✰ A Fight Against Society ✰

Non-Fiction Super Smart Note on "A Journey Toward Acceptance and Love" by Greg Chapman

http://thisibelieve.org/essay/6/

You see a teenage girl throwing up in the bathroom, a little boy sitting alone wiping his tears away in a corner by the playground, and a college student cutting himself hoping to ease his pain…What has happened? Society. That girl in the bathroom has been bullied since 4^th grade about her weight and now she is faced with extreme eating disorders. The little boy sitting by himself is alone in this world because his mother just died and the man at college is being labeled as “girly”, “stupid”, “pathetic” every day of his life. Although you might have not had this experience, things like this happen every single day around the globe because humans just can’t stop judging each other. This was Greg Chapman’s story. Since he was little he grew up believing that being Christian was the right thing, being a white American made him one of the “better” people,  that there couldn’t be mixing between different races, etc . All of these stereotypes filling his head with ideas almost destroyed him. As he grew older and realized that he was attracted to males, he started to believe God hated him (since the Bible says it is a sin).  But as time went by he started to realize that it shouldn’t matter what others thought of him as long as he loved himself, and now he is proud of himself, successful and a real inspiration. Many people think that our society today won’t change and that there will always be the judging or teasing because we’re human and we are taught to act that way. However, I believe that our society could change any day as long as we take the initiative to do it. We don’t need to insult other people to survive, or to make ourselves feel better because in reality it never helps. Would it make you feel better if you pushed someone over the edge and made them do something crazy? No, I don’t think so. So why even bother? Also, I think that the people that are being bullied should stay strong because you only have one life and it does get better. Because of present day’s society, many people are emotionally damaged and can be hit by depression but I think that with love and hope our world could become a much more peaceful and friendly place for everyone. 

Why did he do it? : The Motive Behind Peeta Mellark's Actions SSN

Suzanne Collins’ futuristic novel The Hunger Games is a story about a girl named Katniss who volunteers for Panem’s –a country in the North American Region- annual Hunger Games which is a competition where two children –one boy and one girl- from each Twelve District are chosen to fight to the death. When her sister, Primrose Everdeen, is called out she immediately decides to take her place in order to protect her, and there is where she meets Peeta Mellark; the shy baker’s son. As Katniss gets to know him and spend time she looks at the friendly boy as more of a threat; at first he seemed friendly and nice but as the days came closer to the time for the arena Katniss knew he wasn’t trust worthy. She was completely right. As soon as the games started Peeta formed alliances with strong and skilled tributes from the wealthier Districts, and they would try to hunt down Katniss. However, as Katniss was about to get killed the author writes, ‘I’m helpless as the first hunter crashes through the trees, spear lifted, poised to throw. The shock on Peeta’s face makes no sense to me. I wait for the blow. Instead his arm drops to his side. “What are you still doing here?” he hisses at me. I stare uncomprehendingly as a trickle of water drips off a sting under his ear. His whole body starts sparkling as if he’s been dipped in dew. “Are you mad?” He’s prodding me with the shaft of the spear now. “Get up! Get up!” I rise, but he’s still pushing at me. What? What’s going on? He shoves me away from him hard. “Run!” he screams. “Run!” Behind him, Cate slashes his way through the brush. He’s sparkling wet, too, and badly stung under one eye. I catch the gleam of sunlight t on his sword and do as Peeta says…Sick and disoriented, I’m able to form only one thought: Peeta Mellark just saved my life.” (193-194) This quote shows how Katniss wasn’t as right as she thought she was. As I began reading The Hunger Games I came to the conclusion that Peeta was the “fake” and “bad guy” type, but as I came to this page my thoughts on the character took a complete turn. I went from despising him to admiring him for how he risked his own life to save Katniss’s life. However, Peeta must have had a reason to help her out in that way, because, of course, the Hunger Games is a fight-to-the-death competition. Why would he do it? Why would he risk getting killed by Cato just to protect Katniss? I came to the conclusion that it was because of love. I think that Peeta has always had feelings for Katniss ever since he met her, even when they were just little he saved her from starving to death. I predict that Peeta loves Katniss so much that he would risk his own life for her and that even though he tries to hide it he really cares for her. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is honestly an amazing and I think everyone should give it a try because it will keep you on the edge of your chair and you won’t be able to put it down. 

13 Little Blue Envelopes Super Smart Note :)

In the novel “13 Little Blue Envelopes” by Maureen Johnson the main character, Virginia Blackstone or Ginny is ordered to travel all around the by her “dead aunt”.In 13 little envelopes Aunt Peg a set of instructions to complete a certain task that she gives Ginny. Throughout her experiences with these tasks and interaction with the other people that she meets we learn about her personality and why se reacts to certain situations. The first thing that Aunt Peg orders her to do is to buy a plane ticked to fly to England and that someone will guide her from there. When she got to the country a man named Richard welcomed her into her home, and after she had a little talk with him she went to sleep. The next day when she woke up she “looked around the room.” The though, “It was strange to be walking here- not only in a different country (different country…everyone and entire ocean away…she was not going to panic)” (37). This passage shows how Ginny is not care-free and easy going but she’s the kind of person who worries a lot and is easily scared. She is older so she should be mature but the way she is dramatic gives the reader a sence of immaturity in her character. When Johnson portrayes her as such an immature character it gives away her personality and In my opinion she has not experienced any life difficulties which makes her so juvenile. Ginny's way of over-reacting will make the book more interesting because it affects interactions with others, and the way she feels. It will drag and hold the reader in the story and make it a better reading experience.

This I Believe: How To Survive Life's Tests

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100338235

              

 Kendra Jones is a professor at Wallace Community College. She is well known as being the though, mean and cold blooded. Most students see her as just another teacher who loves to “push students harder than they want to be pushed”, but behind all of this toughness is a woman with a very difficult life experience; an unbelievable but true story.

                Life experiences made Kendra the way she is; her father taught her to be strong and brave. A family of three; little Kendra was the only child also “the son” her dad “never had” she was the one “he took to the gym, the one who could run faster than the boys, the one who played all day with a broken collarbone” they spent much time together that built a strong bond. Being with her dad all this time made her tougher. The power to not give up also made her get through many complicated situation like almost getting raped, the brave Kendra writes “left an imprint of my phone on his face. I memorized details of his face and clothing. Determined to keep other women from being violated, I identified him, testified against him and made sure he went to jail.” She also saw her loving father die from harsh cancer.  This memorable character has been through so much that you should never judge a person by what they seem to be. You never know until you have been in their shoes, no one knows what they could be going through.

                In my opinion this woman was very brave by telling her great story and I think it could teach many a very valuable lesson. After reading this I thought about my life and compared it to hers and realized that I should start valuing things more and not taking all the things I have for granted. The other lesson Kendra Jones taught me was that you should never give up, there might be some hard times but I know I will get through them. No matter which way you look at her story you will learn something because Mrs. Jones is truly a woman hero. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: Super Smart Note

In “The book Thief” by Markus Zusak, Max Vandenburg is very mysterious character. He is a Jew; Jews are thought to be weak and to always stay in the dark shadows where they are unnoticeable, this is what people believed in the time of the Holocaust. However, not all Jews are the same; Max is different in many ways, he is not afraid to be who he is and he is very special, “Not many people who come from his neighborhood were fighters and if they were, they didn’t do it with their fists. In those days, they said the Jews preferred to simply stand and take things. Take the abuse quietly and then work their way back to the top. Obviously, every Jew is not the same. He was nearly two years old when his father died, shot to pieces in a grassy hill. When he was nine, his mother was completely broke. She sold the music studio that doubled as their apartment and they moved to his uncle’s house. There he grew up with his cousins who battered, annoyed and loved him. Fighting with the oldest one, Isaac, was the training ground for his fist fighting.” Max has had a very harsh past, with many difficulties and devastating events. This has probably made Max the fighter that he is today, since his father died when he was just a little boy that must have been very difficult also the fact that his mother went completely broke and they lost their home must have really affected him and led him to fight. The influence of his cousins made him a fighter as well, because they battered him and taught him how to be strong. His past makes me understand why he truly is who he is now. This is very important to the story because it helps me to figure out what kind of person Max is and why he is this way. This passage taught me that Max Vandenburg is a fighter, because of his cruel past and experiences. 

HOW I WRITE

Since I moved here I used to sit down on my green beautiful lawn and wonder about things. One day I came up with the idea of writing down a short story. Ever since that day I have been writing stories there and it is the place I come up with my best stories. My favorite time of the day is sunset and in the summer is better because I can see the mixture of colors collide into a beautiful orange sky that inspires me to write.

There are so especial items that I need to get my writing done. First I need my pink fluffy pen to write with because it is my favorite pen, and I think that it brings me good luck and its makes writing more special than just writing with an old blue or black regular pen. I also need to be in an outside environment where I can only hear the breezy sound of the wind and the quiet birds chirping, this helps me write as well as inspires me. One thing that I need is my lucky charm bracelet, however I lost this bracelet and it was very special to me because it was really old and my grandmother had given it to me and its un-replaceable. It is very important that I have these things because they help me in my writing.


I sometimes get writer’s block when I know that my writing is going to be published and other people are going to read it because you might make some mistakes that you don’t really notice and after you publish it will already be public and you can’t change it. Sadly, I have no way of getting writer’s block, but I don’t get it very often so that’s a good thing.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

by James Patterson 

Genre: Science Fiction, Action 

Excerpt on page 283-284: 

"Out of the corner of my eye, I detected a slight movement, and my raptor gaze locked on it. It was the little Ouija doohickey, the thing that "spirits" are supposed to guide across the board, pointing to certain letters, but everyone knows it's really the kids doing it. 

This one was moving with nothing touching it.

I looked around: No one was near. Angel was almost twenty feet away, not looking at it, still holding the angel bear. I waved my hand over it- there were no wires. It had touched the S and then the A. I lifted the game board and held it up, in case it was being moved by a magnet underneath. The pointer reached the V and headed toward the E.

Save.

I put the board back down as if it were red-hot.

The small black triangle paused on the T, then moved to the H. Then the E.

The.

It slid very slowly toward the W, and I frowned. It moved up and over the O, and my jaw clenched. By the time it reached the R, I was ready to throw the board across the store. Grimly, I watched as it finished. The L. The D. The M, the A, the X.

Save the world, Max. "

Imagine you were experimented on… and one day you woke up 98% human… and 2% bird… 

Six kids…

Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, The Gasman, and Angel were tested at an institution called “The School”.

  As the Flock finally escapes from “The School” they learn to survive on their own but “The School” isn’t going to let one of their most valuable experiments go. As Max is trying to help her flock survive they get an unexpected visit from Erasers which are Half-Human and Half-Wolf and are one of many other hybrid species created at “The School”. The aggressive Ari also the head of the Erasers will do anything to get Maximum and all of her friends back but they refuse Erasers start attacking them. The Erasers and The Flock are both strong but soon the Erasers take over however they only manage to take back their littlest member, Angel. Angel was one of them and they would not give up until they found her… Many challenges face them….Can they do it?

Maximum is one of the bravest characters I have ever read about; only at age 14 Max is able to take on half-human half-wolf Erasers to protect her friends. In my opinion James Patterson created Max as an inspiration character that people can consider a role model. Maximum Ride will teach about friendship and the power to achieve your goals.

James Patterson in my opinion is an amazing writer; he uses voice to enhance his writing. In my opinion James Patterson’s way of writing Maximum Ride in the first person makes his book even more detailed and extraordinary. He has the ability to grab and hold the reader’s attention from the first page to the last. Patterson’s detail and uniqueness makes him one of the greatest authors and make his books so popular. 

I recommend reading Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment to anyone who likes action, and adventure and a little suspense. However, I would recommend this book to any reader out there because it is a great book that they will be sure to love.