SOLD

The book Sold deals with a young girls struggle as she is forced into a sex slavery business and the hardships of living within poverty stricken Nepal. This book is written in verse which makes it poetically beautiful and overall a stunning book. Lakshmi lives on her family’s farm in a small nepalese village. When one day her selfish step father brings home a woman who evokes glamour and mystery, Lakshmi knows that something is going to change; but she never guessed this. Soon finding herself in the backstreets of India she is jailed and sold for sex, only receiving a tiny portion of the profits she makes everyday. As she finds and loses friends, has her ups and downs, in the end Lakshmi succeeds in finding hope.

Throughout the story I feel that the perspective of the father or of Mumtaz (the sex slavery leader) were major parts that were missing. I am not proposing that the book be from three perspectives but that maybe a section of dialogue could further explain the characters motives. Being able to see better into either of these characters would provide much more insight on why things in the plot are happening. Both characters play big parts in the story so they will affect how her story plays out. The father is the one who gets her into the situation in the first place so understanding why he would put his daughter into such a horrible thing, or seeing if he was genuinely doing this to help his family or not would be interesting. Mumtaz also holds Lakshmi's future in her hands because she can decide whether or not Lakshmi can get the necessary things she needs to survive like food and water. She is never really highlighted so seeing if she enjoyed her job or if she really hates it would be important.

Lakshmis point of view is highlighted solely throughout the book. I believe that this is common when writing in verse because it is hard to get multiple peoples perspectives in when trying to deeply understand one character’s emotions. It would feel crowded and the main point of view, Lakshmi's, would be drowned by others views. I think for this specific story the perspective is fine as is but having more dialogue with her father and mumtaz would give her more of an open perspective.

At the end of the book, an american who appeared to be a client but was there to try and expose the sex slavery business appear at her doorstep. We never know if she is successfully saved or if any of the other girls were saved. I think that this conclusion to the story was slightly incorrect because I do not think that they would trade a sex slavery house just for one girl. Even the slightest hint that anyone else would be saved could definitely help the story. The author might not want us to know that because it is Lakshmi's perspective and if it is being true and honest then maybe she didn’t know what was going to happen. The perspective of Lakshmi can’t just suddenly know the ending to her story because in real life she doesn't know. You could say the perspective is rolling with the punches.

Overall, the author could have provided more insight on the overall story by adding some form of others opinions on her situation. I don’t think any major structural changes need to be made to the perspective, just doing smaller things to show what a character’s reaction to something can help the plot. I feel the poetic elegance of the entire piece would be threatened if any other perspectives were added in first person to the story. The book Sold has very little things that are needing significant change and is overall a wonderful story, but would be stronger if more perspective details were added.

YA Argument Essay

Young adult literature nowadays has evolved into a monster. The progressing debate over whether or not teens should have access to all YA books has reached a point where parents and educators everywhere need to make a decision. The horrifying images and concepts posed in some of these books can corrupt teens’ minds and are not healthy for developing adolescents. Although teenagers need to be exposed to “real life” issues in society, in many cases showing them in books can normalize these pathologies. Young adult books should be regulated on an individual child’s level of maturity.

First of all, the gruesome details and inappropriate material contained in some YA books are causing negative impacts on teenagers’ lives. For example, the article “Should Young Adult Books Have Age Ratings?” by Husna Haq for the Christian Science Monitor says,“ a recent study by Brigham Young University found young adult bestsellers have twice the rate of cursing of video games and characters who are typically portrayed as wealthier, more attractive, and more popular than their clean mouthed counterparts.” Parents across the country are already concerned about their kids using video games because they are notorious for having crude language and explicit content. If parents knew that the books their kids are reading have twice the amount of adult material, their opinions on YA literature would be stirred, and they would want to restrict access to these books. Also, kids with low self esteem may find YA concepts a beacon of hope and may resort to cursing to feel important or “cool.” Cursing is also used to show worth in books, implying if you don’t curse you are an average person with little significance; whereas, if you do curse you are of higher importance and worth. Another example of this that I found was “Driven by the engines of commerce, adolescent curiosity and whatever is in the national water, these darker books reflect what today’s faster maturing teens routinely see in their multi-media world.” If teens outlooks and ideas on the world are so heavily influenced by what is popular or “in” at the time then they may not be able to have opinions that are true to themselves . The positive of having YA books is that they can teach kids about how to deal with the real world and their futures. But very frequently, kids just want to read the books to seem cool or follow popular trends. This is hurting our youth.

Second of all, certain images and topics in YA books make children uncomfortable with their contents and may trigger relapses in teens with the issues described in the books. One example of this is in the article, “Darkness too Visible” by Megan Cox Gurdon for the Wall Street Journal. She says, “a patron complained that the book’s depiction of cutting - the cover shows a horribly scarred forearm - might cause a sufferer’s relapse. Putting someone’s life at risk for the sake of popular book material is disgusting. Some form of warning system should be placed on the cover so kids don’t have to worry for their lives while reading. This can help protect kids from any questionable or risky material that may find its way into the book. Another example I found was from the article “Teen Fiction Plots are Darker and Starker,” saying that, “The parents job is to help children decide what they should read.” Many children can not correctly determine their maturity level in terms of books because they may want to believe they are more mature than they really are. Reading YA literature can be positive for some because it can bring up family discussions about serious topics, but many families are not open to discuss or confront these issues with their children. This can end with kids feeling uncomfortable reading a book. Parents can take action and set “flexible” boundaries for their kids based off of the discussions they have had on topics found in their kid’s books. By discussing, for example, how characters in the story may stay out late and are disrespectful to their parents because of it, kids and their parents can establish a curfew, but will understand if their are exceptions.

Lastly, I pose a question: will letting YA literature decide what teens believe in and help them become independent individuals in their futures? The answer is no. We have to think about how these moral conflicts are affecting today’s youth, and when we look at it closely, it has a negative effect. One example of this, from the article by Husna Haq is, “All you have to really do is read what teenagers write themselves, and I’ve judged competitions for teenagers writing, and it’s darkness beyond anything I would come up with.” Guiding teens towards more positive and less gruesome ideas and themes will help them be more prepared for their lives beyond schools and in the real world. It is our responsibility to support and help a new generation thrive. Teens need role models who are not supporting the common beliefs of the “teenage years.” Another example of this is, “So chaos in the world becomes chaos on the page.” By putting these topics in books, a place where teens can easily access and bring world issues closer to them, we may actually be helping them feel more powerful and independent. But we may be bringing these topics too close, close enough that teens can believe that some of the ridiculous fictional stories and ideas in young adult books are almost real. These real life issues are being glorified, turned into words, and pressed onto a page where millions of teens can freely read them. Teaching teens that some of the issues shown in these books aren’t as glamorous as they seem, or giving them a reality check, may help to protect these pathological parasites from infecting their minds.

Overall, modern day literature written for young adults is negatively impacting adolescents everywhere and should have some form of restriction. This issue does not just affect kids, but the future generations to come. These teens will be the people who are running the world in 20 years. As a teenager, I used to believe that reading YA fiction was harmless and wouldn't hurt teens. Taking a step back and looking at how it is affecting teens internationally has really changed my mind on the subject. Shedding light on the topics and issues that occur throughout these books, whether it’s age ratings or more detailed blurbs describing the book’s contents, will help kids gauge what they’re reading.

A Monster Calls: Reading Response

The book “A Monster Calls” by Patrick Ness Is about a young boy who meets a monster in his backyard and becomes friends with it. The monster comes to tell tales about his past, and tries to help the boy apply them to his own life. Conor, the boy, has a mother who has cancer, no friends or acknowledgment of his existence at school, and a dad who left him for his new wife and child in America. Overall these stories help conor become a better person and let go of his dying mother.

One lesson conor learned that sometimes being seen is worse than being invisible. throughout the book, conor is trying to find ways to be seen. In some parts he even enjoys being bullied because someone is noticing him. But when the bullies realize his weakness, they just start ignoring him. This is the most painful thing for conor. The monster tells him stories with the constant theme of characters not always seeming obvious or having straight forward intentions at first glance. Looking further into these characters and their motivations shows that each character is both good and bad, evil and innocent, and has many different layers in their personalities. This shows conor that he doesn’t have to be completely ignored or completely acknowledged but can find a middle ground.

Another lesson that the monster told conor was that sometimes people’s actions are not always clear and may have good reason behind them. The monster tells the parson tale to show that although the parson cared so much about his daughters, he would disregard religion the second they were in danger. This shows that although the alchemist may not have had good intentions, the parson deserved punishment for being disloyal to his own beliefs. This applies to the dream conor has of his mother where he lets go of her while she is dangling off of the cliff. He is in denial of what he was thinking, but his actions were clear and show what he really was showing be letting go of his mother. He wanted her to die because he couldn’t deal with the constant false hope that she always gave him saying that “this new medication would work.”

The last lesson that the monster shows conor is that the monster represents destruction itself. It arrives just as his mothers medications start to fail, his school life crumbles, and is father isn’t loyal to his real family. He assists Conor in destroying his grandmothers house and beating up the bully until he “notices him.” the monster, while creating chaos in conors life, shows him that destruction isn’t always bad, and can even help you start from scratch. Conor makes resolution with his grandma and mother at the end of the book, both saying that destruction and anger was okay and are all apart of grief and acceptance. This helps him accept that he called upon the monster and realises why he needed to learn this valuable lesson.

Overall, by telling conor stories the monster helps to not only teach conor but to fix him and put him on the right track for the future. The monster almost acts like the parent that he doesn’t have, with his dead mother and abandoned father. The monster helps him transition through major parts of his life when nobody else would.

The article Should young adult books have age ratings? by Husna Haq for the CS monitor faces the heated debate over YA books in 2014 and whether or not we should restrict teens access to them. Throughout the article she shows different perspectives and groups of people, therefore displaying many different opinions on the topic. Through evidence and opinions, the author gives enough information to make your own decision on this growing conflict.

            By using more than two different opinions (i.e black and white) she gives many different ones, creating room for the readers personal opinion. For example she writes about G.P Taylor, an english writer who, after diving into the young adult fiction genre was horrified and ended his exploration abruptly. He says, “I have changed my mind. I think children's literature has gone too.” For a writer who lives off of the literature that he creates, it is a major step for him to say that he doesn’t support that genre and is even avoiding it. This is an interesting and unique perspective that we may not have considered before. Another example was an author who is against rating books. When speaking about the things teens will have to deal with in their future, he states, “So if children’s literature is not addressing that, if it’s addressing the world as it should be rather than as it is, then why would a teenager read you?” The author uses a person of the same employment but who has a different view on this movement to show that a group of people will not all have the same perspectives but may have totally varying ones. Haq also has statistics from scientific research to further prove her point.

            Throughout the passage Haq was portraying how these issues would become even more relevant and debated in the next few years, so we should decide our positions now. She gave a sense of urgency and importance with the issues at hand. For example she says that “literature is on a move toward responsibility and oversight- or a slide into censorship?” This creates a connection between responsibility and censorship, therefore saying that censorship

is being responsible. I believe her wording shows subtle signs of opinion throughout the piece. She also puts in a quote saying that for parents to guide their children, a certification system is the way forward. Constantly stressing this idea of forward and the future, she portrays that we should jump on the book rating bandwagon now, before its is to late. She also states “Is it time young adult literature comes with an age rating:” She doesn’t ask the question if these books should have age ratings, but if the time has come to have age ratings. she is trying to push us further into the belief that the time has come to put changes on the way kids are reading.

  

            Overall, Husna Haq uses an array of perspectives and quotes to write a multi-opinion piece, while still subtly showing her perspective through her wording. By doing all these things helps to shed enough light on the subject for the reader to have a full understanding and form their own opinion which isn’t forced. This piece is well rounded but may show more opinion than fact.

Under Wildwood

My YA book was Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis. It is told through 3 main perspectives, and some smaller one chapter perspectives as well. It is the second book in a trilogy about a small portion of Portland Oregon that is surrounded by a menacing and mysterious wilderness that holds creatures unknown to humankind. The book follows the sisters of one of the main characters who disappeared into the woods. This revolves around the main themes of courage, bravery, and most of all adventure

The main character Curtis is the main source of adventure in the story. In the first book, he stays in the mysterious wilderness, known as the impassable wilderness, and leaves his family behind so he can join a bandit training camp. All of this adventure in the story brings a sense of nostalgia whenever they are not jumping off of cliffs or flying on eagles (yes that actually happens). If adrenaline is not pumping through Curtis' blood, then he feels guilty for leaving his family and old life behind so that he could pursue his dreams in the impassable wilderness. When pure crosses curtis' storyline, she brings these surges of nostalgia that really make him rethink the choices that he has made the past year. I believe that Curtis' quest is to finish his bandit training, and put his family at ease.

The other main character Prue Mckeel after the first book, unlike Curtis, returns back to her home. But with out the adventure and fun that she had in Wildwood, her life is dry and boring. In class she stares out of the window and doesn’t pay attention, which poorly affects her grades. Her heart is in Wildwood but her body is stuck in Portland. Prue’s mind is stuck between reality, and the shadowed story that most people know. Wildwood is the reality that animals and plants can speak and communicate and that everything lives in harmony compared to the outside world. I believe Prue’s quest in this book is to get her head out of limbo and decide what life she is going to live; one with her family or one with wildwood.

The other main storyline is of Curtis’ sisters who get placed in and orphanage as their parents go across the world to try to find Curtis. The orphanage owner’s obsession with the Impassable Wilderness, and getting into it, is what leads them to being there as well.  As they explore these woods they find many new creatures and things that remained unknown to the rest of the world. Their quest is to restore their family once again.

Overall, these characters make the story of Under Wildwood.

“Why was the Berlin Wall not Effective?”

The Berlin Wall was one of the most famous and controversial structures in history. After the fall of Hitler and the end of World War Ⅱ, the Soviet Union put a barrier between the communist east and the democratic west of Berlin. Over the span of 28 years, families were separated, people were trapped, and a community was divided by this barrier. On November 9, 1989, East Berlin was set free of this border, now allowing them to travel to west berlin with no regulations Soon after, the wall came tumbling down. This structure was used as a visual reminder to east Berlin that they were no longer a part of the west. The Berlin Wall was meant to show the people of Berlin that the government still had control over them after World War Ⅱ, but it ultimately failed because you cannot separate a community with an artificial barrier.

To begin with, by putting up an artificial or physical barrier, the government may have literally separated the people of Berlin, but overall brought them closer together as a community. A quote from the article “The Fall of the Berlin Wall” by Bryan Brown from Upfront magazine, depicts the scene from when the wall was being knocked down. It says, “On the other side, West Berliners met them with flowers, chocolate, and wine.” This shows that even though the two sides had made little to no contact because they were literally separated, the West Berliners showed how they still cared about them and would welcome them back into their community. A different quote from this article that showed the seriousness of this artificial barrier was, “an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” An iron curtain represents a blockage from the outside world. It literally stops you from seeing what’s going on outside your window. But an iron curtain? That is an extreme version. There is absolutely no way of seeing past an iron curtain. Almost like how many people could not see any hope while they were stuck in East Berlin.

Furthermore, the Berlin wall was used as a symbol of power. It was meant to isolate the people of east berlin and make them feel trapped. for example, the day the Berlin wall started to be built, an elderly woman asked a police officer when the next train to west berlin would arrive. He replied, “ None of that anymore, Grandma. You’re all in a mousetrap now.” The government used this wall to establish control and dominance over these citizens. A later quote in the article referring to the stasi (secret police) says, “In every workplace, school, and home, the Stasi played and elaborate game of cat and mouse.” This related back to the concept of these people being mice in a mouse trap. A book called “Maus” is a story about jews in World War Ⅱ, but depicts the story through mice. Mice are a constant way of representing innocent people that are being ruled by an oppressive government.

Overall, the Berlin Wall was not used just to separate the communists and democrats of Berlin, but as a symbol of power, a visual reminder of separation to the people of East Berlin, and the separation of one community into two ideologies. This wall made a huge impact on so many peoples lives and caused so much suffering and pain. Our world today still has many problems similar to this. We are all mice stuck in a the grasp of the governments claws, just like the people of East Berlin were stuck behind the wall. The question is, how will we escape?

-Katie

Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War

"Faithful Elephants" tells the story of three elephants during a war in Japan. Yokio Tsuchiya uses metaphors and symbolism to represent the pain and tragic loss of war. When a war threatens to harm the animals at the Ueno zoo, the army issues an order to put the animals to death.

To begin with, a quote that uses symbolism is, "John loved potatoes, so the elephant keepers mixed poisoned potatoes with the good ones when it was time to feed him." The zookeepers used something that he loved to kill him. In this situation the potatoes represent the zookeepers; Although they love the elephants very much they had to kill them to help end the war. Another example of symbolism in this article is "They just lay on their sides, hardly able to see the white clouds floating in the sky over the zoo. However, their eyes appeared clearer and more beautiful than ever." I believe that the elephants weren't just looking up at the sky. They were looking up to something greater or a higher purpose.

Furthermore, metaphors are used very frequently in the story to get certain themes across. "But everyone was hoping and praying that if the elephants could survive only one more day, the war might be over and the elephants saved", is an example of a metaphor portrayed in the text. This false sense of hope held by these zoo keepers shows how with the elephants alive, the war will never really be over. If they don't kill the elephants, than they are avoiding the reality of the war that is going on around them. There death will make them face their situation. Two examples of connected metaphors used throughout the text are, “Bombs were being dropped on Tokyo like falling rain”, in the beginning of the passage and, “... the cherry blossoms fell on the grave like falling snowflakes” at the end of the passage. This metaphor plays a major role in the story. It shows how before the elephants had passed, although bombs were dropping, they were dropping like rain. After the elephants had passed, the cherry blossoms fell upon the grave of these dead elephants like snowflakes. Although it is a more peaceful environment, something had grown colder about the zoo. The absence of the elephants at the zoo made it less warm; A serene tragedy. This coldness and absence is portrayed through the rain turning into snow.

Using symbolism and metaphors helped the author represent the tragedy and loss of war. This story also shows how war does not just affect human beings. It affects nature, the environment, and even the animals who live through it. Loss finds us all whether its in a small or big way, meaningful or meaningless. The only way to live through the loss, to truly survive, is to accept your reality. Acceptance is our Banzai trick; It helps us prevail through times of true desperation.

-Katie