Reading Response: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

   Recently, I read 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chobsky, and it was an amazing book. It is split into four parts of diary entries from Charlie, a freshman in high school. Charlie is a young boy who has some issues, which as the reader finds out later, come from being sexually abused by his aunt Helen when he was little. The story focuses on how Charlie survives high school, socially and academically. When he meets his two best friends, Sam and Patrick, his life is momentarily turned around. The nightmares he had from aunt Helen became less frequent, and he didn't feel as lonely. Charlie goes through many teenage experiences, ranging from drugs, alcohol, sex, and relationships, and often they cause him to forget about his depression.

   This book is a lot more than just young adult fiction, it has a very captivating quality to it that will attract many readers. The moral of the story is to keep living your life, to not let depression or unhappiness get in your way, and I think that is a great moral which applies to people of all ages. Even when Charlie figured out that his aunt had touched him, he continued through high school and didn't let his troubling past hinder him.

   In the book, Charlie is treated unfairly, especially by his parents and peers. Whenever he tries to express himself it is frowned upon, and even though his parents love him, they often become frustrated over the amount of nightmares he has about Aunt Helen. He begins to drink and experiment with drugs to make friends, and that takes him down the wrong path, as he loses his friends because he was awful to his girlfriend. The issues of peer pressure, drugs, unhappiness, and alcohol are present in the book, and peer pressure especially affects Charlie because he is so desperate to have a good high school experience with friends.

   In conclusion, I loved this book, it was a memorable read and in the end, I felt like I had learned an important lesson. Stephen Chobsky is an extremely talented author. The diary entries he wrote made it seem like he was actually a fourteen year old boy, which helped me visualize the story much better. This book was incredible and I highly recommend it.

 READING RESPONSE: MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE BY ANNABEL PITCHER

   I recently started reading a terrific yet saddening new book titled My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher. This book is written from the perspective of a young boy, whose sister was killed in a terrorist attack. The boy has to deal with his family being torn apart over the loss. He struggles to understand what has happened to his life; his mother has left, his father became an alcoholic, and his other sister is in deep depression.

   James, the young boy, has been raised by his father to hate muslims (it was a muslim who committed the terrorist attack that killed his sister),but eventually he overcomes this absurd obstacle and rather guiltily, becomes friends with a muslim girl. I predict that James' father will find out about his newfound friendship and will be extremely furious with him. James will probably not listen to his father's tormenting words and will remain friends with the muslim girl,Sunya. I can relate to James, and his confusion of the loss of loved one, sometimes I, like James, like to feign ignorance and pretend that the loved one is still with me. 

   Some issues in the book include death, alcohol, cheating, and lying. The issue of death is treated as a sacred topic in the story, for example, the father still acts as if Rose is alive, and enforces a rule that no one says the word 'dead' in the house. The issue of cheating is kept almost like a secret. Jamie's other sister, Jas, never talks about the fact that their mother abandoned them because of an affair, and the father drinks in order to avoid the subject.

   The author of this book, Annabel Pitcher, is a wonderful writer. She choses to present her work in such an artistic way, with multiple flashbacks and descriptive moments. These tools definitely make the story more enjoyable. I think the author wants us to consider what death can truly do to someone, and how it can destroy someone's whole life. She wants us not to just think about the subject of death, but of the experience of knowing someone who went through it. I often wonder why she chose to write the book through the eyes of a small boy. But now I think it is because it emphasizes the pain and confusion the entire family must be feeling. This book is very emotional but enjoyable and I am eager to continue reading it.

Faithful Elephants Theme Essay

By Isobel Weiner 813

 

 

   The picture book 'Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War' by Yukio Tsuchiya is a story about the suffering of the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan at the end of World War II. The story focuses on the tale of three Elephants, John, Tonky, and Wanly, who are sentenced to death by the Japanese Army for fear that bombs will drop and set them loose. The zookeepers murder the Elephants for the safety of the Japanese people, showing how sacrifice for the common good is a central theme of the passage.



   An example of how sacrifice plays an important role in the story can be found in paragraph six. "What would happen if bombs hit the zoo? If the cages were broken and dangerous animals escaped to run wild through the city, it would be terrible!" The zookeepers sacrificed all the lions, tigers, leopards, bears, big snakes, and eventually, the three elephants. By doing this, they protected the people from potential carnage that the bombs could cause.

  A second example of sacrifice being a central theme of the story is  in the seventh paragraph. The author describes how the zookeepers did everything in their power to make John's death quick and painless, which is a true example of love and sacrifice. "John loved potatoes, so the elephant keepers mixed poisoned potatoes with the good ones when it was time to feed him". When that didn't work, the keepers tried to inject poison into his body. That method didn't work either, so eventually they were forced to starve him, even though it clearly pained them to see the elephants die in such a cruel way.

   A final example of how the theme of sacrifice is included in the book is from the quote "The zookeepers wanted so much to keep Tonky and Wanly alive that they thought of sending them to the zoo in Sendai, far north of Tokyo. But what if bombs fell on Sendai? What if the elephants got loose and ran wild there? What would happen then?" Sacrifice means giving up something you love for the benefit of others or for the greater good. This quote shows how much the zookeepers adore Tonky and Wanly, but deep inside they know that killing them is the best option for the Japanese people, so they sacrifice their beloved elephants.

   In conclusion, a main idea of 'Faithful Elephants' is sacrifice, shown through the decision to kill the elephants for the Japanese people, the attempted painless deaths, and the way the zookeepers frantically searched for another option besides murder. Tsuchiya wants the reader to understand how war can affect everyone and make them do things they never imagined themselves doing, like sacrificing something they love.

READING RESPONSE: A LONG WALK TO WATER BY LINDA SUE PARK

   Over the summer, I read a book called 'A Long Walk to Water' by Linda Sue Park. The book was told in two perspectives, one of a girl named Nya, and the other of a boy named Salva. The story starts with Salva, an 11 year old boy living in Sudan in 1985. One day when Salva is in school, an explosion from the ongoing war is heard and he runs away, only to be separated from his entire family. Salva continues walking towards a perceived safe camp in Ethiopia, sometimes in groups and sometimes alone, struggling to survive the harsh desert weather and constant hunger for a morsel of food. Eventually Salva and his companions reach the refugee camp, only to be forced out in 1991 and having to cross dangerous rapids full of crocodiles, where thousands are killed. Being one of the lucky people who survived the river, Salva takes it upon himself to lead the 1,200 orphaned boys to another refugee camp in Kenya.

   Nya is a young girl living in Sudan in 2008. Her whole life revolves around water and having to fight the constant battle of survival. Each day Nya must embark on an eight hour walk to the pond to gather water for her and her family. In the Dry season, Nya's family moves to an area with a dry lake bed, in which they must dig through mud and dirt until water trickles in.

  After Salva spent many years in the refugee camp he is chosen to go live in Rochester, NY with his new family. Salva adjusts to a new life and even learns English, and soon he develops the idea of building wells in Sudan for all those who struggle to find drinkable water. When Salva travels back to Sudan, he is reunited with his family, and he begins drilling wells throughout Sudan. Here he meets Nya as he is drilling a well in her town and building a school for both Sudanese boys and girls, allowing Nya to go to school for the first time ever.

  In conclusion, I greatly enjoyed the book and it was very moving how Nya and Salva's stories combined in the end. Linda Sue Park is a highly talented and descriptive author, and I highly recommend this book.

READING RESPONSE: THE GIVER BY LOIS LOWRY

My group has finished 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry, and it was an excellent book. It is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a perfect world where everything is the same. No one has a distinctive personality, people are given children by applying for them, and most importantly, no one can make their own decisions as everything is chosen for them by the committee of elders. Children go through stages in this prefect world, from year one, where they are named, to year twelve, where they are given an assignment. Jonas is the eldest child in his family unit of four. He is 12 and is about to be given a job in the ceremony of 12. Surprisingly, he is given the most prestigious yet dangerous job of receiver of memory. He is trained by a man named the giver who holds all the memories of the past, which he must transfer onto Jonas. Jonas goes through the adventure of receiving these memories. From simple memories about riding a sled, to traumatizing memories of hunger in Africa. The memories change him and the way he sees the world completely. He becomes wise and knowledgeable, just like the giver. Jonas soon comes to realize that it is unfair for the people of the community to be deprived of memories and making choices. He decides that the community must change. With the help of the giver, Jonas chooses to leave the community and go to elsewhere, a place beyond the community where rebellious citizens had been banished. When Jonas leaves all his memories will be let loose and the citizens will become aware of what they had been missing. Jonas departs on the long and difficult journey, facing some of the memories the giver had told him about. Eventually he reaches Elsewhere, and his mission to change his community is successful.

My earlier prediction, that Jonas would become close with the giver came true. Although some of the memories were harsh and depressing, it only made Jonas connect with the giver on a deeper level. This book was amazing, and I highly recommend it.

READING RESPONSE: THE GIVER BY LOIS LOWRY

I have started to read 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry with my book club. The book focuses on the challenges faced by the protagonist, Jonas. Jonas is a twelve year old boy who lives in a perfect world where everyone's life is planned out for them. When Jonas undergoes the ceremony of twelve, which is when each child is assigned a role in the community, he is singled out to train with the receiver of memory, who he later calls the giver. The giver holds in his mind all the memories from the past, which he will give to Jonas, as he is becoming too old.

I predict that Jonas will develop a close relationship with the Giver, because judging by their first meeting, the giver is very keen to tell Jonas the truth about the past. As his first lesson, he gave Jonas the memory of snow, and Jonas decided to trust and respect the giver. I think this trust will increase with each meeting.

The author, Louis Lowry, is very talented. She writes very descriptive flashbacks to the past, such as when the giver is transmitting his memories to Jonas. I am highly enjoying this book, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

READING RESPONSE: THE GREAT GATSBY BY F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

I just finished The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and it was amazing. It is a captivating story about a man who rose from rags to riches in the hopes of winning the love of a woman. This man was called Jay Gatsby and he was madly in love with a woman named Daisy. Unfortunately Daisy had married another man, so Jay threw extravagant parties in the hope that she would notice him again, as they had a romantic history. Eventually they became involved again, but Daisy's husband, Tom, found out and everything went downhill from there. Tom's mistress was run over accidentally by Daisy, and Jay took the blame. Then the husband of the mistress was so distraught that he swore to murder his wife's killer. He tracked down Gatsby and shot him. In the end no one attended Gatsby's funeral except for Nick Carrway, his one true friend. Daisy didn't even pay her respects, she just wound up with Tom, the horrible man who cheated on her, which I suppose she deserved because she let Gatsby get killed for something she did.

This story has a very interesting moral, which really got me thinking. I think the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, wanted the reader to understand that having to change so much for someone isn't worth it. Mr. Gatsby had to become rich and live in a mansion in order for Daisy to even consider him again, and in the end she didn't even attend his funeral.

My previous prediction that Nick would uncover the secret behind Gatsby's wealth became true. Gatsby had become involved in a gang called Wolfshine which sold drugs and other things for large sums of money. This way, he could use his quickly earned money to impress Daisy.

F. Scott. Fitzgerald, the author of the great Gatsby is very talented. He is excellent in writing flashbacks and is very descriptive of the 1920's time period. I love how he describes the party, as it makes me feel as if I am there.

In conclusion, I loved this book, and I highly recommend it.