Nature Picture

Wheatfield With Crows Painted by Van Gogh

Reading Response

            Power, the ability to do or act, force and strength, power can mean money or even just sheer strength, but to Jonas, the main character in, “The Giver by Lois Lowry, power meant memories. During the Ceremony of Twelve, a place where twelve year olds receive their future jobs, Jonas finds out that he had been elected to be the Receiver of Memory. The current receiver that is called Giver by Jonas, transfers memories of pain, joy, feelings, and color to him. As he grows on to receive more memories, he yearns for a life outside of his current one. This Utopian society that Jonas lives in seems that the government has all of the power, but really it’s Jonas who has because he has the potential to receive memories that were stolen from the community and transfer them to other people.

            In the beginning of the book, everyone in Jonas’s community feels the exact same way about each other. If they do feel anything unusual they are forced to take a pill each morning that is administered by the government. For example, “‘It was your first Stirrings… you’re ready for the pills’…he swallowed the pill. The feelings were gone. The Stirrings were gone.” (37-39) This proves that there weren't any feelings allowed in Jonas’s community. It seemed that the government had the power because they were controlling people’s emotions and dreams. Another example of this is in the book, jobs, families, and numbers of children are all determined by the government. People didn't get to decide by themselves, it was already decided. This made it seem again, that the government had all the power, but in reality Jonas had the real power because he was the one who carried all of the memories stolen from the entire city.

            Towards the middle of the book, Jonas started to receive more and more memories and in time he learned the ability to pass them on. The government warned him not to give it to anyone but Jonas did anyway. He passed on peaceful memories to a young toddle named Gabriel. For instance, “Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of soft rainfall against windowpanes; memories of dancing barefoot on a damp lawn.”(161) This shows how by transferring memories to another person, Jonas is breaking the governments rule and in that way, Gabriel has free will unlike every other person who do not own any memories. Another example is, after Jonas escapes the government with Gabriel and the memories the author writes, “Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo.”(225) after looking back at his community, Jonas has the thought that someday there might be music if he can find other people and pass on the memories that were lost. To him, memories are wonderful and because the government is hiding that from his home, it makes Jonas more determined to use his version of ‘power’ and help restore what was once lost.

            Therefore, although the government is ruling everything and everyone, Jones is the one with all of the memories that people have lost. Memories is what the government fears that if people of the community get, it would turn into utter chaos. That’s what Jonas has, and he is the one with all of the power, not the government. He can give these sacred memories to people and potentially take away the ‘power’ of the government. Memories are power, and that’s what Jonas has. 

Julia Nowak 811

Foreword

In 1969, America achieved something that would be remembered up until the end of time. America became the first country to ever step on the moon. Neil A. Armstrong was that person who did the impossible and would inspire millions to do the same. According to NASA, Neil Armstrong was an engineer, test pilot, administrator, research pilot, and a naval aviator before he became an astronaut. Neil Armstrong worked really hard to get up to the point of traveling to space.

During both 5^th grade and middle school, I could relate a lot to Neil Armstrong because of the way he worked to achieve his goal. Getting admitted into a new middle school and/or a high school of your choice took me a lot of dedication and work. According to Neil Armstrong’s Last Interview: Rare Glimpse of Man and Moon Mission, by Paul Gallagher, ever since Neil Armstrong was young his goal was to always see space and get the chance to fly. Relating to him, I have always loved to exceed my teachers expectations and just like Neil Armstrong I will work hard during my entire life to get the successful ending that I want.

Even when Neil Armstrong wanted to go to space so badly, on the road to getting there, challenges were faced and they became so hard that he may have just wanted to give up. He told people that he wasn’t going to give up because he was going to keep fighting for his dream. After being told that Neil Armstrong was going to the moon, he was exhilarated that all of his hard work finally paid off. He worked through so much and he had forever become known as the first man to walk the moon. He was accompanied by two people who also worked as hard as him, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. After walking on the moon, those three astronauts became an inspiration to the world, an inspiration to me and one day I hope I’ll somewhat have an outcome like that. They inspired people to figure out ways to fly to Mars. They are truly people who will never be forgotten. 

Julia Nowak 811

Synthesis Page

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Critical Thinking Question:  How does this book help you to think about social issues you care about or causes you are committed to?

Bullying

            “One of them is glaring at me and I realize that he hit me with his backpack as he walked past. I doubt it was an accident and I start to follow them. I know I’m not going to do anything, even though I could. I just don’t like bullies” (Page 28)

            This shows how many of the ‘new’ kids such as John often gets bullied. Although John displayed civil action against the bullies, he didn’t stand up for himself nor did anyone else. There are many kids who enter school for the first time and get treated horribly because they are ‘new’.

            “You think you can stay in school a little longer today? Or are you going to run off again like a little bitch? Snickers spread through the crowd.” (Page 58)

            This happened the day after John had an asthma attack and had to leave school early. Not only is John being physically bullied but he is also being bullied verbally. The ‘big kid’ is picking on the little kid which is very common in bullies all around the world. Bullying could potentially provoke other people to become bullies because of how easy it supposedly is.

Conclusion/ Connection

            Many kids all around the planet are being affected by bullying exactly the way John is. As John was being bullied there were many bystanders who never stood up for him because he was the new kid who was potentially a little bit different than the rest. Students shouldn’t be bullied by their peers both physically and verbally.

Abuse of Power

            “I have the interview with the Gazette tomorrow, and the game on Friday. I don’t have time to worry about crap like this. I’m being accused of something I didn’t do. It’s hard to stay focused with this shit going on.—“I believe you,” the principal says with a smile at Mark.” (Page 67)

            This shows how the principal was only interested in publicity for his school and never considered that his ‘favorite’ student was actually a bully and was harassing other students. This happened right after many people witnessed Mark throw food at John. Although he had many people that witnessed it, he abused his power of being principal to excuse bullying because his star player was being featured in a magazine.

            “I bring my knee straight up into his crotch a little harder than I should have. His breath catches in his throat, and he doubles over. The whole lunchroom gasps.” (Page 59)

            This shows how even the hero can sometimes abuse his own ‘superpower’. He had excessive strength and he used to hurt an average person because he was mad at the original bully. Sometimes the good people in school who seem kind, everyone has a dark side and sometimes people just show them to somebody else, and someone gets hurt.

Conclusion/ Connection

            Many governments and many individuals take power and end up abusing it for their own good. Like the principal, the government can sometimes abuse their own power and cover something up that was supposedly better for themselves. Like John, there are people in the world who have so much power, they take it for granted and use it for themselves and their own liking.

Taking advantage of the Weak

            “The small beasts target the children. They are defenseless, holding sparklers in their hands from the celebration. That is how we are losing—only a few of the Loric are fighting the beasts, the rest are trying to save the children.” (Pages 114-115)

            This happened right after the Mogadorians decided to invade Lorien to take their resources. I think that this part was important because it showed that in order to defeat someone both people and potentially made up characters sometimes choose to attack the weaker kind in order to take advantage and get the outcome for them. This was a lot like the people in our world only there aren’t any aliens. The “children” are the weaker human and the “beasts” are the people that take advantage of the weak.

            “He looks down at the pile of manure on the floor, then back at me. “Mark?” I ask. He nods sadly. “It’s like this all the time, they always pick on me,” he says sighing.” (Page 99)

            The student that was being picked on was Sam Goode, a scrawny teen that still believes in aliens. Mark was always picking on him because he possibly believed that he was weak and that he could never fight or talk back. Mark is the kind of bully that picks on the small kids because he might believe that he is superior and ‘popular’.

Conclusion/Connection

            Many people in this world take advantage of the weak/small people. Just like the characters in this book, people in the world are actually quite similar to them because of their coldness and selfishness to other people. Not all people are like them, some are the victims just like John and Sam, while others are exactly like Mark. 

Julia Nowak 811

Argument Essay

           Rape, abuse, and bullying. All the things that adolescents all around the world may have gone through. These are all the things that are included in the book Carrie, by Stephen King. The book is about a teenage girl named Carrie who is oft She is often bullied by her peers up until the point when she goes on a rampage using her telekinesis power and kills almost her entire high school. This text should be removed from middle school libraries because it contains many graphic sex scenes as well as promotes violence with murder and abuse.

            To start with, one of the most “challenged” authors, according to ALA, is Stephen King, mostly for expressing both explicit sex and rape scenes. Specifically, a part in his book that shows this is when Carrie’s mother was talking to her about the time when she was raped by her father; “It wasn’t until he came in that I smelled the whiskey still on his breath. And he took me. Took me! With the stink of filthy roadhouse whiskey still on him he took me… and I like it!” (248). After this scene, a parent may not want their children to read this book because of the vocabulary in it and the way that a person could be raped. What makes it even worse is that the person could potentially like it. Having a book that shows scenes like this is not appropriate in middle schools, especially if the teenager’s parents don’t know that a book with sex scenes is on the shelf in their children’s school.  Another particularly compelling piece of evidence for this is when the West Lyon Community School Library in Iowa had stated that the book “does not meet the standards of the community.” Many schools all around the country think this too, a book by Stephen King normally has many sex scenes such as his other book, “Different Seasons.” The community may be a peaceful society in Iowa and after reading Carrie, a child may be influenced by the book and potentially think rape/sex is okay. High schools are already banning Stephen King and if adolescents during that age are written off as being not mature enough to read Stephen King, then middle school students may not be mature enough either.

            Furthermore, this book features many sex scenes, but it also presents many scenes of abuse to Carrie which may frighten adolescents or maybe even provoke a bully to do the things expressed in the book such as teasing and making fun of others. In particular, a scene where Carrie’s mother became really mad at her she reacted in a very violent way, “She was whirled into the closet head first and she struck the far wall and fell on the floor in a semi daze. The door slammed and the key turned.” (67). This shows how abusive Carrie’s mother had become. If a parent was to see this in their child’s book they might not want their children reading this either because it may create children to become quite wary and paranoid of their own family. To see what a fictional character could do may also give young teenagers in middle school potential nightmares about this type of thing and could scar them. Another piece of evidence that suggests provoking bullying was when Carrie’s peers were throwing napkins and tampons making fun of her, Carrie described it, “Then the laughter, disgusted, contemptuous, horrified, seemed to rise and bloom into something jagged and ugly, and the girls were bombarding her with sanitary napkins…”(9). This reveals how badly Carrie was being bullied, and to other teenagers it may be seen as a way to make fun of/ bully a person in need. The way that Carrie reacted to being bullied was by being violent which may portray the fact that the easy way out of bullying is to be violent rather than telling an adult.

            On the other hand, although it is a very inappropriate book doesn’t mean that other readers can’t read the book, if they believe that they are mature enough. It is true that after reading Carrie, a high school student, Suzanne Plunkett, wrote, “I don’t recall killing any prom kings after I finished it,” but, just because one student didn’t act out in a violent way doesn’t mean that others won’t.  The book contained a violent act in which Carrie murdered her entire school because she was being bullied. According to ALA, Carrie was rated #81 on the top 100 most challenged books ever since it was created. What this makes clear is that not only parents believe that Carrie should be banned from both middle and high schools, but people who specify in books and who make up that list are experienced adults that come from ALA. If ALA believes that Carrie is a challenged book out of the millions of books out there, then it should be banned. It is also important to acknowledge the fact that this book is fiction and that none of it actually happened, but although some students know that, they still might be influenced by the book subconsciously because of the murder that Carrie did. This was the way she had acted out because of bullying and it can potentially provoke other people who are being bullied to hurt the bullies and not go to an adult or their parents. Many students believe that Carrie shouldn’t be banned, but there are so many parents out there who know their kids and so many adults who research the way books affect a persons mind and they have the right to choose the books that get banned for the safety of young teenagers. Telling your child to simply not read the book will not stop them from finding it on their own and read things that they may or may not be mature enough to read.

            Therefore, even though the text is fiction, middle school students should not have access to it because it may provoke them to do violent things, have sex, and be more wary of their own family. Carrie’s story not only shows how she became so deranged and violent but she also includes a message saying that the best way to get back at someone hurting you, is revenge and violence. Carrie’s life was not easy and instead of giving a better way to deal with it such as, speaking to somebody, she teaches that violence is the answer not the other way around.

Works Cited

"CHALLENGE/BANNING FACTORS." THE CENSORSHIP OF STEPHEN KING. Weebly, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://thecensorshipofstephenking.weebly.com/challengebanning-factors.html>.

Driscoll, Molly. "California High School Considers a Ban on a Stephen King Book." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

<http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/1015/California-high-school-considers-a-ban-on-a-Stephen-King-book>.

King, Stephen. Carrie; a Novel of a Girl with a Frightening Power. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974. Print.

Writing Project for Social Awareness

Prompts

1.Write a reading response on a social issue in a literary work (your independent reading book, short story, essay, or poem/song). Be creative, detailed, and specific. Also write 1-2 paragraphs describing your process in writing the poem and what problem/issue is it about?

2.Writing/Creating - Get inspired for your writing project. Do 1 or both of the following.
Brainstorm and plan. Write a response to 1 or 2 related works. You can follow the reading response structure or the following:

• Introduction: brief objective summary of what you see in the work
• 1-2 body paragraphs focusing on specific parts and your interpretation of what they mean
• Conclusion: what has the work of art made you think, feel, and wonder about social issues in the world.

3. Observe your surrounding (school, home, neighborhood, media). Write a list about all the scenes or situation you come across on a daily basis that you think are unfair and/or not right in some way. Pick one of the ideas from you list and write a longer entry about it – 2-3 paragraphs. Describe the problem whats wrong with, cause and effect, and possible solutions

Original Poem

Why?

I will never forget about them.

I will never let myself forget about them.

I will never forget their short young lives.

Especially how fast their life ended.

Not a thought, not a blink, not even a beat.

Just the sound of a crash.

I will never forget to look both sides.

I will never forget to say, “I love you.”

I will never cross a red light.

Because I will never forget about them.

I will never not be scared.

I will never forget how many people died around our community.

This world will never be safe.

I will remember and carry on and remember them.

I will never even begin to understand.

You don’t even get to say goodbye.

This life just steals you away.

I will never forget the dead look in that reporters eyes.

I will never stop saying that this life is hard.

One question always pops up, why?

I will never stop looking for them in that big blue sky.

            I wrote this poem thinking about all of the people in our school, community, and all around the world, how people are being killed because of reckless drivers. The number keeps rising and to me, it wasn’t that surprising. I remember looking at the TV looking for the news and I can recall hundreds of stories about people being hit by cars. I wrote this poem to express my feelings toward the topic about how unsafe our world is becoming. Writing this poem, I thought back to how I felt every time I got an email or a letter containing the fact that someone I knew was dead. It scared me how teenagers who pass by me in the hallways would pass away the next day. Even if I didn’t know them that well or talked to them a couple of times, it still hurt. While writing this poem, I expressed my feeling of anger towards people who had let our community and our world become so unsafe. I could never believe that a child who had so much potential to become a wonderful adult could have their life take away so quickly. I realized while I was writing this poem that you don’t get a letter a week before saying that you will die that day. You never know if it could be you next or someone you could really care about. I tried to get the message that you should be careful of the streets and to treat those people around you knowing that they could be gone in the blink of an eye. This poem was written using my mentor poem, “What I Will” by Suheir Hammad. I used the poet’s technique of repetitiveness and climaxes throughout my entire poem. I was really inspired by that poet to turn my own poem that reflected my own feelings similar to how that poet showed her feeling toward her own topic.

Social Awareness in Art/ Photography

Most people in America feast on their “MacDonald’s” or take food for granted but, photographer James Nachtwey has a way of traveling to the world’s most hostile countries to try and photograph the issues that are happening in the world. This photograph named, “Somalia, 1992 - Child starved by famine, a man-made weapon of mass extermination,” presents an image of a victim of famine in Africa. It shows a little starved boy and his mother and in the background their community is poor.

One of the main features of this photograph is that of a little boy and his mother. I believe that the photographer is trying to show us how bad it really is in Africa. The little boy has his ribs literally showing through his skin. I think that the fact that this boy is leaning over on the ground really shows how bad famine can get. His mother is standing next to him and not doing anything. I think that Nachtwey photographed it this way to show that famine was a really common thing in Africa and that it can really have a deep effect on the child’s life. The little boy also has no clothes on and I think that that also represents how poor Africa’s economy had actually got. Even in the title of this photograph shows how much famine has affected Africa and their lifestyle.

The other thing being featured in the photograph is that of the overall background and of the man holding a gun. The house in the back a long with the ground and the streets show how little money and help Africa is getting. Not only are they being victims of famine, but they are also not being treated the way some other people do in the world. The house is cracked and broken interpret how bad their lifestyle was too. The man holding the gun also represents how violent and how hard life is in Africa. It shows the things that some people have to do to survive in this world while others take it for granted. Africa isn’t being treated the way that they should be is what this photographer is trying to make the world see. The life is hard because of their lifestyle and their people and the things that they have to do in order for them to try and make the best out of their sad lives.

This photograph really made me feel great pity for Africa and what is happening over there. Seeing the child there starving made me think twice before I would throw leftover food in the garbage can. Seeing this and their economy made feel angry towards America and how we aren’t doing as much as we could to help Africa. I couldn’t help thinking about all of these people who take food for granted, who take so many thing for granted when there are so many people who need help in order to survive. It made me want to push toward giving money to charities that help kids in Africa. So, although this photograph made me really sad, the photographer to me really inspired me to help Africa by giving them donations and not throwing out leftover food. It made me really appreciate what I have and try to give back more to all of the people who are less fortunate around me.

Observing my Surroundings

Community

Homelessness

            Every day when I walk to school or anywhere in general, I see different kinds of people who are sifting through the garbage or curling up in a blanket to protect themselves against the cold. I see people who are homeless everywhere including the train. Every time one of them asks for money it breaks my heart to look up into their sad eyes and say, “sorry” when I don’t have any money to give. I feel guilty every time I see a homeless person. Homeless people are suffering from so many things outside of our own houses that some people don’t even see it.

            People who are homeless often become homeless because their short on money, they get kicked out from their apartments, or even if they have a drug or alcohol problem. When people become homeless they can’t always get anything to eat so they go through garbage which can cause diseases and infections, they can’t shower and be clean because they have nowhere to do it, and they don’t have much money to get warmer clothes for winter so they might end up getting many diseases from that. Homelessness is very serious because there are some kids out there who are homeless and that’s not good for their health.

            In order to solves homelessness we need to raise money from all around the community to create more homeless shelters so that people who are in desperate need of help will be able to get the help that they truly need from these shelters. They’ll be able to pick themselves back up and get out there for a job so they can get more money to support themselves. If one person raises money to give the government so that they can help the homeless, then more people will reach out to their own families and friends to raise money. Homeless people are in desperate need of help, we need to start helping them so that we can save so many people. If one person starts helping then more will follow them and before you know it, the percentage of homeless people will go down. Also, next time you see a homeless person, donate a dollar to them because for all you know that dollar could be their entire dinner. If you help one person, you’ll not only give him help but you’ll also make someone who has been wronged happy. Homeless people don’t deserve to be on the streets, they are people, just like us.

  

Works Cited

“What I Will” by Suheir Hammad. – Mentor Poem

"James Nachtwey." James Nachtwey. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/>. - Photograph