Power and Resistance

Power can affect the tension and resistance between relationships.  When someone has power over the other a lot of the times the other person shows resistance either mentally, physically or verbally.  In the book Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, Annabel the main character has many complicated relationships that cause tension between the characters.

Annabel's relationship with Sophie is a relationship where one has power over the other.  In this situation Sophie has power over Annabel.  Sophie being a more outgoing person isn't afraid to call Annabel a slut or curse at her in public.  Sophie has control because she wants to let her anger out.  Annabel's way of showing resistance is in her thoughts.  She always thinks about getting Sophie back and tells herself that Sophie is so mean, but Annabel doesn't take action.  She lets Sophie bully her and bring her confidence down.  Annabel is an introvert and I think this holds her back from telling Sophie how she feels.

On the other hand, Annabel has a fair and even relationship with Owen.  Owen has a little more power than Annabel but it is not used for bad purposes.  Owen helps guide Annabel to become a more outgoing person.  Sometimes he could be a little bossy, but Annabel feels comfortable with him.  Owen doesn't make her feel weak when he uses power over her.  Annabel shows some resistance by holding back and not always telling Owen the truth about her problems.  overall, the relationship that Owen and Annabel have isn't tense and the power is spread out between the two.

I think that Annabel holds back from showing resistance externally because she is so shy.  In the book Annabel even says "I'm not good with confrontations."  she doesn't like to talk to people so she doesn't show resistance when people show power over her.  In a lot of relationships someone has power over the other whether it's a good or bad relationship.  sometimes people show resistance and fight back.  In Annabel's case she just stands back and doesn't try to resist.

Upfront "No Job? Get Lost!" Response

In places all over the world there are many unemployed people. In fact, Greece has an unemployment rate of 27%. However, in a town called Svalbard in Norway, if you are unemployed you cannot live there. In the article, "No Job? Get Lost!" by Andrew Higgins, he explains why this part of Norway has a law stating you have to have a job to be a resident.

First of all, the government argues that Svalbard is one of the safest places because they don't allow people who are unemployed to live there. People are free to leave their keys in their cars and sleep with their front doors open. No one has been put in jail since the summer of 2013. It seems like it would be very difficult to enforce this law, but the government of this territory sends the unemployed away.  Sometimes even people who have retired are sent away as well who cannot support themselves. I understand that they are trying to keep the territory as safe as it can be, but I think that it is extreme to kick people out of their homes just because they are unemployed. In Svalbard, where crime is basically nonexistent, the only thing they have to worry about are polar bears and littering. Svalbard, being a place made almost entirely of ice and snow, argues that they do not allow people to be homeless because they don't want their population to freeze to death. Again, I disagree because kicking the homeless out gives them no place to go and no help at all.  As a territory they should help people instead of telling them it is illegal for them to be there.

In conclusion, this article was very interesting, but also made me think about how they treat the people of their own kind.  Kicking people out just because they want their towns to be a really safe place is the wrong thing to do. People who are unemployed should be helped instead of being pushed out because they are going through a hard time. People who are retired did their job and shouldn't be kicked out when they are to elderly to work anymore.  These are reasons why I believe that Svalbard isn't handling their territory well.

Darkness Too Visible

      Megan Cox Gurdon wrote the article “Darkness Too Visible” to inform people about her opinion on young adult literature.  In the article, she shows her opinion through examples of books written in the past and books that were just published.  She knows her reader how inappropriate and violent some books are, but she also explains that she doesn’t agree that they should be banned.  “How dark is contemporary fiction for teens?  Darker than when you were a child my dear.”  Says Megan Cox Gurdon.

      To show her opinion she comes across sarcastic and sometimes uses a mocking tone. In her article, the author really shows her belief that books should be judged but not banned because people are allowed to read what they want.

      When someone wants to prove a point, they show their opinion through examples but also through personality and the way they write or speak.  The author of he article uses words like “lurid” and “grotesque” to make me feel what she is really trying to say.  She gives examples from young adult books by Lauren Myracle and describes a certain scene where the character was “savagely beaten.”  Examples like these really put an image in my mind of how disturbing these books can really be.  I got to understand and realize that some books are very inappropriate for young adults and should be judged. 

      Furthermore, to reinforce the author’s voice and how it comes across, only her opinion was really shown in the article.  In the article, the only opinion that is voiced is her own.  There are a few minor counterclaims put in, but she always tries to prove how they are wrong.  I think the reason she only really uses her voice in the article is to really prove a point and to have readers only thinking about what she is saying.

      In addition, Megan Cox Gurdon only includes adult opinions in the article and not young adult opinions.  This is to show how adults feel about these books because most adults feel the same way the author does. 

      Many of the points Megan Cox Gurdon uses are very valid and some I disagree with.  Some young adults books should be judged and discussed because of the disturbing topics, but I don’t believe any should be banned.  Some of the books the author mentions, like “Shine” by Lauren Myracle, are very gruesome and I agree that the content could be inappropriate for many people.  On the other hand, books like Judy Blume, like “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret”, are books that I think young readers should read because the content maybe a little inappropriate or provocative, but it contains messages opinions that people need to learn and know about and form their own opinion on.  

A decision can change your life

Divergent

She cuts her hand open and drips her blood on the dauntless rock.  She made her decision, the decision that changed her life.  In the book "Divergent" by Veronica Roth the characters are put into factions according to their personality and characteristics.  When Beatrice (or Tris) took the test to see which faction she would be in, she got inconclusive results, meaning she was “divergent”.  She didn't belong to any faction, she had too many personalities.  In her society this was very dangerous.  People have to keep secrets and make decisions throughout the book to keep themselves safe. In life everyone has to make decisions and some lead to disastrous things. Even small decisions can have a terrible outcome. When someone has to choose left or right, they don't know where it's going to take them and if they choose the wrong direction they might struggle like Tris does in the book.

In the beginning, when it's time for Tris to choose whether she wants to stay Abnegation or switch factions to Dauntless, she chooses to switch, which causes tension between her and her family.  Her big choice affected everything that happens in the book.  She couldn't see her family and had to live her life without them.  Tris’ father became furious causing him to do poorly at work and also make bad decisions.  He was one of the Abnegation leaders and the fact that his own daughter switched factions caused him to look weak to the other people who started criticizing his job.  While the erudite faction didn't like Abnegation in the first place, Tris switching and being divergent contributed to the outburst of war.  As you can see, one decision can change many things at once and change someone's life.  There are times where I have to decide, do I want to be friends with that person or not?  Should I say yes or no? Everyone has to ask themselves these questions and it all depends on the decision you make.

Also, choosing Dauntless meant having to go through their initiation process.  In order to become Dauntless, Tris had to fight against her enemies, but also against her friends.  Fighting against each other in training started fights outside of training too.  People got competitive and started turning against each other without distinguishing the initiation process from every day life.   Tris and her friends even turned against each other at one point.  This caused deaths and heated arguments.  People were offended when they lost and too proud when they won.  The choices that they made to fight against each other were decisions taken without thinking about the consequences.  Veronica Roth is trying to show that when people start to fight, they become angry and they make poor decisions without thinking before taking action.  When you are angry or upset your feelings take over and you make choices that you might regret after.

In conclusion, the decision to join Dauntless affected Tris’ life and relationship with her family and her friends.  Similarly, small or big, the decisions you make have consequences in your life and in other people’s life. Tris’ decisions might have been right for her, but they led to a war and had an effect on her family and friends.  When I look around I see people making choices everywhere and all the time.  When you make decisions sometimes you end up where you want, but sometimes you end up somewhere you had no clue you would be, and it's hard to get yourself out.  The author wants to show that where you end up in life is all based on the choices you make.

“One choice can transform you.”

“One choice can destroy you.”

“One choice will define you.”

A Family Affected by War

No Man’s Land by: S.T. Underdahl

Dov is an Emo kid who has a hard time at school and making friends.  His brother, Brian, has always been the opposite. He was a star on the football team and he was the town hero.  His family falls apart when Brian leaves for Afghanistan to fight in the war.  His mom is in tears all the time and his dad is always gone and absent from the family.  Throughout the story Dov tries so hard to care for his mom and comfort her about her son who is gone.  However, they didn’t know that soon Brian would be coming back from Afghanistan as a different person.  The family rejoiced and made a huge welcome for their son, but Dov was the only one who saw through all of Brian’s fake smiles.  He saw he had changed and it seemed like he was still back at war where he nearly escaped death and was hurt in an explosion.  Dov saw his brother as tired and confused after returning home. Brian would also yell war commands and sleep with a gun in his hand. No one said anything or realized anything until Brian went to the extreme.

            This book was so inspiring and just kept me on my feet.  It taught me so many new things I didn’t know about and I learned so much about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  PTSD is when people get anxiety and stress because of an extreme trauma.  In Brian’s case, it was coming home from war after seeing people being killed right in front of his eyes.  I learned this disorder can change someone into another person. The book was a great mix of dealing with family problems but also fitting in at school. Dov’s relationships with his friends are also very inspiring because of their connections and the support they gave each other.  This book was great to also learn about how tough it is for families who have members serving in the military who are fighting and risking their lives for everyone.  It gave a great realistic description of what it’s like in that type of lifestyle.  After reading this book I realized how much a war can scar a person. I really recommend this book for everyone. It was one of my best summer reads and I really learned a lot from it!