Non Fiction Synthesis Page 1

"Lirael" Reading Response

          What changes you and drives you to do things?  Over the course of Lireal, by Garth Nix, the characters are changed.  Lirael is about a girl, named Lirael, who is one of the Clayr, and who goes on a journey with her friend, the Disreputable Dog.  The Clayr are a society, made up mostly of women, who can see into the future.  Those who come of age get the Sight, which lets them see the future.  Lirael is the only one who still doesn’t have the Sight even 4 years after she’s come of age.  This book is one of a trilogy about the world of the Abhorsen, a person who lays the Dead to rest.  In Lirael, loneliness and friendship change her and are her driving forces.

            Lirael’s loneliness is her driving force, and it changes her.  In the beginning of the book, Lirael is so lonely that she decides to kill herself.  According to the book, “If she killed herself, Lirael reasoned, she wouldn’t have to watch girls increasingly younger than herself gaining the Sight…And she wouldn’t have to put up with the Clayr who looked at her with pity.  The ones who always stopped and asked how she was.  As if mere words could describe how she felt.  Or as if even if she had the works, Lirael could tell them what it was like to be fourteen and without the sight.”  At this point in the story, Lirael is so lonely that it is driving her to suicide.  She doesn’t feel accepted, she feels like an outsider, all alone, and so she is driven to try to commit suicide.  Lirael does not succeed in killing herself, but she is still so lonely and feels so unaccepted that five years later when she’s nineteen, she hardly speaks.  According to Lirael, “In the last few years, she had rarely said more than ten words in a row, and often she would not speak to other humans for days at a time….All she knew was that talking to the Clayr reminded her of all the things she couldn’t talk about.  The Clayr’s conversations would always return to the Sight, the central focus of their lives.  By not speaking, Lirael was simply protecting herself from pain….” Lirael has been changed by her loneliness by becoming more and more cut-off from other people, and more and more lonely.  She has become more and more silent, a sign of how loneliness changed her.  Both of these quotes show how much Lirael has been driven and changed by her loneliness.

            Lirael’s friendship with the Disreputable Dog changes her and is a driving force in her life.  Lirael accidently creates the Disreputable Dog, or, as she is sometimes called, the Dog, from a statuette that she finds.  While Liral’s loneliness amongst the Clayr causes her not to speak around them, her friendship with the Dog causes the opposite.  According to the book, “Of course the Clayr didn’t know that Lirael’s silence was more than made up for in her conversations with the Dog, with whom she would talk for hours.”  This shows how Lirael’s friendship has changed her from being non-talkative and cut-off from others to someone who will talk without end to her friend, the Dog.  The Dog’s friendship has opened Lirael up and made her see why life is worth living.  This connects with the next quote, which talks about how Lirael is exploring a secret room in the Clayr’s vast library and she feels like giving up. They come across an inanimate guard who tests Lirael to see if she’s a Clayr and almost kills her.  According to the book, “‘Am I a Daughter of the Clayr?’ whispered Lirael, tears starting in her eyes…. ‘…It knew I’m not a Clayr, and it was going to kill me.’ ‘But it didn’t, because you are a Clayr, idiot,’ said the Dog, quite gently.  ‘You’ve seen the hunting dogs, how every now and then one will be born with floppy ears or have a brown back instead of gold.  They’re still part of the pack.  You’re just a floppy ear.’”  Spoken like a true friend.  The Dog is comforting Lirael, and telling her that she does belong, that she is a Clayr.  If Lirael was alone, she wouldn’t have even made it this far.  But her friend, the Dog, encouraged and supported her, and because of this Lirael doesn’t give up, but instead, perseveres.  Her friendship with the Dog drives her on.  Both of these quotes connect back to the claim.  They show how because of the Dog’s friendship with Lirael, she becomes more open and talkative towards the Dog, instead of continuing with her closed ways.  Lirael’s friendship with the Dog drives her to become more courageous and to persevere.

            As you can see, Lirael’s friendship and loneliness are what change her and are a driving force in her life.  But, friendship and loneliness are not only a driving and changing force for fictional characters, but for real people as well.  Whether or not you have friends, and who your friends are is a defining point in your life.  They affect you and who you will be in the future.

1st Synthesis Page: Lirael

Baseline Argumentative Essay

             Be careful what you post online, because it’s there to stay.  According to “Guess Who’s Looking at Your Facebook Page?” by Alessandra Potenza,  more and more often as we head into an age where most things are digitized, bosses and schools now look up current and potential applicants online, especially on social media.  Some people say that employers and schools should be allowed to do this because it lets schools and jobs vet out applicants who wouldn't be good for their program, and it also is your own fault if they see something they don’t like.  Others say that when schools and jobs do this it’s unfair because things that you have done years ago can come back up online.  Over the course of this essay you will see why potential and current schools and jobs should be allowed to look up current or potential students or employees online.

            In the internet age on most social networks there are privacy settings so that only certain people can see what you do or don’t post.  This is important because you have control over who sees what, so if a prospective employer or school happens to look you up on Facebook or Twitter, it’s your own fault if they see something that they don’t like.  Some argue that colleges and businesses don’t have time to look up everyone who applies online, but according to Upfront magazine, “Nevertheless, many guidance counselors are urging students to… review their social media profiles, remove inappropriate photos, and boost privacy settings.”  This shows that you and only you have the ability to control what people see of you online.  Also, many people don’t control what others get to see, so if jobs or schools see something they don’t like, don’t complain.  They did nothing wrong, so it is not unfair if you don’t get the job or school.  It’s your fault for not boosting you privacy settings.  This connects with what Emma Sullivan, a woman who was punished for tweeting offensively about a governor.  Ms. Sullivan said, “Your tweets and your Facebook posts and whatever other social media you have is really out there…. It’s out there permanently, it’s out there for everyone to see.”  This really brings home the idea that everything is public.  There’s no privacy, so be careful what you do online.  Taken as a whole, all of this evidence connects back to the fact that it is not ethically wrong for prospective employers or college to look you up online.

            This relates to the next point of the essay.  If you are not a good fit or responsible enough for this prospective job or college, why should you get in over someone else who’s more deserving?  Prospective employers and schools could use social media to vet prospective employees or students.  According to “Guess Who’s Looking at Your Facebook Page?” by Alessandra Potenza, not many students get looked up online, but those who do have good reason to , and those “Web searches have turned up cases of plagiarism…. And even accusations of assaults that counselors and teachers didn't feel comfortable talking about to admissions officers….”  This shows that not everything about people is told, so a search on social media can turn up a lot, and can also be very helpful to vet out the undesirables who shouldn't get the job or acceptance into the college.  Not only what you do, but also how you present yourself on the internet makes a big impact and effect on people when they look you up online.  According to the article, “ ‘It’s important to make sure that you present yourself in a professional manner on your social networking site if you’re looking for a job.’ ” If you aren’t professional online, how will potential employers know if you’ll be professional offline and in a workplace.  They won’t.  All in all, this connects back to the claim because if potential schools or bosses can’t look you up online, they can’t vet people to see who would work best in their school or work environment, and if they do, part of social networks is acting professional online so that potential colleges and bosses see you at your best.

            Despite all of this, some argue it is unfair for potential bosses or schools to look at their profiles or look them up online because things that they posted or did years ago could come up and give them a gad image.  This happened to one girl names Emma Sullivan.  According to the article, “a tweet she wrote regarding then-Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas almost got her a disciplinary action because her principal deemed it offensive.  Two years later, the incident is still all over the Internet if you Google her name. And she worries it might affect her chances of getting a job.”  People who say that it isn’t right for bosses or schools to look at them online say that this shows how one small comment can ruin your chances if bosses or schools look you up online.  To this, there is only one thing to say and that, according to the article, is “ ‘Think first, tweet later.’ ”  This effective quote shows and tells people that if you think there might be repercussions for what you post, always think before posting, and years later, you won’t have anything bad online that could ruin your chances at getting a job or getting into a school.

            As you have seen over the course of this essay, schools and jobs do have the right and reason to look up potential and current students and employees.  If they didn't do this, jobs and schools could be accepting even the most unqualified person.  Would you rather have your banker be someone who is irresponsible and gets too drunk on the weekend or is responsible and knows how to act properly?  If jobs and schools don’t look people up online, they couldn't know how responsible that person was or what they were like personally and don’t you need to know that before accepting someone?

            

"Faithful Elephants" Reading Response

Have you ever wondered what different story settings symbolized?  In “Faithful Elephants” the symbolism of the settings is a big part of the story.  “Faithful Elephants” by Yukio Tsuchiya is a story set in present day Japan at Ueno Zoo.  A zoo employee is telling the author a story of how once, during a war, the Japanese army forced the Ueno Zoo to kill all of their dangerous animals so they wouldn't escape and kill people.  In the employee’s story, just the elephants are left to kill.  Their names were John, Tonky and Wanly.  In the story the zoo employees must starve these three elephants.  In the end, the elephants die of starvation and the zoo keepers weep with sadness.  In “Faithful Elephants” by Yukio Tsuchiya, setting and what it symbolizes plays an important part in the author’s story and in the zoo keeper’s story.

The quotes about cherry blossoms in “Faithful Elephants” symbolize the moods of the different time periods in “Faithful Elephants.”  According to the beginning of the story, “The cherry blossoms are in full bloom at Ueno Zoo.  Their petals are falling in the soft breeze and sparkling in the sun.”  Here, the cherry blossoms symbolize the hope and happiness of the present.  On the other hand, in the end of the story, “He was still patting the tombstone tenderly as the cherry blossoms fell on the grave, like snowflakes.”  Here, the cherry blossoms symbolize and reflect the desolation and despair of the story just told, because the blossoms are compared to snowflakes, which are cold, and the monument is referred to as a tombstone, which makes it grimmer. The difference in how the cherry blossom petals are falling show a difference in mood from the beginning of the story to the end.  In the beginning, the cherry blossom petals “are falling in the soft breeze and sparkling in the sun.”  This gives the feeling of warmth and happiness, which is a strong contrast from the end, where “the cherry blossoms fall on the grave, like snowflakes.”  This on the other hand, gives the feeling of coldness and loneliness.  All of this reveals through the setting, the moods of the past and the present.

            The contrast in the tone of setting descriptions symbolizes to the readers how people feel.  In the beginning, according to the story, “Two elephants are outside performing their tricks for a lively audience.”  Here, the elephants and their lively audience in the present symbolize the happiness and excitement of the environment and its people.  This suggests that most people have forgotten the deaths at Ueno Zoo.  In contrast, according to the story, “Not far from the cheerful square, there stands a tombstone.  Not many notice this monument for the animals that have died at Ueno Zoo.  It is quiet and peaceful here, and the sun warms every corner.”  Here, the deserted monument referred to as a tombstone symbolizes how the animals that died here are mostly at peace, and supports the fact that most people have forgotten about their deaths at the zoo.  This sets the tone for the rest of the story.  The contrast here is so great, partly because the change in mood is so rapid.  First, the elephants are “performing their trick for a lively audience.”  The word “lively” suggests that there are many people here, and that they are excited and happy.  This is very different from the next scene, where it is “quiet and peaceful,” suggesting that there are not many people, and the tone is decidedly sad because the story refers to the monument as tombstone.  Overall, this reflects the feelings of people and their environment.

            The quotes in the story about the private and public settings of the zoo director’s office and the elephants’ cage symbolize and convey their social status.  In the elephants’ case, according to the story, “Over two weeks later, Tonky and Wanly were dead.  Both died leaning against the bars of their cage with their trunks stretched high in the air still trying to do their banzi trick for the people who once fed them.”  Here, the elephants’ cage symbolizes the prison where they are killed.  Yet, as their “trucks stretched high in the air” it represents the elephants attaining their freedom in death.  The cage symbolizes how the elephants are low on the totem pole.  The director of the zoo, however, works in a very different environment.  According to the story, “The director of the zoo just sat very still, biting his lip and gazing at the top of his desk.”  Here, the zoo director is sitting in an office.  This symbolizes comfort and a high status.  Yet, he is nervous, and this shows that he feels guilty about his comfort while the elephants are dying in a cage.  There is a great difference in the environment of the zoo director compared to that of the elephants.  The zoo director’s desk shows his comfort and high status in his life.  The elephants, however, live and die in a cage, which is probably very uncomfortable and prison like.  Also, the cage makes the elephant’s death very public, while a desk and office is a very private setting.  All in all, the different environments of the zoo director and the elephants show their comfort and social levels.

            As you can see in “Faithful Elephants,” setting plays a very important role.  The symbolism and contrast in the different settings show that even cherry blossoms have a different meaning.  This shows that even the smallest things in life often have a deeper meaning.  Most of the symbolism's in the setting have to do with the happiness in of the present and the sadness of the past.  This shows us that while the past may not always be pleasant, there is always hope for the future.