I found a very interesting book that was hiding in the back of my bookshelf called The Encyclopedia of Escape. It was a bunch of memoirs written by the students at Louis D. Brandies High School. When we were told to make our blog posts about social justice and action, i figured that this book was perfect. It shows so many different sides to the truth within the lives of others. Many stories stood out to me in many different ways. Some where funny but with deeper meaning and others where really serious and frightening to think about.
The high school process makes everyones life difficult. The pressure to do well and be proud to announce your grades along with puberty really kicking in and family problems. There are also the groups. The popular people and then all of the other groups and they can all be incredibly judge mental. I have realized how it greatly affects our lives. Life as a middle schooler, soon to be in high school, is a really stressful life. To all of those who are going through what I'm going through, i hope it's easier for you and if it isn't, good luck!
Family problems and/or personal problems can take a lot away from a person. Some people complain that their parents are so annoying and they wish they where different while someone else can only dream of what that might feel like and what it really means to be able to go home and say "hi mom, hi dad". Some people can only understand what it means to have to deal with a messed up family through a book but they are really only understanding the bare minimum of it. Some people take for granted what they should cherish most in life.
One story i read was about a young man that was fighting with his father and went to his room. He managed to get stuck behind his bed when he went to hold his dog. It was called "your not greasing me out of here". After he escaped from bed frames grasp with out any help from his parents, who where laughing at him, his father said(speaking truthfully) "Well next time you get stuck, don't even bother getting me". I thought a lot about how a father could and can give up his children so quickly. To be willing to give up everything you had with them, without thinking it over means that you don't really care for this individual. It makes me wonder how many would and how many already have given up on our generation.
One huge problem with society is that they think its wrong to be gay or bisexual. It sounds to me that people think that straight is the new thing like a new pair of shoes that just came out. I support gay rights and i think that anyone should be anyway they want. Your choice of sex isn't a curse. There have been to many recent stories about gay people killing themselves and being rapped and made fun of just so other people can feel good about themselves, it shows how we, as a community, aren't able to accept gay and bisexual people. As a young girl, i used to think that it was wrong for a girl to kiss another girl or for a boy to like another boy. If thats the way we plan to raise our future leaders, then we aren't doing a very good job. Young children need to know that its okay to like who every they want to and be who every they want to be. I think that if we do this, the taunting and harassment will decrease in the future and more people will feel comfortable with who they really are.
On the cover of The Encyclopedia of Escape, there is a combination lock that has numbers that represent letters. In big bold numbers, 20-18-1-16-16-5-4, is on the cover. I used the lock to find out what the numbers meant. 20-T ,18-R, 1-A, 16-P, 16-P, 5-E, 4-D. TRAPPED. Then i realized that all of the stories in this book where about times when the authors felt trapped and weren't able to escape.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Glass Castle
This book has to be my favorite book of all time. I love all books with conflict and this book is overloaded with conflict. The amount of challenges that Jeanette Walls faced changed who she was and her perspective of life. I sometimes think, as everybody does, that my life is to complex and to much to handle and i have good reasons to think so, but this book really changed my mind and made me realize how lucky i really am.
There where many parts of The Glass Castle that broke my heart. It really helped me understand the true hardships of poverty and the way it affects the lives of people and the way they deal with it. The father of Jean (Jeannette) really stood out to me and his strange ways of living life. He didn't care what others thought or did as long as they didn't put him or his family in danger. Lastly, I thought a lot about how people can be pushy without realizing it and force someone into a life they never knew the way the father did to the mother.
There where so many things in this book that broke my heart and changed my idea of lower class life. One thing that made me want to fall down and cry was when Jean was in the hospital for deadly burns on her body ,due to the catching of fire on her dress while she was making hot dogs, and the doctors where operating on her. One of the nurses was talking her through the procedure and was saying "you will be okay" and Jeans response was "I know. But if i'm not, thats okay too". This line came out of a three year old and it amazed me how Jean was able to realize and be okay with something that not even most young adult would be able to do.
The father of Jean was a very interesting character in The Glass Castle. He had a different perspective on life and how to live it. He understood it in a way no one else did. It's sad to say,but the father didn't really accomplish much in life. Yes he was able to build The Prospector and create the plans for The Glass Castle, but he wasn't really there for his wife and kids. Jean didn't grow up the way most people do. she grew up with the bare minimum, without much food, and for a long time, a home to live in for more then a year. He was a hard person to understand and very smart, but not much of a father.
Lastly, this book made me think a lot about the was the father was able to push and convince his family to do things and go places that they didn't want to go. Multiple times Jean and her siblings did things that that they didn't want to do.They didn't want to move from house to house without time to stay a while but they knew That their father would be more then willing to leave them behind and never come back. The mother did want to live with no food, no money, and no permanent home. She loved her husband but she knew she could be living the good life. She wasn't able to leave because her love for him blocked her way.
All in all, i think this book has to be my favorite, i love dramatic books and this book gave me what i wanted. A book with what seems to be to much, but really isn't. The fact that this is a memoir only adds to the book and makes me wonder how jean managed to deal with her complex life.
There where many parts of The Glass Castle that broke my heart. It really helped me understand the true hardships of poverty and the way it affects the lives of people and the way they deal with it. The father of Jean (Jeannette) really stood out to me and his strange ways of living life. He didn't care what others thought or did as long as they didn't put him or his family in danger. Lastly, I thought a lot about how people can be pushy without realizing it and force someone into a life they never knew the way the father did to the mother.
There where so many things in this book that broke my heart and changed my idea of lower class life. One thing that made me want to fall down and cry was when Jean was in the hospital for deadly burns on her body ,due to the catching of fire on her dress while she was making hot dogs, and the doctors where operating on her. One of the nurses was talking her through the procedure and was saying "you will be okay" and Jeans response was "I know. But if i'm not, thats okay too". This line came out of a three year old and it amazed me how Jean was able to realize and be okay with something that not even most young adult would be able to do.
The father of Jean was a very interesting character in The Glass Castle. He had a different perspective on life and how to live it. He understood it in a way no one else did. It's sad to say,but the father didn't really accomplish much in life. Yes he was able to build The Prospector and create the plans for The Glass Castle, but he wasn't really there for his wife and kids. Jean didn't grow up the way most people do. she grew up with the bare minimum, without much food, and for a long time, a home to live in for more then a year. He was a hard person to understand and very smart, but not much of a father.
Lastly, this book made me think a lot about the was the father was able to push and convince his family to do things and go places that they didn't want to go. Multiple times Jean and her siblings did things that that they didn't want to do.They didn't want to move from house to house without time to stay a while but they knew That their father would be more then willing to leave them behind and never come back. The mother did want to live with no food, no money, and no permanent home. She loved her husband but she knew she could be living the good life. She wasn't able to leave because her love for him blocked her way.
All in all, i think this book has to be my favorite, i love dramatic books and this book gave me what i wanted. A book with what seems to be to much, but really isn't. The fact that this is a memoir only adds to the book and makes me wonder how jean managed to deal with her complex life.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The color purple
This book was really moving for me. It opened my eyes to what women used to have to go through. Yes i have read about Americas history and how women were treated like their only purpose was to cook, clean and entertain men. This book talked about what women went through and how they survived through it. One thing that really stood out to me was how women were only meant to pleasure men. Another thing that stood out to me was what men would do to the babies that they forcefully created. Lastly, this book made me think about how men limited what women can, and can not do.There are so many things in this book that i want to explore to get a better understanding of them, these three are a couple that i had a lot to say about.
One big thing that stood out to me was that men only thought of women as toys to pleasure themselves with. they didn't care if the women, like Celie did all of the cooking and cleaning with out any complaints, as well as taking care of the children so you didn't have to do it by yourself even though you had them with another woman. one would think that you would at least have some kind of gratitude to them. Celie would go through this everyday and have to deal with her "loving" husbands wants. i think that the men in that time period shouldn't have thought so highly of themselves if they did this to women.
Another thing that stood out to me and made me mad was that the men who forced themselves onto women, like Celie's father, would get rid of the babies. His first child with her, he killed against her wishes. The second, he sold. He was the one that created that baby so he should be the one to take care of it, not kill it or sell it. Just think about how hard it was on Celie to try to forget about those babies, not to mention, seeing one of her babies a couple years later knowing that to them, she was just another woman like every other one of them. This really made me think about how lucky i, and every one else is, to not have to deal with what Celie went through.
Lastly, this book made me think about how limited women where in that time period. all they did was clean cook, take care of the children, and "provide" for their husbands. They couldn't shop or go out with their friends like we do. they had to stay home and clean what had to be cleaned, cook meals for the day, make sure the children when doing the right thing, and be at home for their husbands. Life for us is so simple but to people like Celie, it really isn't. we think high school is stressful, i can't imagine what it would be like to have to choose the RIGHT husband.
In conclusion, i thought this book was really good and really interesting. it talked a lot about how women were afraid to stand up for themselves and had to let men over power them. this book is a good book to read if u want to learn more about our history.
One big thing that stood out to me was that men only thought of women as toys to pleasure themselves with. they didn't care if the women, like Celie did all of the cooking and cleaning with out any complaints, as well as taking care of the children so you didn't have to do it by yourself even though you had them with another woman. one would think that you would at least have some kind of gratitude to them. Celie would go through this everyday and have to deal with her "loving" husbands wants. i think that the men in that time period shouldn't have thought so highly of themselves if they did this to women.
Another thing that stood out to me and made me mad was that the men who forced themselves onto women, like Celie's father, would get rid of the babies. His first child with her, he killed against her wishes. The second, he sold. He was the one that created that baby so he should be the one to take care of it, not kill it or sell it. Just think about how hard it was on Celie to try to forget about those babies, not to mention, seeing one of her babies a couple years later knowing that to them, she was just another woman like every other one of them. This really made me think about how lucky i, and every one else is, to not have to deal with what Celie went through.
Lastly, this book made me think about how limited women where in that time period. all they did was clean cook, take care of the children, and "provide" for their husbands. They couldn't shop or go out with their friends like we do. they had to stay home and clean what had to be cleaned, cook meals for the day, make sure the children when doing the right thing, and be at home for their husbands. Life for us is so simple but to people like Celie, it really isn't. we think high school is stressful, i can't imagine what it would be like to have to choose the RIGHT husband.
In conclusion, i thought this book was really good and really interesting. it talked a lot about how women were afraid to stand up for themselves and had to let men over power them. this book is a good book to read if u want to learn more about our history.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
I read one flew over the cuckoos nest, by Ken Kesy. I thought it was one of the most amazing books that i have ever read. It was a one of a kind book for me because it was the first book that i read with the truth about mental hospitals and how the patients were treated. It made me think a lot about how some people think they are better then others for many reasons. It also made me think about how judgmental people can be. Lastly, it made me think about cruel people can be. This book really opened my eyes to how people used to treat others because they are different and how people try to hid the truth because the are ashamed to tell it.
This book made me think a lot about how some people think they are better then someone just because another person is different. The person you make fun of for being different could be smarter then you but they just have problems with saying things. This also made me think about what it means to be different and to know you are different. i am a quiet person but i do have the ability to speak when i want to and say thinks i want to say. I don't understand what it means to be unable to say whatever you want and many other people don't understand it as well, so they feel they can taunt and degrade people who they cant understand.
This book also made me think about how judgmental people can be. If someone acts different then they are assumed to be mentally ill. If someone walks different, they are mentally ill. If someone needs more time to understand something, then they are stupid. All of these things, i sure every one who is reading this has done. Some of the people who are in the mental facility are only there on another persons assumption. For example, Chief, people think he is mute and dumb because he chooses not speak and he just ignores everyone. This is the that some minds work in their messed up ways.
Lastly, this book reminds me of how cruel people can be. The way some people can manipulate others mentally is sick! It is disgusting. I think that people,like the nurse, are so intimidated by the "mentally ill" that they put up this wall to either block them out or to humiliate them by putting these thoughts into their minds that they are stupid and unable to survive on their own, and that they are walking dead people with no purpose. Some people get a thrill out of seeing other people suffer. There for, I think people who do this are the messed up ones. they should be the ones to be put into special homes to get help.
In conclusion, i think One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a wonderful book and i recommend it to anyone who needs a book to read. It is probably one of my favorite books because it is so amazing and moving in a way.
This book made me think a lot about how some people think they are better then someone just because another person is different. The person you make fun of for being different could be smarter then you but they just have problems with saying things. This also made me think about what it means to be different and to know you are different. i am a quiet person but i do have the ability to speak when i want to and say thinks i want to say. I don't understand what it means to be unable to say whatever you want and many other people don't understand it as well, so they feel they can taunt and degrade people who they cant understand.
This book also made me think about how judgmental people can be. If someone acts different then they are assumed to be mentally ill. If someone walks different, they are mentally ill. If someone needs more time to understand something, then they are stupid. All of these things, i sure every one who is reading this has done. Some of the people who are in the mental facility are only there on another persons assumption. For example, Chief, people think he is mute and dumb because he chooses not speak and he just ignores everyone. This is the that some minds work in their messed up ways.
Lastly, this book reminds me of how cruel people can be. The way some people can manipulate others mentally is sick! It is disgusting. I think that people,like the nurse, are so intimidated by the "mentally ill" that they put up this wall to either block them out or to humiliate them by putting these thoughts into their minds that they are stupid and unable to survive on their own, and that they are walking dead people with no purpose. Some people get a thrill out of seeing other people suffer. There for, I think people who do this are the messed up ones. they should be the ones to be put into special homes to get help.
In conclusion, i think One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a wonderful book and i recommend it to anyone who needs a book to read. It is probably one of my favorite books because it is so amazing and moving in a way.
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