Fiction Reading Response ***Mockingjay Spoilers***

   Have you ever heard that all power is good power? I have. Many times. Whether it be from books, magazines, TV, or even real life all I hear is "Power is good, Power is great." Now that I have had time to really think about power, I realized its not always great. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is the third installment of the Hunger Games series and is about Katniss and the struggles she faces in district 13 and being in a position of power. I think that power is not always good and not always bad.
   Power is not always good and not always bad. For example, on page 216 Katniss is talking to the citizens of district 2 about joining the rebellion when she says, "... They've done it again. Got me to kill you-- the people in the districts. But why did I do it? District 12 and District 2 have no fight but the one the capitol gave us." In this scene Katniss is saying that the Capitol used their power to make districts kill other districts when they have no reason to fight. Katniss is also saying that the capitol has been using their power to manipulate all the citizens of Panem to do whatever the Capitol wanted. A way that power is good is that on page 132 Katniss sings a song called the Hanging Tree. On page 132 Katniss sings, "Are you, are you Coming to the tree? Where the dead man called out for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here, No stranger would it be. If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree." This song and Katniss appearance on TV, because of her powerful image in the rebellion, Peeta got to warn Katniss of an airstrike that the Capitol sent out. If Katniss was not a powerful person in the rebellion Peeta wouldn't have broken out of his hypnotic state and warn district 13 of a danger. Because of Katniss' power District 13 did not all get killed and many lives were saved. This shows that not all power is good and bad.
   In conclusion I realized that not all power is good or evil, instead I learned that its peoples choices that decide if its good or bad at the time. I also realized that power is neutral and can be swayed to a side for a small amount of time. I hope that people realize that power is a lot like people, it's our choices that make us who we are. I think the author chose to implement the different uses of power so we could learn it.

Fiction Reading Response ***Spoilers from Hunger Games***

Jaylene Miranda806ELA   Have you ever wondered if a character's world,even if its fantasy, ever had any similarities to our world? Well even if we don't realize it authors usually include little parts of our world into theirs. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is about a 16 year old girl named Katniss who participates in the brutal death games hosted by the Capitol, the government of Panem, North America, while trying to keep up an act of love with someone she will eventually kill if she wants to get out of the 'arena'. Panem and the world we live in now are very similar.   
   Panem and the world we live in now are very similar. For example, in chapter 18 of The Hunger Games after Rue has bled to death Katniss says, "I’ve lost the will to do the simplest tasks, to do anything but lie here..." This is similar to our world because when somebody close dies people can fall into depression and just loose the will to live or move, like Katniss. Katniss said she didn't want to move but, unlike people who have lost someone Katniss was fighting for her life. I also think she was motivated by the promise she made to Rue saying that she was going to win and Katniss didn't want to break it. Another example is in chapter 1 Gale Hawthorne, Katniss' best friend, says, "Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it." This quote shows many similarities. One similarity is the fact that most people run away from their problems like Gale wanted but, people like Katniss held them back and stopped them. Another similarity this quote shows is, most people show arrogance and say they can do anything and it looks like Gale is implying that he can survive in rebellion, whether he can or can't. This shows similarities between Panem and Our world.     
    Although it may not be intentional many authors implement real world characteristics to the book world. I think the author implemented bad similarities to show us that we can change for the better. I think the author chose to put in characteristics that make the worlds different so people can relate to the book. I personally agree with making worlds similar because its allows teenagers to relate without having to open up to somebody when they don't want to.

No Job? Get Lost!: A Non-Fiction Reading Response

  The article, "No Job? Get Lost!" written by Andrew Higgins published in Upfront Magazine is about Norway's northernmost territory, Svalbard and its requirements to live there. The beginning of the article talks about the requirements of living in Svalbard and what is illegal. Then, the article talks about the effects these laws had on citizens. And, finally the article talks about the trouble polar bears cause and how citizens deal with them. I think Andrew Higgins is trying to tell us that living in Svalbard can be safe.
    Andrew Higgins uses different crafts to prove that living in Svalbard can be safe. One craft the author uses is by quoting a powerful political figure that lives in the location. In this case it's Governor Odd Olsen Ingero, who says, "It is a very quite and law abiding society." By using this tactic the author makes us believe that because it comes from a resident, a very political resident, it must be true. Another tactic the author uses is using descriptions of every day life to how how the residents feel about living there. One description showing this is, "Residents regularly leave their car and snowmobile keys in the ignition and don't bother locking their front doors." This shows how residents feel about Svalbard and what they do regularly to prove it. this tactic is used to draw the reader into thinking nothing bad happens in Svalbard and how safe people feel there.This shows how the author uses different crafts to prove that living in Svalbard can be safe.
    In conclusion, the author uses interesting crafts to sway the reader into thinking living in Svalbard is safe. I realized that the people in Svalbard feel so safe that they leave their belongings  powered, left alone for a certain amount of time, and leave their front doors unlocked. I don't feel like that is right. It is still good to be cautious even though you are safe. In the article it said wild polar bears attack citizens some times so why would somebody leave their door unlocked if anybody can get in, even a polar bear, and attack them.

Darkness Too Visible Response

     The article, "Darkness Too Visible," by Megan Cox Gurdon is about how young adult books are too dark and inappropriate for teenagers. The beginning of the article is about Amy Freeman and how she was looking for a book for her daughter but, found all these 'dark' books. Then MCG, Megan Cox Gurdon, talks about ‘dark’ books and how they affect teenagers and what we, the people, can do to help. MCG ends with a counter claim to throw us off. Megan Cox Gurdon is trying to sway readers into thinking about banned books and how the ‘darkness’ in them affects YA’s.

     The author, Megan Cox Gurden, uses different crafts to support and elaborate on her opinion. For example, in the beginning of the article the author uses a narrative about Amy Freeman to show all the horrifying topics YA books hold. Although the author shows Amy Freeman’s perspective about YA books, she did not include Ms. Freeman’s 13 year old daughter’s perspective. The author compares the older generation to the younger generation instead of asking young adults about their opinions on books. MCG also uses repetition of the word ‘dark’ to make readers feel like YA topics are terrible, horrifying topics that even adults cannot read.

     In conclusion, I don’t agree with MCG’s opinion about YA books. One reason why is because YA books can show the struggles average teens face but with a different spin. Another reason is YA books not only show a problem with their world it shows problems with the real world. For example, in Harry Potter, Harry’s world struggles with classism like our world struggles with racism. YA books also show us how to overcome problems in many different ways and shows us what can happen in the real world. These are only some reasons why I disagree with Megan Cox Gurdon.

 

Divergent And Insurgent by Veronica Roth *Spoilers!*

Jaylene Miranda

806

“My conclusion,’ she explains, ‘is that you display equal aptitude for Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite. People who get these kind of result are… Divergent.” For Tris and other Divergents being different is dangerous, and dangerous people may do things they don’t necessarily like. The Book Divergent by Veronica Roth is about 16 year old Beatrice, Tris, and the struggles she faces as a divergent transferring factions. Insurgent, the second installment of the Divergent Trilogy, by Veronica Roth is about Tris and how she gets dragged into war against Jeanine Mathews, Erudite, and the dauntless traitors who work with her. In both stories emotions fly high and all over the place. I think Veronica Roth is trying to show how emotions can takeover and make somebody do something they won’t typically do.

            In Divergent, when Tris and her mother were about to slip away from the dauntless under simulation Tris’ mother, Edith Prior, gets shot by a Dauntless soldier to let her daughter find freedom. In the text, Tris states, “They killed my mother. I point my gun into the alley and fire blindly… Just one set of footsteps now.” (445) Tris is usually described as a small, shy girl who is innocent and shows no real emotion but, in this part of the book Tris’ rage overcame her actions. Tris could’ve knocked the Dauntless out because they had no control over their actions but, because she was filled with rage and pain, she killed them all, even her best friend, Will, so they could feel her mother’s pain. This informs readers of Tris' fury at losing her mother and how she distributed it to her mother’s murderers. It also shows how Tris did something she will later regret but, because she was furious she did it anyway.

            In Insurgent, after entering Jeanine’s private laboratory, Tris sees Tori standing over a broken Jeanine threatening to kill her. After grappling Tris says, “I hear her murmur her brother’s name – George Wu—and then I watch the knife go in again. And Jeanine’s eyes turn to glass.” This is important because in Divergent Tori is described as a placid, tranquil woman who doesn’t show emotion but, in Jeanine’s lab Tori had a wild look in her eyes and fell into an enraged state instead of her usual persona. Tori let her displeasure for Jeanine take over and killed her brother’s murderer before getting the information that can change the factions. This shows that Tori didn’t listen to her rational side and just let her emotions do the work for her.

            In conclusion, Veronica Roth showed how emotions can takeover someone and force them to do unthinkable things. People can learn how to control their emotions and think rationally after reading this book. This book can show you the one of many things that can happen if you lose the battle of will between your emotions and yourself. This book also shows that people have to think fast to get something and use emotions to fuel their determination but, people shouldn't let their emotions tell them what to do.

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

    Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by J.K. Rowling is a fantasy novel about a boy named Harry who is a wizard and goes to a wizarding school called Hogwarts. At Hogwarts all Harry wants is to be normal, but Harry is far from it and, when Harry's name comes of of the Goblet of Fire his life takes a turn for the worst. I think a theme in the book revolves around  bullying and how it affects people.

    I think a theme of the book is about bullying. For example, on page 298 Draco Malfoy and the Slytherins were outside of the potions classroom wearing badges that stated 'Support CEDRIC DIGGORY- the REAL Hogwarts champion!' After Harry had read the badges Malfoy began taunting him, "Like them, Potter?' Said Malfoy loudly as Harry approached. 'And this isn't all they do-- look!' He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green: POTTER STINKS!" What Malfoy did is a form of bullying called verbal bullying. Verbal bullying is attacking somebody with words and not necessarily fists or a weapon but, it is still bullying and they both hurt. Another example is, on page 541 after Rita Skeeter, a reporter, lies about Harry's relationship with Hermione, when Hermione gets hate mail saying, "'Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you...' 'You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn...' Ouch!' She had opened the last envelope, and yellowish-green liquid smelling strongly of petrol gushed over her hands, which began to erupt in large yellow boils." This shows another form of bullying and how it affected the victim. In this case Hermione started crying and had to go the infirmary. This shows how bullying can be a theme in The Goblet Of Fire.

    In conclusion, I believe that a theme of the book is about bullying and the effects on people. In books and in the real world bullying is a major problem and causes many different things to happen to a person and it is up to us to stand up and speak loud to stop bullying.