"Perks of Being a Wallflower"- Being Accepted

In the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, a boy named Charlie is a freshman in high school and his best friend Michael has just committed suicide. Although this may seem like a huge, huge deal to some, Charlie accepts it as an obstacle of his life, and this book (in my opinion) represents his journey to climb over it and somehow move on and grow as a person. Although he faces many more obstacles throughout the course of his ninth grade year, I feel like a really big issue for Charlie was the conflict of acceptance, and fitting into the school after losing the one person who really understood him.

For anyone, this would make for a pretty intense conflict. The issue of acceptance and how hard one strives to fit in is an issue at any school of any age level. I feel like in this story, though, the issue of acceptance wasn't really a main idea of the story, but one that was weaved throughout the book. Charlie shows that he wants to make friends and be accepted when he meets some seniors in his school. These seniors were the misfits and the kids who didn't really "fit" into their grade, and I think Charlie had feelings like those too. When Charlie joined forces with those seniors, I feel like he lost himself in bad decisions, and started to do drugs, sneak out, and disobey his parents, although all Charlie wanted to do was make friends. I think Charlie learned here, firsthand, that fitting in may mean taking actions that you're not really comfortable with in the longrun. Charlie never wanted to get addicted to cigarettes at such a young age, but because he wanted to be accepted into that group, he had to take measures such as those.

I feel as if fitting in and being accepted is a really big issue nowadays in our society, a bigger issue than it should really be. My opinion is to not push your own limits, and just do what you're comfortable with and be with the people you know make you happy. Almost everyone has been face-to-face with a decision like the ones Charlie has, and had to ponder how much it means to them to fit in. I feel like this may be a way of dealing with the grief that Charlie was.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

The book Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult is a realistic fiction, coming-of-age novel, but is also a huge suspense and somewhat of a mystery. All those genres combined made for a great plot-line, involving the protagonist, Josie Cormier, and a school shooting that killed her boyfriend Matt Royston and nine other students at Sterling High School. The shooter, Peter Houston, happened to be Josie Cormier's ex-best friend; he was an unpopular boy in High School who was bullied horribly and felt he had nobody to confide in. This resulted in Peter going crazy, killing ten students, harshly wounding about twenty more, and permanently scarring everyone around him.

I believe that this book has many hidden morals and messages. As time goes on, even after a year, Josie is still engulfed in sadness, even after graduating. This is understandable, as an experience like this would definitely be traumatic and heartbreaking. But I think that the author is trying to teach us a lesson by putting us in Josie's shoes, and that lesson is that sometimes you just have to move on with your life (keeping what was lost in your heart) and not get swept away by the past. Although the author or any of the characters never really delve into the full meaning of this message, I can see when they show the characters a year after the shooting happened. Again, I know Josie has reason to be sad, but I think the author has kept her sad and gloomy throughout the whole book to show us as the readers that there is always an alternative, which is moving on and continuing to live your life without that dread always surrounding you.

Although this isn't exactly in the book, in the Acknowledgements section, Jodi Picoult writes: "To the thousands of kids out there who are a little bit different, a little bit scared, a little bit unpopular: this one's for you." I interpreted this as Jodi Picoult is dedicating it not to the kids that are like Josie, who were victims of this horrible shooting, but children you were like Peter-- kids that had to jump to actions such as these to make themselves acknowledged or even just heard. I think it is so brave of this author to really put herself in the perspective of a killer and why this killer might have done what he did, instead of doing what so many other authors might do, which is put themselves in the shoes of the victim. I also think she dedicated the story to the kids who are "different," "scared,"and "a little bit unpopular," because they are the kids that may be obligated to feel alone like Peter did, and maybe (it is highly unlikely) take actions such as he did. Jodi Picoult probably didn't want anyone to feel alone, and dedicated the book to those children so they could relate to it.

I understand this book because I feel like almost everyone has been in a place where they feel alone. Even at family get-togethers, there are times when you feel alone and wish there was someone who felt as you did. Sometimes you're with a bunch of friends and they're saying something and you don't get the joke, and that can make you feel alone too. These are really common situations that show that it doesn't take much to feel alone or sad. I think that the author Jodi Picoult really showed this through dynamic characters and a shocking, suspenseful, and beautifully thought through plot line.

Text-to-World Connection--Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks

In the picture book Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks, one antagonist, Fox, shows a text-to-world connection. The book is about a half-blind Dog and his friend, a bird named Magpie. In the exposition, one of Magpie's wings is severely injured and she can't fly anymore. Dog, being a good friend, allows Magpie to sit on his bag while he runs and enjoys the same sort of rush as flying gives her. In the climax, though, Magpie goes to Fox, a faster runner, instead of staying with her loyal friend. To me, this seemed like a poor and selfish move on Magpie's part, especially since Dog was doing the best he could with what he had. The conflict of the book is the way Dog and Magpie's friendship could now lose strength, and the problems for both protagonists.

The text-to-world connections I noticed were in cases of bullying. After Fox takes Magpie, he drops her in a desert and abandons her, and tells her she now knows what it feels like to "be alone." I related this to bullying because, as seen, she is receiving abuse, and it is delivered in a way that a lot of people in the real world also bully others. A lot of people who bully bully because they are insecure about their own problems, and take it out on others. Fox was alone when Magpie and Dog were friends, and then wanted Magpie (although she did nothing wrong) to feel what it was like to be alone. I've heard about people bullying homosexuals because they themselves are homosexual and feel bad about themselves for it. That's one of the ways people react to their own problems, is to make others feel bad about the same problem they may have. After thinking about this, I realized that this may be because nobody wants to be in their own boat, and doesn't want to be alone, especially when they could be judged or harshly bullied. This makes sense to me, because Fox didn't want to be the only one who was alone: he wanted Magpie and Dog to feel how he was feeling, which was sad, lonely, and jealous of them. This was a huge connection from the actual text to the world, and shows that even picture books aimed for kids can show huge resemblances to middle and high school life, and just the world and way of living in general.

This story really showed me and probably showed elementary school kids that being a bully like Fox was really isn't a great way to win someone's heart or make friends. This reminded me of "Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville, the short story we read at the beginning of the year, because the boy bullying Vincent about his sexuality was homosexual too. This seems like a pattern, and I realized that if you don't want to be alone about a specific problem, insecurity, or issue you're undergoing, then instead of making someone else feel bad about it, you could try and make them feel better about it. That may even make you feel better about it, too.

How Do Different Looks Look?

Cover of Looks by Madeleine George

In Looks by Madeleine George, the story is told in the perspective of two different teenage girls who attend Valley Regional High School. Although the author tries to make it seem as if the two girls have very different views and lives, I think that their perspectives are actually more similar than they seem. They both have many traits in common. The two girls are Meghan, a very overweight girl, and Aimee, a somewhat anorexic girl. Although they almost sound as opposites (and I believe they are supposed to), I managed to find many similarities between their characters.

The main similarity I found is that both girls try to make their selves smaller, and not only physically (although they do), but mentally too. In school, both girls try to hide themselves. For Meghan, hiding is a matter because she is bullied badly, so she hides to find a safe and comfortable zone where she can just be her. I think this is because overall Meghan needs an escape, and that relates the story back to Aimee. Aimee mentions throughout the entire story that she needs an escape from not eating, and although I'm not exactly sure how because I've never been in that position, I can understand how having an escape might be necessary. They both need escapes from the ton of kids at school, and I see how that may end up causing stress on a person. Sometimes, I get nervous before tests or drama performances or interviews or even essays. A thing you can do is to take a break from stressing over what you are nervous of and instead have a relative escape. Things I like to do are read, run, play soccer or even just go on walks or be with my friends, simple activities, otherwise that anxiety can build up and overrule someone. I think that's how Aimee and Meghan both feel, how they both need an escape and something they can do but they just can't find one. Because of this, they both try to make themselves invisible and not noticeable, but end up feeling ignored and sad. This is a cycle they're both going around, just in different ways.

Although I notice similarities, I also noticed a few subtle differences. Throughout the plot I've noticed Meghan has tried to take everything in and in someway tries to get everyone to like her and be her friend. She tries hard to make everyone like and appreciate her. I noticed Aimee has a very different attempt on high school. Instead of trying to make everyone like her or try hard to make friends, Aimee pushes people away and they end up trying harder to be her friend. The first year at camp, when trying to make friends, many people tried to push others away because of many different reasons. Others tried harder to make pals so that they wouldn't have to be alone. I admit I was one to kind of let people come to me instead of being the outgoing one in the situation, but that may have just been because I was shy. This reminded me of the way Aimee lets people come to her, and Meghan tries harder to befriend many.

Not Out of the Blue -- "Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville

Cover of Am I Blue by Bruce Coville

I recently read the short story "Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville. While reading, I recognized that a big part of the story was how the protagonist, Vincent, started to develop and evolve. In the beginning of the story, Vincent was lonely and different, and I think in a way this made Vincent feel ashamed about the way he was. Towards the end of the story, Vincent grew into a whole other person. I think in a large way, Vincent developed over his internal conflict of doubting himself. In the exposition, Vincent shows that he is vulnerable to Butch Carrigan and the other bullies when he is pushed face-first into the puddle. In that excerpt, Vincent doesn't stick up for himself. I think this is because he's full of doubt and maybe he's not okay himself with who he really is. When Vincent pushes himself away from the doubt, you can see he's seeing his sexuality and bullying and just the world in general in a new light. 

I think the climax is when Vincent states, "It was like seeing the world through new eyes." He is referring to his "gaydar," or vision that makes everybody who is to some degree homosexual turn blue (or at least some light shade or tint of blue.) But as he sees all of those others that are blue, I realized that Vincent starts to become more okay with being homosexual or at least somewhat. I think this may because he no longer feels alone. When he says that it was like seeing the world through new eyes, I don't think he was necessarily only talking about the blue. I also think Vincent's perspectives had changed and he saw the world in a different way. I also think Vincent reached a change when he gave everyone the vision for 24 hours. My first reaction was to question his motives of doing this. I realized after some speculation, that Vincent didn't want to be different anymore; he wanted it to be acceptable to be gay.

In the resolution of the story, I really noticed the change from Vincent's beginning character and Vincent's character at the end. I feel as though at the beginning, Vincent couldn't and wouldn't stick up for himself because he really felt that the way he was was wrong. I realized that Vincent had changed when, in the end, he wrote: "If I caused you any trouble with Blueday, I'm sorry. But not much. Because things are never going to be the same now that it happened." I think this is a valid example of Vincent sticking up and being able to defend his actions, simply something he wasn't capable of carrying out in the exposition of the story. I really think this shows a vivid character change from beginning to end in this short story.

Once I finished the story, I began thinking about how this connected to the world. I think a lot of high schoolers and middle schoolers can find themselves in situations like these at any given school or time or place, and I think the reason Vincent was given the blue vision was so that he would feel less lonely and know that there were others in the same situation as him. I realized there are a lot of ways that kids who are bullied can be helped to feel less lonely, even if one of the ways isn't blue vision.

Response to "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh"

In the short story "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury, the protagonist is Joby, a young man who is enlisted in the Civil War army as the drummer boy. One main conflict of the story is obvious, and that conflict is war in itself. Evidently, war is going to be a problem for Joby and the soldiers who fight. But a lot of this conflict that Ray Bradbury sets up is an internal conflict for Joby, and I think this internal conflict is what forms the theme. One internal conflict going on in Joby's head is him questioning his importance to the rest of the army. I think this helps form the main theme, which in my opinion, is that everyone is important to a team and brings something special about themselves to the table.

During this story, Joby cries because he basically states he is nervous and anxious for the battle to come the following day. But I think the plot initially takes a turn and the story reaches its climax when the general informs Joby that he is important and needed for the army to run smoothly. The General says, "..and for that, boy, I need you. You are the heart of the army." I think this is where Joby's internal conflict, just for him, is turned around and he realizes that he actually is important. Hense, Joby's internal conflict is the main debate of the story. This is where Joby takes his changing moment in the text.

In this section, I began to see some of the resolution beginning to peek through. You could tell that the internal conflict for Joby was shrinking. I think that the internal conflict was important to solve for the rest of the army to solve the external conflict or the conflict around them. For example, if Joby's internal conflict wasn't solved (according to the general), the soldiers wouldn't have performed as well in battle and hence they would be closer to losing the war which was a main conflict of the story as well. I think when Joby's internal conflict was initially solved for him in the climax towards the falling action, it helped solve the other main conflicts in the story.

The Daughters Conflict Resolution

In the very beginning of my book, The Daughters by Joanna Philbin, I started to notice the conflict, which was how Lizzie always felt like her Mother's shadow, and even being so wasn't high enough for her mom's standards. As this concept developed more and more through the story, you could see how Lizzie saw the situation through her own eyes and how she was going to deal with it. I really admired Lizzie's strength to move on and do the right thing, which at the moment was be herself and not worry about the comparison of her to her mother, because that would keep the conflict going. When Lizzie decided to try modeling the way SHE liked it and not her Mother, I think that was the overall climax of the story.

The reason I thought this was the climax was because this was the moment Lizzie began to live her life the way she really wanted to, and so she decided to turn the story around. I think the first part I started to notice the climax was when Lizzie did the modeling that her mom told her not to. This proved that Lizzie was her own person and not someone who was going to live her mother's life, which showed the plot taking a turn. The climax kept going on in my opinion until Lizzie told her mom about the modeling she was doing, and then the falling action started. I think in the falling action is when the conflict begins to get resolved for not only Lizzie but her Mom too, when her Mom realizes that Lizzie can lead the life she wants.

I think the conflict is overall resolved because it was something the characters involved in the conflict really both wanted. Although the antagonist (in this case Lizzie's mother) seemed as though she might want Lizzie to lead a similar life and be as worldwide famous as she was, I think Lizzie's mother realized throughout the whole story that Lizzie was to be who she wanted. I think Lizzie confused her mom wanting the best for her, for her mom wanting her to be an exact replica of herself. The conflict gets resolved when the misconception is revealed for Lizzie and both characters can lead their own separate lives.

The Daughters by Joanna Philbin

            Over the summer I read The Daughters by Joanna Philbin. The book is about Lizzie, daughter of famous super model Katia Summers, and life as being a daughter of an amazingly beautiful woman. While reading, I noticed this book had some really important principles tucked in it. One theme that was consistent throughout the book was the issue of comparison. Lizzie seemed to have often compared herself to her gorgeous mother. I think in doing so, this made her lack confidence for herself and was a set back. Also, Lizzie seemed to be pressured to following in her mother’s absolutely perfect footsteps. As I was reading, though, I noticed Katia insisting on exactly the opposite. She never wanted Lizzie to be an exact replica of her; she just wanted Lizzie to be happy. I think Lizzie interpreted this differently than her mother because of the way her Mother sometimes unintentionally made her feel as if she was not good enough, which wasn’t her mother’s initial thought.

            I think the overall message of this book, as cliché as it is, was to just be yourself. While Lizzie sometimes tried to act like her mother, I think at the end of the book it clicked that Lizzie wasn’t her mother, she was just Lizzie. I think it was harder for her to deal with that realization because she thought she’d be letting her mom down. I realized at the end of the story that Katia’s original mind set was never to have Lizzie be the same person as her, and what was more important was to have Lizzie just be comfortable. When Lizzie realizes she doesn’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations (besides her own) and stops worrying so much and comparing herself to her mother, I think she becomes a lot more comfortable and confident. I think the theme of the book is to always be yourself, because in the long run, making yourself happy is the key to being confident.