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.

Thirteen Reasons Why

            The young adult novel, “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher, tells a tragic story of Hannah Baker’s reasons to commit suicide. She makes thirteen different cassette tapes, each giving the reason why she doesn’t want to live any more. The cassette tapes get sent to each person who is responsible of her death, then the tapes get passed to other people, and the tapes somehow ended up in to Clay’s hand. Clay is the always the good boy, he would always turn in his homework, and never go to parties. He goes through a painful process listening all the cassette tapes that an anonymous person left on his porch. Clay goes through each tape questioning if he is one of the reasons that Hannah committed suicide.

            Reason number one is Justin Foley. He was the one who stole Hannah’s first kiss, she slid on the slide, slid in to her kiss, as she quotes it. This leads to her suicide because it starts to create a snowball effect. He accuses her of being a slut, creating a rumor that everyone believed. The second reason why is because of Alex Standall. He created a list of the hottest ass in freshman year. He added Hannah’s name, creating a bigger snowball. The third is Jessica Davis. She also accused her of something, creating another rumor, which made Justin’s more believable. She blamed Hannah, apparently, stealing her ‘man’. The fifth cause of her death is Tyler Down. He stalked her, took pictures of her, and even masturbated in front of her bedroom window. Hannah then told the entire school that she has a peeping tom, taking pictures of her, and it is Tyler Down, the student in the graduation book club. No one believed her, because she had no evidence what so ever.

     Reason six is because of Courtney Crimson. Everyone in Hannah’s high school loves Courtney, they adore her, she is the goodie two shoes that every mother would dream of. In reality, she is a fake. She became Hannah’s ‘best friend’ to use her, she used her for car ride to parties. Courtney isn’t always a sweet and nice, just like everyone she has a dark side. She created a horrible rumor that made the whole school give a disgusted look to Hannah Baker, which made the snowball increase drastically. Evidently, Hannah has a stash of sex toys in her dresser. Marcus Cooley is the seventh cause. Marcus asks Hannah for a date a Rosie’s Diner, which she happily accepts. While the two were sitting in a booth at Rosie’s, Marcus forces Hannah to touch him sexually, humiliating her in public space. The eighth is because of Zach Dempsey. Zach was in Rosie’s when Marcus humiliated her, he comforted her, assuring that everything is going to be okay. Hannah rejects his effort in comforting her, she doesn't know who to trust, after all those people who back stabbed her. Zach gets angered by this ad decides to steal Hannah's notes of encouragement from her Peer Communications class. Those were the only things keeping Hannah going. The ninth reason of Hannah’s story is because of Ryan Shaver. He is the editor of the school’s papers. He steals Hannah’s missing poem and publishes it at her English class, where the teacher annotates and studies the poem word by word, but no one knows who wrote it. The tenth reason is Clay Jensen. Seemingly, Clay was not one of the reasons. She was really sad she didn't get to know him. Clay helped bring the better person Hannah is.

     The eleventh reason is with the help of Jenny Kurtz. After a wild party that Hannah went, Jenny, being the ‘kind and generous’ person she is, gives a drunk Hannah Baker a ride home. Hannah falls asleep in the car, but was soon woken up by Jenny crashing in to a stop sign. Jenny gets scared and wants to flee then get her car fixed as soon as possible. On the other hand, Hannah want to report this to the police, but Jenny refuses and kicks her out of the car in to the cold rain. A few days has passed, and Hannah was informed that a senior that goes to her school was dead, because there was no stop sign. Hannah blames herself and forms suicidal thoughts. The second to last reason is Bryce Walker. Hannah joins Courtney in to the hot tub. Bryce Walker joins in and starts to sexually assault Hannah. Hannah doesn’t stop Bryce from what he is doing, she wants to “let myself go completely”. The last and final reason behind Hannah Baker’s suicide is because of her guidance counselor, Mr. Porter. He had the power to stop Hannah from killing herself. He was too busy trying to inform her parents what Hannah is going to do to herself, that he didn't realizes that Hannah Baker’s time is up.

 In conclusion, all of Hannah’s meaningful reasons behind her death was because almost everyone had two sides to them. They would always lure Hannah in with their kindness, but they would always turn Hannah down by revealing their true side.    

Can Your Phone Testify Against?

            Recently, they have stopped to search your phones more frequently. According to “Can Your Phone Testify Against You?” by Patricia Smith, a police officer pulled over David Riley. They found two loaded guns they also check David’s phone without a warrant and found out that he was also contacting a gang nearby he was then arrested. Searching you phone is wrong, because it is your own personal device, which you paid for, which contains private information.

            When David Riley was pulled over because his car registration expired and coincidently, they found two loaded guns and searched his phone without a warrant. Even though he has committed a crime, this is also against his fourth amendment right, which states “unreasonable searches and seizures”. The officers broke this law by having a unreasonable search with on his phone without a warrant from the court saying that they can search his phone against his will. This also applies to different devices other than your phone.

            Even though it is wrong of the police department to search your electronic device(s) without a warrant, you still can give it to them if it is in desperate measures. This similar situation happened to David Riley, when the officers found two guns stocked with bullets in his car. They forced David to give them his phone to check for any information of why he had those guns

            Another reason why searching your phone is wrong, because it contains personal information. In the article it states “An average smartphone can hold 100 times more information than the entire 72,000 page of James Maddison’s papers in the Library of Congress, according to privacy advocates.” Giving our phone to police department can be very revealing of what kind of person you are with the information in your phone. But the down side to this is all this information contained in the phone can be wiped out in a few quick swipes, making the warrant to search the criminal’s phone useless.  

            In conclusion, it is wrong to search your phone, it contains certain information that can be private to others. It also goes against the fourth amendment right to “unreasonable searches and seizures”.