IWP

IWP

Prompt number six.

Anya Keller 812

Rebellion is important in a teenager’s life.  When a teenager “rebels”, they have the urge to do whatever they want to do.  They want to fight the power- their parents.  They don’t want any instruction whatsoever.   It can be beneficial to them and their parents- if It isn’t let out of hand.  Teens need to learn how to be independent and how to make the right decisions.   Their parents need to learn to accept the fact that their child isn’t five anymore.  Rebellion can be painful for both but It can turn out to be a really important phase later in life.  

Rebellion is a chance for the parents to grasp the concept that their child is growing up.  An overprotective parent leaves no room for the teen to explore and learn from their mistakes.  Let’s say that the parent doesn’t let her daughter go anywhere in the city by themselves after 7:00pm.  The teen really wants to go to a movie at 7:00pm with her friends. The teen is reassuring the parent that they will be fine and telling him/her that she knows how to be careful.  The parent should quickly tip the teen on safety precautions but doesn’t freak out about it.  Later, the kid comes back safely from their first time out at night.  The parent realizes that their child is responsible and is more relaxed about it the next time it comes up.  That’s how the parent needs to listen to the child.  

When kids rebel, they have an opportunity to learn from experience.  Let’s say a parent and her daughter have an argument a few days later.  The daughter is going to go to an afternoon movie with her friends.  The mom want’s the daughter to wear a sweater for two reasons:  she thinks that her dress straps are too short and that mainly, she will be cold at night.  The daughter storms out without a sweater.  When the movie is over and everyone leaves, the daughter is freezing.  She is rebelling because she doesn’t want to do anything that her mom tells her to do.  In that case, the daughter needs to learn to listen to her mother.  Rebellion isn’t a reason to reject every single idea that your parents come up with.  Your parents have been alive longer then you have.  Sometimes, surprisingly, they’re right.  

If you have a balance of rebellious child and concerned parent, rebellions can be very helpful.  The teen needs to learn to respect their parents ideas.  The parent needs to respect the child's growing independence.  Rebellion isn’t fun but it’s worth it.  Some kids need a force to push against.  A little bit of the parent’s input to guide their teen’s rebellion is the perfect combination.

Romeo and Juliet essay -revised

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare was made more tragic because of Romeo's reckless behavior.  It is a play that tells the story of two rival families. The Capulets and the Montagues.  When Capulet’s daughter and Montague’s son fall in love, they have to find ways to hide their forbidden love. After many misunderstandings and reckless behavior, Romeo Montague finds himself at what appears to be, the dead body of Juliet Capulet. Eventually, she wakes up because she had drunk a potion that the Friar gave to her.  The plan was to made her appear dead so that when Romeo got the letter explaining the situation, he could come and whisk her away when she woke.  He never got the message from the Friar.  When Juliet saw Romeo’s body, she killed herself.  Because of his reckless behavior, Romeo contributed to his own tragedy.

Romeo's feelings can change change really fast even if they are very strong.  Romeo fell head over heels for Roasaline but his feelings changed in an instant when he saw Juliet. When the friar asked Romeo if he had been with Rosaline alone Romeo said, "With Rosaline, my ghostly father?  No./  I have forgotten that name and that name's woe." (2.3.45-46). Romeo completely dropped Rosaline even though he was heartbroken and upset when she rejected him.  He didn’t think about the consequences of loving a Capulet.  He only thought about his burning love for Juliet.

Romeo usually starts having problems with decision making when he feels strongly about something.  For example, Tybalt was looking for a fight with Romeo but Romeo kept his cool.  Tybalt ended up fighting Mercutio and killed him.  After Tybalt killed Mecutio, Romeo was enraged.  He said, "And fire eyed fury be my conduct now." (3.1.86)  He meant that he wasn't going to do what his normal conduct told him to do.  Instead he would let his fury guide him.   Romeo ran after Tybalt and killed him in anger.  This shows that Romeo sometimes loses control. 

Romeo wouldn't let anything get between him and his seeing Juliet.  When he first heard that Juliet was dead, He immediately set out to see her.  Bathsar told Romeo: "I do Beseech you, sir, have patience./  Your looks are pale and wild, and do import/ some misadventure."  (5.1.27-29) and Romeo Responded by saying: "Tush, thou art deceived. Romeo set out to see Juliet even though he is banished and the punishment is death.  It's clear that Romeo loves Juliet a lot.  Enough to risk his life to see her dead body...  Another example of this was when he drank the poison saying, "Here’s to my love [Drinking.] O true/ apothecary,/ Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die."  (5.3.129-131)He didn't think to wait and try to figure out what was going on.  Romeo only saw things in the moment.

Patience can really improve a bad situation.  If Romeo had more control over his emotions, the story probably would have had a slightly happier ending. Romeo isn’t perfect.  He played a big role in his own death and suffering.  There are so many real life situations where strong emotions gain too much control in a person's life.  Many of them end badly.  It’s important to calm down before making big decisions.  If only Romeo had more control over himself, It would have prevented almost the whole tragedy!

Romeo and Juliet essay

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare was made more tragic because of Romeo's reckless behavior.  It is a play that tells the story of two rival families.  The Capulets and the Montagues.  When Capulet’s daughter and Montague’s son fall in love, they have to find ways to hide their forbidden love.  After many misunderstandings and reckless behavior, Romeo Montague finds himself at what appears to be, the dead body of Juliet Capulet.  Eventually, she wakes up because she had drunk a potion that the Friar gave to her.  The plan was to made her appear dead so that when Romeo got the letter explaining the situation, he could come and whisk her away when she woke.  He never got the message from the Friar.  When Juliet saw Romeo’s body, she killed herself.  Many of Romeo's reckless decisions helped lead up to this tragedy because he didn’t take time to think about his actions.

Romeo's feelings can change change really fast even if they are very strong.  Romeo fell head over heels for Roasaline but his feelings changed in an instant when he saw Juliet.  When the friar asked Romeo if he had been with Rosaline alone Romeo said, "With Rosaline, my ghostly father?  No.  I have forgotten that name and that name's woe." Romeo completely dropped Rosaline even though he was heartbroken and upset when she rejected him.  He didn’t think about the consequences of loving a Capulet.  He only thought about his burning love for Juliet.

Romeo usually starts having problems with decision making when he feels strongly about something.  For example, Tybalt was looking for a fight with Romeo but Romeo kept his cool.  Tybalt ended up fighting Mercutio and killed him.  After Tybalt killed Mecutio, Romeo was enraged.  He said, "And fire eyed fury be my conduct now."  What he meant was that he wasn't going to do what normal conduct told him to do.  Instead he would let his fury guide him.   Romeo ran after Tybalt and killed him in anger.  This shows that Romeo sometimes loses control.

Romeo wouldn't let anything get between him and his seeing Juliet.  When he first heard that Juliet was dead, He immediately set out to see her.  Bathsar told Romeo: "I do Beseech you, sir, have patience.  Your looks are pale and wild, and do import some misadventure."  and Romeo Responded by saying: "Tush, thou art deceived."Romero set out to see Juliet even though he is banished and the punishment is death.  It's clear that Romeo loves Juliet a lot.  Enough to risk his life to see her dead body...  Another example of this was when he drank the poison saying, "Here’s to my love [Drinking.] O true apothecary, Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die."  He didn't think to wait and try to figure out what was going on.  Romeo only saw things in the moment.

I have found that patience can really help someone’s situation.  If Romeo had more control over his emotions, the story probably would have had a slightly happier ending. Romeo isn’t perfect.  He played a big role in his own death and suffering.  There are so many real life situations where strong emotions take over.  Many of them end badly.  It’s important to calm down before making big decisions.  If only Romeo had more control over himself.

Romeo and Juliet Outline

I. Introduction:
a.Lead: The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet was made more tragic because of Romeo's reckless behavior.  
b.Book info:  The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a play that tells the story of two rival families.  The Capulets and the Montagues.  The Son of Montague falls in love with Capulet's daughter at a party.  They get married but in secret.  Later, a fight breaks out between Tybalt and Mercutio and Tybalt accidentally kills Mercutio.  Romeo gets revenge and kills Tybalt.  Romeo is banished and has to flee.  Capulet promises his daughter's hand to Paris and she seeks Friar Lawrence for guidance.  He giver her a vial that she drinks and it makes her appear dead.  The Friar was supposed to tell romeo to finder her in the tomb and wait until she wakes up to carry her away.  Romeo doesn't get the message and finds Juliet dead.  He kills himself and when Juliet wake up and sees him she kills herself too.  
c.Thesis: Romeo is very impulsive and Ignorant sometimes which helps lead him to his downfall.  
 ________________________________________________________________________

 II.Body: 
a. Paragraph 1:   
Topic Sentence: Romeo's felling can change change really fast even if they are very strong.
Romeo fell head over heels for Roasaline but his feelings changed in an instant when he saw Juliet.  When the friar asked Romeo if he had been with Rosaline alone Romeo said, "With Rosaline, my ghostly father?  No.  I have forgotten that name and that name's woe." Romeo completely dropped Rosaline even though he was heart broken and upset when she rejected him.

________________________________________________________________
b. Paragraph 2:

Topic Sentence: Romeo usually starts having problems with decision making when he is feeling strong emotions about something.
For example, Tybalt was looking for a fight with Romeo but Romeo kept his cool.  Tybalt ended up fighting Mercutio and killing him.  After Tybalt slayed Mecutio, Romeo said, "And fire eyed fury be my conduct now."  What he meant was that he wasn't going to do what normal conduct told him to do.  Instead he would let his fury guide him.   This shows that Romeo sometimes looses control.
_________________________________________________________________________

b. Paragraph 3:
Topic Sentence: Romeo wouldn't let anything get between him and his seeing Juliet.
When he first heard that Juliet was dead, He immediately set out to see her.  Bathsar told Romeo: "I do Beseech you, sir, have patience.  Your looks are pale and wild, and do import
some misadventure."  and Romeo Responded by saying: "Tush, thou art deceived."Romeo set out to see Juliet even though he is banished and the punishment is death.  It's clear that romeo loves Juliet a lot.  Enough to risk his life to see her dead body...
Another example of this was when he drank the poison saying, "Here’s to my love [Drinking.] O true apothecary, Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die."  He didn't think to wait and try to figure out what was going on.  Romeo only saw things in the moment in that scene.
_________________________________________________________________________
III. Conclusion:
i. I have found that patience can really help a person's situation.  
ii. If Romeo had more control over his emotions the story probably would hav ehad a slightly happier ending.
iii. I want the reader to know that Romeo isn't perfect.
                                           

The Knife of Never letting Go

Lies, lies and lies.  The Chaos Walking Series, by Patrick Ness, is made up of lies.  The moment the reader and the main character, Todd, begin the story, lies were already in place.  Todd is trying to find out the truth to all his questions.  Each answer brings on it's own set of lies that he has to figure out.  It seem hard to lie in a world where all mens' thoughts are broadcast out so anyone can listen in.  Still, Todd's reality is pulled from underneath him in so many ways.

Imagine a planet with two moos that was discovered and settled by humans.  Todd's world started out as depressing life on a farm in a town with a creepy mayor and abusive preacher.  He grew up knowing that the disease on the planet that made mens' thought's open to the public wiped out all the women including his mom.  That disease was unleashed as bio warfare from the spackle, a humanoid race that already was living on the planet.  For all Todd knew his town was the only one in the world.  One day, he finds the two people he considers dads rushing him out the door with a backpack and telling him to run.  Suddenly he hinds himself running.  From what?  He had no Idea except for the fact that the mayor showed up with a gun.  He didn't know the reason why, he just kept running.

As Todd ran, he learned more about reality.  Yes there were other settlements.  No the disease didn't kill the women, the mayor did.  The spacle didn't use bio warfare.  Finally when he reached the town that his map told him to find refuge in, the mayor had beat him to it.  Using Viola, a girl he met and fell in love with, the mayor manipulated him to to his dirty work.  It took two books and a lot of time of Todd to realize that things aren't true because someones says it's true.  

These books aren't just books where the main character is lied to.  The reader is lead off too.  Red herrings keep popping up everywhere.  The characters fall for the red herrings and then they end up suffering.  You can get really frustrated while reading the book.  Still, I enjoyed the plot twists a lot and the book is very engaging.   

The Rise of Nine

In class we are reading Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.  I noticed a few similarities between Romeo and Juliet and the I am Number Four series by Pittacus Lore.  In both stories similar themes occur but the ways they are portrayed are different.   The two lovers theme comes up but it's not a tragedy. Both books have connecting Ideas that are made different by the details. 

In Romeo and Juliet, two rival families were always bickering.  The daughter from one family, Juliet Capulet, and the son from the other, Romeo Montague fall in love.  Their parent's feud keeps them apart.  In the I am Number Four series Four, or John falls in love with a human named Sarah.  The reason why I say a "human named Sarah" is because Four is an alien from a different plant (Lorein).  Their difference in species and culture keeps them apart.  Some people on his planet have super powers and some don't.  The ones without are assigned to a kid with powers to mentor them.  John has powers and has a big job (saving the earth and returning to his planet) and can't be with her. Their differences keep them apart just like Romeo and Juliet. 

Romeo And Juliet is a tragedy and the I am Number Four series is not.  In Romeo and Juliet they are almost able to be together but a mix up keeps them apart.  In the I am Number Four series, It takes a while, but John and Sarah finally end up together.  It has a big happy ending.  If the I am Number Four series was a play it would be a Comedy because some parts are funny.  In this way both stories are different



In many ways the I am Number Four series is like Romeo and Juliet and in many ways It's not.  Two lovers, one thing keeping them apart, struggle to be together.  In Romeo and Juliet they both die and in the I am Number Four series they live and struggle together.  There are many books that are like Romeo and Juliet and the I am Number Four series are and example one way to make the story your own.

The power of Six

Today I picked up the book The Power of Six and I'm almost halfway done!  This book falls into the category of books that make you want to read more!  Each page is a page turner for me but It just goes nowhere.  The plot just keeps on building up and doesn't reach a climax.  I feel like The Power of Six is just the squeal to a book with a really interesting Idea that follows the same format.  

The books start out with something going on and introducing characters so you know what is going on.  Once that's over the plot builds and mini problems are woven in along the way.  Hints are really obvious to the reader and to the main character. For instance, the dog would be running with John and John would run ahead and sudden;y the dog would pop out of the woods right in front of him.  Then John thought it was strange but Brushed it off.  Turns out that that dog was a shape shifting pet.  If it was supposed to seem like a plot twist it didn't work.

 What pulls me into the book are those "I can't believe they aren't doing_(Insert obvious action here)_" moments (or vice verse).  John has a chest that contains his inheritance but a lot of the things in there he doesn't know ho to use.   You would think that he would think of the letter his guardian left him.  Nooooo!  He was so emotionally sad he wouldn't open it and then he forgot about it!  Moments like these make me want to read more and kind of had an "I told you so" moment with the book when he actually opens the letter.

The Power of Six Is just really annoying.  It makes you want to skip a few pages ahead to make sue everything will be alright and then go back to where you left off.  It's an addictive book like the Hunger Games.  It's also creative like Divergent.  But in the end they are very similar books except The Power of Six moves really slow.

Blog post Number 4 (not really)

I am Number Four by Pittacus Loreis a book about an alien race trying to survive and hide from enemies.  There are 18 survivors living on earth.  One kid and one adult to guide the kid.  They cannot be killed unless in the order of the numbers given to them.  3 and their guardians have already been killed.  This story focuses on the fourth.  This book strongly makes me think about trying to blend in in two contexts.   One was Maximum Ride by James Patterson.  I also thought about the connections between SCIFI and teen fiction. 

It's not that easy to hide.  The 9 kids have super speed, strength, and super scenes in general.  It also makes it harder when every time one of them dies the others feel a searing pain as a circular scar is burned into their skin.  In Maximum Ride, the book is focused on winged kids trying to blend in and run from an enemy.  In I am Number Four, its important that HE doesn't let people see his powers and its important that in Maximum Ride that their avian DNA changes don't show.  In Maximum Ride Angel ppretends to be a ballerina and jumps around and practically flies in front of her classmaes because of her hollow bones.  She is scolded for it.  John's hands began to glow and he had to wear gardeners gloves for the whole day.  Hiding is more important than comfort.

So many science fiction books follow the same pattern.  Some sort of main character with either superpowers or some sort of thing that makes them different from "normal" human is trying not to stand out.  That's the same way in teen fiction.  An outcast kid is picked on by the bully or enemy and tries really hard to blend in.  He/she shouldn't let love or anger get in the way.  In I am Number Four John needs to pick his battles and not let anyone know his strength.  In some teen fiction, the kid just doesn't want to get into fights.  John also has to be careful who he falls in love with because that could lead to him telling her secrets and his death.  In other books it could give the main character a black eye.  SCIFI and teen fiction are basically the same, just geared to different audiences.  
   
I am Number Four is a book that popped many thoughts into my head.  They all were text to text connections.  In a way all books are built from each other.  An author might read a book and like a section so they make that part their own.  In that way a book may be very similar to another.  Still, there are so many books about bullies in every genre from SCIFI to historical fiction to teen fiction that It ,ales me wonder how books can carry similar plots but stil be original and hard to predict..
 
 

Poems

Haiku
Thin, bare figures bend,
rustling in the cold wind.
The trees do yoga.




Sonnet
Sky yolk drips down into the hot pavement.
My eyes cling to the disappearing rays.
Sinking under -all my energy spent.
The world around me blurs into a haze.

Shadows and monsters pound my mind like sleet.
“Mamma, I’m freezing and I can’t see a thing!”
“Think of good thoughts and I’ll turn on the heat.”
She doesn’t hide from the same things that sting.

But, a young red wisp creeps into the sky,
it’s brightness blinding my drooped blinking eyes.
Yawning and bringing the new sun up high.
I know I’ll be fine, d’I breathe out a sigh.

Seeing warm light can make me brave.
Still, the night looms near like a dark, black wave.

nonfiction blogpost

Charles and Emma Darwin made an interesting couple.  They were very similar in many ways that brought them together.  For instance, they both had a large interest in books, specifically their favorite, Paradise Lost.  They both were very curious and interested in learning new things.  Still they were very different people.  Their personalities were very different and they both had opposing beliefs.  It's amazing that their love for each other kept the marriage together.  

Charles for one was and organized scientist.  Charles liked everything in order and where it was supposed to be.  He kept his writing and notes in neat little notebooks.  Each had a special category and each had it's own specific letter.  Charles was, "an organizer, a collector, and a list maker." (Heiligman 37).  Emma on the other hand was messy and unorganized.  She was even called Little miss slip-slop at times.  You would think that Emma's messiness would get on Charles nerves but it didn't.  Instead Charles's love drove him to, "give up all his natural taste for tidiness"(Heiligman 91) according to his daughter and that he would, "not allow himself to fell annoyed by her calm disregard for such details" (Heiligman 91).  Although they had conflicting viewpoints on organization, their love removed that barrier.  

Another way why they were different was their beliefs.  Emma was a good Christian and devoted one too.  Charles was and scientist who had other things on his mind.  Specifically he was questioning G-d's role in the creation of species.  He was exploring evolution and moving a way from Christianity.  This bothered his wife Emma.  She believed that she would go to heaven and he would go to hell so they couldn't meet in the afterlife.  She was, "in agony over her husband's lack of faith." (Heiligman 99).  Although he didn't change his mind, her letters begging him to pray moved him and he still loved her and they continued to have a good time together.

Although the Darwins may be different, their love held them together.  When her clumsiness clashed with his neatness he made himself more tolerant of it.  For a while when she was anxious about his faith he went to church to satisfy her.  They soon learned that he wasn't going to change and they accepted that.  Any problems they had were solved by their patience.  Fighting was never an option for them and that should be the situation for many couples.  They should read about Charles and Emma's relationship and try to be understanding of eachother like they were.  

Nonfiction Blogpost

If showers could kill!  "That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer" is an essay in the New York Times  by Jared Diamond about risk taking in life.  Who knew that I could have slipped and seriously hurt myself about 4 times by now (I'm 13) just by taking a shower?  If you have a 1/1000 chance that you will fall in the shower and you reached your 1000th shower,  It would take less than around 2.75 years to die.   Falling down is a big problem for elderly people.  It's one of the main contributors to death in elderly people.  Jared Diamond, the author needs to be careful because he is 75.  

Jared worked in the fields in New Guinea for a while when he was younger.  He and his New Guinea friends took a trip into a forest where they would set up their tents.  His friends refused to sleep under a big tree because it had a risk of falling on them because it was dead.  At first he thought that a tree falling on them was unrealistic.  Later he realized that since every night he heard a tree fall, that tree could fall on him.  He developed a sense of "constructive paranoia" for things which make sense to be afraid of.  We need to stop freaking out about burglars which we rarely encounter.  How many times do you encounter a burglar?  How many times do you take a shower?  You have more chances to slip in the bathroom than to be hurt by a burglar.  Instead, we should be more cautious about the hazard that showers and everyday things can create. 

We tend to overreact about things that aren't much of a potential threat while we underestimate the real dangers.   According to Jared Diamond, "my wife was nearly killed by a falling tree last year" (Diamond p2).  Who would have thought that a tree was a culprit?  Also, studies have shown that people "exaggerate the risks of events that are beyond our control, that cause many deaths at once or that kill in spectacular ways" while "we underestimate the risks of events we can control ("That wouldn't happen to me- I'm careful") and of events that kill just one person in in a mundane way" (Diamond p2).  You never hear about things like bathroom casualties on the news.  We need to be more careful about small things like putting our seatbelt on or crossing the street.  It makes the difference.   

Just because I read this article doesn't mean I'm never taking a shower again.  I'm just going to be more careful and not drip soap all over the shower floor.  As Jared sad, it's important to not let your carefulness limit you.  Do whatever you want, just think about it before you do it.        

Work Cited

Diamond, Jared. "That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer." Essay. The New York Times. The   New York Times, 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

Octavian Nothing

I always thought that Revolutionary Boston was filled with poverty.  Poor people were everywhere and everyone wanted the King gone.  I never really thought about the loyalists.  In Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson.  An African American Boy is raised in a household of rich scientist/alchemists/philosophers.  All of them claim to be blood related to him so he doesn't know who his real father is.  He only knows that his mother is an African Princess who was sold to a rich family who has been studying him and his mother since he was a baby.  The way the story is woven into truth makes it hard to distinguish story from history.  The book was written in the style of many other books at that time period therefor the language is very confusing.  Most of the time I have no Idea what they are talking about.

New-er Blog post.

I'm currently reading Going Bovine by Libba Bray.  Cameron, a 16 year old suffering from mad Cow disease embarks on a journey to cure himself but it's all in his head.  The holes in his brain from his disease require extreme painkilling drugs.  Those drugs  that make him hallucinate almost 24/7.   His only moments of sanity are when his IV of drugs is being changed.  In his adventures, he teems up with a dwarf.  They all have one thing in common, they've all been bullied and harassed by many people.

Before Cameron's diagnosis, he was at the bottom of the school social pyramid.  He cut class, smoked pot, and doesn't have any friends except a few druggies like him.   This is before everyone knows about his disease and don't see their misunderstanding.   Kids avoid him and talk about him behind his back.  In attempt to reduce his looser-ness Cam constantly embarrasses his sister Jenna in front of her clique.  She always has a strong comeback that makes Cam's remark look stupid.  Cam:" Hey, Jenna.  Were those your birth control pills I found in the bathroom this morning?"  Jenna:"No , I think those were the ones Mom meant to take before you ere born.  Don't you have a meeting of the Social Outcast Society to attend?  If you hurry, you can get a good seat."  That's just cruel.  When his disease became widely known in his town and Cameron was hospitalized, that's when people finally understand him.  He befriends Gonzo, a person in real life he met once but  is hallucinating an adventure with.   Gonzo is also a victim of bullying.  He is often picked on because he's a dwarf and he's a video game fanatic.  People call him Shorty and make fun of him for his size.  How is that even the smallest reason to pick on him.  The only reason they are bullied is because they don't follow the crowd.  

Cameron and Gonzo are two very different characters with one thing that they both share. The fact that people pick on them because they are different.  What makes them unique is what turns them into bully magnets.  Cameron because he is a bad, discussing and unreliable kid and Gonzo because he is short.  There is no excuse to bully them even if Cameron is a pain.  It's immoral and wrong.  

Blog Post

Everyone always is telling each other that life isn't fair.  "Why didn't I get invited?" you say.  Your friend who was invited responds, "I don't know, I guess life isn't fair".   You get over it and move on with your life.  Cameron Smith has hit rock bottom in his 16 year old high school life.  He wants to be liked, he want's to have good friends but something is stopping him from making a change.  A trip to a psychiatrist leads to the diagnosis of mad cow disease.  Cameron struggles with hallucinations and reality.  People don't understand what he's going through.  His whole life is a downhill series of events that all stemmed out of his disease.  

Maintaining a steady balance between friends and school is hard.  For Cameron, he just drops both Ideas and there problem solved!  Forgetting school and not having any real friends is one partial solution.  School is a blur for cameron.  Making snide remarks about his sister in front of her friends resulting in a rule not to acknowledge each other ever again.   Skipping class to smoke weed in the bathroom is part of his routine at school.  It helps him get through the day without thinking about his sister or anything else.   One morning Cameron woke up late for work again.  He couldn't care less.  He arrived and his boss was disappointed.  A clique from his school walked in and purposefully changed their order multiple times to annoy him.  As he was carrying their tray of smoothies to them, his arm twitched and the girls are splashed.  Cameron lost his job.  Everyone thought he did it on purpose.  One day in class he started seeing flames burning in the edges of the classroom.  The same arm twitch caused him to fling his arm out, get called on to answer a question, his "friend" says that he took some bad drugs, get escorted to the principal, twitch and accidentally punch his escort in the gut and get suspended for drug possession and for punching a kid.   He got shunned by his whole family.  If people just listened to him not as a bad kid but as someone who was misunderstood, they would apologize and he would be off the hook.  

With his bad rep there isn't much hope for Cameron.  Known for skipping classes, embarrassing his perfect sister, disappointing his father and mother, loosing his job, and smoking weed, Cameron has no future ahead of him.  Frankly, he doesn't care.  The reasons for his actions are unexplainable the diagnosis of the fatal mad cow disease.   But that hasn't happened yet.  People can't see past his lazy drugged up side because that's how he is.  Does that make him a bad person?

Social Awareness

List of Issues

• A sparrow that can’t walk
• A pigeon with it’s feet caught together by string.
• Republicans
• An ownerless cat mewls in my backyard and eats the neighbor’s leftover chocolate cake on the back porch.
• Black smog gushing out of a New Jersey power plant.
• Gaza attacks Israel again and again
• A man smacks his dog for sniffing at the fence keeping him in the  house.
• A homeless man comes up to my car and begs for money
• Protesting gets violent and police resort to pepper spraying the crowd
• Long range missiles are developed and shipped to Gaza
• My aunt has to go into a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv
• Egypt is having problems

World Issue
Gaza repetitively attacks Israel because they have one thing in mind- destroy Israel.  Years ago, the Jewish homeland of Judah was conquered by Romans.  To completely rid the area of any Jewish traces, the Romans renamed it Palestine.  For a long time Jews, Arabs, and other groups lived peacefully together under rule from far away.  After two thousand years, the Romans lost control and the League of Nations appointed Britain to look after Palestine.  Under British control, the Zionist movement of Jews flooding into Israel grew and Britain finally shut Palestine’s doors to the Jews.  Jews fleeing from Hitler during the Holocaust had nowhere to go.  To give the Jews a homeland,  the UN suggested to split Palestine between the Jews and the Arabs in 1974.  The Jews accepted the offer and created Israel while the Arabs declined.  They despised Israel and that’s why they are still attacking Israel.  

Sirens in Israel wail signaling another rocket strike.  Because of Israel's’ top security precautions, people made their way to the nearest bomb shelter and came out with very few deaths and wounds.  The Iron Dome, a military defence program, unleashes rockets to meet and detonate the ones sent by Gaza in mid air so no one is hurt. Not all rockets are destroyed though so people still need to go into bomb shelters.  Israel couldn’t sit and watch itself get pelted by missiles.  For Gaza, peace talks were out of the question so Israel launched an airstrike on Gaza.  Before the strike, they dropped pamphlets on the city telling everybody to hide in bomb shelters so nobody got hurt.  Many people in Gaza ignored the notices and continued on with their daily activities.  A while later, bombs fell on Gaza and many died.  The Hamas exaggerated the news on tv and made it seem that the Israelis wanted to kill.  Do you think that Israel actually wants to fight?  Israel really just wants to be left alone so it can exist in peace but the Hamas terrorists won’t put up with that.  

People have tried peace talks but the Hamas just want to destroy Israel.  So do many of the surrounding countries like Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and many other countries.   You can’t reason with terrorists like the Hamas.  But you can stay strong and Protect yourself.  That’s what Israel is doing.  

Source: http://israelunlocked.wordpress.com/the-basics/the-israeli-palestinian-conflict-in-a-nutshell/


Literary Piece Description

Many cliques aren’t evil.  They are more like a dysfunctional, awkward, hormonal band of teenagers who cling to each other.  Sometimes cliques become so big that being “best friends” loses it’s meaning.  At least one person isn't thrilled when someone joins the group.  Drama begins and everyone is struggling to maintain their friendships by losing their individual opinions.  That's when kids get excluded when one person says something unflattering about a kid and everyone else agrees even though inside that's not how all of them feel.  I decided to break down the slow steps in which many cliques use to get rid of an unwanted kid.  

Literary Piece on excluding

Sleep away camp was great for a group of six teenage girls standing in a misshapen oval laughing and giggling.  You can plainly see the one who wants to be a part of the group; curls bouncing as she tries to squeeze her way in.  Her name is Liz.  No one speaks of the slight shift in the crowd that prevents her from joining.  That’s stage 1 in a series of tactics cliques used to signal to a girl that she is unwanted there.  They giggle and laugh while the Liz cranes her neck to hear what’s so funny.  

“What?  Guys!” The Liz whines imitating the other girls.  One girl with a ponytail whips her head around and looks at her with disgust.  “Come on tell me!”  Stage 2: the other girls ignore her and the ponytail girl turns back to her conversation.

When they laugh at some girl who had an “obnoxious face”, Liz laughs.  One girl makes a rude remark and everyone snickers.  Liz does the same, the girls murmur about how mean she is.  She copies them trying to walk in step with them and move as one like the others do. She stops to tie her shoe and the group keeps walking.  One girl sees her and tries to say something but she is interrupted by her friend whining “Did you notice that...?” in her ear.  Stage 3A: it’s easy to tell that they are talking about Liz.  Stage 3b:Everyone turns their head to sneak obvious glances at her that mean more than just a look.  It’s a way of hinting that they don’t really want her there without being mean.  Liz gets the hint but she still plays the part of the friendly girl who doesn't notice it.  The girls don’t know how to get rid of her.  They discuss plans quietly so Liz can’t hear.   Stage 4: Make it obvious.   Say something that excludes the outsider.  Let her know that just because she hung around with them doesn’t mean she is included in “us”.

“You know what?  We should have a group name.  Let’s see, there’s me, Stacey, Samantha, Jessica, Leah, and Mary.  Let’s call ourselves the Super Six!” Liz doesn't say anything because she doesn’t want them to notice it hurt her.  They mutter amongst themselves.  Why is she still here?  What should we do?

Stage 5: Interact with her is if she’s some random person who decided to hang out with them that day not someone who has followed them forever.  Everyone trades glances that seem to communicate: “Where did SHE come from?”  Stage 6:Last resort.  Finally, the ponytail girl removes herself from the group and comes up to Liz.

“You’re really nice and it’s fun to have you around,”  Liz knows what’s coming.  Stage 5: “but we really want to hang out by ourselves today.  We don’t really know you very much and sometimes we just want to be with our friends.  We don’t want your feelings to be hurt but...  Is that OK?”  Liz isn’t surprised but it still hurts her.  She can’t let them see that.

“Yeah! I get it!”  She chirped.  

“We really think you are cool but sometimes...”<--Lies Lies Lies

“It’s cool.”

“Great!” The girl runs back to her friends and immerses herself in the group.  Stage 6B: Overreact and rejoice when they hear she isn’t coming with them.  The girl’s ponytail bounces up and down as she whispers something to them.  Everyone brightens up and cracks jokes as if Liz was a hindrance to their happiness.  

A girl with a nasally voice clears her throat as they walk on the footpath.  

“OK girls I have some juicy secrets and I trust you guys because you’re my BFFLs!  Can I trust you guys to never say a word?”

“Aww sweetheart my lips are sealed!” one girl comforts.  The nasally whine continues on to gossip and spill the secrets of many other “best friends”.

Over my book I watch them making a fuss over who did what, when, why, how, and oh look at that adorable bikini! It’s strange that this happened right after a bunk bonding meeting themed: “We’re a big non-excluding and bullying family at camp happy!”.  

Reading response
The gay pride parade is a great way to show off and be proud of who you are.  It also inspires gay youths and boosts their confidence.  Some people look forward to the parade and some dislike it. "Helping a Gay Child to Come Out" by John Schwartz, talks of a third group of people.  They are the parents of gay kids who aren't ready yet to be openly gay.  His article make me think of the conditions at home.  For some kids they live in fear that their parents will find out that they’re gay.  If home isn’t secure and accepting, the neighborhood school probably isn't a safe refuge either. Bullying is a problem.  But when it comes to bullying gay kids, it has an even more harmful effect.  The constant threat of being victimized by ignorant bullies makes it harder for them to open up about who they are.

I have been insulted because I'm Chinese before but nothing compared to what some of these kids have to deal with every day.  I was insulted by a kid in first grade who had no idea what being chinese was.  He was always calling me "Chinese Person" so I picked out a cool picture book on China and showed it him and he was nice to me after that.  He probably bullied me because he didn't know anything about China and it confused him.  Because it confused him he didn't like it.  I think the main reason that bullies bully gay people is because they are different.  They don't know anything about what being gay is like and it scares them.  They try to get rid of it by harassing the gay kids but it doesn't seem to be working.  That's what prevents some young gays from coming out.  Many parents already know if their kids are gay or lesbian, they were just waiting  for their kid to say, "Hey ma, I have something to tell you...".   The article says that signs of being gay or lesbian start becoming noticeable at age 3.  Some supportive parents try to get their kids to relax by showing them strength through the gay pride parade.  

Another big issue that scares many gay youths is the fear of what their parents  might say.  Some kids aren't born into accepting families and when they figure out that they are gay it's risky to tell their parents.  According to the article one girl told her mother that she was bisexual because she thought “it wasn’t going to crush her as much.”  These kids need a supportive family.  It's horrible that many don't have one.

It's important that they have a safe environment where they can be who they are.  From home, to school they should be comfortable about who they are.  Bullies bully them because they are afraid.  People need to educate them on the essence of being gay.  The gay pride parade is a great way to lift spirits and boost confidence in these kids.  Maybe if enough people show their support more gay children would open up and be who they are.