His parents should have been older and more ready for a child when he was born. They also should have been married. Jeff also should have had a more stable home life as an infant. It is doubtful that he had a firm attachment with his mother or father considering that he was passed between them at 3 months old and 2 years old. He also should not have been physically or emotionally abused. His mother failed him in that aspect and the fact that she was an alcoholic makes it even worse. It is also doubtful that Jeff dealt with his father’s suicide in a healthy way. He did not have the support that he should have had from his mother. By the time he got to his grandmother’s care he had already led a very difficult…
Why I think this is because, as he was trying to find that last key to the box, before he could get it, many things got in the way. But he pushed each one out of the way so he could achieve his goal. And as soon as he finally got to his goal, I feel like he changed a little bit. This experience that Jeremy had gone through changed him.…
I think what it all comes down to is that the brother is the one that isn't normal. He seems angry and unhappy. By normal I mean the average person, and the average person wouldn't want to kill their brother just because he had a disability, or because he was angry at the fact he was disabled. I think it's…
The two main characters in The Stotan are Walker and Jeff. Walker is the main character in this book; he narrates the book by writing in his journal. Walker is the captain of the swimming team in his high school. He has many issues in his life for example his brother being a drug addicted and his parents being old for the age that they had him. He does his best not to let any of it get to him and always does his best to encourage his team mates during the season. Jeff is the oldest out of all of the friends and team mates. He is also to be considered the most mature in the entire group. He has a reputation of being considered a “tough guy” and was diagnosed with a blood disease and is becoming much weaker every day and is expected to die. In the beginning of the book the coach of the Robert frost high school swim team ask for some volunteers for stotan week. Four of the boys on the swim team decide to sign up. When the boys signed up they did not realize that their entire winter break would be spent doing 4 hour work outs during stotan week. During stotan week the four boys began to get to know each other pretty well and eventually started sharing things about their personal lives. The theme of this book is that you only know someone’s name and not their story of their life and what they have been threw and to not judge others without getting to know them. This book affected my view on everyday activities because I truly don’t know people but I still judge them witch I should not but instead get to know the person.…
The background childhood experiences reveal Dave's character traits as an adolescent and young man. The kind couple Dave treats as parents give him ample space to study these lessons from his past and to learn from them. It is when his father is dying of cancer that Dave attempts to reestablish contact with the man.…
In the middle of the book, Tim is still influenced by others but is slowly developing his own point of view. While Tim is on his way home from his cousin’s house, his father thinks that there are cowboys (bandits) up ahead and goes to investigate. Later, Tim realizes that his father hasn’t come back yet. Tim states , “I was feeling scared and lonely without him. I wanted to find him. So I pulled up the oxen as far off to the side of the road as I could, kicked away some snow so they could find some weeds to graze on, and started plowing on up the road as quickly as I could.” This shows that Tim is starting to grow up. Tim is also learning how to be more independent.…
Tom is a young man bearing the responsibility of his handicapped sister, Laura, and his suffocating mother, Amanda. He works in a factory, and uses his paycheck to provide for the family. Jim, a fellow factory worker and former high school friend, knows Tom as Shakespeare, in that Tom writes poetry, sometimes to alleviate his suppressed feelings of frustration. Poetry is one of Tom's methods of escape from the lunacy in his home. Adventure is something Tom does not experience much of, and is angst toward his less than mediocre life is expressed in many of his arguments with Amanda.…
I sat there in disbelief, I couldn’t believe my new teacher was forcing me hike a trail and then write a essay about it. But I had to, so I decided to hike the Indian Hill trail, besides I had heard positive reviews about this trail by my friends. The leaves were just turning hues of gold and yellow, I stepped out of the car and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t freezing cold My mom yelled after me, ‘’Be safe.’’ I ignored her. So I started to hike up the trail it was nice, I usually hiked in the Adirondacks so this was a pleasant change. Hardwoods are different than hiking in the pine forest of the mountains, for one thing on this trail there was only a slight incline where as in the mountains the trails…
When I was 14 my stake High Adventure group went on a 50 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail which was one of the most physically and emotionally challenging experiences I have ever had. For six days, I had to carry my pack containing about 40 pounds in supplies. It rained all six days of the trip.…
Along the eastern United States runs a trail inching along from Georgia to Maine; this trail is known as the Appalachian Trail. It stretches for an amazing 2,184.2 miles from Springer Mtn., GA all the way to Katahdin, Maine. There are three types of hikers that attempt this life changing walkabout: the section hiker takes the trail and divides it up in sections to hike at separate times; the flip-flop hiker does sections of the trail in different places to avoid weather and crowds; the thru-hiker tries to tackle the entire trail in one go. Typically it takes a thru-hiker an average of about 4 to 6 months to complete the trail and that is going 18 to 20 miles a day. Each year there are “thousands of hikers attempting…
Because this book is an autobiography, the characters were all completely real and developed from Bill Bryson’s memories of the actual events that occurred in his story. As Bryson’s trek progresses, so does his sense of self. Bryson is transformed from a soft middle-ager to a serious hiker. Along the long Appalachian Trail that stretches from Georgia to Maine, Bill Bryson encounters several people (characters) along the way. An old school-friend of Bryson’s, Stephen Katz, joins Bryson for the trip. An out-of-shape and abrasive companion, Katz is also known for traveling with the author through Europe when they were in their early 20s, as documented in Bryson’s earlier book, Neither Here Nor There. Although Katz complains constantly and is often insufferable on the trail, his…
Jeff chooses to act upon his thoughts and actions leaving behind his past self that follow orders. Instead of taking orders, Jeff voluntarily subjects himself to darkenfloxx“I used it, dropped it down the heat vent…”(Escape From Spiderhead 9). A similar situation occurred at the beginning of the story as Jeff mentions how he didn’t care for the fate of both Heather and Rachel. Jeff decided to inject himself with the darkenfloxx sparing Rachel sacrificing himself and preventing Rachel from receiving the pain. The progressive Jeff shows from disregarding the fate between Rachel from darkenfloxx to preventing her to receive by taking it himself. Not only does he escape his past of being a subject he chooses to act upon his free will and free himself from his past. Even though the outcomes of Sonny and Jeff disagreement may be different as Sonny smiles with his success due to his music, Jeff suffers physically because of his sacrifice. In situation of defying the people who created conflict for Sonny and Jeff it’s the conflict that allowed them to grow and leave behind their…
In the movie we see all kinds of people in need of healing in their hearts. The two most common themes of healing we see in the movie are emotional and relational healing. Jeffrey Azize is in need of both emotional and relationship healing. When he was little his relationship with his father was not good. Jeffrey father was an alcoholic. Jeffrey remembers seeing his father more under the influence than sober. Jeffrey is in need of that love of his father. Jeffrey needs to learn how to forgive his father in order to have a better relationship with his father. At the end of the movie, we hear Jeffrey saying “Have you ever had a moment where you feel like everything is just right in the world? Time stops, and the stars are in line. It was the first time in a long time I could feel peace in my heart”. He felt at peace after going through all those experiences. He witnessed a lot, which made him forgive his father. He was able to heal.…
Instead of sticking to his normal schedule, and abiding by his mother’s rules, Tom chose to go with Ruby. “Ruby Hornaday steps out of the weeds. She has a mask in one hand and a tire pump in the other. “Need your help.” Tom’s pulse soars. “I got to go to the butcher’s” “Your choice” Ruby turns to go. But really there is no choice at all” (Doerr 142). When he made this decision, his whole outlook on life changed; he now had something to look forward to and something to dream about. This one choice expanded the tiny world he was living in and gave him a new reason to live. Even though he knew he was putting himself in danger, he continued to help Ruby because it made him happy. Joseph Campbell refers to this as “following your bliss” (20). Tom chose to take a risk because it was “exciting” and unpredictable; if he “knew what the outcome was going to be,” it wouldn’t have been an “adventure” (Campbell…
About 200 people hike the Appalachian Trail every year; blind men, old men, fat men, young men, American men, foreign men, and women. However, each experience brings a new flavor, not because the hikers had different experiences, but because each tells the experience through a different lens: the lens of style and personality. In his hilarious book, A Walk In the Woods, Bill Bryson narrates his adventures as he challenged himself to hike the Appalachian Trail with his long lost friend a Stephen Katz. The book expresses a very unique and distinct account of what hiking a trail entails. Unlike other travel books, especially nature books, Bryson depicts a rather humorous experience. Through his use of dialogue, lists, defined first person narrative, and sarcasm, Bryson brings to us a completely different idea of what being stranded in nature is truly like. He portrays a feat, which although tedious, rather comical. He depicts a challenge, which is not so much of a challenge; an adventure where facing a bear seems funnier than an episode of the Cosby show. He illustrates a trip to nature where “gas stations, Wal-Marts, Kmarts, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Blockbuster Videos,” unfold as a hideous pageant of commercial business (Bryson 164). In other words, he gives the impression that hiking the Appalachian Trail is a test, which although a wearisome, can be done by any human being who has the physical and mental capacity of Stephen Katz.…