at all. But, I also think this author forgets to inform the reader on any possible reasons that anti-vaccinators are doing what they’re doing in the first place. This has gotten me thinking about this massive blank on the topic. I think that this whole issue is based off of showing the government that they can’t always force people into things, and there might actually be some dangers in these vaccinations that this text fails to address. All in all, this article proves to be very biased, uninformative in some areas, and not a reliable source.

One Two Buckle My Shoe: Reading Response

Now because I’m still in the middle of this book I’ve been carefully analyzing the author’s craft. But so far this story’s about a serial killer kidnapping, molesting, and eventually murdering little boys who has earned the name ‘The Chocolate Man’. He is then revealed to be suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder and a horrid past which proves that this little girl, Emily’s, abduction was an accident considering the exactness of all the previous cases. Now as she writes these texts, I question the purpose in the information she’s giving us.

For example, when she gives background information on things that have happened in Emily and her mother’s previous lives. She tells us that Emily’s father has left. She also informs us that her mother does everything in her power to make sure Emily has a happy childhood because she was violated and lost her father as a child and she doesn’t want her to also feel that way. How I respond is I see how that applies to the story but I don’t feel that interested in her concept because I’m more focused on the serial killer and what his motive is.

Also, the author informs us on a little bit of background behind the killer as well. She tells us about the killer’s family through quick flashbacks, and his life after he attempted to burn them in their house. And I can see that the author is trying to get us to better understand the motive behind the killer. But I just end up feeling even worse for the killer than the kids he is actually victimizing throughout the book.

And I get to the point where I’m questioning who’s fault it really is, and whether or not the author intended for me to comprehend the book the way I did, or if my point was extremely farfetched. But I guess it all depends on different readers and there really is no one way to interpret a book.

Revised Literary Essay: The Maze Runner

The book The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, is about this boy who wakes up in an elevator with no recollection of his past other than his name, Thomas. He finds himself in a place called the Glade which he soon figures is surrounded by a massive maze filled with these monsters who have obtained the name Grievers. Throughout the frustration of the lack of knowledge of your surroundings, the characters in this book have constantly shown the theme of persistence throughout the book.

The main character of this book, Thomas, obviously expresses the theme of persistence throughout the story. For example, even after he encountered his first griever in his first night in the maze he was still determined to become a runner. He thought, “ his desire to become a Runner had taken a major blow. But he had to do it. Somehow he knew he had to do it (24).” He wanted to further explore the maze because of his persistence of helping everyone get out of that death trap, and back to wherever else they should be.

The supposed co-leaders of the rest of the characters in the book had a number one priority, and they surely had to have determination to it. When Thomas was asking questions while he was still new, he asked the keepers of the runners, Minho, about his development with figuring out the maze. Minho’s reply was, “Can’t take a chance that one day, in one spot, somewhere, an exit might appear. We can’t give up. Ever (118).” Even after two years of searching for an escape, they still haven’t given up. Even with the pressure of a whole group of kids counting on them, they knew giving up wouldn’t do anyone any good. So they took that as their motivation to keep going. 

As you can see, The Maze Runner clearly portrays the message of determination and persistence to further continue through the obstacles you’ll face in life. Even if they’re not as drastic as being in the middle of a gigantic maze with no way of getting out, you should always carry the strength of endurance, for that is rare but sacred in all life-choices.

Unrevised Version:
http://thewickedbananahammer.blogspot.com/2015/01/reading-response-maze-runner.html

Reading Response: The Maze Runner

The book The Maze Runner is about this boy who wakes up in an elevator with no recollection of his past other than his name, Thomas. He finds himself in a place called the Glade which he soon figures is surrounded by a massive maze filled with these monsters who have obtained the name Grievers. Throughout the frustration of the lack of knowledge of your surroundings, the characters in this book have constantly shown the theme of persistence throughout the book.

The main character of this book, Thomas, obviously expresses this theme in the story. For example, even after he encountered his first griever in his first night in the maze he was still determined to become a runner. He wanted to further explore the maze because of his persistence helping everyone get out of that death trap, and back to wherever they should’ve been.

The supposed leaders of the rest of the characters in the book had a number one priority, and they surely had to have determination to it. Even after two years of searching for an escape, they still haven’t given up. Even with the pressure of a whole group of kids counting on them, they knew giving up wouldn’t do anyone any good. So they took that as their motivation to keep going.

As you can see, The Maze Runner clearly portrays the message of determination and persistence to further continue through the obstacles you’ll face in life. Even if they’re not as drastic as being in the middle of a gigantic maze with no way of getting out, you should always carry the strength of endurance, for that is rare but sacred in all life-choices.

Blog Review: Sophia's NF Critical Analysis

This week I read Sophia’s NF critical analysis on “The Hungry Self,” by Kim Chernin. I thought that it was very well-written and what I liked the most was how she really connected it to herself instead of just explaining the theme. She also explained how it inspired her to do even more research on the topic.

Sophia doesn’t just state positive feedback on the book itself, but I really liked how she went into detail about every good aspect of the book. She also didn’t forget to give the author credit for everything and linked every good thing back to her. For example, she explained the author’s purpose thoroughly and how the author really helps a lot of women with her book. Also, she also explains the importance of the real-life examples and how that complements the book’s overall structure.

Something that really enhances her analysis as a whole, is how she speaks about her personal perspective and opinion at the end of it. She goes into her personal experience while reading the book, and she highlights how she benefited from the text. For example, what she learned and of course what she was inspired to research even further.

All in all, Sophia wrote a very interesting response to this book. And the way she explains the benefits of it inspires me to read it or other books on this topic as well.

The link to this blog post is: http://sophiesblog33.blogspot.com/2015/01/non-fiction-critical-analysis.html

NF Critical Analysis: Rap Music On Trial

In “Rap Music On Trial” by Veronica Majerol, Majerol wants to inform her readers on this debate regarding the legal issues with violent and gory images in rap music and how they have been  used as confessions or criminal evidence in crime investigations. One thing Majerol does is start out the reader with a case of a double homicide that originally had no leads until a cop came across a rap song that described brutal murders in the same setting. Then Majerol explained how “the case is hardly unique” and went deeper into other cases similar to it. Thirdly she discussed how this use of rap ‘confessions’ was technically going against “the First Amendment’s free speech clause…[and had] a chilling effect on free expression.” These examples and pieces of evidence present an opportunity for the reader to form an informed opinion based on two sides of the debate.

Veronica Majerol intends to present an objective and very well informed response to this debate in order to give the reader a chance to form an opinion on the topic on their own. She does this by presenting two different cases where one person is actually innocent but leaves threatening comments on Facebook about “brutally killing” his ex-wife, and another case where someone is found to be a gang member and “convicted...on related weapon charges. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.” This presents two different situations on this topic for the reader. She also brings the Constitution into the situation to express the seriousness of this debate including both ends of it (the cops using rap lyrics as evidence and the people supposedly committing the crime). Another thing the author does is bring attention to important points in the text to enhance the main idea in the article.

Considering Majerol displays an objective overview of this debate I would say that she achieves her supposed goal of presenting an unopinionated portrayal of two sides of a debate so a reader could build their own position by themselves. Therefore, this article has proven itself a good source. It has also helped me shape my thinking into being against charging someone of a crime solely based on the music they write, but with using rap lyrics as a lead if there’s a clear connection or as support for a claim that already has other pieces of evidence.

Reading Response: Peak

The book Peak is about this 14-year-old, Peak, who illegally scales skyscrapers as a hobby ever since he’s moved away from the suburban area in which his father lives. When he gets caught, his father presents the idea of him moving in with him until the publicity of his stunt buzzes down for a while, which he soon figures is an invitation to climb Everest with him. This book is Peak’s perspective on what happened on that climb. I think this story clearly presents the theme of choosing what’s important in your life and choosing what to invest your time in. And I don’t think Peak is the only one who learns that lesson.

One way this theme is portrayed is through Peak’s mother’s life choices. For example, the whole reason she quit climbing was because she realized she wanted to focus on Peak once he was born. This shows how Peak’s mother analyzed what were the more important things in her life, and if the risks that came with climbing for a living were worth it.

The central way this theme was portrayed was through Peak’s big decision while climbing Everest. When he decides to let Sunjo finish the climb instead of him, he really tests his morals right there and realizes the true purpose in the climb, and what he truly wanted. He realizes that Sunjo needed to be the youngest boy to climb Everest in order to support his family, and Josh’s climbing career, and that he wasn’t really needed there.

All in all, this book is a great example of how someone should choose what’s the best way to live their life, and where they’re really needed. And Peak shows that by choosing to be with his family in the city, where he was truly needed.

Reading Response: Where She Went

The book Where She Went is the sequel to the story of a girl, Mia, who had to chose whether she wanted to join her family and give up, or stay and work with the problems her life has become. The sequel, though, is in the perspective of Mia’s boyfriend and how he deals with the loss of Mia and what his life has become. I think the author, Gayle Forman, does a really great job of portraying how it’s okay for people to be somewhat vulnerable in terms of their lives being an utter mess.

Forman represents disasters through Mia and Adam’s lives throughout the book. Now she does this by having the story evolve around Mia, but has the perspective of the book be with Adam. For example, she shows how Adam’s life was a mess with, “I have the kind of life a lot of people would probably sell a kidney to just experience a bit of [his band went to fame]. But still, I find the need to remind myself the temporariness of every day.” This very clearly represents his place in the book since this was in the very first paragraph of the book. This shows that the condition in which he lives in doesn’t cause this depression of his, but it’s what happened in his past with Mia. Now, obviously Mia had to deal with her family’s death, but the way she described it, like how she momentarily forgot her parents were dead every morning, really showed the depth of the situation. The depth in the pain of the experience in the end.

Now after this part of the book is revealed as they reunite, Forman shows how Mia and Adam give up and start arguing, but the thing is they start spilling all that was bottled up for 3 years, and are actually vulnerable for once. In the process, it’s shown to be for the better. For example, Mia confessed that, “I need to tell you everything. I just think I need some coffee before I can get it together enough to explain.” This shows that even though it was hard for her, she knew that sooner or later she’d have to explain what happened in their past, and that meant being vulnerable to him for the first time after her family died. In return Adam does the same stating, “I don’t remember the last time I’ve cried but… the floodgates open and I’m sobbing now...in front of the whole damn world.” And this goes for the better, as all secrets are out, all the grudges that were held are slowly resolving, and now there’s an actual chance for them to be in each other's lives now that the problem has been confronted.

All in all, Gayle Forman does a skillful job of expressing the step-by-step process of dealing with loss, shutting out the people you love, confronting the problem as a whole, and losing the fear of being vulnerable throughout the context of this story.

Argument Essay: Should YA Fiction Have Limitations?

         Did you know that books, including Captain Underpants, have been challenged in 2013? Decisions like this sparked an ongoing debate on whether or not young-adult fiction should have restrictions. But many articles have validated my point and have brought me to my clear position. This includes multiple perspectives on the profane content in blurbs, the questionably realistic circumstances within a YA novel, and the surprising changes between previous books and the ones we read today. The following evidence will clarify that it is not up to a ‘gatekeeper’ to try to challenge books and interfere with a person’s reading life by influencing their opinion on books.

         Admittedly, YA books seem extremely intense and gruesome, when they’re talked about or summarized by critiques in their articles. For example, Meghan Cox Gurdon’s “Darkness Too Visible” states that Shine involves, “the protagonist [16 years] once a close friend of the victim…recover[s] from…sexual assault…[Also,] assorted locals [are] in the grip of homophobia, booze, and crystal meth.” These ‘assorted locals’ aren’t important characters in the story and her relived ‘sexual assault’ was a small portion of the book (as she investigated suspects). As you can see, books may involve intense events and tend to normalize dangerous issues to set a certain setting, but these aren’t large components of a book. In other words, David Levithan is paraphrased in William Porter’s “Teen Fiction Plots Are Darker And Starker” saying, “a book’s… blurb often makes it appear grimmer than it is.” Therefore, YA books may often have summaries that look more profane without the context of the entire book, so they don’t deserve to have limitations.

          Secondly, YA literature shouldn’t have limitations because some teenagers may find them very helpful in terms of normalizing and coping with the real problems in their lives. This is actually a very popular opinion that hasn’t failed to come across in many articles for this debate. In Sherman Alexie’s “Why The Best Kids Books Are Written In Blood”  he bases this entire article mainly on this point, and how it reflects his hardships as a teenager. For example, he implies that teenagers, “read because they believe…that books-especially the dark and dangerous ones- will save them.” This was a little opinionated but at the same time led to some really informative and eye-opening points, that held some truth to them. Although YA fiction could somewhat disturb a reader, limitations would only, “protect the [seemingly] privileged children,” continues Sherman Alexie. In simpler words needing and not having a coping mechanism for something disturbing in your real life is far worse than simply being disturbed by a novel, which you can easily stop reading if you wish to. All in all, this isn’t a reason to put limitations on YA fiction.

  It’s certainly not a lie that teen fiction has gotten darker over the years. And many critiques haven’t failed to mention this in their articles. For example, Gurdon quotes, “40 years ago, no one had to contend with young-adult literature because there was no such thing.” This brings up how YA novels have gotten more graphic over the years but fails to address why. For example William Porter starts out his article by showing the similarities between “headline news…[and] plotlines from recent novels.” This proves that if our daily news is getting more intense everyday, it’s only fitting for YA literature to do the same. Therefore, books getting darker isn’t a valid reason for limitations on young-adult fiction.

  In conclusion, there are many valid reasons as to why young-adult literature shouldn’t have restraints of any kind. This includes the exaggerated graphics within blurbs, the necessity of normalizing gruesome events in a teen’s life, and the expected darkening of YA fiction over years. Considering young-adult fiction is, after all, intended for young adults, the only control people should have over kids reading YA books is parenting of your own child, not others. But that’s exactly what limiting books does, if you think about it. So instead of choosing what’s appropriate for someone’s child, don’t you think we should give the parents an opportunity to raise their children the way they intend to?

Reading Response: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

This book is written in the perspective of Christopher Boone, a 15-year old with Asperger’s syndrome, who tries to figure out who stabbed his neighbor’s poodle to death. With the complicated relationship between his parents and the truth behind the dog’s murder, the author, Mark Haddon, doesn’t fail to incorporate the importance of simplicity and knowing the truth throughout the novel.

For a guy like Christopher truth is so important that the fear of not knowing can cause physical pain and sometimes illness. For example, Christopher always has a wristwatch on him because it gives him comfort to know what time it is. This shows how maybe it’s something as little as the time, but it still reflects how it’s better to know the truth than to go on an assumption or lie. This comes into play with an even bigger lie, further into the book. As Christopher is looking for a book of his in his father’s room, he finds proof of his father telling him something that doesn’t add up with what he found. He then figures out that his father has been lying to him for a very long time, and just the very thought of that makes him sick, literally (he vomits right then and there). Although his syndrome makes the scene go to extremes, it still expresses the same lesson when you tell a lie and make someone cry. It still shows the importance of the truth, and the often unnecessary act of lying.

This book also shows that when you keep things simple there’s less room for drama or problems. For example, towards the beginning of the book, Christopher states, “I like dogs. You always know what a dog is thinking.” This shows how when things are simple you don’t feel that drag of knowing you have to figure it out, therefore it goes without saying that simpler is better. Christopher then follows that statement with, “dogs are faithful and they do not tell lies.” This shows how if something, like a dog, was unnecessarily complicated it would most likely lead to things like lies, and that will eventually lead to trouble. And nobody wants trouble. So Asperger’s syndrome or not, he still makes a good point in wanting things to be simple.

All in all, truth and simplicity in life is the way to go, even though the author had a unique way of portraying it in this story’s circumstances. This motto could save someone from lots of difficulties in life. But you don’t need me to tell you that. You’ll eventually figure it out.

NF Critical Analysis: “Teen Fiction Plots Are Darker And Starker”

  In “Teen Fiction Plots Are Darker And Starker,” the author, William Porter, wants us to know that YA fiction has gotten more graphic and intense over the last 10 years, and even though “gatekeepers” try to encourage authors to make their books more appropriate with limitations, they can’t overlook the benefits that come from YA books, in which give some readers some sort of escape or coping mechanism for their actual lives. One thing Porter does is support his claims in the article with a real-life example, to make it relatable to his readers. For example, after he stated, “These darker books reflect what today’s teens… see in their…world.” Then he follows that with, “ It’s not all Harry Potter or the ‘Twilight’ vampire series,” which are very well known titles and easily relatable. Porter also includes perspectives on this issue from actual authors who write YA books, like David Levithan’s view on “nutshell blurbs” making things seem “grimmer” . Also, the very first sentence in the article was cleverly written to show how greatly teen fiction has changed, by comparing it with, “headline news.” All these examples show how YA fiction has changed to become more dark and profane only to match the deformed and scarring world in which we live in.

        William Porter expects to convince his readers that YA fiction shouldn’t have limitations, because ‘gatekeepers’ are ignoring the greater value and the positive effect it has on teens with struggles in their lives. Porter achieves this by somehow making his entire article one massive counterclaim. Not only does he admit to YA fiction being gruesome and a horrible portrayal of our world, but he counters that by explaining the benefit in that, especially for kids who aren’t as privileged as others. Also, he purposefully includes an author’s perspective knowing that it will most likely strengthen his argument. For example, David Levithan supports the author’s “counter claim” by saying, “teens can explore these themes and use them to deal with issues in their own lives.” Not only is this quote in favor of this author’s argument, but it also proves that many other people (including Levithan) agree with this purpose.

  I think this article really strengthened my view on this topic of YA books, and their hidden value when it came to troubled teens. I already felt that teen literature shouldn’t have limitations, so it didn’t exactly change my opinion. But it made it so I could argue my opinion if I had to, because of how well worded this argument was portrayed. In conclusion, if this article shaped my opinion in any way, it was  by making it stronger than it was before, and making this topic even more relatable to not only me, but probably to other teens out there as well.

Reading Response: Go Ask Alice

       Go Ask Alice is a book supposedly by an anonymous diarist. This story goes through a 2-year downwards spiral of Alice’s life as a drug addict. We see how she fails to communicate with the ones who love her, takes advantage of the privileges  given to her and turns to drugs thinking it would end under her control. Somehow that results in a horrible life style in which she never could’ve imagined herself getting accustomed to. This leads me to think that the claim in this book is not only can drugs complicate your life but they can end it as well.

  This book gives a unique perspective on how drugs can complicate and completely change your life style.  For example, in the last diary entry before coming back home, Alice writes, “I have just read the stuff I wrote in the last few weeks… I could never have written things like that! I could never have done things like that! It was another person.” In Alice’s case, it came to a point where she couldn’t even recognize herself, or her thoughts anymore. It was just a big illusion or version of reality that she wanted to believe in. A version where drugs were normal. After a while Alice eventually admits to herself that, “After you’ve had it, there isn’t even life without drugs.” It then elaborates and explains than she’s either doing drugs or completely paranoid about even touching them. Then she ends up relapsing and the cycle begins. You start to stop trusting yourself and become completely reliant on the people around you without even realizing it. Which is horrible when you’re reliant on the wrong people for the wrong reasons, like Alice was. So it’s probably an understatement to say that drugs complicated Alice’s life.

Go Ask Alice also shows how drug addictions, to some limits, could end your life, symbolically and literally. For example, when she was actually trying to stay off drugs she wrote, “ I want to get in with the square kids [at school], but I don’t see how I’m going to do it with my reputation hanging over me.” Not only this time though, in this portion of the book she kept feeling like she didn’t belong anywhere, and her past kept haunting her throughout the process. It was only a matter of time before her suicidal thoughts came back. Then the epilogue came, which only stated, “ The subject of this book died three weeks after her decision not to keep another diary [from a drug overdose].” That was practically all that was mentioned. All we knew was that she died from drugs. It could’ve been accidental, suicidal, or maybe the vengeful stoner kids, she thought were her friends before, came back to, once again, slip her a deadly dose. Either way, her death entirely started with drugs.

In conclusion, drugs will always find a way to complicate your life and result in the worst circumstances. I think this book portrayed this issue in one of it’s truest forms, and really showed that a life with drugs can never end well. If you think about it, this story could’ve saved a person from a lifetime that no one should have to face, simply from changing their outlook on drugs entirely.

Argument Essay: Should Parents Make Kids Stick With Extracurriculars?

In the article “Should Parents Make Kids Stick With Extracurriculars?”, by Bruce Feiler and KJ Dell’Antonia, there’s clearly a debate on a parent’s say in their child’s extracurricular activities. They make some very good points on both sides which has brought me to my claim. No, parents should not force their children into extracurricular activities.

The main reason parents shouldn’t be concerned is because it’s not completely necessary. For example, in the article “Should…” it states a mother’s perspective on the topic. In exact words, “Outside academics, I don’t see any reason to push my kids into anything they don’t want to do.” This shows that parents understand why a child might not want to do their homework, but that’s necessary in life. If it’s something like an instrument or sport, if you  don’t have fun doing it, you’d have no reason to ever use that skill ever again. Another mother agreed, and stated in the article, “if getting them out … to do the activity involves a battle, then… they can stay home.” In other words, is forcing your kids to do something unnecessary really worth the battle?

Also, although it may seem like no harm learning a skill you don’t enjoy, but actually you’re wasting hours on something you don’t even like to do. This may seem like an exaggeration but a mother in the article agrees as well. She says, “I see a cost in not quitting as well.” This shows a lose-lose situation by learning something you don’t want to learn. In simpler words, another mother in the article explained, “being forced to practice [something] are hours spent not finding something you love.” This statement really opened my eyes as to why getting forced into extracurricular activities comes at a cost as well.

I can see why parents might not want their kids to quit so easily on a skill they could learn. For example, a quote in the article mentioned, “I want [my kids]… to understand what it feels like to do something you don’t like, and to improve.” This would be a great lesson, if it was for something you absolutely had to do. Extracurricular activities are extra. So if the entire purpose of it is proving a point to yourself, then you don’t need it in your life. So what are you really gaining from this, other than determination for a skill you don’t even like?

In conclusion, parents should not force their kids into extracurriculars It should practically be entirely up to the child. Even if it’s good to have the skill of determination, its better to learn that with something you actually look forward to learning. This is an important subject, because this is a real issue that happen to many kids and parents. Also, kids might really benefit from this debate.

Reading Response: Faithful Elephants

      Faithful Elephants is a story by Yukio Tsuchia that takes place in a zoo in World War 2. In this story,the zookeepers are forced to kill all dangerous animals in the zoo. This includes 3 elephants, in which become the main part of the story. This story consisted of many opportunities of symbolism involving the elephants and their role in this piece. Yukio Tsuchia really expresses how reality can be somewhat deceiving and underestimated. She shows this throughout the book by explaining the story of a zookeeper and 3 elephants who happen to be caught in the middle of a war.

      As I previously stated, the author expresses how people underestimate reality. In this case it's war. After the elephants' lifeless bodies are dragged outside, the zookeepers scream "Stop the war!" repeatedly. Almost as if they were gradually realizing the reality of this situation, and once the elephants are dead, they have their breaking point. This also brings up an opportunity of symbolism that has been constantly used. It was the use of 'cage' instead of any other word. For example, "He could only pace in front of the cage". I thought this was the author's way of using the elephants as a symbol of the zookeeper's hope, considering he was trapped and left with nothing to do in the situation. 

     The way the author used the elephant as a symbol of hope, played an important role in the story. Considering this piece is all about how reality can be underestimated, you soon begin to find out that, as a result, not only are the elephants' lives lost, but so is the zookeeper's hope for the war getting any better for the rest of them. For example, "As the days passed, the elephants became thinner and thinner, weaker and weaker." The author wouldn't have described their death so vividly unless it was a symbol. So, basically, the author showed the elephants getting weaker, when really the hope in the war was actually getting weaker, as well.

     In conclusion, the theme of this story is reality can be disappointing. The author does a great job of portraying this theme, with the symbolism, and the ability to relate to this story. I don't necessarily mean losing hope in a war, but it could also be as simple as losing direction because of a situation in someone's life.

Reading Response: Learning Not To Drown (Anna Shinoda)

Learning Not To Drown was a beautifully written page-turner where the main-character, Clare, discovers the roots of her family skeleton and learns to deal with her brother‘s true past. Since Clare was incredibly naïve in the beginning of the story, I loved how the author progressed her development and took you through her journey of figuring everything out for herself throughout the book. This led to me being completely amazed when Clare and I both discovered the truth about her brother, Luke’s, past. This component of the book, I think, is what made it a great read.