Reading Response On "Six Months Later"

         In the book "Six Months Later" by Natalie D. Richards the message is that you have to be careful of your actions.  You can't trust everybody you know even if you like them.  "Six Months Later" is about a girl named Chloe who falls asleep in Study Hall and when she wakes up she can't remember the last six months of her life.  Earlier she was an average student, but now she is the student with the best grades for Ivy league schools.  Before she didn't have an opportunity with this jock, that she had a crush on named Blake. However now he's her boyfriend. Previously Maggie and her were best friends, but now Maggie won't talk to her. Chloe is confused.  Remembering might damage her.   Chloe thinks that her memory loss was on purpose, but nobody believes her.

         For Chloe, depending on the people she knew wasn't clever.  She was in a study group in July with  Adam and Blake and that's how she got to learn and know more things about Blake and they, eventually became a couple.  Trusting Blake was not a good idea. Blake's dad, named Daniel was the reason Chloe lost a chunk of her memory. Blake is now her ex boyfriend and Adam, her friend, she becomes to love him. Adam says to chloe, after they've been hanging out for several months,"you were right.  Part, right anyway.  Your memory loss was an accident, Chlo but it wasn't natural.  Daniel Tanner was testing that chemical in our study group.  I don't know how or why, but he wants to sell it.  And apparently we were the guinea pigs."  Only two people in Chloe's study group lost their memory, Julien and Chloe because one of the symptoms of the chemical was memory loss.

         For Adam, chloe's friend trusting Daniel Tanner was dreadful! Daniel Tanner lied to Adam's face.  Adam tells Chloe he got hired by Daniel Tanner to monitor their study group.  Daniel Tanner said to Adam that he wanted him to "peer the information on the relaxation techniques." Adam says that Daniel "fed him a bunch of crap about subliminal messaging and meditation, but he never" told Adam what he was really doing to their study group.  Adam also says to Chloe that Daniel Tanner "sold it to the school board as a big community service project, and he sold it as my only way out of this shit-hole town and I bought it Chloe."  Chloe ends up forgiving Adam for what he did and they end up dating.  This example shows that you can't depend on  people you know even if they seem innocent.

         In the book "Six Months Later" by Natalie D. Richards is a story about a teenager named Chloe who goes into a deep sleep and was aroused in the middle of May, and can't recollect the last half year.  Daniel Tanner ends up being the person who caused everything.  At the end of the book, Chloe stabs Daniel with the help of Maggie and Adam, with his own chemicals that he created and he gets arrested. Blake, Chloe's ex-boyfriend was working for his dad Daniel Tanner by dating Chloe to know where she was at all hours of the day.  This story is missing the perspectives of Daniel Tanner, Blake, Adam, and Maggie.  I think the author did this because she wanted the reader to see the issues in Chloe's life and how she dealt with them with the people she became to know.  In conclusion be cautious of your actions and you can't rely on all the people you are familiar with.

             

Argument Essay: Should YA fiction Be Limited?

Should YA fiction be limited? 

For the past 40 years YA fiction has been judged on if their grim inappropriate tales were acceptable or not for teens to read. 40 years ago there was simple literature, but in the 1960s everything changed.  Hinton published The Outsiders in 1967 which was considered violent. This book started an era of scary books for teens.  YA literature should be limited because they have become more gruesome, violent, and profane, which has had bad effects on teens, making them “grow up too quickly.”

YA literature, even though it teaches lessons, has become “too dark” for teens to read. In the article “Darkness Too Visible,” by Meghan Cox Gurdon, she says, “in Jackie Morse Kessler’s gruesome, but inventive 2011 take on a girl’s struggle with self-inquiry, “Rage,” a teenage Missy’s secret cutting turns nightmarish after she is the victim of a sadistic sexual prank. She had sliced her arms to ribbons, but the badness remained, staining her insides like cancer.”  Another example of a dark book is in the same article “Darkness Too Visible” it states “in Andrew Smith’s 2010 novel, The Maybury Lens, young Jack is drugged, abducted and nearly raped by a male captor. After escaping, he encounters a curious pair of glasses that transport him into an alternate world of almost unimaginable gore and cruelty.  Moments after arriving he finds himself facing a wall of horrors, covered with impaled heads and other dripping black-rot body parts.”  These books portray that YA literature has become more gory.  Although some people connect to the situations in these books, most teens matured suddenly by reading them.

YA literature has an enormous amount of violence and sex, and parents should shield their kids from these books.  The article “Darkness Too Visible” by Meghan Cox Gurdon states, “how dark is contemporary fiction for teens? So dark kidnapping and pederasty and incest and brutal beatings are now just a part of the run of things in novels directed, broadly speaking at children from the ages of 12 to 18.”  According to the article,“The ‘sick-lit’ books aimed at children; It’s a disturbing phenomenon.  Tales of teenage cancer, self-harm and suicide,” by Tanith Carey, most YA literature “are also liberally peppered with sex and swearing. The blurbs for “teen sick-lit’ as it’s become known trip over themselves to promise their books will drive readers ‘to tears’ or leave them “devastated.”  These YA books influence mischievous behaviors on teens making them think that they can swear, take inappropriate actions wherever and whenever they wish. Parents can be overprotective, but for this subject matter they have proof why they’re right.  In life we need our parents to lead and teach us lessons, even if they appear to be insane.  

Some people think that parents shouldn’t protect teens from YA literature because they can’t shut them off from the outside reality. Some teens can relate to the situations that occur in YA books and know they’re not alone. Also teens learn morals from reading these books that can help them in the future. The article “Darkness Too Visible” by Gurdon says, “that books focusing on pathologies help normalize them and in the case of self-harm, may even spread their plausibility and likelihood to young people who might otherwise never have imagined such extreme measures.”  Another article “Has young adult fiction become too dark?”,by Mary Elizabeth Williams states “that’s why it matters; why, in the name of protecting teens, we can’t shut them off from the outlet of experiencing difficult events and feelings in the relative safety and profound comfort of literature.”  However, parents aren’t excluding teens out of the real world by not allowing their children to read YA fiction, the parents are just protecting their kids from learning these things too soon. Even though some teens associate with the events in the books, most teens mature rapidly and lose their innocence by reading them. Parents aren’t shielding their kids from experiencing difficult events and feelings by denying their kids from reading these  books because teens will have those activities later on in their lifespan and learn what to do then.  Lastly, teens don’t have to learn lessons from these YA books, they can be taught by their parents. 

For the last 40 years YA literature has had an argument, on if they are too gloomy or not for teens to read.  It is the opinion of most people that YA fiction “has gone too far.”  Parents are worried about their teens reading these books. YA literature should be limited because they have become more gruesome, violent, and profane, which has bad effects on teens, making them develop instantly. In conclusion if teens were banned from reading YA fiction it might be preserving their innocence, so they won’t lose it immediately.   

   

Reading Response On "Clarity"

              In the book "Clarity" by Kim Harrington the message in this book is protecting the ones you love, before others makes more trouble than you already have.  "Clarity" is about a teenage girl named Clarity "Clare" Fern, that can see things nobody else can see.  When Clare touches a certain object, visions appear to her.  This is a gift and a curse.  Then a girl named Victoria Happel is found murdered in Clare's town, her ex-boyfriend Justin asks Clare to help solve the case.  Clare is still enraged at Justin for cheating on her, but when her brother Perry becomes the prime suspect, she has to help justin.  Clare ends up working with Justin, the hot detective's son Gabriel, and the police on this case.
             For Clare, when protecting family, before others it just made her situation worse.    Perry has a special power too, he can talk to ghosts that are dead relatives of the people sitting in front of him in the room.  When Perry tells Clare he slept with Victoria Happel the night she got killed, he says that she has to tell the police.  Perry states "That makes me the top suspect.  Hiding that information would make  you an accessory or whatever."   Clare says "Screw the police and screw Justin.  Family first.  Keep your trap shut."  Clare knows that she has to shield her brother from everybody.  Later on in the story the police find out that Perry was with Victoria Happel the night she got killed because they see it in a video.  This example shows that protecting the ones you love can create problems.
              For Justin, protecting the one he loves, before himself made this event painful for him.  Justin cares a lot about Clare.  After he cheated on Clare he realized it was a mistake right away.  Justin has apologized several times.  He believes that Clare and him have a chance in getting back together because they still love each other. Clare is the one, the first girl he fell in love with.  Towards the end of the book he risks his life at the  last second, and instead of Clare being shot by the murderer, Justin gets shot!  At the end of the story Justin gets rushed to the hospital in time and doesn't die.  In the hospital Justin says "being shot sucks.  I'll be honest.  But it was worth it if it saved you." 
                 In the book "Clarity" by Kim Harrington is about a teenage girl named Clare Fern that has the ability to see images when she touches particular objects that are important to people.  When a girl named Victoria Happel gets murdered in Clare's town, Clare ends up working on the case using her powers to help the police whenever she can.  At the end of the book Justin, Gabriel, and Clare end up finding the murderer  Stephen and he gets arrested.  Stephen was Clare's friend he was a teenage boy! Stephen only murdered Victoria because  his mom, Cecile wanted him to. You can't trust everyone you know, even if they are your friends.  The message in this book is that guarding the people you care about before others has its consequences.  In conclusion Clare was Brave to protect and stand up for her brother Perry.

Non-Fiction Critical Analysis

          The article "Should young adult books have age ratings?" by Husna Haq wants us to know that YA books should have age ratings, so then kids will become better and the parents will be relaxed.  One thing that Husna does is she quotes Taylor, the author of the Vampire Labyrinth Series, to show that making age-ratings systems would guide the parents on what books they should allow their children to read.  Husna Haq also quotes Patrick Ness, the author of "Monster Calls", to portray that teens only like to read about the darkness.  She also quotes Charlie Higson, to show that some people think that having age-ratings is unnecessary.  These examples show that age-ratings are good for parents and kids, even though some children want to read those grim books.
           Husna Haq convinces you that age-ratings systems are needed everywhere, in schools and all around the world.  She accomplishes this by stating the reasons why we need age-ratings systems.  For example, Husna quotes Taylor, "I think the way forward is a certification system for books, the same way we have in films.  For children, we've got to be really careful.  We've got to have a guide for parents."  In this article Husna only quotes three people because there is so much debate on whether we should have age-ratings on YA literature, that she just wants to make her point clear on this topic, that we need age-ratings on these books.  Husna only includes adults opinions on this subject, because they lead their child's life and know what's best for their child.  Husna doesn't quote any teens on this topic because most of them have different opinions compared to hers.
           Husna Haq hasn't convinced me fully that we should have age-ratings on YA literature because she doesn't give enough evidence to support her claim.  She only quotes one person to support the claim, Taylor, the author of the Vampire Labyrinth Series.  There shouldn't be age-ratings for YA books because then some of these books will be taken out of kids hands that want to read them.  Husna also only states what adults opinions are on this subject because most teens go against her.  In order for me to be on Husna's side, she would have to quote more people that supported  her claim and I would have liked her to quote what some teens said on this topic.

Reading Response on "Just Listen"

In the book “Just Listen” by Sarah Dessen the theme is that “you’ve got so many do overs in your life, if you can’t change your past, alter your future.”  “Just listen” is a story about a girl named Annabel in high school, when she’s modeling her picture is perfect, but her real life is not near perfect.  Annabel’s got her friend Owen, he’s nice, music-obsessed, and always tells the truth.

For Annabel, being friends with one person can change your life in a whole new way.  In the beginning of the school year she stopped talking to her friends, and people in general because over the summer her best friend Sophie and her had a nasty fight, they aren’t friends anymore.  Annabel sits next to Owen every day at lunch silently, and one day when she needs him most he talks to her, this is the start of their friendship.  They end up falling in love.  Owen makes Annabel a better person.  For example, Owen influences Annabel in liking to listen to Music. Owen states “music is a total constant.  That’s why we have such a strong visceral connection to it, you know?  Because a song can take you back instantly to a moment, or a place, or even a person.”  Also Owen courages Annabel to tell the truth.  Annabel states “the truth sometimes hurts.  I just don’t like to hurt people.  So sometimes you know, I won’t say exactly what I think, to spare them that.” Lastly Owen makes Annabel do what she believes in, and he helps her be herself instead of being someone else.

For Owen,  Annabel is beautiful, and too nice.  Annabel influences him to realize that it doesn’t matter what anybody thinks of you.  Annabel shows him that he can be brave, and tough.  He loves to criticize Annabel in any way.  Annabel helps Owen be calm and deal with is anger issues.  Owen states “anger is inevitable.  Anger Management is just what it sounds like: it’s supposed to help you deal with it.”  Owen cares for Annabel so much that when she told him she was raped by this boy named Will Cash, Owen punched him in the face.  He got grounded for Annabel, and he didn’t care.   Owen loves Annabel the way she is, they are such a  nice match. As you can see Annabel makes Owen less intense as a person.

In the book “Just Listen” by Sarah Dessen it’s about this teenage girl named Annabel who looks like she has everything, but her life is far from complete.  Owen is Annabel’s best friend, he’s caring, passionate about music,  and loves Annabel.  Owen gave Annabel a song called Just Listen, this song symbolizes Owen and Annabel’s lovely relationship.  The theme in this book is that you have so many chances in your life,  that if you can’t modify the past, you should change your future.  In conclusion be careful of your actions, one choice alters your life in so many ways.

Argument Essay

Should We Be Prepared For Ebola In Our Country, The U.S.?

                   Ebola is a nasty virus.  The largest Ebola outbreak in history was this year in West Africa.  People are getting nervous, but here in the United States, you shouldn’t be.  The virus Ebola doesn’t travel through the air, in order, to get infected you have to come into contact with fluids from an infected person.  Ebola virus particles attack the immune system, kidneys, the cells that line blood vessels, and the liver when they are inside a person.  We should be prepared for Ebola in the U.S. because its deadly and spreads quickly.  Therefore, if Ebola keeps on spreading and there is an outbreak in the U.S. we’ll be prepared.

                   The first reason we should be prepared for Ebola in this country is because people are scared of the virus.  In the article “The deadly  Ebola virus is ravaging West Africa - and alarming the rest of the world” by Patricia Smith states “healthcare workers have faced an additional hurdle: fear.  Blamed by panicked and superstitious populations for spreading the virus.”  The health workers are scared because they’ve been threatened in some places with knives, stones, machetes, and angry mobs.  According to the article “there’s no silver - bullet medicine that kills the Ebola virus.”  People have “fled in fear.”  The article “Ebola Explained: What You Should and Shouldn’t Worry About” by Nadia Drake states that Ebola is scary because “it is unknown and has a high fatality rate and requires isolation.”  Another reason why we should be prepare for Ebola is because people worry about it and there are a lot of symptoms of Ebola.  The article “The deadly Ebola Virus is ravaging West Africa - and alarming the rest of the world” states that “doctors worry that deaths from malaria, dysentery, and other treatable diseases will shoot up in West Africa.”  Ebola is causing “widespread panic” and disruption.  In the article “Signs and Symptoms” by Center for Disease Control and Prevention it states the symptoms of Ebola include “fever greater than 101.5°F, severe headaches, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, abdominal (stomach) pain, and unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising).  Lastly we should be prepared for Ebola is because “it can’t spread through the air and it isn’t contagious before symptoms first show up, when a person might unknowingly be a walking disease distributor.”  As you can see, Ebola is dangerous and we should be prepared.

                  However, many experts think that we barely have a chance of having an outbreak of Ebola in the United States and it doesn’t matter if we’re prepared.  For example in the article “the deadly Ebola Virus is ravaging West Africa - and alarming the rest of the world” by Patricia Smith states “experts say the chances of an outbreak is very slim.  As a precaution, health officials are monitoring a total of 20 airports and border crossings.  Another example is that “even if someone with Ebola were to end up in the U.S., standard hospital prevent transmission on the scale being seen in Africa.”  The last example is that it says we are prepared for Ebola, “though many healthcare workers have fled in fear, there have also been many heroes: doctors and nurses who continue to treat the sick despite the risks; janitors who clean up lethal pools of vomit and waste so health centers can stay open; drivers who venture into villages overcome Ebola to retrieve patients; and body handlers charged with the dangerous task of safety burying infectious corpses.”  All in all, most experts think there is a slim chance of an outbreak of Ebola in the U.S.

                  Ebola is fatal and spreads quickly and we should be ready for an outbreak in the U.S.  Ebola has taken many lives this year in West Africa. Even though medical doctors should be prepared for a situation like this we should be concerned due to the fact that we don’t have a proven vaccine.  In conclusion, I think that Ebola should be taken seriously and we should prepare as much as possible.

Faithful Elephants Reading Response

                   In the story "Faithful Elephants" by Yukio Tsuchiya the theme is that just because you believe something is going to happen it doesn't mean that it is.  "Faithful Elephants" is a depressed tale about these three elephants John, Tonky,  and Wanly being killed.  The zookeepers had starved John, Tonky, and Wanly because they thought the elephants were going to die by bombs dropping from the war.  
                   For the zookeepers at the zoo they believed that since there was a war going on that the three elephants and the other animals weren't safe, though that might not be true.  The story states "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!  Therefore by command of the Army, all of the lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and big snakes were poisoned to death."  The zookeepers were compassionate and showing pity to the animals in the zoo.  Lastly the story states "as it seems no other way, we must inject poison directly into his body."  As you can see the zookeepers went a little too far on thinking that they had to kill all the animals for the city to be safe.
                    For the elephant trainer if the three elephants were killed he would be lonely, miserable, and empty.  They starved the elephant John first.   John passed away 17 days later.    Then they zookeepers started starving Tonky and Wanly.  In the story it says "the elephant keepers stopped feeding Tonky and Wanly.  As the days passed, the elephants became thinner, weaker and weaker."  The elephants ears seemed too big for their bodies and the elephants were sad and hungry.  "All this while, the elephants ' trainer loved them as if they were his own children."  The elephant trainer was loving, caring, and joyful around the elephants.  The story states "the trainer could stand it no longer.  Oh, Tonky!  Oh, Wanly! he wailed, and dished to the food shed.  He carried food and pails of water to them and threw it at their feet.  Here!  he said, sobbing, and clung to their thin legs.  Eat your food!  Please drink.  Drink your water!"  Also "at last, Tonky and Wanly could no longer move.  Seeing his beloved elephants dying this way, the elephant trainer felt as if his heart would break. '  The elephants are dead! ' screamed the elephant trainer as he ran into the office.  He buried his head in his arms and cried, beating the desk top with his fist."  The elephant trainer thought he couldn't stop the zookeepers from starving his elephants and when they died he was very depressed.
                     The "Faithful Elephants" tells the story about three elephants John, Tonky, and Wanly that were put to death by the zookeepers.  The message in this story is that just because you think something is going to occur, you can't predict the future.  In conclusion don't do something because you think its going to happen, do what you think is best.