Doug Swieteck is a 14 year old boy with a life that is anything but desirable, he lives in a small town he hates in upstate new york, has an abusive father, a brother who is scarred from the Vietnam war and another brother known for being a criminal. He tries to find happiness in the small things like his mothers smile and joy, drawing birds, his friend lil and his baseball jacket that used to be owned by a baseball legend. Once these things start disappearing his mother stops smiling his fathers job is in danger and his jacket is stolen. He overcomes this and against the odds makes his life better with the help of noble people like the librarian and his teacher. This book is very emotional and one of the most heartbreaking parts is when they…
The book, “A Separate Peace” by John Knowles is a coming of age story of two best friends, Gene and Finny. Although the story is told through Gene’s point of view, his perception of Finny is most important as Finny develops psychologically throughout the book. A pivotal moment in Finny’s psychological development is Brinker’s investigation in Chapter 11, when Finny finally acknowledges it was Gene who pushed him and this changes Finny’s innocent view of the world.…
In the "Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore" this story is about two kids with the same name who live in decaying homes.It took place in Baltimore around the 70's and 80's.Both Wes's grew up at the same time near each other.One had a life of of doing drugs and crime while the other had a life in military school.In this book the Other Wes Moore,both of the Wes's lived in a bad part of their neighborhoods where they both lived with their single mothers, because both of their fathers were not there.The Others Wes Moore's father was alive but when he had went to go see him he didn't recognize him and the Other Wes Moore had not talked to him since.Wes Moore's father died from a virus where he was suffocated and died.In this book, the Other Wes Moore…
People struggle to deal with change as it is scary and presents its own challenges to adapt to new circumstances; however, it is change that often sparks important growth. In the poem “A Story” by Li-Young Lee, the author uses a third person point of view, specific dialogue, and a creative structure in order to illustrate the growth in the relationship between the father and son and the complexities that are anticipated to arise as things change.…
It comes as no surprise that a story with such fixation on the importance of names would itself possess a title so perfectly…
Kindred by Octavia Butler displays many controversial topics such as slavery, rape, and violence, which can bring out some of the best and worst qualities in a human being. Dana Franklin, a strong african american woman, and Kevin Franklin, an intelligent white man as well as Dana’s husband, travel back to the antebellum south where they meet some of Dana’s ancestors and encounter situations that are eye-opening, which changes their views on life and gives them a better understanding of what kind of actions were going on back then. All the characters in this book change over time, but Dana, Tom Weylin, and Rufus are all paragons because they convey multiple traits that lead to great reactions from the reader.…
While the environments that both boys grew up in were similar, there are key differences that influenced each Wes Moore into making different decisions later in their lives. The book begins with a discussion of their fathers; the author Wes Moore, although for a short time in his life, had a loving father who was involved and active. The other Wes Moore, however, had an alcoholic father who was absent his entire life, not bothering to get involved with his son. The second Wes Moore, unlike the author of this novel, never had a father figure and the only male role model he had was his elder brother who eventually dropped out of school to sell drugs. Both boys were also raised by their mothers but were raised in entirely different matters. Joy was a hardworking, strong and independent woman who had an education and grew up in a disciplined and structured environment. Joy was determined to provide the same for her three children, going as far as moving in with her parents and working multiple jobs to allow her children to go to private school instead of the failing public schools of the Bronx. Joy and Wes’ grandparents were strict and provided a stable household with high expectations and respect for rules and severe punishments for breaking those rules. For example, when Wes started to fail in school and did not improve his grades or his behavior his mother sent him to military school. Joy was a strict disciplinarian. Mary, the mother of the other Wes Moore, was not a strict disciplinarian and did not grow up in a stable environment. Mary’s mother died when she…
The shattering of the child’s perceptions of life, through knowledge of the truth, is what we refer to as the ‘loss of innocence’. To ‘come of age’ is to lose the innocence of childhood and to begin to develop the beliefs, values and attitudes of the adult, that will both shape that adult’s perceptions of life and allow them to function in an adult world. Thus is gaining knowledge of the truth a fundamental aspect of the process of coming of age. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey is a coming of age novel. It details one summer in the lives of four teenagers, Charlie, Jasper, Jeffrey and Eliza, when they are confronted with the truth behind the secrets, lies and myths of their small hometown, Corrigan. The revelation of these dark truths shapes the lives of all these characters. Charlie is thrust into adulthood, while Eliza’s world is torn apart. Jeffrey develops the strength to overcome racial stereotyping, while for Jasper, the revelation of secrets is both a healing and a liberating force.…
One of the key events that occurred in the book was when Charlie who is a bar owner told Bryon and Mark that M&M was looking for them. After hearing Charlie say that they went out to look for him. They got there in time before the greasers did any harm to him. Another key event was when Mark and Bryon’s mother was in the hospital. They were not financially sound, they could not afford to pay the hospital bills. With that said they were forced to get jobs. In the hospital Bryon met a girl named cathy, who is M&M’s older…
“The First Stone” is written by Don Aker and this book is based on two teenagers who have suffered very painful past. They both have lost one of their loved ones in their past. The main character is Reef’s whose parents and grandparents die when he was young. He was left to many foster homes because of his past. He got anger issues since his parents and grandparents died. He made very inappropriate decision that leads him to court and then to North Hills. Now he has to respect other and follows the rules in order to stay away from jail. I believe Reef could have changed his past. By his action, behavior and language but since he didn’t help himself, he now has to face his punishments but Reef still doesn’t care about what’s happening around him to people. Soon his whole life turns around in seconds just like a U-Turn.…
In the story “The Painted Door” by Sinclair Ross the title is significant. The title is symbolic, it ties into the plot, and it sums up the main event. When Ann says, “ ‘…It’s going to make the room a lot lighter’ ” she is talking about brightening the bedroom door (49). We paint to bring change and improve upon an old appearance, it is clear that that is what Ann is trying to accomplish with not only her bedroom door, but her life as well. She thinks that she is embarking on a new adventure by bringing change into her home and painting the door white, but in reality she is just beginning a new adventure behind the door. The title also ties into plot and sums up the main event because the painted door is a very significant part of the story. If Ann had chosen not to paint her bedroom door she would have never known John made it home, because John would have never had the paint marked on him. Ann would have thought that John had just collapsed on his way home but the suspicion of suicide is confirmed after she finds the white paint on his palm, “On the palm, white even against its frozen whiteness, was a little smear of paint” (67). It could be by chance that a smear of paint coated John’s palm or it could be a way of allowing Ann to know that his death was no accident. The title of the story “The Painted Door” is symbolic, and relevant to the plot and main event of the…
Sometimes life gets tough and gives us obstacles and challenges just to see how we overcome them. It only takes one mistake for someone’s life to be turned upside down. Watching people go through hardships and life challenges helps us get on the right path and succeed. The book The Other Wes Moore written by Wes Moore himself, is based on real life challenges that two boys ironically with the same name and hometown were faced with and how their decisions on overcoming them lead them to two completely different places. One living free and being able to experience things and the other living unfortunately behind bars. Wes Moore uses the rhetorical appeals ethos, logos, and pathos to engage the readers attention on how two boys with so many similarities can grow up and live two completely opposite lives.…
That was Then, This is now I read the book "That was then, This is now." The main character is Bryon. He is an average guy that likes girls. His girlfriend is Cathy. She has a little brother who is twelve. His nickname is M&M because he always eats them. Bryon's best friend is Mark. Mark lives with Bryon and Bryon's mom. Mark's parents always fought. His dad killed his mom then killed himself.…
In Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell, sixteen year old Ree Dolly takes on the role of being a mother, father, and sister to her two brothers Sonny and Harold. The Dolly’s live in the Ozarks and do not live an easy life by any means. They live their life dealing with drugs and crimes. Along with Ree being affected by her surroundings her brothers have to go through the same experiences she has gone through. Therefore, Sonny and Harold are affected by their surroundings because their sister takes care of them since they have no parents and the location they live in has shaped them to who they have become.…
This act is about Mama's aspirations for Len. She encourages her only son to study hard and leave the company of girls like Pearl, but instead, to set his sights on Margaret, the pastor's near white daughter (her race is implied in the play). We learn that, as he grows up, he goes against his mother's desires and secretly dates a dark skinned girl (Lois), with Pa Ben as his co-conspirator. He soon leaves Jamaica to attend University in England. He communicates very little with Mama, initially, until Pa Ben wrote him a letter explaining how this absence of communication affects Mama, and could possibly affect him. Over time they learn that Len has visited many countries around the world, obtained a PhD, and has married Lois. Mama is pleased and proud about all his achievements, with the exception being his marriage to Lois. He returns home, without Mama's knowledge, and pays her an unexpected visit. Mama is pleased and proud, but takes him into her house to talk to him about her disappointment in his marriage to Lois. He also finds out that Mama has been scammed by George McFarlane and invites him to his home, in Kingston, for a meeting. They discuss a business deal, but George makes a speedy retreat when he discovers Len's identity, and his possible knowledge of the scam. We also discover that Lois is frustrated in her marriage because she wants attention from her husband, and that Mama treats Lois with open…