Blog Reflection: Last Post Ever

            In all my years of having ELA, my least favorite part of the class was typing up and handing in a paper. I always got stressed out whenever I heard that I had to write an extremely long reading response. It put undue pressure on me, and I hated it. But this year, we did something different. Our class wrote blog posts every other week. For me, this was a new and liberating experience. Writing online liberated me from the stress that handing in papers had always given me. I didn’t have as much anxiety as I’d had in the past years. Writing online without a rigid set of instructions gave me more freedom to write what I wanted to. It was better for me and my stress.

            While writing online can be liberating, it can also be limiting. Typing, for one thing, is very difficult for me. Another limiting part of being online is the fact that anything that is put up there stay, forever.  That brings me to another topic. When people are online, they project and create personalities that show the best, and worst, of themselves. Internet trolls, for example, show the worst of everyone with their criticizing comments online. At the same time, people take the time online to mold their writing and presence online into a so-called “perfect” being. Flawless, because the person online has scrutinized and edited their online self so that it seems perfect.

            Back to the topic of the blog itself. Having a blog forced and allowed me, at the same time, to read more books than I would have usually read during the school year. It made me realize that I don’t read a lot whenever I have school, and that I can and should read more, because I can always make the time. In the future, I would love to either keep up this blog, or start a new one. I love having a blog because it is easier for me that handing in a physical paper. Also, blogs allow you to express your feelings in a relatively safe environment. Having a blog was a great experience, and I thank you for it.

Maskerade Reading Response

            Who are you? Is who a person really is based off of people’s perception of you, or your personal identity? Terry Pratchett’s Maskerade is about a girl named Agnes, from the country, who comes to the city to escape two witches. The witches want her to join their coven but she joins the opera. The opera, however, is “haunted” by The Ghost whom has been blamed for the deaths of several people in the opera.  Terry Pratchett’s Maskerade from the Discworld series deals with the themes of identity and perception to reveal whether it’s identity or perception that defines you.

            The theme of identity is used in Maskerade to determine whether or not it makes up who a person really is. For example, in the book, the character Agnes takes on a new identity named Perdita. Perdita is Agnes’ “thin person that lives inside every fat person.” Perdita is one identity of Agnes – she is the person Agnes wishes she could be. Another such case of facets of identity is that of Walter Plinge and The Ghost. The Ghost is the confident side of Walter Plinge, the side he is too afraid to show without a mask. The Ghost is what is truly in Walter’s soul. A person’s identity is what’s in their soul.

            The theme of perception is used in Maskerade to determine whether or not it determines who a person really is. For example, Agnes is not exactly a pretty person, so people don’t think of her as someone who could play a major role in the opera. She is nothing to them but someone with a good voice – not someone who could ever play a lead role. Another such case of perseption is that of Walter Plinge. Walter is a hunched, lop-sided man who has a “tangled mind.” He is perceived as “harmless” and weird. No one bothers to look at him carefully and he isn’t paid attention to because he isn’t considered important enough. A person’s perception is only what others think they are, not who they really are.

            In conclusion, Terry Pratchett’s Maskerade shows that a person is not who they are based on how they are perceived, they are who they are based on their identity.  People’s perception of you doesn’t count, it’s your identity that does.

Uncle Fred Flits By Reading Response

            Stories depend on their storytellers. Uncle Fed Flits By by P.G. Wodehouse has a very interesting narrator. The story is about how the crazy Uncle Fred comes to visit he nephew, Pongo, and causes them both to get into some pretty crazy situations. Uncle Fred Flits By is told by one of Pongo’s friends, called simply, The Crumpet. In Uncle Fred Flits By, the narrator changes the reader’s understanding of the story in terms of perspective and reliability.

            The Crumpet, as said previously, changes the readers understanding of the story in terms of the perspective of the story. The Crumpet was, in fact, told this story by none other than Pongo. So in reality, the story is told from Pongo’s perspective as well as The Crumpet’s. Another interesting part about the effect of The Crumpet’s perspective on the story is that because the Crumpet was told this story by Pongo, we, the readers, have no idea what happens to any of the characters before and after Pongo comes into the picture. The Crumpet’s perspective as you can see is also Pongo’s.

            The Crumpet also changes readers understanding of the story in terms of reliability. Since the story was told by Pongo, to The Crumpet, to another character, we can’t be sure that the story wasn’t embellished. Pongo could have embellished the story as he told it to The Crumpet, to put himself in a better light, and to make his Uncle Fred seem crazier than he really was. The Crumpet could have also been embellishing the story as he told it to his guest to make it seem more exciting. All in all, since the story was told through word of mouth, and we can’t exactly trust the storytellers, we can’t be sure that the story wasn’t embellished.

            In conclusion, in Uncle Fred Flits By, The Crumpet, in terms of perspective and reliability, changes the readers’ understanding of the text. Without the Crumpet, the story would have taken on a different tone, and it definitely wouldn’t have been as funny as it was. As you can see, the narrators of every story help push it along and give the story its tone, which makes us love it or even hate it.

Non-Fiction Critical Analysis 3: The Professor and the Madman

            In the “Professor and the Madman” by Simon Winchester, Winchester wants readers to know that people are complex, and multifaceted, and therefore, can be both professor and madman. One way he conveys this is by telling the story of Dr. William Minor. For example, he tells us how Dr. Minor was a very smart man who contributed greatly to the Oxford English Dictionary, yet he was also in an insane asylum for murdering someone. Also, Winchester delves deep into the life of Dr. Minor before he killed someone and was put into the insane asylum. Finally, he looks into the lives and reactions of the people in Dr. Minor’s life.  All of this shows how complex people really are.

            Winchester wants readers to realize how people have many layers, so it’s perfectly possible for someone to be both sane and insane. One technique Winchester uses is to quote from the log book in the insane asylum and numerous letters. For example, one such quote is “'At 10.55 am Dr. Minor came out to the bottom gate, which was locked, and he called out: 'You had better send for the Medical Officer at once! I have injured myself!''” This quote not only gives the reader insight into Dr. Minor, a man so calm even though he’d just inflicted shocking bodily harm to himself, but it also gives us insight into the reactions of the people around him, such as the man who wrote this note in shaky pencil, obviously shocked and scared. Another technique that Winchester does is use suspense. One example of this is when Winchester relates a fantastical story, written in a newspaper, about how Dr. Minor and Murray, the editor of the Oxford English dictionary, met. After a brief pause Winchester says “The story of this first meeting is, however, no more than an amusing and romantic fiction.” This suspense not only keeps readers intrigued, but also allows Winchester to reveal surprising realities about people, such as the fact that journalists, who we rely on for the truth, lie.

            All in all, I agree with Winchester that people are multi-layered and complex. For one, Dr. Minor himself is proof of this. A man who can kill someone they didn’t even know at one moment, and then contribute extensively to the Oxford English dictionary is certainly more complex than he appears. Also, for people who heard about Dr. Minor, their reactions prove this as well.  For someone to accept Dr. Minor as a friend, ignoring the fact that he murdered someone, shows true complexity. As you can see, people are truly complex creatures.

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore Blog Post Revision

Link to original Blog Post: http://aroseanothername.blogspot.com/2015/02/mr-penumbras-24-hour-bookstore-blog-post.html
            How does old technology such as books fair in today's world, which is consumed by new technology, such as phones or computers?  Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is a book about a young man named Clay Jannon who deals with questions such as that.  He starts working at a bookstore only to discover a secret society called the Unbroken Spine.  The society is bent on cracking a code about the secret to living forever that was left in a book by an old book printer.  Clay teams up with his friends to crack the code using technology, technology which the secret society refuses to use.  At the same time they are trying to save Mr. Penumbra and his bookstore, which the society wants to close.  In this book, Robin Sloan uses themes of Old Knowledge such as what is in books vs. New Knowledge such as the internet to convey to readers that it is time to forgo this Old Knowledge and to embrace New Knowledge.

            Robin Sloan uses themes of Old Knowledge such as the knowledge contained in books or knowledge which is passed down through word of mouth throughout his story to tell readers that it is time to move on, and accept New Knowledge, such as the internet.  In the book, Clay is talking to Rosemary Lapin, a very old lady who is a novice in the Unbroken Spine about a code which leads to a connect the dots picture of the founder of the society.  As he looks at her work drawn out on an old scroll, he observes, “But it is incomplete; in fact, it’s barely started.  You can see the curve of the chin and the hook of the nose, but nothing else… How long, I wonder, has Lapin been working on this?”  This is meant to show readers, that working by hand without use of new tech takes a very long time, much longer than if you used a computer to do the work for you.  All of this is meant to show readers that even though books and your brain are very good, sometimes you need technology to speed things along. 

            In the book, Robin Sloan uses themes of New Knowledge such as information found using technology or the internet throughout the book to tell his readers to accept New Knowledge, and to give up Old Knowledge.  At one point in the book, Clay is talking to Mr. Penumbra about the connect-the-dots code set up by the Unbroken Spine which he solved.  He says, “ ‘I borrowed an old log book, and we scanned it…because Google has this machine, it’s super fast…Anyways, the point is, we just pulled out the data automatically.’ ” As previously seen this code has taken Rosemary Lapin several years, and she had barely started it.  While on the other hand, it had taken Clay only a day to start and complete it with the help of technology.  This is all to show readers that New Knowledge is very helpful and it is not something to be taken lightly.  It may very well lead to some great discoveries. 

            All in all, Robin Sloan wants to tell his readers that while books and ancient codes may all be well and good, it is technology and the internet that will help us in the end, or in other words, “move over Old Knowledge, here comes New Knowledge”.  The age of pens and papers is ending and the age of the internet and all its wonders is beginning.  And while it may be hard to let go, we all need to accept it.

The Sandman: Volume 4: Season of Mists Synthesis Page

Revised Blog Post "V for Vendetta"

            Link to my original blog post: http://aroseanothername.blogspot.com/2015/02/v-for-vendetta-reading-response.html   
              In today's world, Everyone is concerned about our own, and other countries, justice system, and afraid of anarchy taking over.  V for Vendetta deals with this fear and concern in the book.  V for Vendetta,  written by Alan Moore and drawn by David Lloyd, is a graphic novel which takes place in England about a dystopian future in which people are watched constantly and everything is filtered.  One person wants to change this totalitarian government.  His name is V and the government calls him a terrorist.  The book centers on V and Evey Hammond, a would-be prostitute whom V rescues.  In V for Vendetta, the book revolves around two main concepts, justice and anarchy, both of which are very instrumental in shaping the plot.  V for Vendetta uses these two themes to make a comment on not only the society in the book, but our society as well. 

            In V for Vendetta, the theme of justice is used to talk about our own justice systems as well.  The book debates on what justice means and what its limits are.  For example, in the beginning of the book, the police, or Fingermen as they are called, have found out that Evey is trying to prostitute herself.  This scene takes place before V rescues her and shows readers just how far freedom and justice can be taken, not just in the world of V for Vendetta, but in our own, as well.  One of the Fingermen says, “You know the laws on prostitution, that’s a class-H offence.  That means we get to decide what happens to you…. You’ll do anything we want and then we’ll kill you.”  The bringers of justice in this society get to decide your fate.  This is the same in our world, only, it is the makers of justice, and not the bringers who decide our fate.  In this case in V for Vendetta, they want to rape and kill her.  That would be allowed in their society because that’s their justice.  The price of prostituting is getting your self killed.  Is this right, is this justice?  Does prostitution equal rape and death in the eyes of the law, and moreover, in the eyes of justice?  It does there.  Justice in our world can be misused like this as well.  people are allowed to decide someone else's fate on a jury in court, and they can be prejudiced.  Their opinion is not always right or fair.  This shows how justice can be taken to the extreme and can be mistaken for allowing law keepers to do whatever they want, not only in the book, but in our world as well.  At another point in the book, V talks about how the justice of the world of V for Vendetta had been transformed.  V says, “The justice that I loved was gone; who had such kindly eyes; who took such small and careful steps…Transformed, she glared through narrow slits and ground good men beneath her vicious heel.”  This shows readers how, in their society, justice had morphed into something that is more like injustice in disguise.  This is another way that Moore and Lloyd try to convey to us that this can also be the case sometimes in our world.  Justice in our world is supposed to help find the truth and give people the treatment that they deserve, yet it can sometimes be twisted or biased.  Justice in the world of V for Vendetta oppresses citizens and rises up those who shouldn't be put upon a pedestal.  Is it justice to rape and kill someone who’s only guilty of prostitution?  Is it justice to oppress innocent and good people? In our world, it is not considered so.   This book tells us how justice is easily abused and misused.

            Justice is not the only theme that is used to convey feelings about our world, anarchy is used to talk about how our own fears of anarchy are somewhat misplaced.  The book focuses on what anarchy really is and how it connects to the other theme of justice.  Most people think of anarchy as something with no laws or order to keep people in check.  But, while talking with Evey about anarchy and how it is different from chaos, V says, “Anarchy means ‘without leaders’; not ‘without order.’ With anarchy comes an age of… true order, which is to say voluntary order.  This age…will begin when the mad and incoherent cycle… has run its course.”  Most people mistake anarchy for chaos, just as Evey does in the book, which is why we are afraid of anarchy in our world.  This anarchy that V wants is not chaos, but uncontrolled order.  This type of anarchy is meant to balance out the chaos that their government’s justice has brought about, and to bring about a true kind of justice.  This justice from anarchy would be the people’s self-appointed justice, not their totalitarian government’s justice.  This is supposed to convey how our government is not as controlling and formidable as it says it is.  Moore and Lloyd are drawing a parallel here from our government to the book's in ow they have both brought about a kind of controlled chaos into the world.  V also talks about the different versions of anarchy: chaos and order.  As V describes anarchy he explains, “Anarchy wears two faces: both creator and destroyer.  Thus, destroyers topple empires; make a canvas of clean rubble where creators can then build a better world.”  In this way, this shows how V believes that in order to make this society better, he must first destroy it.  This is also V’s way of saying that in order to get justice, there must be anarchy.  It is also Moore and Lloyd's way of telling us that our own world needs a bit of anarchy to make it a better place.  Our world needs to destroy a bit to rebuild something better.  All of this shows that the book is trying to say that anarchy is not always as noxious as we think that it is.

            As you can see, the two major themes of this book are justice and anarchy.  The book’s focus is on how these two themes interact, and subliminally, how we can incorporate them into our lives.  V for Vendetta wants us to realize that our own justice systems aren't perfect, and that anarchy is not something to fear.  Anarchy isn't chaos, but un-ruled order, and justice should be finding the truth dealing out punishments fairly.  As V says, “justice is meaningless without freedom.”  This freedom can be our own type of anarchy, our own liberating order, that may even help us with justice.  What V for Vendetta is really trying to teach us is that justice and anarchy can coexist.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore Reading Response

            Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is a book about a young man named Clay Jannon.  He starts working at a bookstore only to discover a secret society called the Unbroken Spine.  The society is bent on cracking a code about the secret to living forever that was left in a book by an old book printer.  Clay teams up with his friends to crack the code using technology, technology which the secret society refuses to use, and to save Mr. Penumbra and his bookstore which the society wants to close.  In this book Robin Sloan uses themes of Old Knowledge such as what is in books vs. New Knowledge such as the internet and how they interact.

            Robin Sloan uses themes of Old Knowledge such as the knowledge contained in books or knowledge which is passed down through word of mouth throughout his story.  In the book clay is talking to Rosemary Lapin, a very old lady who is a novice in the Unbroken Spine about a code which leads to a connect the dots picture of the founder of the society.  As he looks at her work drawn out on an old scroll, he observes, “But it is incomplete; in fact, it’s barely started.  You can see the curve of the chin and the hook of the nose, but nothing else… How long, I wonder, has Lapin been working on this?”  This is meant to show readers, that working by hand without use of tech takes a very long time much longer than if you used a computer to do the work for you.  All of this is meant to show readers that even though books and your brain are very good, sometimes you need technology to speed things along. 

            In the book, Robin Sloan uses themes of New Knowledge such as information found using technology or the internet throughout the book.  At one point in the book, Clay is talking to Mr. Penumbra about the connect-the-dots code set up by the Unbroken Spine which he solved.  He says, “ ‘I borrowed an old log book, and we scanned it…because Google has this machine, it’s super fast…Anyways, the point is, we just pulled out the data automatically.’ ” As previously seen this code has taken Rosemary Lapin several years, and she had barely started it.  While on the other hand, it had taken Clay only a day to start and complete it with the help of technology.  This is all to show readers that New Knowledge is very helpful and it is not something to be taken lightly.  It may very well lead to some great discoveries. 

            All in all the message that Robin Sloan want to send his readers is that while books and ancient codes may all be well and good, it is technology and the internet that will help us in the end, or in other words, “move over Old Knowledge, here comes New Knowledge”.  The age of pens and papers is ending and the age of the internet and all its wonders is beginning.  And while it may be hard to let go, we all need to accept it.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore Synthesis Page

"V for Vendetta" Reading Response

                V for Vendetta,  written by Alan Moore and drawn by David Lloyd, is a graphic novel which takes place in England about a dystopian future in which people are watched constantly and everything is filtered.  One person wants to change this totalitarian government.  His name is V and the government calls him a terrorist.  The book centers on V and Evey Hammond, a would-be prostitute whom V rescues.  In V for Vendetta, the book revolves around two main concepts, justice and anarchy, both of which are very instrumental in shaping the plot. 

            In V for Vendetta, justice is a major theme.  The book debates on what justice means and what its limits are.  For example, in the beginning of the book, the police, or Fingermen as they are called, have found out that Evey is trying to prostitute herself.  One of the Fingermen says, “You know the laws on prostitution, that’s a class-H offence.  That means we get to decide what happens to you…. You’ll do anything we want and then we’ll kill you.”  The bringers of justice in this society get to decide your fate.  In this case, they want to rape and kill her.  That would be allowed in that society because that’s their justice.  The price of prostituting yourself should not be getting killed, but it is.  Is this justice?  Does prostitution equal rape and death in the eyes of the law, and moreover, in the eyes of justice?  It shouldn't, but it does here.  This shows how justice can be taken to the extreme and can be mistaken for allowing law keepers to do whatever they want.  At another point in the book, V talks about how the justice of this world has been transformed.  V says, “The justice that I loved was gone; who had such kindly eyes; who took such small and careful steps…Transformed, she glared through narrow slits and ground good men beneath her vicious heel.”  This shows readers how, in this society, justice has morphed into something that is more like injustice in disguise.  Justice in our world is supposed to help find the truth and give people the treatment that they deserve.  Justice in this world however, oppresses citizens and rises up those who shouldn't be put upon a pedestal.  Is it justice to rape and kill someone who’s only guilty of prostitution?  Is it justice to oppress innocent and good people? No!  It’s not!  This book tells us how justice is easily abused and misused.

            In V for Vendetta another major theme that the book revolves around is anarchy.  The book focuses on what anarchy really is and how it connects to the other theme of justice.  Most people think of anarchy as something with no laws or order to keep people in check.  But, as V says, “Anarchy means ‘without leaders’; not ‘without order.’ With anarchy comes an age of… true order, which is to say voluntary order.  This age…will begin when the mad and incoherent cycle… has run its course.”  This anarchy that V wants is not chaos, but uncontrolled order.  This type of anarchy is meant to balance out the chaos that the government’s justice has brought about, and to bring about a true kind of justice.  This justice from anarchy would be the people’s self-appointed justice, not their totalitarian government’s justice.  V also talks about the different versions of anarchy: chaos and order.  As V describes anarchy he explains, “Anarchy wears two faces: both creator and destroyer.  Thus, destroyers topple empires; made a canvas of clean rubble where creators can then build a better world.”  In this way, this shows how V believes that in order to make this society better, he must first destroy it.  This is also V’s way of saying that in order to get justice, there must be anarchy.  All of this shows that the book is trying to say that anarchy is not always a bad thing.

            As you can see, the two major themes of this book are justice and anarchy.  The book’s focus is on how these two themes interact, and subliminally, how we can incorporate them into our lives.  Anarchy isn't chaos, but un-ruled order, and justice should be finding the truth dealing out punishments fairly.  As V says, “justice is meaningless without freedom.”  This freedom can be our own type of anarchy, our own liberating order.  What this book is really trying to teach us is that justice and anarchy can coexist.

V For Vendetta Synthesis Page

Blog Review: Living in the Glass Castle

Link to Sara's Blog Post: http://sarafellman.blogspot.com/2014/11/blig-post-121-thirteen-reasons-why.html

            For my blog review, I read Sara’s 1st blog post on “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher.  The book is about a girl named Hannah, who killed herself, and left behind thirteen tapes giving thirteen reasons why she killed herself.  Behind each reason is a person that has done something horrible to her.  There are several things that make this blog post amazing.  One thing that makes this blog post great is the inferences based off of the text.  Another thing that makes this blog post so good is that Sara also makes many connections to the real world from the text.  This is why Sara’s blog post is so amazing.

            In Sara’s blog post, she makes inferences from the book and its characters.  One thing that really stuck out to me that she wrote was when she wrote that the author’s purpose was “having us readers, read Hannah’s voice as our own.”  This really stuck out to me because as she says earlier in the blog post, the book is told from the perspective of a character named Clay.  Hannah is just a narrator.  I have read this book before, and this inference made me look back at the book in a new light.  It made me realize that in fact, what Sara says here is true.  When you read this book, you do take on Hannah’s view of things.  Even though the book is told from Clay’s perspective, you see it through Hannah’s eyes.  Sara’s inferences about the book were profound and eye-opening.  They make you look at the book differently than how you would have, had you not read this blog post.  This, for a reader, is a very good thing because it opens you up to new perspectives.

            Another thing that Sara does in her blog post is to make connections to the real world based off of the text of the book.  One connection that she made was between Hannah’s deluded view of the world and how this relates to herself and everyone as a whole.   She talks about Hannah’s need for perfectionism and how everyone has this want for everything to be perfect.  In Sara’s words, “I can relate to Hannah; I want a perfect life, and if one thing is ruined, it upsets me, most people can say the same.”  This too, made me look back at this book which I had read, in a new light.  I had never considered Hannah to be a perfectionist, but this blog post made me realize that she was a perfectionist.  It also made me realize that everyone is a little bit of a perfectionist.  A blog post that makes you look at things differently and make realizations is a good blog post.

            All in all, Sara’s blog post about “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher was awesome!  She made you realize new thing and look at things differently.  She did this through inferences and connections.  In her first blog post about this book, she said that she could relate to the character of Hannah, yet in the second blog post about the book, she talked about how she was disgusted by Hannah.  It’s very rare when you find a character that you can be both disgusted by, and yet can relate to it.  It’s even rarer to find someone who will admit this.  Reading Sara’s other blog post about “Thirteen Reasons Why” made this one stand out even more because it was so interesting to see her change of opinions.  All of these factors made this an amazing blog post.

            

Non-Fiction Critical Analysis 2: Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes

            In “Hechinger’s Field guide to Ethnic Stereotypes” by Kevin and Curtis Hechinger, the Hechinger brothers want readers to know that stereotypes are nonsense because we are all different, and therefore, should be ignored.  One way that the Hechinger’s show readers this is by listing out all of the different stereotypes of different ethnicities.  The Hechinger’s also use ridiculous “facts” to make stereotypes seem even more crazy and unsupported.  For example, according to the book, “Many Scandi-Americans… have spent so much time consuming dairy products, eating baked goods, and sitting out the snows on their living room sofas, they have fundamentally altered their genetic code.”  This quote is just one example of a crazy “fact” that is obviously untrue and supports a ridiculous stereotype.  Finally, the Hechinger’s use humor to make fun of stereotypes and show that they are nonsense.  All of these examples show and support how people should not be confined to stereotypes or to listen to stereotypes.

            The Hechinger’s want readers to laugh at the hilarity of stereotypes, and feel surprised at the assumptions of some stereotypes.  One way that the Hechinger’s do this is by using humor to make fun of and show the ridiculousness of stereotypes.  For example, in the book, the author’s say, “But recent improvements in down-coat technology have led to the dispersal of Latinos across the country.”  This is one of the many ways that the book uses humor to disperse myths about ethnic groups that stereotypes and generalizations bring and support.  The Hechinger’s also simplify the topic by using casual language.  This use of language familiarizes and connects the narrator and the reader, causing the reader to feel comfortable while reading the book, and allows them to feel surprised at certain revelations and facts that contradict stereotypes. 

            After reading “Hechinger’s Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes,” I agree with the Hechinger’s that stereotypes should be ignored, but I think that the way they supported and built up their ideas with humor was confusing and unnecessary.  Their humor was too forced and to me it ended up just being confusing and seemed at least a little racist.  I agree with their message, but I thing that they went about saying it the wrong way.

Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethic Stereotypes Non Fiction Synthesis Page

"The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" Reading Response

            The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams is a book about the adventures of a group of friends as they travel throughout the universe.  Arthur Dent is a man from Earth, which has recently been destroyed to make way for an inter-galactic highway.  Zaphod Beeblebrox is the ex-president of the universe, who cut himself off from parts of his brain, which now controls his destiny, unbeknownst to himself and others.  Trillian, or Tricia McMillan as she was formally known as, is also from Earth.  Ford Prefect is a writer for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a book which informs people about the innumerable parts of the universe, even though it is not always correct.  The last member of their group is Marvin, a very depressed android.  Through the adventures of the group, Adams teaches the readers about how justice is served in our world.

            Justice, according to Adams, isn't always served.  One example of this is how, in the book, Zaphod Beeblebrox locked off part of his brain, but that part of his brain made plans, and now he has to follow these plans, even though he doesn't want to, and doesn't even know what these plans are and doesn't want to know.  According to the book, Zaphod says, “‘I don’t know what this great thing I’m meant to be doing is, and it looks to me as if I was supposed to not know.  And I resent that, right?  The old me knew.  The old me cared.  Fine, so far so good.  Except that the old me cared so much that he actually got inside his own brain-my own brain- and locked off the bits that knew and cared, because if I knew and cared I wouldn't be able to do it…. But this former self of mine killed himself off, didn't he, by changing my brain.’” The injustice here is that Zaphod has no idea what he must do next, and doesn't know what these “plans” that his brain made are.  You’d think that this injustice would somehow be served with some sort of justice, but, in the book, there is no justice served.  Zaphod is at the whim and mercy of his brain; even though he doesn't know what his brain wants him to do.  Even though his brain brings this injustice, Zaphod himself blocks justice, and is the only one who can bring is.  Justice could be served if Zapod could just unlock the parts of his brain that are locked to him, and discover what he’d been planning.  This injustice pulls the story line along and makes you wonder: what was Zaphod like before he locked his brain off?  Another example of how Adams shows this is through the dying-out of the original Earth species.  According to the book, when Earth was first created, it was inhabited by life-forms that head naturally developed on Earth.  Then, a spaceship full of a different race of fully-developed aliens crash-landed on Earth, which caused Earth’s original inhabitants to start dying out.  You’d think that justice could be served by something terrible happening to the alien race, but no such justice is served.  Instead, no justice is served at all, and the original Earth species continues to die out while the alien one thrives.  This shows that Adams believes that justice is not always served.

            Justice is not always served, if ever, in the way that you expect it to be.  An injustice that shows this is revealed to the reader during a conversation between a man named Roosta, a colleague of the former self of Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Zaphod himself.  According to the book, “‘Beeblebrox,’ he said, sticking his hands behind his head, ‘have you any idea what’s going to happen to you on the Frogstar? … They’re going to feed you’ said Roosta, into the Total Perspective Vortex….You can kill a man, destroy his body, break his spirit, but only the Total Perspective Vortex can annihilate a man’s soul.  The treatment lasts seconds, but the effects last the rest of your life!’… ‘Any idea why these guys want to do this to me?’… ‘They believe that it will be the best way of destroying you for ever.  They know what you’re after… You want to meet the man who rules the Universe.’” The injustice shown in this quote is the fact that “these guys”, whose identity is unknown, want to destroy Zaphod Beeblebrox’s soul just because his former self made plans to find the real person who controls the universe, and now his current self has to follow through with those plans, regardless of whether or not he wants to.  You’d expect that in order for justice to be served here, something bad would have to happen to the people who want Zaphod’s soul destroyed, but this is not how justice is served here.  Instead, justice is served because Zaphod escapes and is taken to see the man who controls the universe.  The people who block justice here are the people who want Zaphod’s soul destroyed, and, surprisingly, it is Zaphod’s former self who brings justice by making the plans for Zaphod to escape and see the man who controls the universe.  Yet, Zaphod’s former self not only brings justice, but blocks it in a way because the current Zaphod had no idea of the plans he’d made and only got into this mess in the first place because of those plans.  Another example of how justice isn't always served in the way that you expect it to be is when Zaphod and the others leave a restaurant without paying by writing someone else’s name on their bill, therefore making someone else pay for their food, and then stealing a spacecraft.  You’d think that the justice served for this wouldn't be very severe.  You’d be wrong.  In an unexpected turn of events, that spacecraft turns out to belong to the same person who had to pay their bill, and is scheduled to crash into a sun.  Even though they will die, the owners of the spacecraft won’t rescue them, forcing them to stay in the spacecraft and die.  This seems very extreme, but it is the justice that gets served to them.  This shows how Adams believes that justice isn't always served in the way that you expect is to be.

            As you can see, Douglas Adams had several views on justice.  He believed that justice is not always served, and when it is, it’s not always served in the way that you expected it to be.  We can apply these views to our own lives.  They help us realize that life isn't always fair, and they teach us that life is unpredictable.  This can go a long way in helping people, especially kids, prepare for the world outside.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe Synthesis Page

The Rise of Nine Inquiry Questions Reading Response

*! Spoiler Alert!*

            The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore is the third book in a series about a group of aliens from the planet Lorien fighting for the survival of their race.  The book starts off just after the second book, and is set on Earth.  The remaining people of the Lorien species, or Garde as they are called, were given the numbers One through Ten, and could only be killed in order of their numbers because of a charm placed over them.  Then, the charm was broken, so that now the other alien race that wants desperately to kill them, the Mogadorians, are hunting them down, more than ever.  The first three Garde were killed and the Garde featured in this book is, Four, also known as John; Six; Seven, also known as Marina; Eight; Nine; and Ten, also known as Ella.  Each of the Garde was given a set of Legacies, or powers, which helps them in their fight against the Mogadorians.  The character Setrakus Ra, the leader of the Mogadorians, Sarah Hart, who is Four’s human girlfriend, and Four’s human friend Sam are also in the book.  In this book, the author uses the text to convey his ideas and feeling about the world around us through the difficult and complex events in the text.

            One way the author uses the text to convey his ideas and feelings about the world around us is through the difficult and complex things that happen in the text.  The main difficult or complex event in the book is the fact that the remaining Loric are being hunted down and killed by the Mogadorians.  According to the text, “After Numbers One, Two, and three died, only six of us remained.  With Ella, we number seven….Setrakus Ra’s arrival was a sign that the Mogadorians understood we were a threat, and we should expect them to step up their campaign to kill us.”  This shows us how close to extinction the Loric race is.  The fact that they are the protagonists of this story, and that it’s told from their point of view, shows the readers that the author wants you to be rooting for them, the Loric.  All of this shows the readers that, with the killing of an entire race, a deep and complex issue of this book is genocide.  To further support this, in a moment of anger when she has been captured, Six yells at one of her captor’s, “Did they tell you what they do when they find other life sustaining planets?  I’ll tell you what they do.  They destroy them,’….”  This shows the readers how the Mogadorian’s blood thirst does not only extent to the Loric, but to every species in existence.  Since genocide, which is murder of an entire race, is the issue here, then the opinion expressed by the author is very clear.  The author, Pittacus Lore, wants to convey to his readers that killing, and all that comes with it, including war, is terrible, and should be avoided and stopped.

            As said before, the author uses the text to convey his feelings and ideas about the world around us through the complex and difficult things that are happening in the text.  It was revealed to us in the first book of the series, that the cause for the Mogadorians killing almost all of the Loric, except for Ten, was the fact that their planet was dying, and so they wanted to use Lorien’s rich resources.  It was further revealed to us that after the Mogadorians kill the remaining Loric, they are going to wipe out Earth’s inhabitants and use the planet as a place to live on.  This reveals the author’s opinions on a new topic, environmental preservation.  Further evidence of the author’s preservation opinions is shown in the quote “‘Eight! What do you think you’re doing?’ I yelled, alarmed. ‘Do you remember where we are? This is a sacred, historic, ancient place! You can’t just kick rocks around! Put them back where they were!’”  This is a quote of Seven yelling at Eight because he was moving stones around in Stonehenge with telekinesis, one of his Legacies, without placing them back in their proper positions.  This shows to the readers that not only does the author have strong opinions about environmental preservation, but he also has strong opinions about historical landmark preservation.  Since environmental issues are at the base of the murder of the Loric, and without this issue it would never have happened, it shows the reader that the author believes that we need to try to help stop the Earth’s environment from deteriorating before it becomes inhabitable.  This also leads us to the author’s opinion on historic landmark preservation.  Based off the evidence, you can see that the author believes that we need to preserve historic landmarks before it’s too late and they get destroyed.  All of this show you the author’s strong opinions expressed through the text of his book.

            As you can see, the author’s strong opinions on killing and preservation are expressed through his book, The Rise of Nine, through the events in the text.  Personally I agree with his opinions and think that we should listen to them.  They are a good model for what we should do in the future.  We need to preserve our history, our home, and protect ourselves by not resorting to violence.

The Power Of Six Synthesis Page

Argument Essay: Should YA Books Be Banned Or Limited?

            In America, we have many rights, such as freedom of speech and the right to vote, but do we have the right to read what we want to read, regardless of its content?  This question has sparked much debate about what books young adults can and cannot read.  These days, young adult fiction has too much dark content in it, and that it is too grotesque, horrifying, and mature for teenagers.  They even say that these books should be limited, or even banned.  Despite the fact that young adult fiction can be dark and disconcerting, it still should not be limited to anyone.

            People don’t read young adult fiction because it’s dark; they read it for other reasons.  According to the article, “Has young adult fiction become too dark?” by Mary Elizabeth Williams, “We read, as teens do now, to be moved, to fall in love with the characters, and to sometimes just explore the things that scared and fascinated us.”  This quote shows us how when teens read, it might be to look at the scary or interesting things in the world.  But it might also be for the same reasons that others read for, the story line.  People read to immerse themselves in the characters of that book, and its plot, which may so happen to have gruesome details.  Teens want to fall into a different world and be a part of it.  Teens want to read to be pushed, provoked and moved by the book that they’re reading.  According to the article, “Teen fiction plots are darker and starker” by William Porter, “‘Adults are discovering these books…The writing is for more literary.’”  This shows us that YA fiction is read not only so that teens can be immersed in another world, but also because it is good literature.  Teens should be exposed to sophisticated and quality writing and YA fiction allows that to happen.   Adults are even reading YA books because the writing in these books is greater than the writing in adult books.  All of this shows that YA books are not read for their dark content, but they are read because they are good writing and because they are like gateways to other worlds, and this is no reason to ban or limit them.

            The monstrosity in YA fiction is already in many teens lives, so reading about it isn’t bad for them as many claim.  In fact, according to the article “Teen fiction plots are darker and starker” by William Porter, when referring to teens, Shelly Wilhelm, a book seller in Denver, Colorado says, “As kids, they want fantasy, but when they’re teens, they want more realistic and darker books because they’re struggling with those issues and ideas.’”  Teens read these books because they don’t want fluffy books that gloss over real issues any more.  When teens read fantasy as kids, they aren't facing the real world, but as teens, when they read YA fiction, they’re saying that they are ready to face the world that they live in, and that they are acknowledging the real terror that exists in their own lives.  Reading about obscene topics isn't bad for teens, it’s just the opposite, it helps them face the reality of the evil in their own life.  According to the article, “Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood” by Sherman Alexie, he said, “I have visited dozens of high schools, rich and poor, private and public, integrated and segregated, absolutely safe and fearfully dangerous – and have heard hundreds of stories that are individually tragic and collectively agonizing.”  This quote shows how teens experience tragic and horrifying things in their lives.  Tragic and horrifying things can also be found in YA books, so why should they be limited when they are already apparent in teens’ lives.  Why should books with violence and other disturbing topics be banned when these topics are already in teens lives?  There’s no point, because they’re already there, so it won’t hurt them.

            The darkness that is in YA fiction lets readers explore is without experiencing it.  In support of this, the article “Teen fiction plots are darker and starker” by William Porter says, “’It takes this fearful thing and makes it approachable’… ‘Teens can explore these themes, and use them to deal with issues in their own lives,’” YA books let teens look at the scary things in life, without coming in contact with them, because they’re not really there, they are in the book.  These horrible situations that can come up in YA books lets the teens learn and grow from them.  YA books can make the scariest things easy to read, so that this way, at least teens know about these horrors and are prepared for them.  It lets teens see the darkness, without letting them go near it.  Also according to “:Teen fiction plots are darker and starker,” by William Porter, “When you feel the world is broken, as an author you create an alternate world to try and fix it’ … ‘it’s a way of grappling with the present but through a different lens.’”  This quote shows that not only are YA books a way for teens to explore the darkness of the world, but they are a way for authors to exploit the world’s horrors.  Through writing about this darkness, it helps authors better understand the world around them.  When teens read this book that was a journey of exploring and dealing with the darkness of the world, it becomes a journey for them as well.  A journey of discovering and dealing with the darkness of YA books.  This is good for teens because it prepares them for the outside world.  Also, YA books are a way for authors to express their opinions about the world and allows readers to explore that view and opinions in depth.

            However, some people believe that YA books are too depraved and grim for teens and should be limited.  According to the article, “Darkness too Visible” by Meghan Cox Gurdon, “If you think it matters what is inside a young person’s mind, surely it is of consequence what he reads…. Adolescence is brief; it comes to each of us only once…”  This shows us how YA books take way a teen’s innocence and turns them into adults too early.  In truth, this innocence that she talks about is harmful to teens.  The longer they are innocent, the less prepared for the real world they are.  Teens need to know that the adult world, and sometimes even their own world, can be ominous and horrifying, just like some YA books.  In fact, some say that the harsh, cruel world of YA books can be an opening for parents to talk with their teens about horrifying topics, both in and out of YA books.  “Darkness too Visible” also quotes several adults, such as “Amy Freeman, a 46-year-old mother of three” and “Veteran children’s bookseller Jewell Stoddard” who say things such as “there was… ‘nothing, not a thing I could imagine giving my daughter.  It was all vampires and suicide and self-mutilation, this dark, dark stuff.’” and “younger publishers… ‘are used to videogames and TV and really violent movies and they love that stuff.  So they think that every 12 year old is going to love that stuff and not be affected by it.  And I don’t think that’s possible.’” These quotes show how even adults, parents too, think that YA books are too menacing for teens.  Also, adults, parents especially, know what’s best for kids and teens, so it they think that if it’s too menacing, then it should be limited or banned.  The problem with this argument is that though out “Darkness too Visible,” the author doesn't quote or show the teen’s perspective.  This leaves out the perspective of the people reading these books.  Adults aren't teens, so how can they know what’s best for or too dark for teens.  Teens are teens, and only they know what’s best for them.

            As you can clearly see, there are many reasons why YA books should not be limited or banned for anyone.  YA books aren't read because they are dark or horrifying; they are read for other reasons.  Many teens already have darkness in their lives, so protecting them from it by not allowing them to read dark YA books is pointless.  Teens can explore this darkness through YA books, without coming in contact with it.  People think that young adult books are just too adult for teenagers, but that’s just not the case.  These are young adults reading these books, and they are adult enough to deal with the dark and terrifying subjects featured in these books.  If you couldn’t read your favorite books that were challenged or banned, how would you have been affected?  All of these moving, life changing books would be gone.  What would you have lost if you had never read one of your favorite books that was banned or challenged?

"I Am Number Four" Reading Response

              Why do we lie? What are the results of these lies? Throughout “I am Number four” by Pitticus Love, many lies are told and revealed. “I am Number Four” is the story of a teenage boy who’s really an alien from the planet Lorien. There was a war on Lorien against the Mogadorins. All of the Lorics were wiped out except for 18 of them, who were organized into 9 pairs, each made up of a mentor and a Loric child who would one day get powers. Each child was given a number, and can only be killed in order of their numbers. The protagonist of the book is number four, and the Mogadorians, who have already killed numbers 1 – 3, are hunting him down. Because of this, number four and his mentor, also called a Cepan, must constantly change identities, and run at the first sign of trouble. For the majority of the book, Four is called John and his Cepan is called Henri. This leads to many lies. In “I am Number Four” the theme of the book is lies.
             Sometimes lies are necessary, and “I Am Number Four” proves that very well. At one point in the book, John, also known as Number Four, has a confrontation with the school’s bully, Mark James, in front of John’s crush and Mark’s Ex, Sarah Hart, ending with John fleeing. The next day, Sarah asks John about why he ran, and, according to the book, he responds, “I have really bad asthma. For some reason I had an attack yesterday.’ I say, and feel regret at having to lie.” This is a perfect example of a necessary lie. In truth, John was developing his first power, also called a legacy, and couldn’t let anyone see lest they find out that he’s an alien. If John had told the truth, Sarah might laugh at him and think he was weird, embarrassing himself in front of her. Or worse, he would get locked in a mental facility or be poked and prodded by scientists. This would be an extreme loss to the survival of the Loric race. Either way, this lie was necessary for John’s survival. During another point in the book, John’s Cepan, Henri, who is posing as John’s dad, gets captured by some crazy conspiracy theorists, who think that as an alien, Henri wants to kill them. John can’t get to Henri by himself, so he asks his only friend, Sam Goode, for help. At the same time, he can’t tell Sam who he really is, so according to the book, he says, “My dad’s been captured Sam. I’m not entirely sure by who, or what is being done to him. But, something has happened, and I think he’s being held prisoner. Or worse.’” By not telling Sam who Henri and John actually are, and by not telling him why Henri was captured, John is lying to Sam, but this lie was necessary, because without it, John wouldn’t have been able to find or rescue Henri. This would have caused Herni to die, leaving John like a sitting duck just waiting for the Mogadonians to kill him. In this way, the lie saved Henri’s life and in turn, John’s life. All of this relates back to lies, and how imperative they can be.
                 Many lies, though, come to no good. “I Am Number Four” shows this very well. In the beginning of the book, John must flee Florida and assume a new identity. In the book, when this happens he thinks, “Another new identity, another new school. I’ve lost track of how many there have been over the years. Twenty?” This quote shows how John has been on the run and had to change identities. John lies to everybody about who he really is. While this lie may be understandable and necessary to his survival, that doesn’t make it right. This is a huge lie that has a big effect in the book. Because of this lie, John’s enemies come to his school and many people, including his friends, get hurt, even killed. Also, in the book, there is a fire, and John, who is impervious to fire, goes into rescue Sarah and jumps out of the window of the burning building. Unfortunately, his actions were videotaped, and he later sees this video. According to the book, when he sees the video, he things, “Her face is just a obvious as mine in that video, which puts her in just as much danger as me.” John had lied to Henri about the fact that he had gone into a burning house to rescue Sarah, just so that he wouldn’t have to leave her and take on a new identity. If he had told Henri, they would both have left the state by now and wouldn’t be there when the Mogadonrians came. But instead, he lied and they stayed there, putting Jon, Henri, Sarah and all of their friends into a tremendous amount of danger, which, ultimately can lead to no good. All in all, no good can come of lying.
                 In conclusion, “I am Number four” centers on lying and its effects. But the book’s reaction to lying is something that you can take away from, and apply to your own life. Remember, that while at the time a little lie, can seem necessary and unavoidable, it may just be the pebble that starts the avalanche.