In the Name of Love

The Pact by Jodi Picoult is about a suicide pact, or what seems to be one at first. Emily and Chris have been friends since birth, and neither of them have childhood memories that don't involve the other. Emily suffers sexual abuse as a child, and it haunts her so that even when her and Chris's relationship turns into one of lovers, she can't feel comfortably intimate with him. Emily has a lot of pressure to go far in life, and when she gets pregnant, she decides she can't handle it, and decides to kill herself. She tells Chris of this plan, and he decides to try to stop her. As the plan develops, Chris keeps waiting to stop her, and finally, they end up with the gun to Emily's head and Chris not being able to stop it anymore. Chris shoots Emily, the person he loves most in the world, and suddenly she's gone, and it's his fault. 

So why didn't Chris stop Emily? Instead of trying to get help, as you're supposed to do for a friend who informs you of a suicide plan, Chris aides in the ending of Emily's life. The reason that Chris did this is very complex. For part of the time while Emily was planning her own death, Chris could have been in denial. 

Even though he knew that his girlfriend was suicidal, he could have not realized the full extent of the problem, or not wanted to accept it. 

My theory, and the one that seems most plausible due to the characters' relationship is that by helping Emily kill herself, Chris actually thought he was helping her. He was setting her free from a life she hated living, and he didn't want to betray her trust by telling someone of her wishes. Chris did what he thought was best for Emily, just as he had done his whole life. 

People often make mistakes, think that they can solve problems that are in reality too big for them to handle. Most of the time, this ends up in a bad situation, but in Chris's case, it ended up in the death of the person he loved most. 

"majority-minority" country

Link: The New Face of America

The article from upfront scholastic magazine, "The New Face of America", is about how more minorities are being born in America than whites.The article starts off with Jessica Ramirez explaining how since she grew up in a predominantly Latino school she never felt like a minority, even though in the overall US, she is. The article goes on to explain how a recent census of the US presented that minority births now outnumber non-Latino white births. This is happening because high immigration rates from countries such as Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines, and also because of the increasing number of mixed-race marriages. This fast rate of change is unlike any other country's in the world. Never before has there been such a racially different generational gap. It will be interesting to see where it leads in the next decades.

I think that the author wants the reader to be aware of the rapidly changing racial state of our country. In a place where people are sometimes made fun of or stereotyped for their racial differences, race is beginning to not be such an isolating factor. The nation is changing rapidly and leaving no room for racism and bigotry. I think that the author wants the reader to feel a sense of acceptance. The power to accept people and in return, to be accepted by their peers, for their race, no matter what their background.

This article makes me think about the foundation of this country, and how it was founded on ideas on equality and justice for everyone. Right now, I can think of many social divisions that don't have the equality or rights they deserve. For example, women in high power jobs, gays and marriage laws, immigrants and immigration and labor laws, and the list goes on. The only people who seem to have a fair amount of rights are straight white men, and as we can see from predicted polls, they aren't going to be the majority of people in this country anymore. This country was founded as a place for people escaping persecution to come, and the first settlers (besides Native Americans) made a life in a new place as somewhere to get away from being judged on who they were. The fact that America will soon become a "majority-minority" country is a huge step in the same direction our ancestors took when they created a place where people could live in acceptance alongside each other.

Exterior Portrayal vs. Interior Qualities

In the book, "Send Me Down a Miracle", by Han Nolan, the main character, Charity, in the beginning of the book, worships Adrienne, an artist who has come to her small time to work on her art. She sees her as a free spirit, one who isn't trapped by her hometown or close-minded like the people in her tiny town. Charity sees Adrienne as the polar opposite of her father, who's the town's preacher. She dislikes her father and strives to be unlike him, while she likes Adrienne and wants to mimic her every move.

This being said, I've noticed through the course of the book that Adrienne and "the reverend" actually have a lot in common. They're both selfish, putting themselves before others, both steadfast in their values, and both have their "escapes", The reverend's in the bible, and Adrienne's in her art. So, if they're both flawed, and rather similar people, why does Charity worship Adrienne and despise her father?

The answer to this, I think, lies mostly in the ways these two individuals portray themselves. The reverend is a serious, worrisome, composed person with a very sparse sense of humor. Adrienne on the other hand, is a seemingly carefree, openly-loving, funny, and extravagant person who is a breath of fresh air for Charity. Their differences in exterior personality, even though they may be all too similar on the inside, is how Charity decides who to model herself after.

Another reason that Charity seems to have put Adrienne on a pedestal is because her mother leaves just a few days before Adrienne comes to town, and even if Charity doesn't know it, she's subconsciously looking for a replacement. Adrienne is someone who treats her as special, and gives her love, something her father doesn't.

This book is a very interesting look on personality, human nature, religion, conformity, and coming-of-age, along with many other things. I would definitely recommend it to my classmates.

Hidden Traits

In "The Hobbit" by J. R. R. Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins, the main character of the book, undergoes a major change from the beginning of the book to the end. In the beginning of the book Bilbo is a timid Hobbit who would rather stay at home in his warm hobbit-hole than go on an adventure with 13 dwarfs and a wizard, which is what he ends up doing.

In the beginning of the book, when told that he might die on the adventure he's about to embark on, he falls on the ground and screams repeatedly, "Struck by lightning! Struck by lightning!", and then passes out from fear. However, by the end of the story Bilbo is risking his life to get gold back from a dragon, fighting goblins, and making truces between elves, men and dwarfs. Obviously, Bilbo has undergone a huge change since the beginning of the story, but what caused this change?

I think one of the reason's that Bilbo has changed so much is that he was forced to. He was kind of forced into going on the journey, but he did have a choice. I think that the brave part of him that chose to go on a perilous journey is the same part of him that stood up to all the dangerous obstacles on his journey. Over the course of the journey the part of him that decided to go on an adventure grows stronger, and he grows into an adventurous, noble hobbit, as opposed to the admittedly good-natured, but cowardly and lazy hobbit he was at the beginning of the story.

There are things in life that are difficult that can lead to us becoming better people. An example of this in my own life would be when my little brother was born. Now that I have to share with him, I feel like I've become a better role model, and a more generous person; however, when I first found out I was going to have a little brother, I was less than happy. Sometimes the things we resent immediately can turn out to be those that make us grow most as people.

A Missing Button

The book "Corduroy" by Don Freeman, was one of my favorite books when I was about 4. It's about a teddy bear who's missing a button, and doesn't think he'll ever be bought, but then gets bought by a little girl who sews back on the button. Looking back on the book, I can see a much more obvious message the author is trying to show. I think the message is that even if you aren't perfect, you can find someone who will love you, and "fix" your flaws.

While at my age it seems like kind of a cliche message, I think it's a really important one for people to learn, or at least partially identify with. The book seems like kind of a counter-statement to a lot influences that give the message that people should try to be as close to perfect as they can get. It's an important thing for little kids to learn, mostly because it's a good memory to have in their  heads when they start wanting to be perfect.

Another message I think the message gives is that it's okay to be flawed. Corduroy tries to get a button to replace his missing one, but ends up knocking over a lamp and falling over. I think this is the author's way of saying that if you try to fix your "flaws", you might end up hurting yourself. Some real world examples of this are disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. Another different example or this would be people who get plastic surgery and then get infections and various other ailments form the foreign substances in their bodies.

I like the message, because I've come to realize that it is, for the most part true. I know that I'm definitely a flawed person, but their are people who see all my flaws, and still love me, like my family, and some of my close friends. I think this is a really great message to give to little kids.

The Enduring Friendship of Harry, Ron, and Hermione

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling, something I noticed while reading the epilogue was that Harry sticks with the same group of friends for his whole life- Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. Ever since the first book, these characters have played parts in his life. If not major, the parts they play are still important to the book. Ron and Hermione are especially important to Harry, as he tells them everything and trusts them with his life.

This was interesting to me because throughout my life, my friends sometimes change. I've been close friends with someone one year and then the next year I'll barely talk to them. The cause behind this, I usually find, is that our interests aren't as similar as they once were. Even though Ron, Harry, and Hermione have different interests, Hermione's very focused on schoolwork and the liberation of House-Elves, Harry's focused immensely on defeating Voldemort, and Ron focuses on Quidditch and other things, they remain friends all throughout their years at school, and, the reader can only assume, for their whole lives.

My theory on why they don't grow apart is that they have been through many dangerous situations together, and trust each other a lot. An example of this is that in the first book, Ron and Harry weren't friends with Hermione, and thought she was an annoying know-it-all. However, after they fought the troll, it's said that "But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them…" Even though Ron and Hermione and Harry weren't all friends before this, they become closer when they go through a life-threatening situation together. 

Another I believe they all remain friends is that they're all in Gryffindor, and therefore all possess the trait of bravery. They're also very selfless people, and they make sacrifices for each other multiple times. Harry, in the first book, saves Hermione and goes on to fight Voldemort on his own, Ron, both in the first and seventh books, tries to save Hermione, and Hermione risks expulsion, which she considers worse than death, many times for Ron and Harry. 

All in all, the friendship of Harry, Ron, and Hermione is incredibly enduring, both because of the sacrifices they make for each other, and because of the life threatening situations they are in together. 

Who is someone you've had an extremely long friendship with? Why do you think it was able to be that long? 

Who is someone you would give your life for? 

Just Because It's Happening in Your Head Doesn't Mean That It's Not Real

In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling, there's a quote that Dumbledore says to Harry that really made an impact on me: "Of course it is happening inside your head Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?". Dumbledore uses this line as an answer to a simple question of Harry's, if what is happening to him right now is real or in his head, but I see this line as more of an ultimatum about life and reality. This line actually drastically changed my overall perspective on certain aspects of life.

Everyone has a different reality. Everyone has life experiences that make them see the world differently. Everyone thinks about things differently. What is reality? Well, the dictionary says this: "The world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them." So reality is "the state of things as they actually exist." What about dreams? What about ideas? Are material things not reality? Are our ideas and thoughts not really as important as maybe we thought they were? Maybe what Dumbledore is saying is that things that happen in our head should be defined as real. 

I think that one's ideas and thoughts are very important. Reality and ideas go hand in hand. Our life experiences shape how we think about the world: Reality shapes our ideas. That being said, our ideas and thoughts also shape what we make out reality, how we live our lives. I think that Dumbledore's trying to say that what is real and what is happening on our heads are very, very closely linked, and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the two. There's kind of a grey area. 

In the Harry Potter series, Dumbledore is Harry's mentor. Harry gets wisdom and advice from him constantly. Dumbledore tells him things that will help him grow as a person. This piece of knowledge, one not even explicitly presented as a piece of knowledge, is, I think, one of the most important lines in the entire seires. Dumbledore's telling us that things aren't that hard to reach, our dreams can be achieved, he's kind of making life more accessible to Harry.