Blog Review

Shameea's Blog Post

The blog post I think was very well written was about “Sold” by Shameea Mahbub. She retells the story from the books main character, Lakshmi, precisely and answers the social action questions. I have also read “Sold” by Patricia McCormick and I agree with the response she answered to the social action questions.

One of the main topic she takes about is how sexism plays a big part in the entire book. I agree with her point, because in India all of the married women have to stay at home to tend to her chores, child and husband. They have to wear hijabs at a very young as to show modesty. It is not a choice they have to make, it is required. Shameea also brings up really strong quotes and connections from the book to back up her response. For example, “A boy who had been born into the sex-trafficking industry, Harish, had such a different life than the other girls at the "Happiness House" Lakshmi had been increasingly jealous of him, calling him the David Beckham boy because he had played soccer. Harish had simple privileges that Lakshmi was deprived of. He was able to go to school, able to roam around freely, able to have the privileges of a boy.” She brings up a male character that wasn’t a big part of the story, and connects it with her point.

The question, “Who's perspective is missing?” Shameea answered in her blog was perfectly responded with her opinion. She thought no one’s perspective was missing. She explained how Lakshmi’s point of view was very critical for the book. It help make the story really dark and accurate.

In conclusion, the blog post was written very beautifully with thought. The blog post was also separated with paragraphs that were planned out to different questions and topics. The blog post was also supported with very well picked examples throughout.

Non-Fiction Critical Analysis

In the non-fiction book Same-Sex Marriage, by Tricia Andryszewski, tells you about gay rights history. The bias novel, for gays, tells you information for both the views of same sex marriage (For or against). It also displays some pictures of same sex couples that can make you feel either disgusted or content.

The author wants to show the reader what same sex marriage is, the rumors about it, and how the big commotion about it started. Tricia knows that most of her audience would be at a younger age, so she gives the readers information mainly from the nineteen hundreds to 2012, rather than telling a story or a story of her own experience. One of the rumors she discusses about is, in 1982 was AIDS was called the “gay disease” because the highest percentage of the people who got it were either lesbians or gays. Because many gays and lesbians has this disease, most hospitals wouldn’t take them in since a great amount of people were anti-gay. The reason she mentioned this is to scary or shock the audience. She goes on to list the gay or lesbian politicians and mayors, to show that even other homosexual people get involved with the government, that most likely there are who people are anti-gay.

This book showed me various information that I didn’t know from my many articles that I read about online. She shows that readers that it is normal to be a homosexual, and many other people are with them. Instead of avoiding the fact that they’re gay or lesbian, she showed how there were many people who came out of the closet in the nineteen hundreds, and then had to go through the hatred the heterosexual and anti-gay gave them. 

Sold

In the novel, Sold by Patricia McCormick, it talks about Lakshmi, a thirteen year old girl, who is being sold to a prostitution house, because the rain washed all their rice away, and their house roof collapsed. Since they’re very poor because their lazy father gamble all their money away. Because of this, her father decided that Lakshmi will work for a stranger named Aunty Bimla. From there, Bimla and Lakshmi travels to the city to get to the prostitution house, but Lakshmi doesn’t know where she is going, she thinks she is going to be a maid for the rich. She later finds out that the place is called Happiness House, and there she meets other teenage girls that are sold there as well, and she is not working as a maid, but a prostitute.

There are many difficult or complex things in the text. Such as writing out what is happening to her body, like her period. Many younger or male readers might not understand the concept of what is happening. They try to make it obvious but very hidden at the same time. Another is how most of the time in the text, the show sexism. Her mother stays home and tends for her husband, she does all the chores in the house, and her husband just gambles. When Lakshmi questions her mother why women is treated so poorly, she replies with "Simply to endure, is to triumph” this creates an image that women do this to gain themselves back. Near the beginning of the book, it shows how Bimla is a very sexist character as well. When she is putting makeup on Lakshmi before her first customer, she said how you must please men, and they’re always the right one. This shows that Bimla also thinks that women are worthless because we are just objects to pleasure men and live life to the men’s perspective of perfect. Another example is how Harish, a male teen, is free to do whatever he wants, and not get judged by it. Harish gets to go to school, gets more rights than a girl, and the best is he isn’t stuck in one place, he gets to go anywhere he wishes.

In the book there is a missing perspective, which is Lakshmi’s. Without her perspective, we can’t figure out how she is feeling throughout the story. We don’t know what is going through her head when she was trying escape the horrid place that they call it Happiness House. With her perspective in the story, it wouldn’t be as interesting of a story, because it would be easier to infer what would happen next in her journey of child prostitution. But without Lakshmi’s point of view, it portrays an image of her journey, not a memoir.

            For the third question, is justice served? I think that their justice was not served, and they lost it to the men they were forced to be with. In the end, they do get freed for the prostitute house, but there is one thing that is lost forever, their innocence. The men that paid to be with the young teens were not brought to jail and to be punished for what they did, but instead, they get away with it.

             

Wanted

           In the mystery novel “Wanted”, by Caroline B. Cooney, it is about Alice, a fifteen year old girl, going through being accuse for murdering her own father. She goes on a journey to clear her name, and identify who the real murder is.

            When Alice tells us the breathtaking journey of hers, she is the narrator of the story. The absence of the other characters makes the story more suspenseful. If we do have other perspectives in this story, it can ruin the ending of the story, what comes next, and the mood. So in this book, it is very important for it to only have one character telling the story.

            Once again, Alice is the main character that tells the story. If we do have other points of views in this book, it can give you slow down the story or even change the direction of the plot. Even if we do switch the point of to her mother, she is helping the police rack down Alice, it stretches out the story, since she isn't a dynamic character. Another reason that the extra story tellers isn’t necessary makes the book a mystery novel.

            When we don’t have additional different angles in this story, we have missing information, hence that it’s a mystery novel. We don’t know who the murderer is, how Alice’s mother feels, or how close the police are to finding Alice.

            

YA Argument Essay

            YA books are currently being challenged by many outraged parents, claiming that it is inappropriate and a violation to god. For example how “Go Ask Alice” the main character has a drug addiction, is being raped, and is a prostitute. Despite the graphic and mature topics, it shows them a glimpse of the real world. YA books shouldn’t be banned because of sexual depictions or blasphemy, instead, we can see how it can be useful to kids.

Even though some young adult literature can be a little uncomfortable to read, or it might hit a soft spot, it helps embrace their inner feelings and get a brief view of reality, so later on in life they wouldn’t be overwhelmed when they get older. Just like how Emma [a teen blogger] said “‘Good literature rips open all the private parts of us — parts like you have deemed too dark, inappropriate, grotesque or abnormal for teens to be feeling’”. Some teens may be going through this anyway, and the YA books that we are selling can help them feel better about themselves. Another example that Mary [the writer of ‘Has Young Adult Fiction Become Too Dark?’] states “we can’t shut them off from the outlet of experiencing difficult events and feelings in the relative safety and profound comfort of literature. Darkness isn’t the enemy. But ignorance always is.”. Not everyone one are born the same, they may be different from the typical teen. So with the darker topics that we are covering helps makes teens feel a part of the normal.

On the flip side, YA books can damage a child. Dome topics may help educational learning, but gory details are not needed. Such as the “Marbury Lens” "covered with impaled heads and other dripping, black-rot body parts: hands, hearts, feet, ears, penises. Where the f— was this?" No happy ending to this one, either.” These gruesome scenes are not necessary for young teens, they scare them away from reading these filthy books that they have encountered. Another example of this is how in “Scars” by Cheryl Rainfield is filled with contextual scenes, such as “the protagonist's father has been raping her since she was a toddler”. When the teens are reading these precise texts and imagining this, is that considered pornography?

YA books not only get the readers thinking about more complicated thoughts, it can help inspire them. Just like how Kristina Palmer, 17, read “The Hunger Games” and said “‘It was just great writing, even if you could barely imagine being in a situation like that.’”. These YA books encouraged Kristina to imagine and visualize a complex scene. It can help give readers imaginative ideas to write stories for school, and they might not know that.

Over all, YA books are being read by young teenagers who are between the ages of 12 to 18. It is up to the reader’s choice to read the book that we are currently having an argument about banning the unfitting.

Allegiant

            In the book Allegiant by Veronica Roth, the last book in the Divergent trilogy, it talks about her journey with Allegiant. She flees to Chicago with Tobias, her brother, and a few other friends who successfully. The heart breaking ending shows how sacrifice can be very painful, but it has to be done.

            In the beginning Tris [Beatrice] second thoughts herself if she is going ever sacrifice herself for one another. "I used to think about giving my life for things, but I didn't understand what ‘giving your life' really was until it was right there, about to be taken from me." Then later in the book, we are all surprised that she is going to risk her life for her family and friends. 

            Near the end, when Tris was about to let Caleb [Beatrice’s brother] kill himself because of the guilt devouring him piece by piece from betraying her sister. She convinces Caleb to switch places with her, assuring him that everything is going to be alright, and she is a Divergent. "You demonstrated the quality I most need in my advisers," he says. "Which is the ability to make sacrifices for the greater good." Dave encourages Tris to go against him, to trigger the memory serum in the end, which is what Dave wants so dearly. Tris is then injected with the death serum, but she survives from it and unleashes the memory serum so the factions can once again be one. But it doesn't end there, Dave shoots Tris to death when she was freeing the memory serum.

            In conclusion, this book teaches us as readers that not everything would be as easy and smooth ride. An example is how Tris would sacrifice herself for her brother, even though if she is still holding a grudge. 

Non-Fiction Critical Analysis

            In “Has Young Adult Fiction Become Too Dark” by Mary Elizabeth Williams, Mary uses Meghan Cox Gurdon’s article to refute her opinion, to prove her belief. Mary gives examples to lure the reader to agree with her opinion, for example, she says how YA books can give readers a safer environment, and help readers relate. She also looks into how she is a mother herself, with two daughters and how she is very precise of what they read. Mary agrees that, now, the YA book topics have been darker, but refutes it by saying not many are great literature. She also says “You can’t compare what’s crowding the shelves now with a tiny handful of classics that have endured.”

The main idea of Williams’s article is how YA books can create a safer environment, and enjoy what they’re reading. She gives us an example of how “good literature rips open all the private parts of us-and then they stitch it all back together again” Even though good literature may talk about a rough topic, it helps them get over it, and make them feel good about themselves.

            I though Mary’s argument was strong throughout, because it covers and refutes all the ideas Gurdon covers. It gives evidence that makes Gurdon’s examples weak. It makes me support the idea of letting readers whatever they want, it is their choice.