Archetypal Theme: The Quest

               I just finished the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer, and I must say that this book took me on an emotional toll. Oskar the main character loses his father on 9/11 when the twin towers fell. His father had an appointment that day. Now Oskar goes on a quest to finish the last mission him and his father created, most likely as a form of closure. He finds this key and thinks it’s part of the mission, that it was meant for him; so he goes to find out what the key opens. The book was a bit hard to follow with the flashbacks to Oskar’s grandfather’s youth. The archetypes in this book helped me understand Oskar’s role better and why all the other characters, small and big, are significant to the book.

Oskar has become close with the people he has met through this quest, especially Mr. Ade Black who helped him on his quest to find the right Mr. or Mrs. Black, who knows something about the key and what it opens. Oskar met Mr. Black when he first started his mission but unlike the other Blacks, Mr. Black was odd and strange he had an interesting background knowing lots of things sincere is 143 years old. Both being odd people they connected and balanced each other out and this created a special relationship, a strong one at that. Mr. Black in a way portrayed the Threshold Guardian. In the end  of the book on page 286 Oskar finds Mr. Blacks box of significant people and finds his own name titled son which shows how close and meaningful their relationship was. This would have never had happened if there wasn't a quest.

One major archetype found in the book is the quest. Oskar set out on a quest to find the door that unlocks to the key Oskar found in his dad’s closet. The famous quote “It’s the journey that matters not the destination” describes the quest perfectly. Throughout the journey Oskar made new friends that he became very close with and discovered more about his past but when he found out where the key led too, which was a safe box, he didn't care what was in it. He didn't want to be confused.

Mr. Black told Oskar “why don’t you come with me to the bank?’ ‘You’re nice but no thank you.’ It’s not that I wasn't curious. I was incredibly curious. It’s that I was afraid of getting confused” (p300).

The box didn't belong to Oskar’s father it belonged to Abby Black’s ex-husband who’s been searching for the key to the box. It’s as if Oskar and he were meant for each other but that’s beside the point.

The point is that an archetypal theme in this book is a quest. While it looks like the quest is to find the door that the key unlocks, the real underlining theme is a quest to find closure about his father’s death. Oskar doesn't know how his father died exactly; he doesn't even have his father’s remains. All he knows that his father was in the Twin Towers when it was hit on September 11^th 2000. He wants to end the confusion of how his father died but he doesn't. In the end he still doesn't know how his father died but he realizes that he doesn't want to know he just misses his dad.

GROWING UP SAUDI NONFITION READING RESPONSE

This week I read a nonfiction article from the New York Times Upfront called, “Growing Up Saudi” by Karen Elliot House. It’s about the young people in Saudi Arabia and how the young are increasingly questioning authority and rocking foundations of this very conservative Islamic society. In Saudi Arabia, specifically in Thalia Street of Riyadh belongs to the rebellious youth. It is an example of tension tearing at Saudi society, as tradition is challenged by modernity.

The youth which are as author Karen says “internet savvy”, so they are well aware of the Western ways but they don’t have almost any freedom options open for them. Saudi Arabia forbids dating, there are few public soccer fields, concerts are outlawed, even listening to music is forbidden by conservative sheikhs, though is widely ignored. Things that is such a normality for us is being forbidden for Saudi’s and they want to experience the joy and freedom we feel. People already started rebelling by breaking certain rules like listening to music and dating secretly. But because Saudi is a authoritarian society there is more to rebel against.

Now certain powers of Saudi I understand have nothing against even though it sets many limitations. A strict fundamentalist interpretation known as Wahhabism governs all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia. The Koran and the teachings of the prophet Mohammed effectively serve as the constitution. Unrelated men and women are totally segregated from one another. Women must wear black head to toe coverings called abayas in public. Marriages are arranged by families with the couple usually meeting for the first time when they become engaged. Since the majority of Saudi is Islamic it makes sense that they make women where abayas. Also arranged marriage isn't a shocker in the east. Unlike on the western side of the world arranged marriage isn't shocking it’s quite common. Even my own parents’ marriage was arranged.

With all these restrictions and limitations it must be hard for Saudi youth who knows of a “different world of their own” and doesn't have access to the same ways. One Saudi single man is quoted in the article saying, “Facebook opens the doors of our cages. The young understand it is part of nature to have a girlfriend or boyfriend and we should not pretend it isn't happening”. This quote in my opinion summarizes my outlook of how the rebellious youth of Saudi Arabia and how bored and restless they are.

             

Memories by Jessica Das

Memories 

My brain harbors memories;

Or what I think are memories.

Some blurred

Others are vivid and clear as if it was yesterday.

Memories make me up

The same way cells do;

Each different from the rest,

Yet still connected.

Memories make me up.

I have transformed but they

Remain the same.

Some are deep down deranged

Others are happy hopeful

Like the indication of God

Memories are me.

JESSICA DAS                                                                                                                  809

Poetry Reading Response on Starry Night

I never saw myself as a poem person. In matter of fact I was dreadful when I heard our next subject in ELA was poetry. This week I’ve read a poem called Starry Night by Anne Sexton. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the poem. It’s a poem off the artwork Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. One discovery I made about the poem Starry Night by Anne Sexton is that the speaker is depressed. This is because in the poem she seems suicidal and has dark thoughts.

One important observation I made is the speaker is suicidal. For example in the poem the line “This is how I want to die” (Sexton 6, 12) is repeated several times in the text. This quote shows that the speaker is depressed because he is having thoughts about how he wants to die and how. This quote is also an example of verbal irony because most people don’t want to die yet in this quote the speaker contradicts what I expected her to say; instead the speaker says she wants to die.

Another important observation is the speaker has dark thoughts. In the poem the speaker says, “The town does not exist/ except where one black-haired tree slips/Up like a drowned women in the hot sky” (Sexton 3). This quote is an example of a simile. This is because the tree is compared to a drowned women in the sky by using the word like. This quote shows the speaker has dark thoughts about people and herself. This is because drowning is usually paired with death.

A final observation I made is the speaker sees herself as lifeless. This is shown in the poem when the speaker says, “Sucked up by that great dragon/ to split from my life with no flag/ no belly/ no cry”.  The line break in this quote is important because it emphasizes the fact that he is empty both physically and mentally.This quote shows that life has been taken away from the speaker and nothing is left. When there is no life there is only death and darkness.

I discovered many things in this poem such as the speaker wants to be free and die. The biggest discovery I made was that the speaker is depressed by the way she speaks her words and the specific words used in the poem. Vincent Van Gogh, the artist behind the painting was in a mental asylum when he drew the painting Starry Night and ended up killing himself. He was mental and depressed. I believe the speaker got into Vincent’s mind and got into the depressed mindset that he might have been in.

Alphabet Poem- ON TOP

Always was on the top

But then came middle school

Couldn’t see why but,

Didn’t know what to do.

Even my parents were confused;

Friends were just as scared as I,

Going through the same troubles

Having the same problems.

I didn’t know what to do

Just rolled with it

Knew something was different

Let time solve it.

Mind boggling situations

Never knew how to solve it

Options, options, options

Problem solvers near by

Quizzing me day and night

Rest is not option

Slowing down isn’t my style

Turning around sounds nice

Unforgiving regrets;

Venture through your brain

When nothing is left to push you

Xylophones playing in the background

Yearning for you to get back up

Zillions of ways to get back on top

Cabal the Protagonist- Character Reflection

JOHANNES CABAL THE FEAR INSTITUTE by JONATHAN L. HOWARD

I’m currently reading Johannes Cabal the Fear Institute by Jonathan L. Howard and its nothing but ordinary. In the book there is a land beyond sleep made up of dreams called the Dreamlands but not a dream itself. For millions of years people have explored this mystical land but never truly come back sane but now its Johannes Cabal’s turn to explore. Cabal is a necromancer which means he communicates with ghosts. If you don’t believe my definition then search it in the dictionary. According to the Webster English Dictionary a necromancer is a person who can see the future and talk to the dead like a witch. Being such a guy, people keep their distance from Cabal. Well anyways, he is employed to the Fear Institute, who by the way want to capture fear, to lead an expedition to the Dreamlands. Cabal being the person that he is thinks the Fear Institute’s goal of capturing fear is stupid and unmanageable; the real reason Cabal is going is to do some of his own research and the Fear Institute in his eye is bait for when he needs to run away from monsters.

            Cabal is a very interesting character. He’s intelligent, sarcastic, uncaring, and very anti-social with humans like Bose, Shadrach and Corde which are the three people he is guiding. The most interesting idea in the book is that according to the Dreamlands Cabal is who he wanted to be all along. This is because when a person enters the Dreamlands his exterior changes into the person he dreamt to be as a youngling. In the book Shadrach asks Cabal, “But what about you, Mr. Cabal? Why haven’t your clothes changed?” Corde then asked, “Because you’re already what you want to be, eh, Cabal?” Cabal then smirks and replies, “Just so”. This shows that Cabal is who he wants to be which rarely happen to the protagonist in a book.

            Being uncaring is what Cabal is. When Corde gave Cabal the Silver Key to open the portal into the Dreamland, Cabal shoved the key into Harwell, who was the Keeper of the Silver Key and a lunatic. Cabal shoved the key into Harwell’s forehead and killing him because Harwell himself was the gate to the Dreamlands. This is because only the truly poetic and loony people, which Cabal believes to be the same thing could open the portal. Cabal had no regret whatsoever in killing Harwell. When Bose in disbelief and horror yelled, “You killed him” (Howard 42), Cabal simply shrugged, “He was already dead. He’d allowed certain conceptual the morphs to take residence in his mind. He would have killed himself or been killed within a few months in any case. At least this way he served a purpose. He was a poet. No loss, then.”(Howard 43). Just by reading that quote, anyone with common sense could see he was cold hearted but also very intelligent. He is intelligent and as a reader I know this because the way Cabal speaks with such vocabulary; he had to be educated a great deal.

            I’m not done with the book yet but fairly deep. The story just gets more crazy and unexpected at the turn of each page. I recommend this book because it’s a book that will take you on an adventure and Cabal is character that you will be in a love-hate relationship with because of his character.

Non-Fiction Reading Response

The article “A New Direction?” by Veronica Majerol in the magazine New York Times Upfront is about how China’s government has changed and tweaked certain laws to help improve China’s booming economy. According to the article in 1979, China began limiting most couples to one child; a measure to curb the country’s exploding population which by the way is not at 1.4 billion. The policy has long been a symbol of government control, violators undergoing forced abortions, and sterilizations, or paying exorbitant fines. But there was a big meeting in November, China’s communist leaders said they would relax the policy. Now if either the husband or wife were an only child they can have more than one kid. What’s for the sudden change you might ask?  Because of a preference for boys in the Chinese culture, many couples gave up their girls, creating a gender imbalance; that leaves millions of Chinese men without wives.

            Veronica Majerol’s article is unbiased and just accurately states the current conditions of China’s economy. Although the author’s article has no “loaded” words, it’s missing certain people’s perspective.  The article has the perspective of a China expert who states, “Today the agenda is largely off the table and that is the most serious long-term legacy of Tiananmen” (Joseph Fewsmith, Boston University). I believe Veronica is missing the perspective of a Chinese person who lives in America and a Chinese person who just emigrated from America to get more of a personal perspective. A personal perspective is key in this article because Chinese families are affected by the limiting of children in China; they might have their own stories related to this to share.  Also in the article Veronica states, “With its economy booming, China’s leaders also pledged to allow more private investment, moving China even further to a capitalist system”. This demonstrates that China has been improving itself to keep up with its thriving economy.

            After reading this article, I have come to understand not all countries give as much freedom to the people as America does. China for years have taken away children for the means of overpopulation and strict business, they have finally come to see how interfering with nature puts things out of order. But I appreciate the fact that China is moving forward and that the author Veronica Majerol has shown this. This has strengthen my opinion on how much power leaders should have over their people because ultimately over controlling leads to imbalance and unhappiness.

Published Reading Response

How Does A Time To Kill by John Grisham Make You Think About Justice in the World?

By: Jessica Das 809

I grew up watching Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. It showed me that justice isn't always fair and that some people, when emotionally unstable, will take the law into their own hands and commit a crime. Now I learnt all that from watching a television show for almost five years.

The book A Time to Kill by John Grisham taught me the same exact lesson but in a different format, in a different time period. A Time to Kill takes place in the conservative and racist south in the 1970s, in Ford County, Mississippi, where 73 percent of the population is white and most of them are racist. A ten year old black girl gets viciously raped by two white men by the name of Willard and Billy Ray Cobb. While the two men were coming out of their indictment from court, Carl Lee, the father of the raped girl takes the law into his own hands and kills the two rapist in cold blood. Now he is in jail and waiting to get his indictment.

The book shows me that justice doesn't always mean fair. I’m only in the beginning of the book and I have already learnt that in the 1970s whites could get easier punishments and get acquitted easier for murder than blacks. For example in the book Jake, Cobs’ white attorney says to Cobb:

“I’m white, and this is a white county. With luck I could get an all-white jury, which naturally would be sympathetic. This isn't New York or California. Mans supposed to protect his family. Some whites would admire you but most would want to see you hang. It would be much harder to win an acquittal.”(Grisham 61).

    This textual evidence shows that in the 1970s that justice wasn't nondiscriminatory, it used to depend on skin color.

            Another way justice wasn’t fair was because people in the court such as jurors were bought off or intimidated by threats from people like the Ku Klux Klan, to think a certain way. For example in the book Harry Rex a well-known lawyer tells Jake, “That’s Bill Joe he can be bought off. We pay him, he will say anything you want him to say”. This was when Harry and Jake were looking through the list of possible jurors and seeing who would make good ones. The evidence proves that justice isn’t fair because some people would do anything for money and if your rich you usually you got your way when you fell into trouble.

    Now comparing justice back then and now I believe that justice is fair, depending where the location is fairness varies but at least today the government goes through a lot more for a person to have a fair trial. In the book, the one who is being charged with the crime, depending on how much power he or she may have could get a bias jury or a jury or judge to their liking. Today, the jury is randomly selected and has to meet requirements such as no connection to the case or the people. The jury is usually a mix of different races and genders from different backgrounds so the jury can’t be bias. The point I’m trying to prove is that comparing the two time period I’m glad to say that the justice system may not be equal and fair but the government at least tries to make the playing field leveled as possible the law will let it be.

How Does Money Figure in A Time To Kill by John Grisham

                  Money controls everything. Now I know what you’re going to say, “No it doesn’t”. Well newsflash it does, especially in the book A Time to Kill by John Grisham. In this book, money figures as a way to maintain life, without it we would be dead. Grisham shows this very well by making the main character Carl Lee Hailey’s life lay in the hands of money.

                A Time to Kill by John Grisham takes place in Ford County, Mississippi where seventy three percent of the population is white and racist but at the time most of the south was racist toward African Americans. In the book these two white males around their mid-thirties raped a ten year old black girl. “A man’s supposed to protect his family” (Grisham 60), knowing that the men would get loose without being charged, Carl Lee Hailey the father of the little raped girl killed the two men in cold blood as they were leaving the courtroom to avenge his daughters rape. Now Hailey has been indicted with manslaughter and might face the gas chamber.

                The only way Hailey has a chance of not dying by the gas chamber is if he has a great lawyer that can prove him innocent and keep him alive, but to have a good lawyer, you need the money to pay for one. Hailey, being in jail until the trial, can’t make the money he needs because he’s the one with the income in his family and he lost his job because he is in jail. Jake, Hailey’s lawyer was explaining to Hailey that he needs to gather up the money to pay for all these fees for the trial, “You’ve got to have cash, Carl Lee. Not for me but for the psychiatrists. Why? Because I’d like to keep you away from the gas chamber which is only a hundred miles away. And to that, we need them to believe you were crazy when shooting those boys and we need an expert, a doctor to do so and they don't work for free.” (Grisham 208). The thing is if Hailey had the money he would’ve given it to Jake but he doesn’t have the money. His family barely has enough money to put food on the table.

                What I think was really cool was that Grisham showed that money affects everyone not just Hailey. Most of the African American people in Ford County live in poverty and don’t have jobs and barely have enough money to even scratch up a dollar for a good cause. The author shows this by having the local church have a fundraiser to help Hailey’s case, but they only made a couple thousand dollars because most of the people could only scratch up the few dollars they had.

How Does A Time To Kill by John Grisham Make You Think About Justice in the World?

I grew up watching Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. It showed me that justice isn't always fair and that some people, when emotionally unstable, will take the law into their own hands and commit a crime. Now I learnt all that from watching a television show for almost five years.

The book A Time to Kill by John Grisham taught me the same exact thing but in a different way in a different time period. A Time to Kill takes place in the conservative and racist south, in Ford County, Mississippi, where 73 percent of the population is white and most of them are racist. A ten year old black girl gets viciously raped by two white men by the name of Willard and Billy Ray Cobb. While the two men were coming out of their indictment from court, Carl Lee, the father of the raped girl takes the law into his own hands and kills the two rapist in cold blood. Now he is in jail and waiting to get his indictment.

The book shows me that justice doesn't always mean fair. I’m only in the beginning of the book and I have already learnt that back in the day that whites could get easier punishments and get acquitted easier for murder than blacks. For example in the book Jake, Cobs’ white attorney says to Cobb:

“I’m white, and this is a white county. With luck I could get an all-white jury, which naturally would be sympathetic. This isn't New York or California. Mans supposed to protect his family. Some whites would admire you but most would want to see you hang. It would be much harder to win an acquittal.”(Grisham 61).

    This textual evidence shows that back some hundred or maybe even fifty years ago that justice wasn't nondiscriminatory, it used to depend on skin color.

    Now comparing justice back then and now I believe that justice is fair, depending where the location is fairness varies but at least today the government goes through a lot more for a person to have a fair trial. In the book, the one who is being charged with the crime, depending on how much power he or she may have could get a bias jury or a jury or judge to their liking. Today, the jury is randomly selected and has to meet requirements such as no connection to the case or the people. The jury is usually a mix of different races and genders from different backgrounds so the jury can’t be bias. The point I’m trying to prove is that comparing the two time period I’m glad to say that the justice system may not be equal and fair but the government at least tries to make the playing field leveled as possible the law will let it be.

2nd Draft Argument Essay

“The important task of literature is to free man, not to censor him”-Anais Nin. Parents and teachers should not ban A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz for comprising inappropriate language and content for middle school students. A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz is about the main character Martin Dean and his son Terry Dean and their unique life. The book shouldn't be banned because it is a well acclaimed book, showing the consequences of bullying which kids these days need to know about; while the book does have sexual content and profane language, it is something that teens are already exposed to.

Many parents believe that many young adult books that their children are reading have hideously distorted portrayals of life and reality. One of those parents are Meghan Cox Gurdon. She complains about depravity and hideously portrayals in young adult literature. Unlike Gurdon, the author of Why the Best Books are Written in Blood states, “When I think of the poverty stricken, sexually and physically abused, self-loathing Native American teenager I was, I only wish, that I’d been given the opportunity to read the… the books that Ms. Gurdon believes to be irredeemable.”(Sherman Alexie). Also A fraction of the whole by Steve Toltz is seen as not hideous, but “grows in the shadow of great expectations.”(New York Times). It has also been recently listed for the Man Booker Prize. This shows that A Fraction of the whole shouldn't be banned because it is a highly acclaimed book and teaches kids how to cope with their problems.

Another reason why A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz should not be banned is because the inappropriate language and content in the book is something teens are already exposed and introduced to in reality, so the content isn't out of the ordinary life of a teenager. For example, words like “condom” which is used on page 372 of A Fraction of the Whole isn't a new word heard by students. They are familiar with the word. The violent and sexual content isn't written in explicit detail, so it doesn't make the reader uncomfortable to the point where their minds are scarred. Also, while there is cussing in the book it isn't frequently used but instead philosophical sayings and ideas are filled in the book that will make the reader think. For example in the book Toltz writes, “True creative power isolates one and demands something that has to be subtracted from the enjoyment of life” (Toltz 560). This will make middle school students stop and really think about the quote which is good for class subjects.

           The final reason why the book A Fraction of the Whole shouldn't be ban is because there is a need for young people to know the consequences and effects of bullying. The book A Fraction of the Whole teaches suicides is not only a result of teens being bullied and pushed over the edge but that adults also commit suicide when pushed over the edge when bullied by teens. For example in the book it states, “I [Terry] missed all the signs. I didn't interpret the nail-biting as a cry for help or as an indication that he would soon be rotting dumbly in the earth. After Brett’s death, I dissected that afternoon in my head countless times…I could’ve said something, or done something, to change his mind. Now I wonder, why do we wish our loved ones back to life if they were so obviously miserable?”(Toltz 306). In this part of the book Terry Dean’s only friend Brett has committed suicide. He is grieving but knows that Brett is better off dead. Also in the next couple pages in the book, the death of Brett makes his father and teacher depressed. Terry ends up playing a prank that would push his teacher over the edge and commit suicide himself like his dead son. The book also accurately portrayals a teens point of view on sensitive topics and topics that are very normal in a teenager’s life.

          A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz shouldn't be banned just because of inappropriate language and content. The book opens the mind to really about our surroundings and how it affects us and one way the author shows it is by using things from our daily life such as language and putting some meaning to it. Read the book and decide whether or not the book should be banned but keep in mind that the most important task of literature is to free man, not to censor him.

Monday Muses: Inspiring Myself

2 years ago, when I was in sixth grade, I went on a trip with my class 603 and Ms. Isaac to this cool place where you could feel the way blind people live. The point of the trip was to use our other senses besides sight so our writing could be more detailed and interesting. Also it would make our writing more visual and realistic to the reader. Anyways, I never expected the trip to inspire me and open up my eyes in a new way.

On this trip they took us into a room in groups. We sat on these lighted cubes, it was really cool. The lights slowly started to become dimmer and dimmer and the room became darker and darker until the room was pitch black. I couldn't see anything, not even shapes of things moving around, which by the way is what you see in the dark usually.

Our sight was taking away to be in a blind man’s perspective and they gave us walking sticks like the ones blind people use. It was an unbelievable experience. They took us to these rooms I suppose, I couldn't see where I was going, obviously. All I can say is that it’s an experience that was totally new to me. They took us to these part of the building where we went upstairs and downstairs, a room that sounded like a forest, a room with different sized doors, a train I think, because it felt like one. We couldn't see so you really had to use your senses and really think about what was in front of you. I can say one thing though, we weren't calm and cool at all. Everyone’s hands were everywhere trying to find someone around them or trying to guess who they were. I was clenching on to my best friends hand the entire time so I wouldn't get lost.

That day on the trip inspired me to appreciate what I have. We take our sight for granted and don’t realize how hard or confusing life is without it. Without it we couldn't see the beautiful colors and people around us and the world.  Without sight we would be living in a world full of darkness which seems really scary to me at least because I’m afraid of the dark. Not only has the trip inspired me to appreciate my sight but has also inspired me to appreciate blind people. I think it’s amazing how they use their other senses like touch and hearing to their advantage and still being able to do most of the things we do in our daily lives.

1st Draft Argument Essay

Parents and teachers should not ban A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz for comprising inappropriate language and content for middle school students. The book shouldn't be banned because it is a well acclaimed book, showing the consequences of bullying which kids these days need to know about; while the book does have sexual content and profane language, it is something that teens are already exposed to.

Many parents believe that many young adult books that their children are reading have hideously distorted portrayals of life and reality. One of those parents are Meghan Cox Gurdon. She complains about depravity and hideously portrayals in young adult literature. Unlike Gurdon, the author of Why the Best Books are Written in Blood states, “When I think of the poverty stricken, sexually and physically abused, self-loathing Native American teenager I was, I only wish, that I’d been given the opportunity to read the… the books that Ms. Gurdon believes to be irredeemable. Also A fraction of the whole by Steve Toltz is seen as not hideous, but “grows in the shadow of great expectations.” It has also been recently listed for the Man Booker Prize. This shows that A Fraction of the whole shouldn't be banned because it is a highly acclaimed book and teaches kids how to cope with their problems.

Another reason why A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz should not be banned is because the inappropriate language and content in the book is something teens are already exposed and introduced to in reality, so the content isn't out of the ordinary life of a teenager. For example, words like “condom” which is used on page 372 of A Fraction of the Whole isn't a new word heard by students. They are familiar with the word. The violent and sexual content isn't written in explicit detail, so it doesn't make the reader uncomfortable to the point where their minds are scarred. Also, while there is cussing in the book it isn't frequently used but instead philosophical sayings and ideas are filled in the book that will make the reader think. For example in the book it states, “True creative power isolates one and demands something that has to be subtracted from the enjoyment of life” (p560). This will make middle school students stop and really think about the quote which is good for class subjects.

           The final reason why the book A Fraction of the Whole shouldn't be ban is because there is a need for young people to know the consequences and effects of bullying. The book A Fraction of the Whole teaches suicides is not only a result of teens being bullied and pushed over the edge but that adults also commit suicide when pushed over the edge when bullied by teens. For example in the book it states, “I missed all the signs. I didn't interpret the nail-biting as a cry for help or as an indication that he would soon be rotting dumbly in the earth. After Brett’s death, I dissected that afternoon in my head countless times…I could’ve said something, or done something, to change his mind. Now I wonder, why do we wish our loved ones back to life if they were so obviously miserable?” The book also accurately portrayals a teens point of view on sensitive topics and topics that are very normal in a teenager’s life.

          In conclusion, A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz shouldn't be banned just because of inappropriate language and content. The book opens the mind to really about our surroundings and how it affects us and one way the author shows it is by using things from our daily life such as language and putting some meaning to it. Read the book and decide whether or not the book should be banned.

Monday Muses: Childhood Memories

I remember my childhood memories as little adventures I've taken. Most of them which I took with my best friend Duhita who is a year older than me.

          One of many adventures I took with her was to the Chinese food restaurant called Twin Lins to order some chicken and broccoli, our favorite. So at the time I was only seven and she was eight. My dad gave me a dollar every day before he went to work and I would save it up in my piggy bank. I used to live in the same apartment building as her grandmother so when she came over her dad give her money for a snack.

So one day we decided we were going to buy some Chinese food and it would be our little secret. Well technically it’s not a secret anymore because you’re reading this but anyways you get the jest. At the time my grandparents were out of the country and my parents were at work so her grandma was also babysitting me along with Duhita.

So when her grandmother went to take her daily nap, Duhita and I set out on our adventure. We took this carton of oil that her grandmother had in her kitchen and put it between the door and the wall so the outside door wouldn't lock us out. We were only seven, obviously we didn't have keys, so this was the perfect solution. We walked the long journey of 10 feet to the Chinese restaurant, we had reached our destiny. There we had ordered our food and had paid with twenty quarters since we didn't have any actual dollars. The lady at the counter was confused but didn't say anything. So we waited for our food which took only a few minutes but which seemed like a life to a seven year old me. It felt even longer because we had to make it back home and finish eating before her grandmother woke up. It was like a race to the finish before the time bomb exploded. It was epic. When we got our food we raced home and being the kids we are eating was a competition which I happily won.

What I think I love the most of childhood memories is that what seems like such a simple task now was like and adventure when we were kids. It made things seem like a fairy tale  That’s why the best memories are from our childhood in my opinion.

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

“Whatever you do to animals, you do to yourself” I just finished reading Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, and it took me on an emotional toll which is hard to do. The book is about 15 year old Cole Matthews who smashed Peter Driscal’s skull into the sidewalk. Now Cole has to choose between prison and Native American Circle Justice where he lives in isolation for one year. He chooses Circle Justice. When he is mauled by a mysterious white bear and almost dies, his soul is saved. It sounds like a cliché but it’s true. The theme of the book is change. That people can change for the better. A very positive them for such a dark book.

A part of the book that shows the theme change, is on page 203 where you can see Cole has changed. In the book Cole thinks, “Cole crawled into bed but tossed fitfully. He remembered his own close brush with death and how terrified he’d been. It haunted him to think that Peter had tried to end his life on purpose. How scared must he be to actually go searching for death?” In this part of the book Cole finds out that Peter, who Cole smashed his head brutally into the sidewalk had tried to commit suicide but failed. This part shows change because Cole shows feelings such as regret, sorry, and pitiful instead of the “old” Cole who was cold-blooded teen who was numb to any feels besides anger and revenge. Sounds like a sad and terrible life to me. This part of the book also shows change because he realizes what he has caused with violence and it haunts him to see that he is the real reason why Peter wants to commit suicide. Deep stuff huh?

Another part of the book that shows change is on page 239 when Cole tells Peter, “This morning we forgave each other, we also forgave ourselves… we allowed ourselves to become a part of the big circle. That’s why we saw the Spirit Bear”.  That’s sounds inspirational doesn't it? Makes you want to get up and smell the roses, but anyways back to the change in this part of the book. In the beginning of the book Cole had only picked the Circle Justice to avoid jail. It meant nothing more to him. He would be the one who would lie in the healing circles about how he was improving as a person. Now the Circle Justice was a way of life. The thing that gave him a new life and soul. He understood that the Circle Justice had healed him and Peter and really had changed and improved. This text also shows the theme change because he was also trying to show and explain to Peter that the Circle Justice had done well for Peter too.

I really enjoyed this book. In the beginning it had seemed a bit boring but when Cole has the encounter with the Spirit Bear the book got really interesting and I didn't want to close the book. The theme change really stood out. Usually it’s the characters or the problem that you first see but in this book I knew what the theme was right off the back which is a good thing.

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

                    Sometimes knowing who the protagonist in a book is hard.  I'm currently on page 277 out of the 561 pages in the book A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz. So far I can't get enough of this book. The quote "Sane families are all alike- but every crazy family is crazy in its own way" summarizes the book so far accurately. Being a good chunk into the book, I’m still unsure of who the protagonist in the book is. There are two possible choices for the protagonist; either Martin Dean, the brother of the famous criminal Terry Dean or Jasper Dean the son of Martin Dean. It's hard to figure who is the main character because one-third of the book is all a flashback of Martin Dean’s childhood and then of him as a young adult. Therefore, one would think that Martin Dean is the main character, but you can also argue that Jasper is the main character because he is the one who is being told the story of his father's childhood to and after the long flashback the story goes back to present time in Jasper point of view.

 Martin Dean is hard to describe since he hasn't found himself yet. He has always been a supporting character in other people’s lives trying to help them get to their goals even if they aren't the best ones. He even admits in the book he doesn't know who he really is and what his purpose is. For example in the book he self analyzes himself, “My problem is I can’t sum myself up in one sentence. All I know is who I am not. And I've noticed there is a tacit agreement among most people that they’ll at least try to adjust to their environment. I've always felt the urge to rebel against it.” (269). Thus, I listed him as a possible protagonist because usually in a book the main character doesn't really know who he is and the throughout the book he finds his purpose and himself and goes through a great journey on the plot mountain. In most books, the main character won’t tell you that he hasn't found himself but this is no ordinary book. Martin Dean has gone through a lot in his life such as being in a coma and being bedridden sick for the first few years of his life to his brother becoming a cold blooded serial killer. From there, going on to help a criminal publish his on textbook on how to become a criminal and then finding out that his cancerous mother was slowly poisoning him by feeding him rat poison along with his food.  It's pretty easy to see why he ends up in nut house. What I really think lands him in a mental asylum is that he is a natural philosopher, he observes every little thing and questions it. He doesn't see it as normal society would. He reads a lot and has a lot of time to ponder. When you have that much time to think, you tend to over think.  When you over think you, you end up on the edge of the brink. Hey that rhymes!

I also could see how Jasper Dean is the main character because he is the narrator of the book and the story is being told in his point of view, so it would make sense that he be the protagonist. He has his own problem in this book which is to get his old dad back mentally and to get his dad out of the mental asylum. While his problem is circled around Martin his father, he has internal problems. Most books, the main character has an external problem and an internal problem so when you compare a normal book to this book you would think Jasper is the main character because Martin at this point of the book, is just far off from normal and stable to really have an external problem because he is all over the place. Jasper is also trying to find himself and who he is and he has been searching all over to know about his dead mother Astrid who he just recently learned committed suicide by being blown up into pieces. His problem or issue fits a traditional plot mountain because as the story progresses his father is pushing him on the edge like the climax of a plot mountain. So it seems perfect that Jasper could be the protagonist.

          Hopefully by the next few pages or chapters I will know who the main character is. Whoever it is whether it’s Jasper or Martin I think the story would go on great because Jasper is turning into a mini Martin, so I’ll see where the story goes on from her.

Romeo's Ex Rosaline

Relationships of the Past  

           Everyone has at least heard of the classic tragedy of Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare. If you haven't, the story of Romeo and Juliet takes place in Verona, Italy where there is a ongoing fighting between the Montague and Capulet families. The young and handsome Romeo of the Montague family falls in love with the beautiful Juliet of the Capulet family and ends up secretly getting married. Knowing that neither family will accept the marriage,Juliet came up with a plan in which she would pretend to be dead with a potion  and then run away with Romeo when she awakes. 
           Now here's the reason why this is a classic; because of the late timing of Juliet's servant Friar Laurence getting the plan for escape to Romeo in time, Romeo hearing the news of Juliet being dead ran to her grave taking poison with him. He gave her on last kiss and drank the poison. When Juliet wakes up from the potion, upon seeing Romeo's dead body, she takes her own life. Epic ending isn't it? Now the story Romeo's Ex Rosaline by Lisa Fiedler tells the same exact story but from Rosaline's point of view and the reader gets to see what  happened to Rosaline when Romeo and Juliet fell in love and how she played a role in this story. 
           The main character, Rosaline, of the book Romeo's Ex Rosaline, has many strong relationships with characters such as Juliet (Rosaline's younger cousin) and Benvolio (Romeo's close Montague friend). Juliet being Rosaline's younger cousin, Rosaline relationship with her was that of a protector because Rosaline loved Juliet like a little sister. For example when Juliet told Rosaline that she was in love with Romeo and Romeo was in love with her only after spending two hours with him, Rosaline was skeptical about the their affection for each other. Rosaline had her reasons to be skeptical. For one thing, she couldn't accept the fact that Romeo truly loved Juliet because just a few days back Romeo was mourning about his unconditional love for Rosaline and after spending merely two hours with Juliet he had fallen in love again? Impossible. Rosaline believed that Romeo's words were hollow and unfounded and no good for her little Juliet. Although being the loving cousin she is, in the end she believed in her cousins love for Romeo and helped plan the escape which unfortunately ended up with the two lovers being dead. The death of Juliet made Rosaline a miserable soul and hated herself for letting any of this happen. 
           Romeo and Juliet weren't the only love story that occurred in the book. For Benvolio, seeing Rosaline was love at first sight where as Rosaline grew to love him as time went on.  Rosaline had started to fall in love with Benvolio when all this Romeo and Juliet drama was unfolding but what held back her love for Benvolio was that she promised and vowed to never marry and to stay chaste (virgin)  for the rest of her life and accomplishing that goal is hard when your in love with someone. So after the death of Juliet, Rosaline goes off to study medicine like she planned to do from the beginning. Which shows the amount of determination Rosaline has for the thing she had her mind set on. After her studies she came back to her home town where Benvolio remained unmarried. They end up getting married and live happily ever after. 
               This book was a very fun and interesting book I read over the summer. It was interesting because the relationships in this book were very deep and more complex to resemble real people. the relationships were more mature and developed. It wasn't just a person liking or disliking another person, it was more than that which made this book so fun to read. I didn't want the book to end, I wanted to see how the relationship between the feuding families families changed. All in all this was a great book I read in the summer.