Authors note

    Dyslexia is a developmental learning disability, commonly identified with having difficulty recognizing and making sense of words and sentences. Dyslexia is a lifelong disability, and as a result it is usually discovered at an early age. People often develop frustration, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression and family issues. Kids especially, do not understand their own condition, even with someone explaining it to them. To a child, say that they have dyslexia is like saying that they're not as good as everyone else.
    I don't have dyslexia, but as a young child I used to think that I wasn't as good as everyone else. I had a harder time understanding what people tried to teach me. As hard as I tried there were little times where I would succeed, and being as young as I was, my spirits were crushed. I didn't understand that I could get better if I tried my hardest and put extra time into whatever I was working on.  I thought I was stupid and that just giving up would be easier.
    There is always a silver lining. It chooses to present itself now, later or has someone come looking for it, it's there. When I grew to be a little older, I realized that I cannot just give up because something is hard for me. I learned that if I tried and tried, I would eventually reach my goal. For people with dyslexia, it could be immensely harder, but the outcome is worth it.

'This is what I did' synthesis page

Summer Boone                                                           1/5/14

812

Question- Who's perspective is missing in this text? What would it look like it we put it back?

Dad

Pg 2

After Logan has a bad day at school, his dad tries to comfort him and ask him what is wrong. It ends with his dad leaving without saying anything because Logan shouted at him without reason. The story entails that he looks worried, but gives no more information. If the dad's perspective is given, then we would know what he was thinking exactly. Did he want to hurt the kid that made his son feel like not talking? Did he even care that much?

Pg 16

"...Dad would think I was a loser again." (Thought by Logan)

If the dad's perspective were in the story, Logan would know how his dad felt, and feel better to know that his dad did not think that he was a loser.

Mom

Pg 6-7

Logan's brother Mack calls Logan a loser.

"Mom in talk shout: Don't you ever, ever say that to your brother. Ever!"

If the mom's perspective was given, then we would know why she exploded the way she did, over something so commonly said among siblings. There would be no question on whether or not she knew that Logan was getting bullied and she wanted to shield him from sensitive words that his peers used in such a negative way, or just did not like the word very much.

Laurel (girl)

Pg 30

*Notes between the two (during classes)*

     "To Laurel,

         A few palindromes

         Pop

         Level

         From Logan

         (From your geography and pre algebra classes)"

     

        "Logan

          No duh about the geog. + algebra.

          Lion oil.

          Laurel"

She is the one of the only people who talks to him. If we had her perspective, we would know why she doesn't brush him off, or bully him like everyone else. In their school, the bullies don't forget much, and if you were seen with him, they would approach you.

Bruce 

Pg 42

He is the 'ring leader' of the group of people bullying Logan. If we had Bruce's perspective, then we would know why he bullied Logan. There are no apparent reasons in the book. His parents and home life seem perfectly fine (for now).

Pg 65

"Bruce: You never know what you might do- you MOLESTER."

*After he said this, Logan hit him on the head with a shovel*

If we were inside Bruce's head, we would know why he would say something like that to get Logan so upset. We would also know whether he was expecting Logan to retaliate, whether Bruce just said it in the spur of the moment, or wanted to pick a fight.

Pg 110

"Bruce: Shoot crapstock. Looks like you better say something fast or you're going to get it.

And he shoved my face into the glass.

Hard"

If we had Bruce's perspective, we would know why he continuously messes with Logan after Logan has shown him how easy it is for him to hurt Bruce. We would know if Bruce wanted to start another fight because know he would be prepared and on guard, or just get Logan in trouble.

Pg 155

Bruce's dad, Jack was hitting him. For a second, Logan sees his best friend getting abused by his dad and he feels that he needs to stop it. He stands up for Bruce.

"Me: Leave him alone. LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

If we had Bruce's perspective, we would know if Bruce was thankful or embarrassed by what Logan did. We would also know if what Logan did cost him to get beat even more behind closed doors.

Zyler

Pg 59

His dad abused Zyler, but no other information was given about him besides the fact that he also had a sister.

"Here's what I heard: A scream. A 'No Dad! Please, no!' And it was Zyler and it was so loud and shaking and backed into a corner. 'NO, NO, NO!! PLEASE!!'"

 If we were in Zyler's head, then we would know when the abuse started and possibly why it started. Also, we might know what kind of things his dad did to him.

In general

If we had his perspective, we would know how he coped with seeing his girlfriend almost get raped by his father, and Zyler knocking him unconscious. He has been moved to a permanent family and if we knew what Zyler was thinking, we would know if he likes his new family or and if he has been to therapy for emotional trauma.




Conclusion

I took a lot from this synthesis page. Authors cannot have everyone's perspectives in the book, even if the book is in third person. It will be boring for the reader, for there will be no mystery. There will always be more perspective to add in order to make every reader happy. I learned that a single sentence or paragraph could make someone think very deeply about the plot, characters, character development, archetypes, symbolism or many other things. This led me to think about how every single sentence has a specific purpose. For example, in the notes that Logan and Laurel sent to each other, Laurel's palindromes kept getting larger and more unique. That makes the readers think about her devotion to Logan, keeping up the notes throughout the school year and making a going effort to keep them different and interesting. Logan's notes also progress in ingenuity, but it was not as distinct as Laurel's. Overall, this book and synthesis page made me tap into parts of a book that I had never known were there, allowing my to 'read between the lines'.

Persepolis Argument Essay

Summer Boone                                                                                              12/17/14

Argument Essay

            A controversial argument when discussing the book Persepolis is if the main character was desensitized by the war, in some cases the answer would be yes, if the psychology was not so flawed. The war taught Marjane many things about herself and other and she appreciated what it took for her to realize that. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a memoir about when Marjane was a young girl in the Iranian Revolution. The book deals predominantly with the issue of war. Marjane describes in epic detail her experiences going through war and how she saw the revolution in her eyes. This text should not be removed from middle school libraries because it teaches students about countries and culture along with the topic of war, and allow students with unique experiences to connect to the book.

People, middle school children included, need to learn about the countries, cultures and what these countries are like, war being a part of that. Middle and high school students should not be naïve to that. Children in middle school are being taught basic knowledge of war, what it is and what causes it, but there are limited primary sources. This book, a primary sources can help children understand not only what happens throughout war, but also how people of all ages are immediately affected. Just because the Iranian Revolution is not typically taught in middle school does not mean that it will not help the kids gain perspective on wars that they learn in their textbooks. In the book, it states how textbooks changed after the revolution. Marjane Satrapi suggests that the textbooks only reveal certain parts of the Iranian Revolution, which may leave kids clueless on some parts of it. Marjane Satrapi does not hold back when writing about her experiences in Persia as a child. A particularly compelling example of this is on page 102. The book illustrates scenes from Satrapi’s minds eye of how children were being forced to essentially kill themselves for their country. Suicide bombing most likely will not be in the textbooks because it is a poor depiction on the country. Without knowledge of the past or present, middle students will be too naïve.

            Censoring nonfiction and fiction texts with ‘questionable’ content do not allow readers with unique experiences to connect to anything.  Jake Rich, the author of, “Can Book Censorship Save Our Children and Their Innocence?” suggests that most books about middle and high school student completely realistic. Specifically, a line in the article demonstrates how realistic a fiction book called The Fault in Our Stars is. In fact, Rich states that the book, “inevitably focuses on the pair’s (Hazel and Augustus, the main characters) sexual awakening, as well as showing the human side of high school students: less than perfect and unafraid of crude language.” What this makes clear is how students, both middle school and high school are not sugar-coated in any way in books like The Fault in Our Stars.  They realistically depict the actions and feelings of the average student. In addition, Jake Rich also indicates in his articles that as children get older, they start to think about things that had never occurred to them when they were younger. Growing student seek guidance not only from adults but also from their peers, going through the same things. Students find it reassuring that they are not alone in situations, which they will most likely not happen if books like The Fault in Our Stars is taken away from them.

            Persepolis contains many graphically violent scenes in the book. Marjane Satrapi did not desist from accounting even detail of her knowledge of the revolution, violence being a monumental part of her book. An example of this is on page 76, when Marjane depicted her first sighting of real violence, leaving out no detail. Satrapi delineates a girl around 13-15 years of age, being stabbed in the leg, calling out for her father. Although some argue that this is too violent and graphic for middle school students, Marjane experienced this before she was of age to enter middle school. This moment empowered her to fight for what she thought was right. The violence had a liberating effect on her and she encouraged those around her to fight for what they believe in also. On page 89, Marjane presents an illustration of fires burning cars down to represent her country being bombed on a regular basis. Most parents would say that they don’t want their children to know about the bombings and missiles, but often forget that it is another child’s life. Persepolis is not spurious. It is a true account of what Marjane Satrapi went through. Her book is not fiction made to mess with a student mid, but to tell her story. She lived through it and handled it very well. If Marjane Satrapi lived through it, middle school student can read about it.

            The book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi should not be removed from middle school libraries because of the benefits that it brings to middle school students. The book allows students to learn about countries and cultures, and allow students with unique experiences to connect to the book. Banning books is an peremptory way to eliminate things that other people have a problem with. If books are being banned now, no one knows what the limit will be for banning anything. For instance, eating certain animals like cows, pigs or goats can be banned because certain religions worship them. Words could be punishable by law because certain people find then offensive. Banning books could be the start of something that could essentially end freedom of expression.

Work Cited

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York, NY: Pantheon, 2003. Print.

Rich, Jake. "Can Book Censorship save Our Children and Their Innocence?" Highlander RSS. 7 Oct. 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://www.highlandernews.org/14413/can-book-censorship-save-our-children-and-their-innocence/>.

Social Awareness

Table of Contents

Poem………………………………………………pg 1

Reading Response…………………………………pg 2

Interview…………………………………………..pg 3

Work Cited………………………………………... pg 4

Poem Title

I started to believe him…

He pushed me down

And called me faggot

I screamed for someone the help

Until he muffled my words by putting a bag over my head

You deserve to die!

He said

But then the sirens blared

He released me

And ran away

On my way home

I started to believe him

I did deserve to die

Faggots shouldn’t be living

It’s unnatural

It’s disgusting

It’s unthinkable

And I did deserve to die

            While writing this poem, I thought about the effects of bullying and what people get bullied for. The first thing that came to mind was getting bullied for being gay. I know many people kill themselves because the feel that there life is not worth living. Bullies can convince them that they don’t deserve to live for. I wanted to let one of the many effects of bullying be known.

Pg 1

Reading Response

            Ai Welwei’s display called, “ S.A.C.R.E.D.” is about his imprisonment in China. It displays him laying in a bed, with two large guards watching over him. Ai Welwei was imprisoned for his work. He threatens the government, which is why he was locked up.

            This display can be compared to the Hunger Games in a way. The one person threatens the government. They isolate and punish that person because they can weaken or in some cases destroy an already fragile government. If the government couldn’t be diminished so easily, then there would be no need to imprison Ai Welwei. One person can make such a difference in the world. In the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is the one that the government wants to get rid of. In many ways, Ai Welwei is Katniss Everdeen.

            I found it interesting that Ai Welwei made his body small and limp, and the guards very large in comparison to him. This emphasizes how threatening he is. For a man surely under five feet, and lying limp and still, why are there two large guards watching him? I also noticed how realistic his face looks in relation to the guards’ faces. It is a clear way of pointing out that he is the focus of the exhibit.

            This piece has made me think more than I thought it would have. This exhibit tells a story, and the more you look at it, the more it reveals itself. It makes me wonder how many other people are imprisoned because they are a ‘threat’ to the government. It also makes me wonder their intentions. Whether it was to contribute to the downfall of the government or just make something that they believe in known.

Pg 2

Interview

Interview with Crystal Matthews- Nurse

Q- How long have you been a nurse?

A- I have been a nurse for 7 years.

Q- Why did you become a nurse?

A- I became a nurse because I wanted to be in the health care field. I wanted to help sick people.

Q- How did you react to your first ‘coded’ patient? (A coded patient is a patient that has died.)

A- I was surprised, but at the same time I wanted to do everything I could to help the patient.

Q- What is rewarding about what you do?

A- When patients say thank you for everything at the end of the sift and then they say, ‘ You’ve taken very good care of me’. It makes me smile and it make me feel like I’m doing a great job. It also makes me feel like I make a difference.

Q- What are some things that you would change about your job?

A- I would choose the type of person I deal with. For example, I would rather take care of surgical patient than medical patients.

Q- What advice do you have for young people that are thinking of going into the nursing profession?

A- It’s a great and very fulfilling profession and there are many opportunities for growth. My advice would be to just go for it!

Pg 3

Work Cited

Edward Wong, An Artist Depicts His Demons, nytimes.com, May 26,2013, November 29, 2014.

Pg 4

Nonfiction Reading Response

    The author of "Malala's Mission," Allesandra Potenza wants the me to know about Malala's goal of women's equality. More specifically, the goal of a women's right for education in her nation, Pakistan. The article is about a girl named Malala Yousafzai who was shot in the head because her role as an activist for the equality of boys and girls. Since 2008, Malala has been speaking out for what she thinks is right.  
    The author wants me to focus on Malala's story as an activist. Before going into the interview portion of the article, she talks about Malala's life. She described Malala's life in Pakistan and until she was shot in the head. The author also described where she fled to after being shot. From Malala at 15 years old until her at 17 years of age, the author has summarized her life so I can get a feel of why Malala is fighting so hard for what she believes in. In the interview portion, Potenza asked questions like, "Why do you think girls' education is an important issue?" and "What would you say to the members of the Taliban who tried to kill you?" to give me a further explanation of Malala's motives. These questions show me why Malala cares so much about women's education.
    Malala is quoted  quite often, as there is an interview with her in the article. Her perspective adds depth, personality and a connection with readers. Her interview shows her point of view instead of just the facts. Its states her experiences and how she dealt with them. One example is when Malala was giving advice to her peers. "They [teenagers] usually consider themselves people who have fun [and] take selfies, but I think it's important that teenagers take active roles in speaking up against injustice and inequality." This part of the text makes me think about all the ways that people can contribute to society.
    This article has made me acknowledge that women don't have the same opportunities as men. Living in America has made me take my opportunities for granted and forgetting that not everyone can just go to school. It makes me wonder about the government of other countries and why they believe that everyone shouldn't have equal rights. For that, I would like to further research it.

   

Reading Response for Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

    Wars happen every single day, all over the world. Although kids should not be exposed to them, they are. Young children are traumatized by the by the graphic things that they have to see and the overall confusing concept of war. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi discusses many heavy topics, the main topic being war. The book will most likely be problematic for young children,(ages 11 and down) therefore should be limited to only older and more mature people.
    Certain scenes in the book are too graphic for young kids. They might be traumatized by the scenes and be scared by seeing the drawings in the book and reading the excruciating detail. For instance, on page 40 of the book Marjane wrote, "After Black Friday, there was one massacre after another, May people were killed." Many young kids would be dolorous with the content of the book.
    Young kids cannot apprehend war. This is just one of the many things kids around the age that Marjane was during the war in her country did not understand. To corroborate, Marjane wrote on page 92, "We didn't really like the veils, especially since we didn't  understand why we had to wear them." If young kids cannot understand why they were being obtruded with the veil, they definitely could not understand why a war would start and why a war would be so violent and relentless.
    This connects to the world because wars happen everywhere, everyday. Unfortunately, young kids cannot choose not to be there. They are traumatized by just looking out of their windows. Not having young kids read books like Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is one way of limiting the amount of traumatized and disturbed children trying to cope and understand war.