Who has the power in "What is the What" by Dave Eggers

        Currently I am reading "What is the What" by Dave Eggers. "What is the What" is the memoir of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. The book takes place during a break-in of the narrators' apartment, and flashes back to his childhood throughout the series of the book. Power and power-struggles are obviously a very important subject in "What is the What". The book shows the feeling of being powerless in a rapidly changing environment and staying strong to stay alive.

       In the flashbacks of the main character's childhood, he is portrayed very clearly as being powerless. One quote that illustrates that is "--Stay close and stay close to each other, Dut said. In the region he said, dwelled tribes that would rob boys like us. They would kill boys or kidnap boys and make them tend to their livestock." Also the power divide is great between the people, the government and the rebels, and it seems that no one is in charge of anything and that it is a free-for-all all across the country. Also it seems that anyone with power is killed pretty much instantly so only the children that are helpless are able to survive.

       When the narrator is living in America he also has a sense of incapability. He feels powerless and people are racist towards him as an immigrant. He also especially feels the extent of his powerlessness as his house is broken into.  "The simple robbery had been in a way acceptable. I have seen robberies, have been robbed, on scales much smaller than this. Until I arrived in the United States the most valuable thing I owned was the mattress I slept on". After the robbers steal a large percentage of the narrator's valuables, they knock him out and tie him up and leave a little boy to wait with him until the robbers can come back and retrieve the TV. The little boy is terrified of the narrator which adds a whole other level to the power inequality.

        The narrator feels his powerlessness expressed many times but also emphasizes his moral strength and his hopeful personality. Though the book expresses how little just one person can do, it gives the reader a sense of internal connection to all the people overlooked.

Monday Muses

I chose the poem "Manhattan" by Joseph Aprile because it represents the tolerance and diversity of Manhattan and all of New York.The poem has creative and poetic language describing the sounds and sights of Manhattan.It has a simplistic list like format that makes it interesting to read. The poem uses sentence structures like newspaper headlines and little one sentence scenes.

The poem also describes the state of mind of new york.Both those visiting like the poems author and the people that live in it.The poem is fairly un opinionated and an accurate portrayal of the city we live in. 

Final Draft

Books are one of the most important tools for learning in existence. Books can communicate controversial ideas and issues to those who need a solution or are just curious and want to learn about the world around them. Book banners may believe that by getting rid of books, they can get rid of topics that make them feel uncomfortable, such as suicide, magic or homosexuality. They may think that without the support of popular literature in such subjects those subjects will just go away. This obviously is incorrect.

     Interestingly, many worthwhile pieces of classic literature have been challenged and banned. This shows that banning might not be wholly on content but be also based on popularity. Jen Doll of the Atlantic Wire said, "The list of “most frequently banned books is like a who’s who of great American Young Adult and kid literature.” Also, she said that authors take banning as a metaphorical badge of honor. These examples show that book banning is biased toward well known books.

     One negative outcome of book banning is that kids can’t learn about issues that have been controversial and concern them. Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why, claimed that he received an email from a girl saying that his book kept her from committing suicide. If a book so commonly challenged can save a life, why not give all books a chance? Another book that  received challenges was And Tango Makes Three, the story of two male penguins hatching an egg. The authors said they were writing it for all the people with families like those in the book. It is always nice to know one isn’t the only one with particular problems and that there are other people experiencing these things as well.

     There can’t be really be any consensus about what’s appropriate for kids. For example, Harry Potter typically is seen as a wholesome book, but was banned by a Catholic school. On the other hand, Ender’s Game has very violent content, such as animal abuse and small children killing and beating each other up. Yet even though it is a very well known book, everyone seems to find it suitable for children to read. Which just shows all the varying views on whether books should be banned. And if so, which books?

     As a society, we may want to protect children from ideas and themes that are harsh or disturbing, but children will need to grow up and live in the real world. Parents should take responsibility for their children and monitor what they are reading when children are young. But, book banning of any sort, no matter the intent, is unconstitutional. The first Amendment gives the freedom of speech which the banning of books restricts greatly. In a country that prides itself on being a "melting pot", no one voice should ever be allowed to quiet the others.

                                           

    Works Cited

CNN.com "Banned Books Week:'Captain Underpants' tops list of challenged books"

 Web. September 24 2013

Doll, Jen. "The Banned Books We Have Loved." The Atlantic Wire 12 April 2012. Web.             14 Nov. 2013.

DeLuzuriaga, Tania "Man from ministry bans Potter" Boston Globe October 17 2013

Critica Thinking Question: How does this book help you to think about Social Issues you care about or causes you are committed to?

I just finished reading "When We Wake" by Karen Healey. It is the story of a teenage girl named Teagan brought back to life hundreds of years after her death. She joined her friends at a protest at the Parliament House in Australia and was shot and killed by a sniper aiming for the Prime Minister. She was frozen for a hundred years as the technology to bring her back to life was created. Teagan has an interesting point of view on the social issues of her time. Protesting them one day and the next seeing their effect and extent.

One issue expressed very strongly is the extent of global warming and the need to finding greener sources of energy. The future earth has been altered so drastically that the oceans mean temperature has been raised many degrees and some crops do not grow anywhere on earth anymore do to altered climates. The Australian government has banned meat from the national diet and is using "Humanure" to grow their food. Eating meat is bad for the environment, it wastes food and there is nothing that meat provides that cannot be satisfied with a non meat product. I agree with this solution it just seems like it would be hard to enforce. The governments other solution, "Humanure" is exactly what it sounds like human waste products use as manure for growing crops. Even though this seems alright it is very thoroughly disgusting.

Another issue expressed is immigration.  In the future Australia there is a no migrant policy and concentration camps for illegal immigrants that are caught.The economy is doing very well in comparison to the rest of the world with the capabilities to support much of the rest of the world. The main character is strongly against this law as am I. The USA has somewhat similar laws with many people having trouble being able to immigrate. As land of the free it should at least be more accessable to those who want to move.

In conclusion, this book brings up many important issues and addresses them well. The character  does not have much of a strong opinion in politics and was mainly brought into politics by her friends. Having a narrator that is un-biased helps the reader to decide there opinion on different issues.

Mondays Muses

From the age of one to three years old, my favorite book was "Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Thing That Go". It is a picture book about a family of pigs going on a trip to a beach to have a picnic, with large full page illustrations of colorful vehicles and simple text. The images had more of an impact on me than the words this might have been because I was illiterate at the time. This book was a favorite of mine also because the words were not vital to its comprehension so I was able to read it independently when my my parents could not read to me. The book was also entertaining and full of really strange cars, just to name a few: an egg shaped truck driven by a chicken, a banana truck driven by three baboons and a pencil car driven by mice.I also think the chaotic atmosphere was appealing to my toddler self.Every thing was always crashing and spilling everywhere. The book had many "Easter Eggs" hidden throughout the book which taught kids to be aware and to be detail oriented.

Second draft

     Books are one of the most important tools for learning in existence. Books can communicate controversial ideas and issues to those who need a solution or are just curious and want to learn about the world around them. Book banners may believe that by getting rid of books, they can get rid of topics that make them feel uncomfortable, such as suicide, magic or homosexuality.  They may think that without the support of popular literature in such subjects those subjects will just go away. This obviously is incorrect.

     Interestingly, many worthwhile pieces of classic literature have been challenged and banned. This shows that banning might not be wholly on content but be also based on popularity. Jen Doll of the Atlantic Wire said, "The list of “most frequently banned books is like a who’s who of great American Young Adult and kid literature.” Also, she said that authors take banning as a metaphorical badge of honor. These examples show that book banning is biased toward well known books.

     One negative outcome of book banning is that kids can’t learn about issues that have been controversial and concern them. Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why, claimed that he received an email from a girl saying that his book kept her from committing suicide. If a book so commonly challenged can save a life, why not give all books a chance? Another book that  received challenges was And Tango Makes Three, the story of two male penguins hatching an egg. The authors said they were writing it for all the people with families like those in the book. It is always nice to know one isn’t the only one with particular problems and that there are other people experiencing these things as well.

     There can’t be really be any consensus about what’s appropriate for kids. For example, Harry Potter typically is seen as a wholesome book, but was banned by a Catholic school. On the other hand, Ender’s Game has very violent content, such as animal abuse and small children killing and beating each other up. Yet even though it is a very well known book, everyone seems to find it suitable for children to read. Which just shows all the varying views on whether books should be banned. And if so, which books?

     As a society, we may want to protect children from ideas and themes that are harsh or disturbing, but children will need to grow up and live in the real world. Parents should take responsibility for their children and monitor what they are reading when children are young. I agree that many books should not be available to children but book banning of any sort, no matter the intent, is unconstitutional. The first Amendment gives the freedom of speech which the banning of books restricts greatly. In a country that prides itself on being a "melting pot", no one voice should ever be allowed to quiet the others.


                                                Works Cited

CNN.com "Banned Books Week:'Captain Underpants' tops list of challenged books"
 Web. September 24 2013

Doll, Jen. "The Banned Books We Have Loved." The Atlantic Wire 12 April 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

DeLuzuriaga, Tania "Man from ministry bans Potter" Boston Globe October 17 2013

First Draft of Essay

Books are one of the most important tools for learning in existence. They can communicate controversial ideas and issues to those who need a solution or are just curious about them. Book banners may believe that if they can get rid of books that may lend support to those effected by an issue will get rid of the issue. This obviously is incorrect.

Interestingly many worthwhile pieces of classic literature have been challenged and banned this shows that banning might not be wholly on content but be also based on popularity. Jen Doll of the Atlantic Wire said” The list of “most frequently banned books is like a who’s who of great American Young Adult and kid literature.” Also she said that authors take banned as a metaphorical badge of honor. These examples show that book banning is biased on well known books.

Another negative outcome of book banning is that kids can’t learn about issues that have been banned and concern them. Jay Asher, Author of Thirteen Reasons Why claimed that he received an email saying that his book kept her from committing suicide. If a book so commonly banned can save a life why not give all books a chance .Another book that   received challenges was And Tango Makes Three the story of two male penguins hatching an egg. The authors said they were writing it for all the people with families like those in the book .It is always nice to know you aren’t the only one with your problems and that there are other people like you too.

There can’t be really be any consensus what’s appropriate for kids .For example Harry Potter typically seen as a wholesome book was banned by a catholic school. On the other hand Ender’s Game has very violent content like animal abuse and small children killing and beating each other up yet even though it is a very well known book everyone seems to find it suitable for young children to read which just shows all the varying views on whether books should be banned and at that which books.

Even though book banning may seem like it is our responsibility to the children. I agree that many books should not be available to children but book banning of any sort, no matter the intent, is unconstitutional. The first Amendment gives the freedom of speech which the banning of books restricts greatly.

Childhood

You want it to be done when its going on
But you want it back by the time it is gone
Its makes you what you are today
What you were
What you weren't
What you should've been
What you could've been
Its obliviousness, selfishness In its purity
and
Yet for some reason we want it
The Tea Parties
The Stuffed Animals
Doing nothing all day long to have fun
Waiting for a fat man
that is a hundred years old
has a red nose
can travel at the speed of light
and gives you what you wanted
Why
Because he gave you hope
Something Fairies can't give to anyone older than older than ten
Their hope is one of the best kinds
Were we stronger back then able to make worlds in our heads
Worlds that all eventually become words and words in stacks of paper in books
or
Nothing but memories that maybe weren't even memories
Maybe they were just things that people said about how we were
That weren't fully true
A picture is worth a thousand words
but
A memory is worth ten bazillion
And childhood itself is worth all the stars you counted when you tried to count them all
But if you saw the worth of childhood while it ran its course
It would have been worth nothing at all
A beautifully endless paradox
and
The only way to make sense of it is to look back
And see
It wasn't about the sense in it for there was no sense at all
Childhood

The Theme of "Lord of the Flies"

"Lord of the Flies", a piece of classic literature by William Golding about a bunch of boys that are abandoned on an uninhabited island and slowly dessert all hope of being rescued as they descend into savagery. The book expresses the theme of civilization versus wilderness very clearly throughout.

One way this is expressed throughout the book is that the children eventually form sides. One side with an elected leader,  builds shelters and makes sure to try and signal passing boats. The other side has a self-declared leader and takes prisoners of the other side that are then killed and tortured. This shows how simply these sides are portrayed.

A quote that supports the theme of wilderness versus civilization is when they are finally rescued. An officer says "-you're all British aren't you-would have been able to put up a better show than that". This proves that this conflict is present in all cultures even societies seen as being advanced.

Even though it is clear to me that the theme of this book is the conflict between society and wilderness, I am not sure exactly which side "won"in the mind of the author. The more savage children kill almost all of the other children, but they are rescued and taken back to society. In the end, it isn't clear to me which side side is superior. 

Review of "Half Brother" by Kenneth Oppel

     In order to teach a newborn child its first language, that language must be spoken around them all the time. The same principle works when teaching a baby chimpanzee sign language. In "Half Brother" by Kenneth Oppel   the Tomlin Family adopts a newborn chimpanzee named Zan to conduct a scientific study about raising a chimpanzee like a human and teaching him sign language. I think a theme of "Half Brother" is what it means to be a family.


     One example of the this theme is when Zan's Human Father decides to make Zan's learning sessions more productive by strapping him into a metal chair for hours. Normal parents wouldn't do that to a teenager, let alone a baby. The father isn't treating Zan like he's really part of his family.


     Another example of this theme is when Zan is having a fit and biting some of the volunteers (chimpanzees are dangerous and can seriously injure someone that they bite)  and his father bites him on the ear to make him behave. This must be really confusing for Zan. Half the time they are rasing him like a chimp and half the time they are raising him like human. 

 SPOILER ALERT

     My final example has to do with his relationship with his older brother and mother and how they treat him more like a human. For example, he ends up in a sanctuary when he gets too strong for the family to take care of. They specified for him not to be given to a lab but they weren't able to get the agreement on paper. They end up stealing him from a sanctuary before he can be given away to a research facility. This act of courage shows their love for Zan that their father seems devoid of.



     In conclusion,  in "Half Brother" the Tomlin Family isn't exactly your average Canadian Family with their chimpanzee son and their father who treats everything like an experiment. To me, they still seem like a family though. Also according to the google definition of a family "A group consisting of parents and children living together in a household" they do  count as a family, up until Zan leaves them. But, in some ways I think they are still a family long after Zan leaves them.

To Kill a Mockingbird

     This summer I read To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, a classic American novel about a lawyer, Atticus Finch, defending a black man charged with the rape of a white girl in the deep south. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl, Scout, Atticus Finch's daughter. This is a work of historical fiction dealing with issues of race and social inequality and injustice. I like that this book has a child narrator for a book of adult issues. There aren't many books like it. It gives a young child a voice to express thoughts about important issues that effect her, something that is unusual. People who like books about social problems and like historical fiction books would like this book. Fans of books about children and fans of classics would like this book. This is a book that makes the reader think.