Blog #4-2

Unfortunately this is the last blog of the year:( But I hope you all have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! As my final blog I figured I'd read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green since it has been one of the top trending books today. Green introduces the two main characters, HazelnGrace Lancaster a 16-year-old cancer patient and Augustus Waters another teen who appears to be in the same cancer support group as Hazel. They both share the same interests and acerbic wit which brings them so close to each other. After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Hazel had thought this was in fact the end however it was a completely new chapter. The book was a tragic love story but Green uses an abundance of imagery patterns to convey the audience in to feeling the true pain and emotion these characters faced. What approach would you have used for an audience to truly understand the meaning of the story? Although some may relate, others may not fully comprehend the purpose of writing such a phenomenal novel on how I see as true love that ultimately ends catastrophically. Not only does Green hook the audience into wanting to learn more, he wants the audience to imagine how they would be in this position.

There are many reasons why Augustus and Hazel would feel alone or empty inside yet Green focuses on the positivity. He speaks about wanting to leave a legacy and is optimistic throughout the novel despite Hazel's critical conditions. Green goes on to say that the meaning of "The Fault in Our Stars" is it was fate they were going to meet and cross paths. In fact, he quoted "But it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he was Cassius note, 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves". The title also argues that some things is not always to be blamed on our fault because it is simply uncontrollable. How would you explain the meaning of the title of this novel? The beauty of the message is that despite the fault in our stars, although sometimes it may seem inevitable fate we can still live to make our own choices.

Blog #4-1

Good afternoon everyone! I recently just finished reading Cyberbully by Holli Kenley which was a novel about a young girl named Taylor Hildrege who is bullied on this new social media website "Cliquester". Taylor lives with her mother and younger brother who she adores dearly. In addition, her two best friends Cheyenne and Samantha have also been using the website since it has become very popular around the high school. What Taylor doesn't know is, so one has been hacking into her account posting inappropriate pictures and comments leading to nothing but tremendous embarrassment for her and her family. As the novel progresses Taylor meets a young boy named James on Cliquester who she is more than comfortable to talk with and seems to be the only one who believes her. She tells him everything, sent him videos of her younger self, and even sang to him but for James was never there to respond back. In fact, he never sent any pictures of himself nor videos, not even a podcast. One day one of the videos Taylor had sent him was publish out to the public for everyone to see and mock her. Her depression worsened to the point were she tried to commit suicide. Luckily her mother was their to guide her and take her to the hospital before it had been to late.

It all came down to one question everyone wanted to know, why did James choose to talk to Taylor? As though all of this could have simply happened at random, James seemed to be the only one who could be there for Taylor throughout the bullying but could never show his identity. In fact, after Taylor was taken to the hospital and the releasing of the video, James had deleted his account. The police had traced back all of the data that was said off of Taylor's account including I appropriate comments and they even traced off who James was. It had turned out Taylor's best friend, Samantha had been saying all the cruel, horrific things about her friend. Plot twist?! Why do you think Samatha would betray Taylor to the point were she attempted suicide? The authors purpose was to inform the audience about the ongoing problem of cyberbullying and the serious problem it may lead to if we don't act now. Kenley intended to show descriptively how the victim felt and the consequences of what may happen if you are the bully. Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person typically by sending a message of an intimidating or threatening nature and should be stopped immediately if you or someone you know is a victim.

Blog #3-4

I recently finished reading The Wolf of Wall Street which is a memoir by Jordan Belfort, a well known Wall Street stock market broker who had become a millionaire at age 26 and a convicted felon at 36. How exactly did this all happen? For starters, Belfort had rose from an entry level apprentice at a brokerage house in just six years to the founder of his own investment firm. He had worked at his own firm in Stratton Oakmont (SO) Long Island and hired stock market brokers that would sell people cheap stocks over the phone. Belfort would then purchase large quantities of these cheap stocks and increase the price and then lose it. While Belfort was becoming richer by the minute, his customers lost tons of money. In fact, he had spent over millions of dollars worth on his corporate credit card by overloading on cocktails of drugs, prostitutes, and partying. He goes into detail about all his expensive a and luxurious life leading him to his arrest. There were numerous details of his purchases and in one case, he brought a silk bedspread that costed $12,000. Who would spend that much on something only you would see? Apparently Jordan Belfort was not shy at all describing countless acts of corruption and self destructiveness throughout his career.

His partner Donny Azoff he, led him start the brokerage firm at Strafird-Oakmont. As their company grew from 20 staff to 250, their status grew remarkably in their community and Wall Street gained more money. Companies filed their initial public offerings through them after hereing of their rise in popularity among the community and Wall Street. The amount of substance abuse and lies grew exponentially as their status did so. They had officially hit the jackpot on high trades and as attention grew closer, so did the FBI. Jordan Belfort ended up on the cover of Forbes Magazine, being called "The Wolf of Wall Street". Would you agree with the actions Belfort made, not only risking your career but the lives of others. With the FBI tracking Belfort on his trading schemes, he devises news techniques to cover his mistakes and continue to receive money. He comes up with the idea to stash his cash in a European bank. How long will Belfort and Azoff be able to hide this tremendous plot from the FBI and still grow in wealth? The answer Belfort describes in the book is surprisingly worth reading.

Blog #3-3

Good afternoon everyone! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! I just finished reading What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges which was an aspiring novel of one boy's role in helping his family and turning around his life. Gilbert Grape has a obese mother who is ascetic mother and a father who had committed suicide in the basement of the house where they lived when Gilbert was just seven years old. He has two older sisters, an older brother, a younger sister, and a younger brother named Arnie who he takes care of daily. Arnie was born mentally challenged and after the death of their father Gilbert was left in charge to ensure his family would maintain their sanity. Gilbert's family has a unique, dynamic, and secretive way of handling situations in this case that is considered a traditional. All of these concepts unfold as Gilbert shares his story with us through the past and present tense. Since Gilbert was 14 he's been working at Mr.Lamson's grocery store part-time and now he's been working their full-time since he had turned 17. Amy his older sister is preoccupied when her boyfriend dumps her and his other siblings appear to have "the mind of a five year old". What choice would you have made if you were given the option to take of your whole family or live your own life without worrying about any one else's responsibilities?

Momma keeps eating, smoking, and watching tv without any furniture as the days go on. Unfortunately Gilbert cannot afford to supply his family with furniture but manages to keep his family alive and healthy by paying the bills, buying an abundance of food, and keeping his love for them. Taking care of Arnie is Gilbert's full time job and he promised everyone that no one would hurt him. Arnie can be a handful among the family, in fact he refuses to take a bath which can be a challenge for Gilbert when he needs to help everyone get ready for school. How would you prioritize in order to accommodate the needs of your family? How much would you give up for them? Gilbert had a dream of leaving his family because he is tired of his mom leaving dirty dishes in the sink, forcing Arnie to take a bath, working part time at the grocery store making minimum wage, and helping himself. He manages to endure the strength to stay and accept his family for who they are. Hedges' teaches his that family that stays together will live, grow, cry, and love each other through any circumstance.

Blog #3-2

Finally Leo won an Oscar! I just finished reading Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson which had a sorrowful tone but has a happy ending. The storyline revolves around two sisters Bessie and Lee, in which they both seek to help out their father who had been diagnosed with leaukimia. Well at least one of them... Bessie is the caretaker of their father and guardian angel who has been helping him for years. Lee on the other hand, is only focused on building her own nail salon and struggles with other distractions in her life. When Bessie is diagnosed with leaukimia she looks for help from her sister to take care of their dying father. Lee and her sons Hank/Charlie fly out to Florida to help Bessie after being disconnected for years. Why did Bessie and Lee choose to have a dysfunctional relationship? Could this have been because of who takes the responsibilty of taking care of their father or maybe they never got along well during their childhood years? The only way to save Bessie is by a bone marrow transplant within one her family members partakes in. Lee,Hank, and Charlie visit the hospital to see if one of them could end Bessie's suffering.

What Marvin's Room argues is that Lee, learns that no matter what happens family will always be important than romance or individual needs. In addition, Bessie learns that after all the years of helping her sick father, she needs to live her own life and for once be happy. Hank, a trouble young youth struggles after being placed in a military school for burning his house down and learning his father left him when he was younger. When Hank discovers his grandfather's tool box, it changes his whole perspective on life and he finally learns that there is good in this world. In fact, before this Hank said "You know something? Nobody ever does anything to be nice. They always wanna get something out of it." How would you justify Hank's statement based on what he's been through? In the end, the two sisters come together to help their ill father and bring peace among their family. Bessie,Hank, and Charlie wait in the hospital room to see the tests results would help to save Aunt Bessie. So what were the test results? I'll leave that for you to read. 

Blog #3-1

"You came all this way for revenge,huh? You enjoy it, Glass, 'cuz ain't nothing gonna bring your boy back."-John Fitzgerald

Happy Monday! I recently finished reading The Revenant by Michael Punke, which was an incredible novel that expresses one man's revenge to get what was taken from him when his fellow hunting team left him on his death bed. Hugh Glass was a skilled fur trapper and frontiersman who was sent on a fur trapping expedition when a grizzly bear violently attacked him. He and the others later founded the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1822 however, it was a rough journey to achieve. When traveling along the Grand River Glass was unexpectedly attacked and mauled by a grizzly bear leaving him with nothing to fight against the bear but his weapons he was unable to reach. In addition, the bear had ripped his scalp, punctured his throat, and even left Glass unable to move. The hunters shot the bear multiple times after hearing Glasses' pain and agony. Believing that Glass was slowly but surely dying, the leader of the expedition paid two men to stay behind until Glass died to give him the proper Christian burial. These men were John Fitzgerald and Jim Bridger, both skilled frontiersmen who sought to honor their duty. After staying with Glass for several days and seeing his body was refusing to die, the unimaginable happened. Without thought, Fitzgerald took everything Glass had including his weapons leaving him nothing but a shallow grave and fur over his rotting body. 

This wasn't the end for Glass, in fact this was the only beginning. As Glass had woken up shortly after the two men left he realized they had left him to continue their expedition. The legend says he crawled for six weeks which is roughly about 200 miles until finally reaching his expetition confronting the one who left him for dead, Fitzgerald. Along the way he eats rotten marrow from buffalo, traps rodents, fights off wolves, and is healed by a Sioux. The Sioux or medicine man healed Glass by using gunpowder and buffalo urine to remove all the maggots from his back. Crazy right? Glass met a group of French men called voyageurs that took him up and down the river. So what exactly happened when Glass confronted Fitzgerald? What was the motive of hunting Fitzgerald after Glass lay rotting and finally regaining back strength? A revenant is a myth that you will become a ghost if you fail to do the right thing. Although, Glass suffered is the revenge he seeks all worth it over a weapon or does Fitzgerald deserve every bit he put him through? 

Blog #2-6

Happy New Year!

I just finished reading The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll which was such an exhilarating novel. The Basketball Diaries is based on a true story of how a young teenage boy growing up on the streets of New York City who is the star of his school basketball team becomes addicted to the drug known as heroin. Carroll attended the best private Catholic school in New York called The Trinity School. He was smart, talented, and sociable but as the story unfolds Carroll begins to lose focus on his goals in life. This leads him down to a dark path of self-destruction and careless acts causing him to lose the ones he loves most one by one. His addiction becomes to become to obsessive and it begins to take over his whole life. His friends would often participate with him as well leading to both Carroll and his friends dropping out of school. One day Carroll was left in the snow after an overdose and fortunately his neighbor helped him. It turned out the his neighbor had been through the same addiction as him years ago and couldn't bear to see him slowly repeat the path he went through. Carroll went through a painful withdrawal that ultimately saved his life. Today, the late Jim Carroll a legend and survivor is still recognized as an acclaimed poet,musician,and novelist.

As I read this wonderful memoir I learned to never give up on my dreams. Fortunately, Carroll had another special talent which was writing. After finally "getting caught" with heroin and spending time at the Rikers Island Jail, he published 3 volumes of poetry. Although, Carroll battled multiple challenges throughout his story, in the end he pursued his dream. He may not have been a star basketball player but he never gave up hope and continued to fight against himself. I wonder why did his mom not seek help for her child? Instead of kicking her son out, she could have seemed for more serious help. This surprised me because if I was a mom I would want to help my child and no matter what they did I would never be able to forgive myself if I just let them go. It's not easy giving up an addiction especially to a drug and making one decision about her son's safety could have changed his whole life. In addition, I also wonder what would happen if he switched schools? I completely understand that he got a scholarship to one of the top schools because of his amazing talent but is it worth being surrounding by his friends who are involved with him and his addiction. Being surrounding by positive people in your life will bring happiness  and help you learn and grow as a person.