Blog Post on Animal Farm

          In the book “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, even though the characters are mostly animals, there is a sense of hierarchy and social classes. The animals riot and drive the farmer off the farm and have to decide how to keep the farm at a stable condition. The animals make it clear that humans are scum, and anything on the farm that pertained to humans the animals threw out. The animals rename the farm to, “Animal Farm” and prosper until the winter comes. When winter arrives, the animals have to decide how to deal with supplies until the winter ends.

           Snowball wants to build a windmill, but Napoleon disagrees with his idea and chases him off the farm. Napoleon takes the role of leader and somewhat overuses his power. Napoleon is like Stalin who overused his power when he ruled Russia. Napoleon often killed animals who he thought sided with the ‘traitor’, Snowball. Napoleon also horded many of the food to himself. Though in the beginning of the book the animals hated the humans, through his power, Napoleon resembles a man.

           Among the animals on the farm, those who rise up against the farmer, there are the two ruling pigs, which are somewhat of the commanding or ruling group. They are acclaimed to be the smartest and are credited for revolting against the farmer. The two pigs Snowball, before he was kicked out and Napoleon are the leading pigs. That is the highest group or class among the farm society.

           Then the animals that were somewhat literate or the animals that sided with Napoleon, like the pig Minimus who wrote the anthems for Animal Farm. Minimus was somewhat of a right-hand man along with Squeaker to Napoleon.

           Then the animals who were hated by Napoleon, like the young pigs. They complained that Napoleon was ruler, but were silenced by Napoleon and the other animals and were later executed. The young pigs were at the lowest level of social class.

         In real-life society there are three social classes. At the top are the rich or the upper class. The rich are claimed to be one class but are really many classes in one larger one. At the top of the rich are the large companies or the people who make millions yearly. Then after the rich class is the middle class. After the middle class is the least well-off class. This class is lower class and they mostly struggle to make a living.

George Orwell used this connection to declare to the world that this is huge issue in the US and around the world. There will always be one class better-off than the other. And there will also be one class that struggles to make a living every day.

Argument Essay

             A common argument between readers, authors, and the public involves which books should be available to young readers. There is graphic material in most young adult books today, and many teens claimed in William Porter’s article they  get about “anything they can get their hands on,” meaning it does not have to be safe and ‘clean’, just anything that interests them. The only group of people who are entitled to choose what books teens can read are parents. Parents are supposed to care and make decisions that benefit their children. Choosing the right book for their child can make a difference. Parents should restrict the ability of their child to choose what books they read (Porter). Teens are influenced by media, or what is popular in the world. If there is a book out there that teens love, chances are that kid will also start reading the book. Teens have a huge curiosity. So leaving a kid unattended to do what they please to do, can lead to that kid doing or reading or watching something that they shouldn’t. Finally to conclude, teens say that they can easily connect with characters in books, but many of those characters have absurd problems that only a very small percentage of kids can relate to. Parents should restrict what their children read because their children can be benefitted from not being exposed to such material.

              Media among teens can influence them. The internet is not limited, so teens have the advantage of seeing what is popular. Popular books appear on the internet, and like many of these books, like the Hunger Games, can go viral among teens. The Hunger Games is very graphic, with violence and some sexual content. This book could have been disturbing to readers, but it was popular since the day it came out. When teens read these books they can be influenced into doing immoral things.  In Husna Haq’s article on book ratings, a study showed at Brigham University that graphic books can are more likely to influence readers into cussing than video games and movies. It is important for parents to restrict their children from these books, because if too late, their children can catch the popularity online and start reading dangerous material.

              Even if parents notice that their children are reading books that are graphic or profane,  most of the time they won’t alert their children that the material in those books are dangerous. But other times parents will lazily tell their children that they shouldn’t read those books. And as a result the child, driven by a curiosity, will still read that book. Internet is a loophole around such mild censorship. Teens are smart enough to search the book online and download it on their computer. Or just by walking back home from school, they could easily go to the nearest book store or library and get the book. But graphic material isn’t that unknown presently. “Given what teens are exposed to these days, from war on TV, and pornography on the web…” (Porter).  Teens are exposed to a lot of graphic material and parents don’t mind their children being endangered to it. Growing up provides new things to bounce at a teen, including graphic material. To censor it, parents could easily ‘ban’ a book from the family after deciding if it is too graphic.

              Books can connect with a reader’s real-life problems. Young adult books can “normalize” reader’s real-life problems. But, that graphic material can only be pushed to some extent. Profanity can still influence kids to do immoral things. And not all teen readers are subjected to sexual abuse and self-mutilation in their lives. Meghan Cox Gurdon, in her article explained that even if teen problems can be “normalized” when compared to young adult books, the fact is that the graphic material that a teen reads can be spread to people who either don’t understand it or who can be heavily influenced by it. In author Sherman Alexie’s article, he adds that young adult book s don’t “traumatize” people who have faced problems similar to those in YA books. But, what about all those teens who haven’t those problems before? Those teens who were just trying just to read a book, and end up with a book with violence, rape, and sexual content. Those teens will be traumatized, your move Mr. Alexie.

              In conclusion, a teen’s choice of books should be given to a parent. A parent will understand what their child/children should be exposed to. Parents should be able decide a book choice suitable for their child. They are the ones who should care for their child’s wellbeing.

  

Blog Post for "It's Kind of a Funny Story," by Ned Vizzini

             In the young adult book, “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” by Ned Vizzini, a struggling teen named Craig, has to cope with the depressing environment he lives in. His friends pressure him to do drugs and drink alcohol, and his family seems not to realize his difficulties as a teen.  Craig is crushed as high school weighs him down with work. He wants to commit suicide but is stuck between two worlds. But somehow Craig finds himself through the mess, and he joins a clinic for people with difficulties in life. He finally finds the real him, and puts his friends aside, focusing on how to ‘live’ again.

             Teens face many problems through the middle-stages of their lives. High school, family, and friends are some of the problems in a teen’s life.  Sometimes teens can’t help themselves with all of the problems they have, and become somewhat depressed. Craig becomes depressed when he realizes that he isn’t living his life the way he wants to. He feels concealed, not free. 

             Craig, before joining the hospital clinic, used to hang out with his longtime friend Aaron. They used to hang out all the time. But through his experience with Aaron, he realized that Aaron was not a good friend or choice in his life. Aaron pressured him into doing immoral things such as taking drugs and drinking alcohol. I infer that Craig chose not to continue his life immorally.

 

             A metaphor in the book is the connection with Craig and the Brooklyn Bridge. Before he went to the clinic Craig would go to the bridge to calm down. His problems slipped away as if they weren’t present in his life. I think this is kind of an ironic note that Vizzini added in his book. Usually a bridge is a type of symbol of suicide because many people commit suicide by jumping off bridges. But with Craig it is the opposite. Even though he has an urge to commit suicide, it isn’t the slightest with the bridge. The bridge symbolizes Craig’s freedom from reality. 

             When Craig joins the clinic, at first he feels misplaced, like he isn’t supposed to be at the clinic. He feels like his case isn’t as severe as the others. But he soon realizes that many of the people there, are just like him, and I infer that these people are also just trying to find their own places in the world. Noelle a girl at the clinic used scissors to cut her face because she couldn’t deal with the sexual abuse she was dealt. Craig became friends with her and a connection built between the two of them.

             Through art and friendship, Craig finds himself away from the peer-pressure of the outside-world. He drew maps to calm himself as a kid but re-introduced them when in the clinic. The maps served as something to get his mind off of depression, something that expressed himself.

             But finally he copes with his depression and realizes that he only got through it because of two things:

             Blocking out peer-pressure and reaching deep inside himself to reveal the real Craig.

Critical Analysis Non-fiction Post

              In, “Should young adult books have age ratings?” Husna Haq hints the importance of age ratings, and why authors should put a “Pg-13,” –like rating on books. The article focuses on previous young adult authors, making it clear, by them parting the genre, that young adult books have become too gruesome, and graphic. Also, Haq explicitly mentions that parents should pay more attention to what their children read. Because most likely, they are reading books about vampires, violence, and more graphic material. A parent’s job is to care for their child, but according to Haq, she hints that the parents are not trying enough to shield their child/children from the graphic material in books. Young adult books should have a corresponding rating that determines the maturity, and profanity in young adult books.

            

               Husna Haq wants her audience, which are most likely caring parents, to focus on the importance of age ratings for young adult books. She subtly hints her opinion which might not seem obvious to her audience. With the opinion, Haq wants her audience to feel that the young adult books are very profane. She uses previous young adult genre author, G.P. Taylor, to illustrate her opinion. Taylor says, “I have changed my mind: I think children’s literature has gone too far” Taylor had written a very graphic vampire-themed book series, and with its release, many people believed it was gruesome and graphic. The graphic material trough Haq’s eyes is another excuse to propose a rating system for young adult books. Haq uses a lot of sources throughout the text that support that young adult literature has “gone too far.”

                

                Through my eyes and opinions, I as a young adult, that reads young adult fiction, believe that it isn’t all that graphic. Yes, sure there are some chapters here and there that I might have to put the book to the side because it might be a bit graphic. But, that doesn’t mean that that whole book is a gruesome, graphic, profane piece of writing. To my eyes it is a journey, especially with young adult books (because I can connect more with the characters), where I can live through the book, in an alternative universe. A ‘rating system’ does not have to be proposed because there is a bit of graphic material. If you have a problem with a book that you have heard to be graphic, just put that book down, because why would you read a book that you know to be graphic, just to criticize for fun? Young adult books are a source of entertainment, not something to criticize.

Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya Blog Story Response.

             In the short story, “Faithful Elephants”, by Yukio Tsuchiya, a zookeeper tells the story of death, starvation, and war. In the narration, war pressures zookeepers into killing every animal in the zoo. A war is raging ahead so, for the safety of the city, the animals must be killed in case of a breakout. One by one, every animal is killed, and the last three left are the three beloved elephants, John, Tonky, and Wanly. The narrating zookeeper then turns his story into a graphic situation of starvation.

 In war, I believe there is a common cycle. While the war hits a breaking point, the citizens will suffer the most. The cycle among the suffering citizens is: war, starvation (lack of food will cause the people to slowly suffer), and death. But, in war, after complete chaos, there will be a glimmer of hope, the fine line of peace. In this short story, there is that cycle with the elephants. The zookeepers have no choice, but to slowly make them starve to death. The story is heartwarming, and graphic. Graphic in the sense of prison, starvation, and death.

The author adds the symbolism of prison to show how graphic war is. One piece of symbolism is the bars that repeat throughout the story. On the last page, in the third paragraph, Tsuchiya adds, “Both [elephants] died leaning against the bars of their cage.” Meaning, in metaphorical sense, that the zoo is like a prison to animals. Tsuchiya is hinting an opinion in his story, that he does not support zoos, or animals in large groups of captivity. Also the zoo can be also pointed to be a prison because the animals are in a gated, restricted to be in one area at one time, just like a regular prison.

Despite the graphic content in the story, the author still adds a type of ‘ignorant bliss’ , For example, the eyes of the elephants, besides them starving, are, “more beautiful than ever before,” meaning that the elephants are living better than they  have before. Throughout the text, there is also a sense of peacefulness. An example are the cherry blossoms, which fall before the zookeeper tells his story, and after when the zookeeper is done with the story and tearfully patting the tombstones of the elephants. The cherry blossoms symbolize peace away from the fact that there is a war in process.

There are many symbols that contradict each other, and in which explain what war is really about. Peace adds on the previous cycle I portrayed. Peace will always come after war. And even though the war might have destroyed a community or a neighborhood or even a family, peace will emerge and start to rebuild, by itself.

Response for Steve Jobs: The Man who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal

Over the summer, I read a very inspiring book. At first I assumed that the book would not be interesting to me, but I soon realized that the book made me read more. The book was about a man that changed my parents’ generation, and my own. He created and designed technology that fuels the world today. His name is Steve Jobs. For over thirty-five years of his life, he created new technology, but for only around twenty, he started to share his ideas with the public.

It inspired me that a man who dropped out of college could complete so much in his life. And with having the right peers, he started to sell mini-computers out of his garage with a friend. After Jobs got the attention of a few local computer venders, he changed his design with the help of his friend Steve Wozniak or ‘Woz’ for short. The two would act as a team for many years to come. The small company, after becoming noticed by major computer venders, became a large manufacturer, and sold thousands of Apple IIs. The company grew to a computer selling giant, and sold millions of products to people around the world.

Steve Jobs became informally the leader of Apple Inc., although Steve Jobs was really the true leader out of the two, Wozniak designed and made the computers. All Steve Jobs did was settling company affairs, and eventually he took charge. After running Apple Inc. for quite a few successful years, the Apple employees found Jobs arrogant, and some even said he was a ‘bully’ of some sorts. His own company booted him out, and what surprised me was that he started a new company called Next. Eventually Apple wanted him back, and Jobs sold Next to Apple for programming.

After many twist and turns in his career, Steve Jobs was able to stay afloat and become one of the most well-known men in the world because of his accomplishments. While Apple still came out with new gadgets and computers to make our generation easier to live, Jobs was suffering from pancreatic cancer. In early October, 2011, Steve Jobs, the man who changed the technology forever, died. But his technology lives on, and Apple Inc. still creates new gadgets every few years.