Red

Red was the most realistic book we read this semester. I think that it was the most realistic because it was based on all true stories of girls growing up. I enjoyed most of the little short essays but I thought that some of them were boring and a waste of time for me to read. While I was reading Red, I thought that some of the grammar and stuctures used were to advanced for some of the girls writing. They were so proper with zero grammatical errors and the sentences were mostly complex. I found that to be unrealistic. I am a sophomore in college and some of these young girls are writing better than me. I thought that it took away from the purity and the truthness of the essay. I feel that a lot, if not all girls can relate to one of those essays in some way or another. Every girl has their embarrassing moments and life and they have their flaws that they are constantly worrying about. I give the girls who wrote the essays and gave their names a lot of credit for being so honest. They put everything on the line to help someone else feel better or know that what they are feeling is somewhat normal.
When I was done reading the book I stopped and thought about a boy's perspective on things. I know that our class is mostly girls but I would have liked to know how boys feel. I have two brothers and sometimes they are very hard to understand. They are mean when they are sad or when they are happy they do not want to show over excitement. I think that we could have benefited from reading boy's views on things too. I think it would have made the book more interesting in my opinion. It would have been similar to Cosmo magazine with the "her side" and "his side". At times I find it more interesting to hear about boys than girls.

My young adult novel

In my opinion, I feel that stress is put on teens so much more than it ever has before. Growing up I was always the type of kid who needed organization and structure in my life. I am the only one in my family who is really like that out of me and my brothers. I tend to put a lot of extra stressors on me too. I know that I am not the only one like this either because it just so happens that my roommate is an exact replica of me. I feel that I am on overload sometimes with all the things and work I need to get done. A typical week for me consists of doing a million hours of homework and trying to stay ahead and then going to practice, then going to bed because I am so worn out. But back to what I was saying about teens in general. Teens are given so many more added on tasks and responibilities now. School work is harder and more competitive and if you play a sport it is even harder in my opinion. Money plays a huge role in this I think. Everything now a days is more expensive and it does not help that the economy is going bad. To go to college is a struggle for most people. Also, some young adults have to take care of their families on top of everything else. Those who do go to school some times need to work their way through school on top of all the school work to get good grades. I feel that a lot of people can relate to a book about a teen or young adult going through life and dealing with stress and adversity. I think that it could help people also to know that there are other people who drive themselves crazy. It made me feel better after reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian because growing up I can relate to that story because of my brother.

When reading the story The Absolutley True Diary of a Part Time Indian, I was very impressed with how well Alexie came across as a true adolescent boy. I thought he did a very good job with the language of a teenage boy. He did not come across as being too old or too mature to be a teenager, especially when it came to discussing Junior going through puberty ot his friendship with Rowdy. Alexie did a great job descring Junior's feelings about missing Rowdy. There was nothing more that Junior wanted than for Rowdy to take him back as a friend. He needed Rowdy during all the times he needed to make decisions or opinions. Junior needed a good friend when his sister and grandmother died. Junior was a sincere boy in this book and it made me think of my younger brother Alex. Alex and Junior resemble each other being that they were both short and little and they changed schools and had to try to fit in at home and at their new school. The only difference with my brother and Junior is eventually Alex grew and he grew to be 6'5. There were many parts in the book where I forgot that it was not a true story. I think that the cartoons and comics had a lot to do with that. They looked like a teenage boy true them. I could relate to Junior through his drawings in the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was a fun read.

Betsey Brown

I really enjoyed reading this last book. It was really one of the only ones that caught my attention. My favorite character in the book would have to be Carrie. She came off to me as a strong African American woman and wouldn't take anyones crap. After Jane left, Carrie had those children in line and taught them manners. I especially adored Betsey and Carie's relationship. Betsey really looked up to her. Carrie was Betsey's motherly figure when Jane got up and left her family. Betsey was experiencing a lot at her age and she needed someones guidance. There was no one for her to talk about boys with or to give her advice. I felt that Carrie was the only one who really listened to Betsey and helped her. Carrie also motivated Betsey. When Betsey came home in the middle of the day from school crying, Carrie listened to her and gave her some kind of motivation to go back to school and show the white people that she as in the right. I felt kind of bad for Carrie too. She mentioned that she had children of her own but she did not really have aby kind of relationship with them. They were all on their own and Carrie knew nothing about them anymore. I think that Carrie really did love the Brown children as if they were her own. She would protect and prevent bad things from happening to them. As soon as Jane came back in the picture that was when I really started feeling bad for Carrie. Jane I think, felt very threatened by Carie because her children enjoyed her company and were learning new things from Carrie. Jane expected Carrie to back down and only do her duties that she was getting paid to do, and Jane didn't want her children listening to Carrie. When Jane confronted Carrie about how she taught her children things that they don't believe in or about Mr. Jeff, I was really glad that Carrie stuck up for herself and made sure that Jane knew she walked out of her family. At the end when Carrie was forced to leave because she was put in jail, I felt bad and that is wasn't fair that the children, especialy Betsey, could not even say goodbye.

Outline: Bullying

I am writing my paper on bullying, but I am going to focus on boys versus girls.

1. Introduction- here I will give a definition of bullying and the different kinds. Then I will show different statistics relating to girls being bullied and boys and the different types 1 gender refers to. Also, I am going to briefly go over some of the literary books we have read or that were presented that relate to bullying. Examples, The Chocolate War, Speak The Bluest Eyes. Thesis: Eventhough bullying exists everywhere, it is harmful and can have everlasting effects on people, whether it is a boy or girl, which is one a the major themes discussed in some of the novels read in class.? (I have not come up with a good thesis yet)

2. Different ways boys tend to bully in society. The effects of bullying physically and mentally. Why do boys bully?

3. Different ways girls tend to bully in society. The effects of bullying mentally and pyschologically. Why do girls bully

4Explaination of how bullying and literature were have read relate to one another and then go into specific stories such as The Bluest Eye and The Chocolate War.
* The Bluest Eye- In the Bluest Eye there is a lot f bullying that goes on and it is all centered around Pecola. Pecola is not only bullied and made fun of by her peers but also her family and other adults. I will address the bullying Pecola went through and how it affected her.

5. The Chocolate War- This book was from an individual presentation but it mainly focuses on bullying and it has to do with boys. Here, I will discuss the effects of th bullying why it happened, etc.

6. My opinion of bullying and my own personal thoughts and experiences of bullying. And how I can relate to the characters in the literature we have read or not.

7.Conclusion- wrap up of my essay and talk about the main points briefly. Explain briefly how ullying and American Literature go hand in hand. Concluding statement will be last.

My outline is definitly rough and could use some ideas. I am open for any suggestions.

Huck Finn

American views and values have changed a lot since Huckleberry Finn was published. Black people were treated with no respect. White Americans treated black people as if they were an animal and they have no feelings and a non functioning brain. Jim was not educated what so ever, but he sure knew how to survive in the woods. If it wasn't for Jim I don't think Huck would have been able to survive. Jim was a runaway slave and it was disgusting that there were rewards set out to find Jim. White people back then never thought about what they were doing to black people. They would take them away from their families and damage them mentally and physically. Even though today is not perfect, I feel like there are more opportunities for everyone no matter what rac, gender, or ethnicity they are.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn plays a huge role in American Adolescence. It deals with a boy who is in his teenage years. I have two teenage brothers and reading this book made me laugh. My brothers have some of the same characteristics Huck portrays. Huck is rebellious and thinks he can be fine on his own. He thought that he didn't need people's help at first. Huck was immature and foolish at times. He thought it was funny to play jokes on Jim and poke fun at his ignorance. As the book went on, Huck realized that he cared for Jim. I think he finally realized that he truely cared for Jim when he had to make the decision to save Jim or to let him be sold into slavery. By doing that he was letting people know the black people are human beings as well. They are not just objects to be tossed around and to be treated like dirt. In the end Huckleberry Finn turned out to be the good guy.

My version of Charolette Temple

Nelson was flocked by women all the time but resisted the urge for he was in love with Sharon. Sharon is a goody goody and would never engage in sexual activities with Nelson because she knew her family would disprove. Her best friend Kari would always make fun of her and laugh at her because she thought Sharon was a prude. Nelson and Kari would always pick on Sharon and make her feel horrible about herself. Nelson and Kari wanted to take a trip to Las Vegas, but they could not get Sharon to go. Sharon's parents told her to stay away from Las Vegas because it was the city full of sins! One Friday night Sharon and Kari go to this party to meet Nelson. Kari kept giving her drinks and making her drink them fast. Sharon did'nt exactly know what she was drinking but she knew she was feeling good. The next morning Sharon wakes up in a motel in a place she is not familiar. She looks out the window and sees a sign flashing, "WELCOME TO VEGAS!" She immediatly starts freaking out and reaches for her cell phone. The only problem was her cell phone was dead. There is a loud bang on the door and Sharon answers it, it's Nelson!! Sharon starts feeling better but wants answers. The last thing she remebered was dancing at the party. Nelson tells her that him and Kari had taken her for a trip to experience what real partying is. He then goes on to tell her that they had a great time (wink wink). Sharon is still confused and wants to know where Kari is. Nelson tells her that she went home with a guy she met at the club. Nelson continues with stories from the night and tells Sharon that they had eloped. Sharon starts crying. She is disgusted with herself. All she can think about is what will her parents think and if they are searching for her. Nelson tells Sharon to pipe down because they aren't ever going back home. She is stuck in Vegas with him!
Months have gone by and Sharon still has not heard from her family. She is so depressed and has noticed she has been feeling ill. Nelson jokes around with her about being pregnant, but to Sharon that is not a joke. She went to the drug store and took a pregnancy test. The test showed up positive!! Sharon is shocked!! She goes and tells Nelson, but before she could finish tleling him the news, Nelson ran out the door. Nelson was never heard of or seen again.