Control in Love: Is it there anymore?

“The Taming of the Shrew” features a few different stories woven together, but one of the most notable is Petruchio’s efforts to “tame” the wild-tempered Katherine. It was written in early 1500s England, when women were expected to get married, have children, and raise a family. The film, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, was made more recently, in 2002. The film tells the story of Fortoula’s attempts to court Ian Miller, despite her family’s strong devotion to the Greek religion and the fact that Ian is not Greek.

These two stories involve some form of romantic love, but was that love even real? “The Taming of the Shrew” certainly implies the interesting idea that romantic love is a myth meant to disguise the truth that marriage is about control. Would a more modern feature film reflect that times have changed? Yes, it would; it has resulted in the idea that the control parts of marriage are dying down, and the love is shining through the cracks. While there is still an element of control in marriage, it is not as prevalent today as it was in the time “The Taming of the Shrew” was written. Today, audiences expect that the control part of marriage has died down, except for parental influence, and that romantic love has become more real.

“thy lord, thy king, thy governor” (Act 5, Scene 2, 154)

This is one noteworthy part of Katherine’s big speech at the end of the play. She was ordered by her husband, Petruchio, to say this to remind the women in the scene of their place. In this section, she refers to the husband as the lord, the king, the governor, meaning that they were the one in charge and had total control.

And they did have total control, at the time. This idea is less regarded in modern works, like “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

Screenshot 2018-04-13 at 11.32.53 AM
Screenshot 2018-04-13 at 11.32.53 AM

“The man may be the head of the house, but the woman is the neck, and she can bend the head any way she wants.” This quote and the screenshot are from the scene where Fortoula’s mother encourages her to persuade her father to let her get a job outside of the family’s restaurant. his quote is interesting, but other members of the audience might not catch its importance on first watch. It basically says that while the man is still the head of the house, the woman can influence him. This would suggest that as time went on, control in marriage shifted from total male dominance to a system where the power shifts between the two partners.

“I’ll curb her mad and headstrong humor.” (Act 4, Scene 2, 119)

This is an excerpt from one of Petruchio’s “game day speeches,” where he reveals that he plans to “tame” Katherine the same way the people of that time tamed falcons, which is through starvation and lack of sleep. In this section of the speech, he says that he’ll “curb” Katherine’s “mad and headstrong humor.” Although not everyone can understand Shakespearean text, the reader should know that he’s saying that he’ll quiet Katherine’s temper. He wants to change something about Katherine, which implies that for a relationship to happen, women have to change something about themselves to appease the man. Katherine tried to resist Petruchio, but he was too persistent. Additionally, the play allowed this to be okay because it was written as an over-the-top satire. However, the message is still there.

Women used to have to change something about themselves to make themselves more appealing to men. They don’t have to anymore.

Screenshot 2018-04-13 at 11.35.07 AM
Screenshot 2018-04-13 at 11.35.07 AM

In the early parts of the movie, I noticed a couple similarities between Fortoula and Katherine. Fortoula doesn’t have as bad a temper, but I still saw some connections. There was a pressure on her to get married, she had a sister who was described as “perfect” by Fortoula herself, as she married a Greek man and has three kids, and they wanted something more than what they had. Fortuola also went through a change, wearing contact lenses and more colorful outfits. However, this change happened because of a new job, not because of a guy. This would mean that changing to appease a man is optional for women. In the later parts of the movie, Fortoula became more similar to Bianca, as she actually likes her suitor, Ian.

“When the special thing is well obtained, that is, her love,” (Act 2, Scene 1, 135-136)

This was a part of a quote from Baptista, Katherine and Bianca’s father, where he tells Petruchio that if he wants to marry Katherine, he has to earn her love. It has always been tradition for the boy to ask the girl’s father for permission before he could start dating her. This tradition possibly lasted as long as courtship itself, showing that parents have as much influence in dating as the couple themselves. It is evident in the play that Baptista wants Katherine to get married, as he reveals in the first scene he appears in that he will not let his younger daughter, Bianca, get married until she does. However, he still puts up a challenge to see if Petruchio is good enough to marry Katherine.

Additionally, Baptista did not influence the control parts of marriage. It was never made clear if he was even aware of what Petruchio was putting Katherine through. If he was, it’s likely that he didn’t care, as it was normal for the husband to take dominance for his wife at the time.

Today, the only control aspects of marriage come from parental influence.

Screenshot 2018-04-13 at 4.23.11 PM
Screenshot 2018-04-13 at 4.23.11 PM

Like Baptista, Gus, Fortoula’s father, wants his daughter to get married, but still judges the potential mate. In the case of the movie, he wants Fortoula to marry a Greek man, but Ian, Fortoula’s love interest, is not Greek. Gus judges Ian throughout the movie, even after he is baptized into the Greek religion, for not being born Greek. He also cites the factor that Ian did not ask his permission to date Fortoula as a factor for his judgement, saying that a respectable man would have asked him for permission. He also says that he knows nothing about Ian. Gus may believe that Windex can work as an all-purpose medicine, but he was sensible to be wary about a guy who he knew nothing about and was also dating his daughter, although it did turn out good in the end.

The control aspects of marriage has died down, but parental/familial influence on marriage has not. In the 16th century, the control aspects of marriage were prevalent, as they were made blatantly obvious to the reader in “The Taming of the Shrew”. However, this idea of control in marriage is not there anymore, aside from the occasional thing about who “wears the pants” in a relationship. If control was still a part of marriage, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” didn’t focus on it. Instead, it focused on the romantic relationship between Fortoula and Ian. The only “control” parts of their marriage came from Fortoula’s family, who took over much of the wedding plans.

Work Cited:

William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew

Joel Zwick (director) and Nia Vardalos (writer), My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Impacts of Fear

Fear is an unpleasant feeling triggered by the perception of danger, real or imagined.  When fear comes into play, its strength can affect a person’s willingness to take risks, our choice to pursue the unknown, or even their ability to accomplish a goal. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the schoolboys who are stranded on the island have a fear of not being able to survive without any adults in a new society empty of order and rules. The fear that builds within each of the boys makes them hallucinate and believe a “beast” exists, which is a projection of the their combined fear. This terror motivates the young boys to try their hardest to survive, but, amidst overcoming their fears, their panic overwhelms their ability to make rational decisions.

In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, in fear of having no adults, the boys decide to select a leader from their group. When Ralph becomes leader, he chooses to make a group of hunters. His choice to divide and conquer is in reaction to his yearning for rescue from the island and survival. Ralph pushes through all his fears of the unknown because he, like the other boys, wishes to survive. He masks his fear with his strength to make the boys believe that everyone will overcome their isolation on the island. “That was nightmare,’ said Ralph. ‘He was walking in his sleep.” (85) In this quote Ralph is acting like he is not feared by the horror nightmare that all the boys silenced because of how the vivid dream terrified them. The boys were scared while Ralph acting like he didn’t care at all. To motivate himself as leader, he had to show all bravery and that nothing phased him. In order to show why he is leader, he must overcome his own mind. If the other boys saw him scared, he would have no order or followers.

An example of this behavior also took place when the Cold War happened. The Cold War was a war used to end international affairs. This was right after the World War II. A senator named Joseph McCarthy, he made the citizens feel discomfort. This is a connection to the book because the boys felt discomfort and were terrified and McCarthy made the people of America feared. The people were in fear of something that they weren’t even sure was that real, they were scared of the discomfort of the new senator, the war, the way things were being handled. This related to the book because the books feared everything of being alone without any adults and the leadership they were under was just someone who knew not much more than them and they had no control. This also relates to the idea of power and civilization. Over all, the presence of fear impacts or overpowers human beings’ ability to make decisions and find comfort in encountering the unknown.

In the novel, Jack, of the boys stuck on the island, was a kid who tried to overthrow Ralph for his power of the leader. Jack is power hungry and tries to get the boys to abandon Ralph. Jack calls for a meeting, and he tells everyone that there is a beast. Ralph doesn’t know what to say so Jack suggests that the boys come with him. He creates a hierarchy by gathering his new group and just naming himself the leader. “Henry brought him a shell and he drank, watching Piggy and Ralph over the jagged rim. Power lay in the brown swell of his forearms: authority sat on his shoulder and chattered in his ear like an ape.” To avoid any problem or life threats, the younger boys bowed to Jack’s needs. The beast was the first thing they all shared, as Jack became more violent, he was the new chief. In a way, he was becoming the very monster they once ran from. He was no longer just a 12 year old boy, he was the ruler of fear.

In conclusion, the feeling of fear has ability to be the controlling or the controlled. There is fear in every one of the boys’ hearts. They have been torn of their innocence, and rational mentality becomes the irrational. When approached with a life threatening experience, it makes people motivated to do whatever is possible to survive. Survival at all cost, even if it means savagery and loss of order.


Two Sides, One Goal

Shaheed Williams
Ms Pahomov
English 2
9 April 2018 
                                                 Two Sides, One Goal
Why can’t opposing sides of forces come to an agreement on a solution that will prevent further problems between them? Still, this happens which leads to the separate sides fighting over for the same thing. The objective is something so sought after, that the there’s not only one person fighting, but a whole group of people. In “Lord of The Flies,” written by William Golding, characters Ralph and Jack were once allies focusing on simply on survival. However, Jack wanted to leave Ralph’s group so he could make his own. This situation also occurs in the real world, most clearly in the Palestine and Israel conflict. Two factions once united, but then ended up warring against each other to pursue the same purpose. The purpose of war is for self-gain and survival because winning is what’s most important.
          At the beginning of the novel, the boys make an impromptu democracy appointing a leader and have different people working specific jobs. Ralph and Jack had important roles in the group, with Ralph being the overall leader and Jack being the leader of the hunters, while also tending the signal fire. However, things turned bitter when Jack and Ralph had different intentions about surviving. “‘I’m chief,’ said Ralph, ‘because you chose me. And we were going to keep the fire going. Now you run after food-’ ‘You ran yourself!’ shouted Jack ‘ You said you were hunters. That was your job.’ Jack ignored him again. ‘Who’ll join my tribe and have fun?’” (150). The group that was once whole became divided. Jack no longer wanted to be involved with Ralph because he thinks that he should be the rightful leader. He believes the power that the leader holds is something that makes him better than everyone else. Jack sees Ralph as a rival since the boys elected him as their chief. Not only does this make Jack insecure, but it’s the root of this anger. His anger only makes Ralph want to remain above him as well. Even if both of their intentions are to stay alive on the unpredictable island, there is tension growing between them. This is because they let their selfish ways take control of them instead of compromising. 
          A failure to compromise has lead to many wars in the real world. The Palestine-Israel conflict is one such war fought over who gets what land and how it’s sanctioned. Both sides believe they have the right to the land of Israel, but none wants to share the land. According to Vox “Jews fleeing persecution in Europe wanted to establish a national homeland in what was then an Arab- and Muslim-majority territory in the Ottoman and later British Empire. The Arabs resisted, seeing the land as rightfully theirs.”. There have been solutions brought forward to fix the problem but none have worked because the Palestinians and Israelis refuse to coexist with each other in Israel. There’s a disconnection that causes problems for all. Relating to Lord of the Flies, this resembles when Jack didn’t want to follow Ralph’s orders anymore. Jack decided he was done listening to Ralph which is why there’s a dispute between the two. They argued over leadership. While the Palestinians and Israelis used their religion and nationality to claim Israel. 
Palestinians are Muslim and Israelis are Jewish. In their holy books, they have rights to Israel dating far back in the past. The problem is that they believe that the land is specifically for one group, so they can’t share it. They all have a religious connection with Israel, which is why both sides are fighting each other so fiercely with so much hate. One activist in the Palestinian community wanted to make his pays available to his people and the Israelis. He had trouble doing that so he started out small, by putting subtitles for his Arabic plays.  “The play was performed dozens of times in Arabic, but it was when Hebrew subtitles were added that opposition arose. At first, pressure came from right-wing activists… who protested outside the theatre and called on the city to shut down the play, claiming that it supported terrorism.” - From journalists Marisa Mazria. In a war, anything resembling the enemy side will cause hate. Strong ties to the country led to strong feelings of obtaining the right to control it which is why the smallest things can trigger hate.
         In the novel, the boys strive to survive but some have their own ways of doing things. This leads to the separation of the group and had the boys harming each other. After Jack split from the group with his hunters, he attacked Ralph nearly killing him. “Viciously, with full intention, he hurled his spear at Ralph. The point tore the skin  and flesh over Ralph’s ribs.” (pg. 181) In this scene, Ralph is nearly killed by Jack because Jack believed he was a threat to his authority, which is his idea of survival. Being the leader is what Jack thought would increase his chances of survival. As a result, he didn’t want to take any chances so he did anything that was possible, even if it meant he had to murder Ralph. Others harming each other,  with the intent to kill is, nothing new in the real world. It’s relevant in the Palestinians-Israeli war where there are many casualties.  “Noting that the latest figures available from the United Nations indicated that 1,523 Palestinian civilians, including 519 children, were killed during the hostilities last summer.” - United Nation Media Coverage. Even civilians and innocent children are affected by the actions of opposing sides going against one another. It goes to show the repercussions of those who use any means necessary to accomplish their goals.  
War accomplishes two things, winning and casualties. It is a practice that is common throughout the real world. Without it, there would be peace, but it’s natural for humans to desire valuables. There are those who value the same thing, and when there’s not enough of it then there will be problems. The more worth it has the more it’s sought after. That’s why humans will always feel the need to fight. The reasons for war is to come out on top, to become the alpha because only the alphas win and survive. Something so massive as it can happen to the smallest amounts of people and can change the way they act.
Works Cited:
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2006

Beauchamp, Zack. "What Are Israel and Palestine? Why Are They Fighting?" Vox. March 31, 2014. Accessed April 04, 2018. https://www.vox.com/cards/israel-palestine/intro. 

Zonszein, Mairav, and Marisa Mazria-Katz. "Israel's War on Culture." The New York                                                                                                                                                        Review of Books. March 22, 2018. Accessed April 04, 2018. http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/03/22/israels-war-on-culture/.

“Excessive Number of Palestinian Fatalities during Gaza Crisis Cannot Be Dismissed as 'Collateral Damage', Fourth Committee Hears in Review of Israeli Practices | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases.” United Nations, United Nations, 6 Nov. 2014, www.un.org/press/en/2014/gaspd574.doc.htm.

A Nicknames Aftermath

Whether it’s a friendly nickname that people may have for someone or an insult to describe people they hate the most, nicknames can have a lasting  effect on the person. Majority of the time when people have nicknames each other it signifies a close bond between the individuals. As oppose to insults which obviously indicates a strain of tension between them. Sometimes nicknames aren’t even accepted. In some cases names are given to people based on their physical appearances 0r personal issues that they deal with. Nicknames become harmful when The victim in the situation never addresses the issue and it eventually becomes what they are known as.  


In Chapter 1 of “ Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, Ralph and Piggy have just encountered each other on a deserted island and Piggy who is a rather heavy boy shares  personal experiences of being teased with Ralph. “Ralph was faintly interested. ‘What was that?’. The fat boy glanced over his shoulder, and then leaned toward Ralph. He whispered. ‘They used to call me ‘Piggy’’”-Pg. 11. In this quote Piggy is explaining to Ralph what he used to be called back at his school. Because of his size and weight the name was Piggy. Although he has shared this with Ralph he just wants it to be between the two of them. Furthermore in the story Ralph and Piggy find a conch (a fancy seashell) on the beach. They blow through the conch to alert anyone else who may be on the island. After a numerous amount of  attempts other boys their age slowly start to show up. These boys along with Ralph and Piggy begin to assist each other in surviving on the island. As the boys are introducing themselves to each other Ralph accidentally tells the others Piggy’s name. Piggy is extremely outraged and goes off on Ralph.

This situation connects to many more in today’s society. For example the nicknames that people have made for the infamous president of the United States. According Billboard Names such as Cheeto, Agent Orange, and The Angry Creamsicle all come at his short temperance, insanity, and orange hair. Does he deserve to be called these names? Very likely, but regardless of what the person has done bullying or assault shouldn’t be the only the option.

















Works Cited (MLA format)

  1. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies . New York: Penguin, 2006.

  2. “Donald Trump Is a 'Desperate Cheeto' in Hilariouus 'Despacito' Parody.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/7997614/donald-trump-desperate-cheeto-despacito-parody-video.



Betrayal by Leadership

What qualities make a good leader? People have different leadership styles and some people respond well to only specific leadership styles. Human beings look to work alongside and under leaders in whom they have faith. Leaders they are comfortable with will make them feel safe. However, what do people look for when their leader is losing their leadership power? Typically with humans, if somebody is afraid of their own actions they choose or make up something else to scapegoat. To them they believe that their scapegoat justifies the action. The Lord of the Flies demonstrates that in society, people will often not take responsibility for their destructive actions and blame it on something else.


In the novel The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of British school boys are stranded on an island. The boys, who have never been alone in the wild before decide to come together in order to survive and work together to find a way for them to be rescued. The leader of the hunters breaks off and slowly it goes from the rest of the hunters going him to most of the boys joining him. By Chapter one the original leader, Ralph is on his own. By exposing readers to Ralph’s betrayal, William Golding emphasizes how contexts, particularly those that are isolating, influence how people treat one another. Despite Ralph’s strong relationship to the other boys in the beginning of the narrative, he is betrayed because his leadership approach is ineffective. This is a challenge that people come across in their lives and sometimes some people’s betrayal is larger than others. Ralph gradually loses his grip on his fellow boys after a while, forcing him  to lose his power in leadership. The team members begin to dislodge themselves from the team before Ralph even knows it.

Jack does not agree with Ralph’s plans for the fire - to just leave the beast alone. Jack feels insulted by Ralph and believes that Ralph is not a fit leader - Jack doesn’t want to play their games - he runs off and builds his own fire - Ralph notices that there are few bigger kids in his tribe and so the hunters and big kids abandon him.


An example from the book where they refuse to take responsibility was when Jack, Maurice, and Robert steal fire from Ralph’s tribe. After this occurs Ralph and his tribe refuse to take responsibility for their fighting because they are ashamed that they inflicted harm on each other for their blindness in the dark; they are afraid of themselves (for their unspeakable actions). Like with Ralph and his tribe, people in society bring harm upon themselves, but in the end they refuse to admit their flaws and apologize because they believe they will only embarrass or further harm themselves. After Jack, Maurice, and Roger decide to attack Ralph’s tribe Ralph wakes up to noises and other people fill into his hut. “Ralph twisted sideways on top of a writhing body and felt hot breath on his cheek. He began to pound the mouth below him, using his fist as a hammer… A knee jerked up between legs and fell sideways… “I got my knee up,” said Eric with simple pride, “and I hit him in the pills. You should have heard him holler!... (after the fight) Ralph moved suddenly in the dark; but then he heard Eric working his mouth. “What’s the matter?” “Jus’ a tooth loose.” (pgs 167-168) After this the boys realize that they were actually fighting themselves rather than attacking Jack and his team mates.

Glass Castle

 You can see our video here

(Dr. Aaron Van Saun enters the stage as audience claps)


Randy: Thank you! Thank you! I appreciate the claps. So today we’re back on the show, Dr. Aaron Van Saun. Today, we have a special guest. Her name is Jeanette Walls. She recently made a book called The glass castle. She is her with her mother, Rosemary Walls. Can we get a round of applause for both of them.


(Round of applause for Jeannette Walls and Rosemary Walls as both enter the stage)


Randy: please sit down here,please sit down here ( shakes hands with Jeanette and Rosemary)

Isabella: I’m very happy to be here


Sarah: Yeah me too


Randy: So, hey Jeannette Walls how are you today?


Sarah: I’m good how are you?


Randy: I’m good. So talk about your book The Glass Castle


Sarah: So basically it’s about my family growing up and how there wasn’t always much money and my mother's free- spiritedness to growing up and kind of letting kids be kids. And learn whatever they want. And end up well in the end


Randy: So today you’re here with your mother. How long have you been seeing each other?


Sarah: Umm..well we see each other on and off. Our relationship growing up was kind of rocky. We kind of made amends a few years back.  


Isabella: yea we put all that stuff in the past.


Randy: so if we are going to continue with the past, growing up, were you ever afraid or ashamed by how other people see you?


Sarah: I think that in a way I was but then I was not. Kinda based on my parent's spirit of we’re gonna raise, or kids, we don’t care what anyone says. Like they can deal with than. So yeah.


Isabella: Yeah we always raised her to not care about what other people think.



Randy: Bouncing off of what Jeanette has said, are you proud of what Jeanette has become? And how she is as a person today?


Isabella: I am very proud of what Jeanette has done with her life. She has a very comfortable living, unlike she did when she was growing up. But I raised her right, I know I did. One thing I feel like she didn’t grasp on was how she shouldn’t care what other people think of her. She is ashamed of me and her father because we chose a lifestyle that wasn't conventional and we didn’t have much money. So you know, we lived on the street.


Randy: Going off of what rosemary just said, is it true about how you think about your parents?


Sarah: I wouldn't say that's totally true. I’d say that yes, there living style is different from mine. And yes growing up I did want to leave that style. And I’m and adult, their adults. I was also taught to respect other people’s ways of living. I would’nt say that I was ashamed, more that I was worried for them. And that’s different from being ashamed


Randy: Any questions from the audience please? Yes, the young man in the gray.


Ethan: Yes I have a question for Jeanette! Why don’t you live by the parents your parents raised you?


Sarah: I actually touched on this question before. I was talking about how I wasn’t exactly unhappy I just wanted more growing up. I wanted to create a better life for myself growing up. That doesn’t necessarily mean I completely forgot about my parents’ ways, I just used some things from them.


Isabella: Yes, I know you kids wish you had more than you got. But look where it got you. One it gave you a great story and you made tons of money off of it. You kids don’t need that physical stuff.


Sarah: So you’re saying I didn’t need food growing up or electricity. I didn’t need new clothes. Yeah, I didn’t need physical stuff at all!?


Isabella: Well obviuosly you guys needed physical stuff like water and food. But me and your father tried!


Sarah: Yeah my father tried


Randy: Woah, Woah calm down


Sarah: He went to bars, he got drunk.


Isabella: And you think that's my fault?


Sarah: Ms. I can’t get a job, I need to focus on my artwork. How does that help your kids?

*Isabella walks out*


Randy: Stay stay! …. Does your mother always act like this?


Sarah: Yea she can’t confront her issues. She’s all happy and go lucky and we’ll figure it out. Well what if we don’t figure it out?


Randy: Well do you think your father has any play into this?


Sarah: Yes,he was drunk all the time, he’d come home, get mad at my mother and things would go south.


Randy: So where is he now?


Sarah: He passed away a few years ago...


Randy: Oh. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for watching the Aaron Van Saun Show. Jeanette ( shakes hand) thank you for coming.


Sarah: Thank you for having me!


Is It Good or Evil?

Is It Good or Evil?

Everything in the world is identified as a certain stereotype such as, good or evil. People believe in many different things no matter if they are good or bad. Society is different in many ways which is why everyone will always have a different opinion. People identify certain things as good or evil with the thoughts that are put into their heads. Jesus is a man who gave up his life for other people’s sins. He sits on a Cross and this is suppose to represent how much Jesus has done for us. Catholics believe what Jesus did is a good thing but others do not. Others believe that what happened to Jesus was cruel. An object can symbolize both good and evil because people interpret the meaning of it in different ways and what seems right to them.

The “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding is a book that focuses on the thought of what is civilized or savage. Boys are stranded on an island and they go through a series of changes in their actions and emotions. Towards the beginning of the book when most of the boys are introduced, they set a rule for the conch. “I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when he’s speaking.” (33) The conch was a shell used to bring all of the boys together. The boys could never get everyone to be silent while one of them was talking. It gave the right to only let one of the boys speak at a time. If one person was not holding the conch, they did not have the right to speak. The boys wanted to keep rules so that everyone would be kept under control since there were leaders, who were Ralph and Jack. The conch set boundaries for the boys and played a part in ways for them to gain respect for each other. It helped them keep an organized system and it had some type of good power to it. It represented good in the beginning because they were using it in a way so that everyone would have a voice.

In some families, hanging Crosses around the house symbolizes good. People believe that having the Cross in their home will keep the demons out and they will be protected at all times. A man named Billy Graham wrote an article called “The Meaning of the Cross”.  It talks about how the Cross shows the depth of people’s sins. Sometimes someone does not realize the actual meaning of their sins, but seeing the Cross reminds them of that. The Cross acts as a pardon for those who aren’t ready for death. “Now,” said the man, “write this beneath them all: The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth from all sin” (Cf. 1 John 1:7). Having the Cross around gives people the thought that they will go to heaven even if they have sinned. It shows that there is always a way for God to forgive everyone for all the bad they have done. In these ways the Cross symbolizes good since there is so much positive meaning to it just as the conch.

The conch didn’t last long at all. The boys were pushing away the system they had created because each boy wanted to be heard and the conch couldn’t control that. Since the boys were stranded on an island, they began to show savage-like behavior. The conch began to represent evil because before they stopped using it, they were using the conch to have a voice over everyone else’s. “You’re hindering Ralph. You’re not letting him get to the most important thing.” (34) Piggy, who was one of the other boys on the island, was never really heard from the boys. He had a little more sense of the situation they were in and the boys were not listening to Piggy, which is why the conch did not go as planned. The leaders set up these rules so that they could follow a system, but having the conch really only made one person overpower the rest. The main people being heard in the group were the leaders, but mostly Ralph.

What happened to Jesus on the Cross was crucial. People think that Jesus being nailed to the Cross was not a good thing at all since it was torture. He was treated like an animal and suffered in one of the worst ways possible. People who do not believe in Catholicism may think that what happened to him was also bad and even people who believe in Catholicism. A church in North Philadelphia wrote an article called “7 Things the Death of Jesus Accomplished”. They go into depth for the “actual” reason Jesus was crucified. The people who killed Jesus did not believe Jesus was working against the Devil but with the Devil. Jesus was being punished for what they had thought he was doing. He was being punished for not only working with the Devil but for incited riots and engaging in treason. This is a way why people think the Cross is an evil thing since what happened to Jesus was being done purposely. Since the conch began to represent evil, it’s an example of the Cross since there are both good and evil sides to it.

Objects are seen in different ways since not everyone is the same person. Everyone has a different opinion and everyone believes in what they think is right. The boys thought the conch was a good thing since they had a system. In other eyes it is an evil thing since only the leaders were actually the ones being heard. The Cross is good for people who believe in Catholicism since Jesus sacrificed himself for us. It gives us hope to move on each day and it shows us how we aren’t different from others. People who have sinned sometimes can feel different or not cherished by God. Having the Cross can mean so much to one person and gives them an understanding of what they did can be forgiven. It is also an evil thing for others outside of Catholicism and even in Catholicism because they actually see different views of the Cross that some Catholics may never see. They could look at it how God was a human being and he was tortured. Since he was a human, can that happen to anyone? Can anyone be easily treated like an animal? It gives people the thought of how easily someone can take a person’s life away, even if it was for a good or bad reason.

Enablers (LOFT Essay)

Enablers

Can children be born evil? Most people believe that children learn the most during their first few years of life, and during that time they are always distracted with toys, games, and the T.V. while their parents work. Therefore, the kids have the freedom to do whatever they want with their imaginations, not knowing what is good or bad because there is no one telling them what to think. When a child “acts out” or does something that is “inappropriate,” they are not punished because their peers believe children have room for growth and don’t explain to them why something is wrong. Young people get away with bad behavior because their peers enable them to behave however they want.

In the novel “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, a group of young boys on a plane crashed onto an unknown island. The boys unite together in order to survive. One of the things the boys agreed on doing was keeping the fire going so they can get rescued. Shifts were established between the boys and at this moment in the book it was Jack’s, one of the hunters, turn. Despite that, Jack ends up leaving the fire to seek after the pig. “I was chief, and you were going to do what I said. You talk. But you can’t even build huts-then you go off hunting and let out the fire-” (70). Ralph, the chief, was aware of the inappropriate behavior from Jack since the beginning of their time on the island. His rebellion against the chief could be because he was jealous of him for being the leader of the boys, thus giving him a reason to act out. As a hunter, Jack would kill animals which can be defined as violent behavior. Because of his unsuccessful first attempt, he was even more motivated to catch it this time. Although Ralph addressed the problems, he did not punish Jack. He allowed him to remain a hunter which is enabling his bad decisions and actions. Jack apologized to end the argument between them, but he wasn’t sincere because he does not believe he did anything wrong. In his eyes, it was a great accomplishment that he killed the pig and was looking forward to doing it again. Not only did Ralph allow the hunts to continue but the other boys loved it. They admire Jack for his bravery and skills in hunting which normalized the violent behavior. Their admiration gave Jack confidence and power which only enabled his behavior to progress for the worse.  

Throughout the novel, the idea of a “beast” arose from a littlun. The beast frighten the boys even though there haven’t been actual proof of its existence. Jack, who is portrayed as the brave one among the littluns, was driven to find the beast in order to befriend it or kill it. One night, they all thought that they spotted the beast and attacked it. The boys believed that they were defending themselves against the beast but in reality, they were murdering Simon, a fellow survivor. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws” (99?). They were determined to kill the beast because they only pictured it as something bad. Their imagination urged them to hurt it back because they were surrounded by aggressive and brutal behaviors that were often praised for, such as killing the pigs. When they realized that it was Simon, they ignored the fact that it was him because they were used to the murderous acts. Also, there was nobody there to tell them that it was wrong or to punish them for the murder. The boys came from an environment full of war so killing and violence was often present in their lives. This gave them reasons to think that they did what they had to do in order to protect themselves. Even though Ralph knew it was wrong, he didn’t do anything to explain it to the boys, therefore, enabling their evil behavior.

Violent behavior is also present in the real world. School shootings are one of the most frequent incidents that are happening in America. One of the world’s most fatal school massacres is the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018. Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz was charged for the murder of seventeen people. Prior to the shooting, Mr. Cruz showed numerous signs of his disturbed behavior.  “A Snapchat video shows Nikolas Cruz cutting his arms and talking about guns.  A message sent by Cruz to a Mississippi bail bondsman says, ‘I’m going to be a professional school shooter.’ An anonymous tip warns the FBI of Cruz’s potential of ‘conducting a school shooting.’” Nothing was done to prevent the incident despite the clear warnings that were given. Multiple people (students, teachers, police, FBI, his guardians) let him be his mentally and emotionally unstable self. His behavior could have trigger because of the passing of his mother in November 2017. Not only was he already challenged in life but he fell into a great depression after her death. If he was approached about his behavior, he could have learned that shooting people is something he should not do, someone could have been watching him, or he even could have gotten help. Instead, his uncommunicative environment only became an advantage for him to express his fascinations for guns. This is similar to the novel where Ralph did not stop Jack from killing despite knowing all the signs of what he was capable of.

Although what Nikolas Cruz did is unjust and horrific, young girls send him fan mail praising him for what he did. The families of the victims are disgusted at the fact that he can receive mail in jail knowing that his court case has not been determined yet.  “Cruz is getting mail, too, including fan letters from teenage girls. ‘He’s famous,’ Finkelstein says. ‘They want to be connected to him. They’re star-struck. I’m ready to call the parents and say, ‘You need to know what your daughters are doing.’” The girls are admiring Mr. Cruz similarly to the boys admiring Jack. This only makes him think that what he did was acceptable in some way. If he wasn’t getting the mail, he wouldn’t know what people were thinking of him. The girls are supporting his murderous behavior that should be corrected as unjust and evil. The parents of the girls are enablers because the girls think similarly to Mr. Cruz and are not being informed of the problems. They are normalizing violent behavior and seize to see the wrong in the shooting. This is like the boys following Jack’s commands and beliefs when they murdered Simon.

Enablers are why bad behaviors are becoming widely accepted among young children. The children are not informed of or punished for their mistakes, therefore they continuously grow worse. In cases like the novel and the real world, people get hurt and die because of evil behaviors and the person who should be held accountable are the people who allowed it to happen. People need to teach children that violence is not acceptable. If this was a standard lesson, then these problems could have been prevented. Simon didn’t have to die and those teachers and students didn’t have to part from their families. It’s unfortunate that we have to learn why awful things happen this way but now we can learn from these incidents and continue to fix our ways for the better.


The Bird Talk

The Bird Talk


Taj: We have recently finished Maya Angelou’s first autobiography.

Nasir: Today we have a lot to discuss about “I Know Why the Caged Bird sings.”

Karima: We have recently finished the first autobiography by Maya Angelou.

Taj: So how did you all like the book

Karima: I honestly loved the book, because I’m just the type of person that loves books that are based on true stories.

Taj: Nasir?

Nasir: I read this book in 8th at first I thought it was good but I wasn’t really interested in it but reading it a second time and understanding the book more I actually started to really like it and I understood everything that was going on in her life. Not only she talked about her life but she talked about society back then and what it meant for her to be black during a time where racism occured.

Taj: I think it was a very well written book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes these types of books, but this is not my type of book. I enjoy fantasy and dystopian future writing. So I did not enjoy the book very much. I have no problems with the book it is just not my prefered genre.

Taj: What do you think the themes of the book are?


Nasir: I think the themes of the book were to always be who you are and racism. I think the theme always be yourself was a theme in the book because maya couldn’t figure what she was as a person. She always questioned things about her like her sexuality and and her womanhood. But going towards the end of the book she figures out who she is. The other theme, racism, was in the book because in the book she talked about a lot about racism.


Taj: I think the themes are growing up and racism. The theme of growing up is very relatable to me. Since I am only a few years away from being an adult and soon I will have to mature and prepare for adulthood. Maya discusses the problems with her and her brother growing up. I may have some of these problems growing up. When it comes to racism I have only encountered one racist person in my life, but I am bound to encounter more. So I can learn from her mistakes.


Karima:I think one of the themes is to just be who you are no matter what, and also like Taj and Nasir said Racism was a big part of it as well, it was one of the main themes. I can’t really relate on racism, but I can kinda relate to the not being myself back in elementary school I moved to the U.S and I didn’t really know any English or anything like that and my where I came from was really really different so I always tried to be like the other girls and I always just tried to fit in with them, I changed how I dressed how I talk and everything.


Taj: Compare society from her life to society today.


Nasir: Life in society back in her day wasn’t as good as today even there are some dark spots in today society. I’ll say society during her time was so crucial because there were a lot of lynchings happening and segregation was on big thing that happened back then. Now if you look at society today it got a little better but it gets worse with mass incarceration and young black kids dying. But, I’ll say back then was worse than what is happening today  

Karima: I think one big part that’s the same from both Society is boys taking advantage of teen girls, like reaping them and stuff like that, Another thing is racism racism is still going on in today society. 43 `

Taj: Maya’s society was completely different than today’s. In Maya’s time racist were much more of a problem than they are today. Same with sexists. Both problems still exist today, but on a much smaller scale. In Maya’s society any questions that she had she had to ask her parents or guardians, but in today’s society everything can be found on the internet. Maya would have never talked to her mom about being a hermaphrodite if she could have googled the answer.

Taj: Any other questions today?

Karima: No

Nasir: No

Taj: Ok then. Goodbye goodbye goodbye from the bird talk.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVaZVsmLpyI&t=3s

The Wild Talk

Talk Show


SCRIPT:

Alex: Juanito Hernandez, Big shirt and shorts, sandals, black socks, sunglasses, I was with a gang named los Cholos. I lived my life just protecting the neighborhood and I used to smoke a lot of weed. I’m only 20 years old and I’m a dropout. I never really liked reading  but the book Wild by Cheryl made me turn my life around.


Lucas Name: Charlie Akoni. Jamaican beanie jamaican colors, lived off land for four years because of Jamaican poverty, spiraled into drug addiction but is clean, met a hyper religious Buddhist man who taught me discipline, and sent me on the road to be a part of the Jamaica Defense Force, got injured, retired, moved to USA, read many books I felt I could relate to.. was disappointed while reading wild because of how Cheryl made it easy for herself.


Cheryl: will I am cheryl and we read the book


Everyone on the talk show will have a brief introduction of themselves


PROPS; sign names for everyone. The “wild show” sign in the back. Water bottles with “the wild show tags”


SETTINGS: in school. In a clean pretty place.


Juanito: Sup fools, I’m Juanito coming from Huejotzing0, Mexico.   


Questions


1. How do you relate to cheryl? What problems do you have/had in Life?


Charlie- I can relate to the wilderness survival aspect of her hike, I lived in poverty for four years, age 16- 20 after my parents died. Also, I had a brief period of strong drug addiction as she did before her hike.


Juanito- Yea fool, me and Cheryl relate way back because at some point in our lives we were both drug addicts. You know fool my momma died long ago and I feel her pain.


2. .Would you do the same thing cherly did, cross the PCT?


Charlie- Yes, in fact I would do the PCT hike as a passtime one month, and would not use cars and stoves. Why did you go on the PCT if you just hitchhiked most of the way and gave yourself so much extra help in the beginning?

Juanito- That’s what I did fool.


3.what do you think of my book?

Charlie- I think that the book is a little misleading. It’s name is “Wild” about it was the rash on your foot. I believe that you shouldn’t have    it seem like a survival book where you struggled on a trail with land living if it is not that at all. It’s a pure misnomer.


Juanito: I loved your book fool, I loved how you went from your life falling apart to yet again bring yourself back up there. You know, you changed the path of your life fool and that’s tough.


4.What do think of the people I encountered(not just on PCT), like Paul, Doug, you all those people?


Charlie- I think that these people also helped you too much and that if your intention was to do the trail and have an almost spirit-walk type of journey you shouldn’t have surround yourself with people who had privileged themselves so much.


5.What do you think of monster, what should I have done about that huge problem?


Charlie- your backpack, was too overencumbered, and overpacked for the journey that you wanted to take.


Juanito- your bag was too much fool, come one please, you over exaggerated. I only took my sandals and 3 pairs of every clothing. My tims as well.


6.  What should I have done on the trail, instead of ride cars most of the way?


Charlie- It’s not what you did on the trail, it’s the misnomer in the title and what you made your journey out to be in your book.


Juanito- To be honest fool, i think you should have walked the full way but your feet were in bath condition fool, so you did the right thing.


7. When do you think it’s sometimes better to turn away from your problems?


Charlie- When you feel that your problem is not worth solving, and when you feel that the answer would be to run away, most times, I like to face my problem head on though.


Juanito- When you feel like you can’t take all the stress, I think that’s the best time to turn away from your problems because it’s time to meditate fool.


8.Do you think wild is a misnomer for my book?


Charlie- Yes, an extreme one in fact. I feel that your title appealed more to people who have interests in the wilderness more than its actual audience. The summary of your book also leads people to believe that it is something that it is not, a survival book, about a challenge through wilderness.


9. How was your experiencing hiking different from mine?


Charlie- I didn’t do that specific hike, however, I did live on my own off of the land for four years, which hiking was a big part of. I had nothing besides the few artifacts that I could salvage from my home before leaving.

Juanito- It’s different because I walked the whole thing.


10.how would you react with your family with doing all that, like coming home after waking/riding cars up the PCT?

Juanito- I don’t have family anymore.

11. I had a lot of support from people when I hiked the PCT, did you have anyone with you when you hiked the PCt as well?

Juanito- I wish I had someone, I was alone. Don’t get me wrong though, it was a nice feeling because it was just me and mother nature. I could relax and find my true identity.


The Final Video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnglQlrqN9k&t=32s


Camerica Talk Show

Alaska - Hasciya

Toni with and I - Eden

Pudge- Michaela

Jake - Bella

Camera dude- Ethan Chen


Toni with an I (TI)- Hi everybody! Welcome back to Camerica. I’m your host: Toni with an I. Today we have some very “special” guests for you. From John Green’s book, Looking for Alaska; here are Milo and Alabama!

~Studio audience applause and boos~

Alaska (A)- *Under her breath* It’s Alaska

Pudge (P)- Um, It’s Miles, but you can call me Pudge.

TI- Ok Pooj! I have some questions for you two about your love life.

A- Oh, we don’t have a love life. We never had a love life. HE does not have a love life. I do.

P- *exasperated* Hey!

TI- Tell us about that Arizona.

A- *through gritted teeth* Alaska. Well, I have a boyfriend. I love him very much. We actually had a nice date last night. I mean, sometimes I flirt with Pudge. It is just a joke though.

~Studio audience goes “ooooooooh”~

TI- Oh goodness. What are your thoughts on this Fudge?

P- Sure it was a joke. If it was a joke, why’d you make out with me?

~Studio audience gasps~

TI- *le gasps* Seems like there is some romantic tension. Let’s bring Jack, Agnes’s boyfriend, in now!

A- What? N--

Jake (J)- (enters) ~studio audience WILD applause~

J- It’s Jake. *winks at camera*

~cue fangirl sounds~

TI- So, Jek, what is your opinion on this matter?

J- What matter?

~studio audience gasps~

TI- He doesn’t know!!! Alexa, would you like to tell Jay?

P- *whispers through gritted teeth* Nooooo…

TI- What was that Puddle?

P- Nothing.

TI- It’s your turn Ally.

A- *Deep breath. Sigh.* Before I say anything, Jake, I want you to know that I love you so much. Um… Pudge and I… We may have made out last night.

~Studio Audience boos~

J- *Angry shouts* What?!?

A- Jake, I--

TI- *Looking into the camera* Ooh. The tension is growing. We just found out Aska is cheating on Joe, with her friend Mark.

A- Cheating? No. It was a dare. We were drunk.

J- *Glares at Pudge* What do you have to say about this?

P- I… Uh… What she said. Drunk. Dare. Yeah

J- Alaska. When was this? Where was I?

A- It was last night. You were with your parents for the weekend.

J- But we had a date that night!

A- I know… This is too much. I need a smoke. *Pulls out a fake cigarette*

TI- Woah woah woah. No smoking on this set Ava. Er, if you need to smoke, please go outside.

A- I don’t give a *beep* what you say *in a mocking voice* Toni with an I. *Leaves*

*Toni with an I, Jake, and Pudge sit there awkwardly for 5 seconds.*

*Cricket noises*

TI- Well, uh, we’ll see you after this quick break.


CUE COMMERCIAL BREAK


Static

Announcer- Are you sick and tired of plain old good food? Well we have something for you! Now at McInedibles, we have a new McInedible meal! Complete with our new fries that have more sodium than ever! You also get a triple double woohoo burger with meat from- uh... TBD- and a high calorie bun! Get yours for $6.90 today!

*Fast voice* Only available at participating stores. Not yet FDA approved. Side effects may include vomiting, nausea, extreme migraines, feeling stoned, type 3 diabetes, and death.


*Show Jake* “Uh, what am I doing here?”

State farm logo and jingle.



A arguing with TI, low sound, beeps

TI looks at camera, fixes her mic

TI- Annnndddd we are back!

A- *Grumbles under breath*

TI-  So Moss, what do you have to say for yourself?

P- I uh… It was a dare? *scoff from Jake* I mean we were both very drunk and didn’t think much of it. Looking back at it now, it probably wasn’t the best idea

J- Ya think?????

A- Jake, calm down. It didn’t mean anything, I promise. I still love you.

P- Well-

*le argue*

Sound fades out

TI- Well that’s all for today folks! Tune in next time as we answer the age old question: is King Duncan Macbeth?

Incidents of the Dog in the Nighttime Talk Show with Cameryn Roach and Jacob Prunes

Jacob: Hello Philadelphia, welcome to The Sunny-Side Up show. We have special guest Cameryn, a famous book analyst known for her depth on reviews and theories, on the show today.  How are you today Cameryn?

Cameryn: I’m fine, thank you for asking. 

Jacob: Are you familiar of the novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime”?

Cameryn: Yes! I have been asked a lot of questions about that book and I have reread the novel quite a few times. 

Jacob: For our viewers that haven’t read or heard of the book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is a story about 15-year-old Christopher Boone who was born with Asperger’s syndrome. In this part of his life, his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, is killed and Christopher takes it upon himself to find out what led up to the moments of the dog’s death. Along this journey, Christopher learns new information that’s not about his love for math or physics, and he finds himself in a place he didn’t expect to be in. 

Jacob:  So, was there any sympathy for the characters during a certain part of the book?

Cameryn: Personally, I felt sympathy for Christopher. I felt that his parents didn’t really prepare themselves on how to handle a child with Asperger’s syndrome besides just going with what he’s comfortable with, like for example they make sure that each part of his food doesn’t touch each other. I’ll give them credit, his parents did make sure that he was stable academically but other than that not really. 

Jacob: I really felt sympathy for Christopher’s father in the beginning of the book 

Jacob:  

Cameryn: The revival of his mother in the story was a little surprising, but it was also predictable. The whole scene where Christopher found the letters from his mom and started to read them is my favorite. It showed a side of shock within Christopher that neither the audience of the book or Christopher himself has seen before. Then his father found out what he was doing, and that was also the moment when the relationship between Christopher and his father reached its last straw. To me, it had to be one of the most exciting scenes in the whole book. 

Jacob: How did you feel when you figured out that Christopher’s dad killed Wellington? What was your initial reaction?

Cameryn: I was really surprised when Christopher’s dad revealed that he was Wellington’s murderer. I kind of expected that his father knew who did it since he would get mad every time Mr. Shears or Wellington would be brought up around him, and he just didn’t want Christopher to get involved in something dangerous. But I didn’t anticipate that he would give himself away. 

Jacob: Did this section of the book change your opinion about Christopher’s dad?
 
Cameryn: Once Christopher was reading the letters back to back and his father walked in on him and started stumbling over his words, that removed most of the sympathy I had for him. He knew he messed up when he didn’t tell Christopher the truth about his mom, and he knew he messed up when he started getting physical with his son. It was just a matter of time until we would come up to the scene where things would really unravel. 

Jacob: Yeah, for me this really changed my view on his dad. This part really explained a lot of questions I had. In the beginning of the book I felt pity towards Christopher’s father but now, I don’t really feel as bad. I kinda understand why he did what he did, but I feel like he could have avoided it.

Jacob: Next question I have is, did you have any intimation that the mom was alive in the beginning of the book, or did you really believe that she was dead?

Cameryn: I believed she was dead, but because of the way she was brought up multiple times made me think that something big or important in the story would include her. 

Jacob: Now was it just me or did you notice that every other chapter was just a sidetrack that involved an interest of Christopher? If you did then why do you think that is?

Cameryn: I think Haddon decided to write his book like that so we would further understand Christopher as a person and as a character and not just a boy who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome that likes math and physics. There’s obviously more than that to him, but that was just a little overview. 

Jacob: Do you think Christopher’s idea to run away from his dad was a good one?

Cameryn: Not entirely, but given his fear towards his dad and how he couldn’t trust that many people besides his mom and Siobhan, it was certainly brave. 

Jacob: And know let me hear you overall opinion on this book?

Cameryn: I liked this book a lot. It provided a different outlook on how the narrator could think and tell his story. 

Jacob: Well that’s all the time we have today. Thank you all for watching...The Sunny-side up show.

Link to video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1LpowETXho

Follow My Order!

In “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding a transportation plane crashes on a random island, the only few people that survive are surprisingly a group of young boys and most of them are strangers to each other. This island was not their destination, they’re not prepared to survive on an island, but that doesn’t matter anymore as they’re forced to make choice if they want to survive on this island. As young boys it’s hard, but they must make choices on this island, not solely for their own survival, but as well as every other boy on the island. With most random boys not familiar with surviving on an island the boys aren’t sure of their choices. Once they select Ralph as their leader it seems as though they all understand he is in command and what he says goes. When choosing to follow Ralph, their choices aren’t  dependent on their own knowledge and instinct when under command anymore, they’re dependent on what the other guy is doing. In an rulership, when it comes to following an order complying to what everyone else does and how everyone else acts is natural . But once apart of whatever the crowd does. Without knowing it, people comply to whatever everyone else does, and that begs the question;Is there a silence that fights against the orders of a commander in the form of a question or an idea when it comes to people following orders? Comfort zones are no longer of any importance when the sitation at hand seems normal to those around you

Once the boys all find each other on this island they finally begin to understand that they’re gonna be here for a while. They decided to put somebody in command.Once it came down to determine who their leader would be,the boys voted for Ralph to be their leader by raising their hands. Some of the boys, such as Jack weren’t okay with Ralph officially being elected as their leader. When Ralph’s title as leader was established Jack was disappointed in the decision, but Ralph later gave him control over the choir boys and hunting.”The circle of boys broke into applause. Even the choir applauded, and the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification. He started up, then changed his mind and sat down again while the air rang” (23).The boys applauding in a situation like this is a way of them expressing content and delight for Jack’s decision as leader. However, the boys clapping could also be to send a message to everyone else about the emotion they want to be comprehended for, content and delight may not be their true feelings. Jack accepted that what he felt was right didn’t matter anymore after he accepted the boys decision and broke into the emotional state of mortification. Him sitting down was him signifying that he accepts the situation at hand and understands that what has happened is glued in place.

In Lord of the Flies by William Golding some of the boys aren’t always comfortable with what their doing. When it came to hunting there was a boy named Jack who overall took control of the leadership role when it came to hunting. Ralph wasn’t a fan of hunting, but since it had become normal to the hunters he decided to give it a shot. While traveling, the boys ended up along the pig track and that is where Ralph spotted a boar. He took aim with his wooden stick, and stuck it into the boar. The boys chased the boar down to the see, but lost track of it. Ralph felt accomplished with his shot after. “I hit him,” said Ralph again, “and the spear stuck in a bit.”

He felt the need of witnesses.

“Didn’t you see me?”

Maurice nodded.

“I saw you. Right bang on his snout Where!” (113)

Ralph is rolling with a new crowd when hunting down the boar. He’s not used to this feeling, it felt really good to him because he wanted to have the attention for his accomplishment. He seeked out attention so everyone could celebrate along by his side about his huge accomplishment, but sadly Ralph didn’t understand that not only did his shot not kill the boar, but on top of that, this wasn’t irregular to the hunter, this was in fact normal to them. Hunting while stranded there would be enough spear’s plunging into the flesh of  prey and the feeling of witnessing that wouldn’t excite the boys, but Ralph failed to see that. At the end of his begging, Maurice gave him a nod most likely just to quiet Ralph down while they still tried to catch the undead boar that was running away from them. How the group wanted Ralph to feel was of little importance to the boys as they didn’t see this as an achievement worthy of celebration, rather than just another ol’ day in the life of a hunter, nothing special, it was normal.


Conformity is trying to match people’s feelings and beliefs to be the same as anybody else’s in the crowd. In today’s world conformity is seen in everyday lives, at school, work, or even riding the bus. Part of this reason is because of people being unaware that they’re conforming to another group. For example, acts such as smoking and drinking in a highschool environment may seem normal to those around somebody, but when somebody decides to partake in the same actions as the next person people may come to find out that they’re not comfortable with what they’re doing. People’s own comfort begin to become less important when going along with the crowd becomes more important.  Back in 1935 a Psychologist published his experiment about conformity. “Asch used a lab experiment to study conformity,whereby 50 male students from Swarthmore College in the USA participated in a ‘vision test.’ Using a line judgment task, Asch put a naive participant in a room with seven confederates.” In this experiment the questions asked in this test were obvious when using common sense, however with 7 confederates there their job was to try to get the one participant to their answers, instead of the obvious answer. Even if the participant was not comfortable with the answer he chose it because he trusted in what the 7 other confederates answers were. This real world example connects to Ralph’s decision to try out hunting. Even though he wasn’t comfortable with it, he still chose to do it because everyone around him were hunters and felt comfortable hunting.

Hernan Cortes was an explorer. In 1521 he conquered the Aztecs with the help of his men. He traveled to mexico with 500 of his soldiers. Once he went from wanting to explore to wanting to conquer the Aztecs all of his men were not on board with his plan any more. One man tried to assassinate him for his change of heart, but Hernan Cortes found out his plot and had him hung. None of his other men tried anything like this again. “Cortes and his men were in the center of the city, and would most likely have to fight their way out no matter what direction they took.” Cortes men ended up being in the city anyway and attacking the Aztecs and torturing their people. His men winded up fighting no matter what there comforts were. They weren’t on board with Hernan Cortes’s plans but they never tried to rebel against because of the first failed attempt by their fellow soldier

Comfort isn’t important to people when it’s normalized amongst those around you. How comfortable somebody is at times may not be that important to that person, or what they’re conforming to may be more fun or exciting than their own comfort so they decide to take a risk. This could be a good or bad thing but in general, it's natural. In conclusion, the world has shown accounts of this since the beginning of time, but being aware of the conformity you partake in is what makes somebody different from everyone else.




































Work Cited

1.Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience, www.units.miamioh.edu/psybersite/cults/cco.shtml.


2.McLeod, Saul. “Saul McLeod.” Simply Psychology, 1 Jan. 1970, www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html.


3.“Fall of Tenochtitlan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Apr. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Tenochtitlan.


Book Club: Looking for Alaska

Group Members: Nickell Caesar, Carol Lopez, Matthew Nguyen, Cindy Zou

Script


Alaska’s mom’s death Scene:
Cindy: Welcome back to MNCC News. I am Cindy. Today’s breaking news is a mother of a 9 year old child, Alaska Young has passed away from aneurysm. We have Carol at the scene, take it away.  


Carol:  

As you can see I’m at the Young house where Ms. Young passed away late last night.  Sources say that Ms. Young was feeling fine later that day but passed away because of an aneurysm at January 10,1997.  Her daughter Alaska Young found her passed out on the kitchen floor. In shock she could only stay still as she watched her mother passed away before her eyes.


Cindy: Thank you Carol and that would be today’s news. I am Cindy and you were  watching MNCC News.






Night at the barn Scene:

Alaska: You won that round. Now what’s your worst day?


Pudge: My worst day was in seventh, grade when Tommy Hewitt pissed on my gym clothes and then the gym teacher said I had to wear my uniform or I’d fail the class.


Alaska: The day after my mom took me to the zoo where she liked the monkeys and I liked the bears, it was a Friday. I went to my room, and she sat down at the kitchen table, I guess, and then she screamed, and I ran out, and she had fallen over. She was lying on the floor, holding her head and jerking. And I freaked out. I should have called 911. But I just started screaming and crying.



Car Accident Scene:

Cindy: Breaking News. Today, a young girl from Culver Creek Boarding School has died from a car accident. Now we have Carol on the scene. Take it away.


Carol: I am on set of the car accident. Moments ago, a junior at Culver Creek High School, student Alaska Young had passed away from driving under the influence. We are on scene with the cop that Alaska Young ran into


Police: I seen plenty, but I ain’t never seen that. She didn’t tarn. She didn’t brake. She jest hit it.  I wasn’t more than ten feet from the cruiser when she hit it. I thought I’d die, but here ah am.

Obituary


Carol: Thank you police officers, Back to you Cindy


Cindy: Thank you Carol for the intense story.That would be all for today’s news. I am Cindy and you were watching MNCC News.



The Eagle talks about the Alaska’s death at the auditorium Scene:


Cindy: Welcome back to MNCC News. I am Cindy. Today, we have another story on the death of student Alaska Young from Culver Creek Boarding School.  On the scene is Eagle Martin, talking on the life of Alaska Young.


Carol: Is everyone here?  


Nickell: No, Alaska isn’t here.


Carol: Is everyone else here?


Nickell: Alaska Isn’t here.  We can’t start without Alaska.


Carol: Last night, Alaska Young was killed in a terrible accident.  And then she was killed. Alaska has passed away. She was on I-65 just south of downtown.  She hit the cop car without swerving. The police said they smelled alcohol.


Cindy: Our condolences goes out for to Culver Creek High School. That’s all for today’s news. I am Cindy and you were watching MNCC News.

"Wild" by Cheryl Strayed Book Club Final Project

By: Andrew Semisch, Antonia Solar, Zoe Kwasnicki, Hayden Myers

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/WhLqDHGB2Oo

Script:

SLA RADIO - DAY

EXTERIOR ESTABLISHING SHOT:

INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT:


ZOE

Alright welcome back to SLA Radio. Today we bring you a story all the way from the west coast and specifically around 1050 miles into the Pacific Crest Trail.


ANTONIA

That’s… far.


ZOE

Let’s meet Cheryl Strayed, an aspiring long-distance hiker hailing from the Minneapolis area.


CUT TO CLIP OF CHERYL:


CHERYL is sitting in a forest eating dried fruits.


CHERYL

So… today is my 105th day on the trail. I think I overpacked a bit.


Many random items spill out of her nearby backpack


CHERYL

Just a bit.


CUT BACK:


ANTONIA
Cheryl is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT is a 2650 mile long trail that stretches from the Canadian border all the way to Campo at the Mexican border, right by San Diego.


ZOE

Holy [censored]. I could never do that.


ANTONIA

Yeah it takes most people who aren’t Olympic athletes about 5 months.


CUT TO CHERYL:


CHERYL

I think I just saw a moose?? I’m really bugging out over here.


CUT TO STOCK IMAGE OF LONGHORN BULL

REVERSE SHOT


CHERYL

I’m almost out of money too. The next pit-stop isn’t for another 130 miles so I don’t know if I’m gonna make it.


CUT BACK:


ZOE

Well we wish you luck.


Cheryl waves goodbye.

ZOE

Alright so now I think we’re going to let some callers phone in so if you have something to say just call in at 21SLARADIO. That’s 217-527-2346.


ZOE and ANTONIA sit in silence for about 3 seconds while easy listening music plays.


ANTONIA

Alright here’s our first caller phoning in now, welcome to the show!


CALLER 1

Hey I’m Paul from Tallahassee, long time listener first time caller. Just from what I’ve heard so far Cheryl doesn’t really sound prepared for this hike. Is that just me?


ZOE

No it’s not just you Paul. Honestly I’m afraid I have to agree. I’ve done a bit of backpacking myself and even I know that you’re not supposed to pack that much.


CUT TO CHERYL FALLING OVER


ANTONIA

Yikes. Yeah I’m looking at an article here and it says that the average backpacker should carry no more than 30 lbs of resources. Looking at Cheryl’s pack, I’m guessing she isn’t in that range at all.


ZOE

Yeah it’s important to only carry the necessities. But I mean, even the most experienced hikers always carry something that isn’t a necessity. Like a memento or a small book - something to remind them of home.


ANTONIA

That makes sense. Especially because the trail is so far away from civilization. There are actually some parts of the trail that are so remote, hikers don’t see any people for weeks.


ZOE
That’s insane! So what would you bring with you?


ANTONIA

Not sure. What’s so important to someone that they could carry it for over 2,000 miles?


ZOE

No idea.

PHONE RINGS


ZOE

Oh it looks like we have another caller! Antonia you want to get this one?


ANTONIA

Sure. Hey there you’re on SLA Radio. Can you tell us your name and why you’re calling?


CALLER 2

Uh yeah. My name is Anna and I actually have a friend that hiked the PCT. She ended up losing a bunch of toenails and got a huge scar on her arm from falling on a sharp tree branch. I just wanna know if anything like that happened to Cheryl.


ANTONIA

Oh my god that sounds terrible. Cheryl can you answer that?


CUT TO CHERYL




CHERYL

Oh yeah. I lost at least two toenails and it hurt like [censored]. It ended up being because my shoes didn’t actually fit. To anyone of those listening GET THE RIGHT PAIR OF BOOTS. I can’t even go to nail salons anymore my feet are so messed up.


ZOE

Ouch. See that is why I would hike with someone. If I got really hurt, I would like to have someone nearby to help me out.


ANTONIA

Yeah but isn’t part of hiking the PCT the isolation? I mean, after something as terrible as losing your mom, I get why people would want to be alone.


ZOE

Well if you hiked with a stranger or an acquaintance, you would still get that same feeling of being alone - because you wouldn’t really know the person - but if you got attacked by a mountain lion, someone would still be there to call for help and patch you up.


ANTONIA

I guess that works. Honestly if I had to hike with someone, I would hike with someone I knew. There is basically no chance for hygiene on the trail and I wouldn’t want a coworker I barely know seeing me like that.


ZOE

Haha yeah I get it. I walk for just twenty minutes in the heat and I’m ready to take a 3-hour long shower!


ANTONIA

Oh yeah. And most hikers don’t even carry deodorant because of the extra weight.


ZOE

Ugh I wouldn’t even want to be near myself if I smelled like that!

Ok guys! We are going to take a quick break and then one more call before the end of the show! See you then!


(easy listening music ?)


ANTONIA

Okay everyone we are back! So Zoe, one last question -


ZOE

Yeah?


ANTONIA

What would you do if you saw a wild animal on the trail?


ZOE

Well what kind of animal are we talking here? Big, small, scaly, furry - I need some context.


ANTONIA

Hmm okay let’s say the wild animal was a bear. What would you do?


ZOE

I would run.


ANTONIA

...anything else?


ZOE

Nope. I would just run and try not to die.


PHONE RINGS


ANTONIA

Oh it looks like we have our last caller!


(antonia presses button on phone)


Hi there you’re on SLA Radio! Can you tell us your name and why you’re calling?


CALLER 3

I’m calling because you people are dumb.


ZOE

Excuse me?


CALLER 3

If you saw a bear you wouldn’t run! You should back away slowly and maintain eye contact. If you ran it would see you as prey and you would be mauled to death.


ANTONIA


ZOE

…uh thank you?


CALLER 3

Psht - idiots. And as for my name - you don’t need to know.

DIAL TONE


ANTONIA

Okay then! That’s all we have for this show! Hopefully next week we will find a better way to block strange numbers.


ZOE

You got that right. Thanks for listening and we’ll see you then!


A Funny Story

This is our music video based on the book we read, which was "It's Kind of a Funny Story" By: Ned Vizzini 

This is the script for our music video
By: Phoenix, Ashton, and Miranda

...

What did he do to himself?

How could he clean himself up?


Craig Gilner….

He checked himself in…

Is that where he’s been?


Stuck in a hospital bed,

Thinking ‘bout all his regrets

He still likes to talk but

his friendships are a mess


He’s underage in the place

Not sure he can keep the pace

A lot of stuff happening

That he’s too scared to face


He’s got nowhere to go

And he feels all alone

He’s been stuck for so long and  

Now he wants to go home

The highschool put pressure

But he is missing a message

His mind is still messy

He could not understand it


Now we’re changing perspective

Going from Gilner to Nia

If you had told me this story

I bet I wouldn’t believe ya!


Feeling ashamed,

Nia can’t even explain

she made out with him once

But the love didn’t remain  


But before she disappeared,

Craig had argued with Aaron.

They did both like Nia

Aaron caught Gilner staring


Craig met one named Noelle

first it was hard to tell

If she had liked him or hated him

He thought she still compelled


It all started with a note

That Craig had saw with no hope

It said “meet me at 7”

He was wondering who wrote


They met in the evening

In a particular place

The girl was checked in for the

Scratches on her face.


They didn’t know each other

So they played 20 questions.

They answered truthfully so

There was really no guessing.


It would’ve been easy to tell

That they have gotten along well

But when Craig asked to kiss

She just said “no”.....


He said “I’m not good at crap.”

He gets signed up for a class.

She said “draw something you love”

He drew what’s called a “brain map”  


See these highways and byways?

And all those buildings and streets?

Emphasis on the ‘BRAIN’

that’s his personality!


Craig got out in two weeks

After starting to handle it.

He still talks to Noelle

And he’s no longer damaged.


….

Life is not cured, life is managed!



*fade out*


Black Eye Of The Month Club- Rene, Vincent, Moriah, Justine

Talk Show

Moriah, Justine, Rene, Vincent

4/7/18

Setting: Conference room

Props: Papers, Artificial applause,


Script



(Applause dying out)


Rene- Welcome back to the Black-eye-of-the-Month club.Today we have a very exciting show planned for you with special guest Junior from the Absolutely True Diary of a part-time Indian.


(Applause)


Moriah- In fact, that's what our show is about today!


Rene- For those of you that don’t know, The Absolutely True Diary of a part-time Indian is about a kid, named Junior. He describes different problems he faced as an Indian and stories of his teenage life on the Spokane reservation. Even though the story is a young adult fiction there are many things in there that did happen in real life.


Justine- Okay, before we talk about anything can we please talk about Penelope and Junior. They were so cute together.


Moriah- She was a horrible girlfriend


(Audience gasps)


Moriah- She is, how did she forget Valentines Day?


Justine- Not everyone has a perfect memory.


Rene- Well technically, that wasn’t his girlfriend. And he wasn’t the best “boyfriend” either. Who takes someone to Denny’s without having the money to pay for them.


Justine- Not everyone is rich.


Moriah- Who’s everyone’s favorite character?


Justine-Penelope of course. She was so caring amd had a great sense of humor. I love the fact that she wanted to help homeless people during Halloween by donating to them.


Moriah- I love Rowdy. I think he really challenged Junior throughout the whole book. It makes it more interesting to read.


Rene: Now let's play a quick game before we introduce you to our special guest, Junior.


(Audience claps)


Rene: Before we get started we should go over the rules. Two of you Justine and Moriah are basically playing trivia but the answer is only him (junior) or her (penelope). Now there are only three questions but each question wrong you get slapped viciously across the face


Justine: wow ok


Moriah: sounds good


Rene: Number 1, This person has a brain disorder


Moriah: his mom


Justine: (slaps moriah vigorously)


Rene: that's gotta hurt but now for number two, who forgot valentines day?


Justine: penelope


Moriah: Junior


Justine: (Slaps moriah even harder)


Rene: yikes, Moriah this is your chance. Whose name is albert?


Moriah: penelope


Justine: junior you idiot (slaps moriah)


Rene- Bonus question,who won the rematch game against wellpinit?


(special guest enters)


Moriah- rowdy?


Vincent- (slaps moriah) actually, it was me


(crowd cheers and applauses)


Justine- OMG IT”S JUNIOR FROM THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART TIME INDIAN


(more applause)


Rene- well Junior, can you tell us about that day?


Vincent/Junior: It was an Intense game.. Especially against my bestie jawn but at the end of the day we came up with a W.


Moriah- What was life like growing up as poor indian?


Vincent/junior: It was a struggle but i got by. My grandmother was as support system that got me through it but like you guys know what happened, but it was fine it is where my bestfriend came from but, its my home


Justine- So what happened with you and Penelope after the book ?


Vincent/ Junior: Well we got serious but she cheated so yeah it's whatever


Justine- What can we expect in your future, drawing? Writing?


Vincent - I mean I am a writer but i will always love drawing


Moriah- Well thank you for coming here.


Vincent- Thank you


Rene- We’ll be back after this commercial break…


(applause)


End of scene


Film Reviews

No Country For Old Men


I loved No Country For Old Men. It was tense, well-written, the performances were phenomenal. There was nothing about the movie I can think of which didn’t floor me. However, after looking at the movie in relation to the Bechdel (And Mako Mori) Tests, I found that it definitely fell short.

I’ll start with the Mako Mori test, because holding the Mako Mori test to this movie is a joke. There are a small handful of women in the movie, most of them unnamed, who serve solely as plot devices for the leading roles, all of which are male. Carla Jean, the wife of Llewelyn Moss, one of the leads, barely speaks throughout the movie, presenting a shallow, very two-dimensional character. And she’s the closest to a strong female character in the whole movie. So, the Mako Mori Test? Hard fail.

As for the Bechdel Test: Initially, I assumed it failed hard as well. However, after doing some research, I found there was a scene in which Carla Jean speaks to her mother about medication. It’s barely a conversation, and there is also some contention as to whether or not it passes the first part of the Bechdel Test: There being two named female characters. In the translation from Cormac Mccarthy’s novel of the same name, a few characters were watered down to condense it to a film format. Carla Jean’s mother, Agnes Kracik, who was named in the novel, was never referred to in the movie with a name, save for a split-second scene in which her name is written. The movie technically passes the test, but so slightly that a fail is entirely debateable.

Ultimately, it’s clearly not the type of movie the creators of the Bechdel Test had in mind as an ideal. It is a story by men, about men, for men, and the fact that the movie had to be scoured for a pass makes it questionable. I loved the movie, but it’s definitely not a feminist piece.


The R/Niceguy Test

A Niceguy (Or Niceguy™) is a term for men who claim to be nice, and believe that being nice entitles them to women. Popularized by the reddit.com subreddit, r/NiceGuys, these men will often become abruptly hostile when rejected or ignored, proving that, despite the term, they are not really nice guys.

A common theme among said Niceguys, is the idea that they would be better partners to people they are romantically, or sexually, interested in than their current partners. Since I found this subreddit, I’ve been looking closer at different forms of media, and I’ve found a striking number of books, movies, songs, shows, etc. which have an empathized character who believes that they are the right choice for someone, better than others. So I came up with the R/Niceguy test.

A media piece fails the test if any of the following happen:

  • A protagonist is persistently interested in someone either uninvolved or uninterested.

  • A protagonist openly resents another character for not being romantically or sexually interested in them.

  • A character openly resents the significant other of a character they are romantically or sexually interested in.

  • A character leaves their significant other for the protagonist.

The last rule might seem a little too intense. We all know the story where the two leads are truly made for each other, but each tied down by their own commitments. They struggle to be with one another, struggling with both their surroundings and themselves, but, ultimately, make the right choice in the end, and walk, hand in hand, into the sunset. We all know this story. And that’s the problem.

This teaches people that they should pursue people, be persistent, don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, because, ultimately, the people they like will come around and make the ‘right’ choice. This leads to characteristic Niceguy behavior. Which leads to much worse things. So, I decided to hold one of my favorite movies to this standard: Fight Club.


Fight Club

Once again, a movie based on a book. And once again, I loved this movie. I’ve always struggled with how to perceive this movie from a gender-based perspective: The movie delves heavily into topics of masculinity, misogyny, gender roles in society, and there is great contention as to what is satire and what is not. The unnamed protagonist lives a boring, corporate life. He spends his time working, or furnishing his apartment, which he, himself, admits is worthless. He befriends a man named Tyler Durden, who lives an entirely opposite life from the narrator: Tyler rejects capitalism. He rejects what he perceives as the societal emasculation and castration of men, as society drifts further and further from hunter-gatherer societies. The movie explores what it means to be a man, settling on some very skewed beliefs and practices: One being the titular Fight Club, a club for men only where they beat each other senseless just to feel like men. The movie never really expresses which form of existence is better, and the story has inspired many young boys to delve into very toxic masculinity. However, that’s a different debate. I want to talk about Marla Singer, and her love triangle with the Narrator and Tyler Durden.

The narrator first meets Marla Singer in a support group for people with testicular cancer. A very fitting setting given the material. Neither the Narrator nor Marla have testicular cancer, but they both find thrill in attending the support groups. They talk briefly about why they attend support groups for diseases they don’t have, exchange numbers, and don’t see each other for a long time. Then, the Narrator meets Tyler Durden.

Marla calls the Narrator further into the story, asking to see him, and the Narrator is dismissive. Not wanting to be involved in her life, he decides not to see her, and leaves, but finds out later that Tyler Durden picked up the phone which he had left unhooked, and went to see her instead. They begin to develop a sexual relationship, which the Narrator quickly becomes jealous of. While it is unclear whether the Narrator is jealous of Tyler for his relationship or of Marla for Tyler’s attention, the Narrator is clearly resenting another character’s significant other.

I’d like to talk about the plot twist of the movie, so this is a spoiler warning.


It is revealed at the end of the story that Tyler Durden and the Narrator were the same person the whole time. This complicates the love triangle a bit, being that the Narrator resents himself for being the significant other of the person he is interested in, or maybe resents Marla for being the significant other of himself. Ultimately, however, the story presents the Narrator and Tyler durden as two seperate people, so I’m inclined to count it as a fail, because the message is still there.


The Talk with a Noodle Show

To watch our video click here!


Ethan: Host

Tyler: Recorder   

Jakob: Actor (Junior, Dad, Rowdy)

Sukainah: Actress (Penelope, Mom)



Script



The first day:


Ethan: Hello and welcome back to The Talk With A Noodle Show. I am your host Ethan Chen and for the next 2 days we will be in a absolutely true discussion about the newest book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” Our first guest that we will bring out is the narrator of this book. Please give a warm welcome to Junior.


(Junior comes out, while people are applauding)


Ethan: Hello Junior, it’s nice to have you here today with us.


Junior: It’s my pleasure to be here.


Ethan: Throughout your book, you explained that your family is poor. Talk about that…


Junior: Yes, my family is poor, and even though we have tough times, my parents try their best to keep me happy, which is all that matters.


Ethan: I like how even though you go through a lot of things, you are always finding ways to make yourself happy. Is there a specific person that makes you happy as well.


Junior: Rowdy and Penelope are people that make me happy.


Ethan: Elaborate on this.


Junior: Well, Rowdy is my best friend. Rowdy is always there for me no matter how hard it gets between us. Also, Penelope likes me for who I am.


Ethan: Seems like you have a lot of positivity around you. I would like to thank you for for coming here tonight.


Junior: Thank you; it was a pleasure being here.


Ethan: After the break, we will have another special guest, which is Penelope. We’ll be right back!


(Crowd is cheering/ Applauding)



1st commercial:


Junior: Oh hey… didn’t see you there. This is my new book and it talks about my first year in high school. Be sure to check it out at your local bookstore.


Ethan: Welcome back to the talk with a noodle show. Our next guest is someone who played a major role in Junior’s first year of high school. Let’s give a big welcome to Penelope!


(Crowd is cheering/ Applauding)


Ethan: Hello Penelope. How are you?


Penelope: I’m great Ethan. How are you?


Ethan: I'm good. I’m glad you were able to come here with us tonight, because I would like to discuss a few things with you. The first thing I would like to talk about is your relationship with Junior. How did actually become a couple?


Penelope: Junior is a very understanding person. Most people only care about my looks, while he actually cares about me, which makes him different.


Ethan: One of the things that shocked everyone was when you accepted that Junior was poor. Can you elaborate on this?


Penelope: Everyone’s life isn’t perfect, which means you shouldn’t judge people just because there’s struggles going on in their life. You should try to give them positivity in their life and trying to him them.


Ethan: Wow… powerful words. I would like to thank you again for being able to come tonight.

Penelope: It was a pleasure being here.


Ethan: Tomorrow, be ready, because we will have 2 new guest. Good night everybody!


(Crowd is cheering/ Applauding)




The next day:


Ethan: Hello and welcome back to The Talk With A Noodle Show. I am your host Ethan Chen and today is the final day that will have a discussion about the newest book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” Please give a warm welcome to our first guest of the night, Rowdy.


(Crowd is cheering/ Applauding)


Ethan: Hello Rowdy. Glad you can be here with us tonight.


Rowdy: I only came, because Junior told me to.


Ethan: Alright… well let's begin our discussion. In the past, you and Junior weren’t best friends, because Junior went to a different school, When you guys weren’t best friends how did that make you feel.


Rowdy: (Starts to get mad) You know what I hate talking about the way I feel. This whole thing is stupid, and I don’t even know why I came here in the first place. I’m leaving.


(Rowdy leaves, and everyone is quiet)


Ethan: That was extremely awkward, but after the break, we will have 2 new guest. We’ll be right back!


2nd commercial:


Junior: Oh sorry… didn’t see you there. Reardan is hosting a basketball tournament on April 7th- April 10th. Tickets are $10. If you want to come, be there!


Ethan:  Welcome back to The Talk With A Noodle Show. Before the break, Rowdy stormed off, because he didn't want to talk about his feelings; but the show must go on. Our next two guest is Junior’s mom and dad. Let’s bring them out.


(Crowd is cheering/ Applauding)


(Mom only comes out)


Ethan: I thought it was supposed to be you and your husband... where is he?


Mom: I’m sorry, but unfortunately, my husband couldn’t make it.


Ethan: Why?


Mom: My husband is an alcoholic, and whenever he’s drunk, he doesn't come home until he is sober.


Ethan: I’m sorry to hear that. I brought you here tonight to discuss some things with you. In the book, “The absolutely true diary of a part- time indian”, Junior had a lot of accomplishments. Are you proud of Junior in any way?


Mom: I am very proud of Junior. He is different than the rest o my family. He’s very intelligent, and I can see that he will live a very successful life in the future.


Ethan: This is beautiful, I love it! Another thing that was brought up in the book was the death of your mother and daughter. It seemed like you were very upset about this. How are you feeling?


Mom: Everyday I get stronger and stronger, and even though it’s hard, I still get through it.


Ethan: Powerful words there. I would like to thank you for coming out tonight, and I wish you and your family the best.


Mom: Thank you. It was a pleasure being here.


Ethan: Alright that wraps up the show for tonight. Thank you for tuning in.Have a good night! Goodbye!


(Crowd is cheering/ Applauding)








 




  


The Book Review with Eli Lerner

Here is the script of our video and a link to the video

Eli: (Excited) Welcome to another wonderful evening at the The Book Report. My name is Eli Lerner and this evening we have two special guests: Fionn and Margie from the local high school, Science Leadership Academy.

Today we will be discussing the book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky Hey guys welcome to the show, we are excited to have you here today!

Fionn: Thank you for having us here

Eli: How are you guys doing tonight?

Margie: I am excited to be here tonight

Fionn: Well my day has been uneventful

Eli: Fionn and Margie are two students that read “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”. What do you guys think about the book?

Fionn: The book is amazing!

Margie: One of the best books I’ve read so far.

Eli: Explain why both of you enjoyed it so much.

Margie: I enjoyed this book because it is written from a teenager’s perspective and some teenagers could relate to Charlie’s story. I loved how it was written, in the letter format and how the story is informal.

Fionn: I enjoyed this book because the characters were all teenagers and I could relate to this age. I also enjoyed reading all the things Charlie went through and trying to relate and comprehend the traumas he experienced.


Eli: Would you guys give us a brief summary of the book?

Margie: The book is about Charlie, a teenager that writes letters to the reader. Charlie struggled through social awkwardness, and as we find out later in the book, many experiences that clearly scarred him for life. He writes to his friend about his day, his feelings and his past

Fionn: In those letters he writes about his first days at High School and how he meets his first and only friends, Sam, Patrick, and Mary Elizabeth.


Eli: I have some questions for you about the book.

Fionn: Ok I am excited to answer in the best way I can

Margie: Sure, i’m ready

Eli: My first question is, what do you think of the plot? Did you think it was an exciting read or did you think it was underwhelming and sluggish?

Fionn: I was not expecting to read some of the stuff I read liked Charlie getting raped by his Aunt Helen. I thought it was an exciting read I thought the book was very eventful.

Margie: I think that the ending was really exciting and traumatizing. It was hard for me to understand the way Charlie was reacting to this type of experiences, but he just talks about it as a simple thing.

Eli: Do you think Charlie had a damaged childhood or life in anyway? Explain your reasoning.

Fionn: Yes, I do think that Charlie has had a damaged childhood. So many terrible things happened to him, like being raped by his Aunt, witnessing a rape, and many more traumatizing things. I just feel that these things damage a kid.  

Margie: Definitely! I think that Charlie had a tough childhood. The death of his Aunt affected him the most. He remembers her as a lovely lady and not as what she actually was. He might feel this way because at some point on the book he says that his aunt died in a car crash when she was going to buy him a birthday present. The feeling of guilt might have changed the feelings he had for his aunt.

Eli: Thank you both for coming on to the show with me tonight.

Margie and Fionn: Thank you for having us.

Eli: Later tonight we have Stan Lee on the program to talk about the evolution of the Marvel franchise.



Being Less Of.

Do you ever get looked over? Or have people think less of you? Usually being bullied leads to suicide. In today’s society many are being bullied or thought less of because of their past or who they are. This leads to many things such as depression and or spiritual and physical suicide. People target those who are less of them, less stronger, and more shorter.

In ¨Lord of The Flies¨ by William Golding, a group of kids on a plane crash land on an island. Trying to be organized yet still have fun, being bullied or looked over occurs throughout the novel many times. While trying to figure out every boys name that was on the island, a character named Piggy was unexpectedly made fun of. ¨You’re talking too much,¨ said Jack Merridew. Shut up fatty¨ Laughter arose. He’s not a fatty,¨cried Ralph ¨His real name’s Piggy! Piggy! Piggy! Oh Piggy!¨ (25). As being made fun of because of his weight Piggy only wanted to establish order and make friends. Instead he got made fun of because of his weight.        

Also in the novel, Piggy the victim that's being bullied or shown not respected is being told that he did nothing. Jack just tells him that he did nothing and just sat down waiting. ¨We haven't made a fire,¨ he said, ¨What's any use. We couldn't keep a fire even if we tried.¨ Piggy said this with the response of Jack saying. ¨A fat lot of you tried,¨ said Jack contemptuously. ¨You just sat.¨ We used his specs.¨ Said Simon.¨(42) In the novel this particular scene is very interesting because instead of trying harder to make a fire all Jack does is complain that Piggy did nothing yet they used his glasses to try and start something. Also Jack wants to make it seem like Piggy has a lack of effort, he isn’t trying to get off the island or try and help.      

The scenes in the novel also correlates to the real world. Being bullied usually comes from someone's past, how they look, or the way they act, or even their interests. Also being bullied leads to more things that is not good for a healthy lifestyle. It leads to more low self-esteem. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year.  

Josh was bullied at the age of 11 years old. He was excited to start middle school for the first time. He did not want to stay home instead, he wanted to go to school more often. Soon he was bullied, coming home with injuries almost everywhere on nis body. After recess he would find notes on his back saying ¨kick me¨ or ¨loser¨. Everyday in lunch he would get food pelted at him, soon enough he would sit in the hallway instead of the cafeteria. On the third week of school, he went home with a broken foot, soon after he went back the kids told him, ¨When that one heals, I’m gonna break the other one.”

In Conclusion, being treated as trash is not a good thing. Being bullied leads to more unhealthy lifestyles. Some get bullied because of how they look, what they wear, how they act, and more. Usually telling adults does not help, they respond with, ¨Just ignore it¨ but you cant ignore something that's hurting you. In the novel, Piggy soon enough steps up for himself. Josh stood up for himself, he punched his bully in the back of the head. People target those who are less of them, less stronger, and more shorter.

Work Cited:


Modifica, Lisa. “Josh's Story: Getting Bullied at School.” Parenting, 21 June 2016, www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/combatting-bullying-or-is-this-just-the-new-normal/.


“What Are the Causes of Bullying.” NoBullying - Bullying & CyberBullying Resources, 18 Apr. 2017, nobullying.com/what-are-the-causes-of-bullying/.