Shattered is a book written by Debra Puglisi Sharp that tells her scaring story. She was kidnaped, raped and her husband was murdered during the crime. The book focuses on how these events affect her life and that of those close to her, including dragging her family through the trial process. In April 1998, Debra is raped and kidnapped from her home by a stranger. She was then taken to the kidnapper’s home where she was assaulted multiple times and dehumanized, but fortunately, she escaped after five continuous days.
Have you ever heard something on accident, but want to figure out what it was? Well, that’s what’s going on with Steven Thomas and Susan Carroll. They both overheard a conversation between a Minnesota State teacher and Star player, Chip Garber, saying that if Chip didn’t throw the game between Duke in the national championship, he would tell the NCAA that Minnesota was using an ineligible/illegal player. After finding this out both Steven and Susan want to help Chip out before the national championship on Monday. Steven, the protagonist of Last Shot by John Feinstein, and I are alike in many ways.
How can challenges change people throughout their lives? Challenges shape people in many different ways, whether it be for good or bad. The effects of these challenges make people who we are, and shapes the characters found in stories and novels. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor showcases change in characters through Alyss Heart, a young princess in Wonderland. Beddor uses these conflicts to convey how Alyss changes as a character throughout the novel.
Nineteen Minutes is Jodi Picoult’s staggering and heartbreaking story about the devastating aftermath of a small town tragedy. The story begins in the town of Sterling, New Hampshire, following the lives of the citizens on an ordinary day. That all changes when there is a shooting at Sterling High. Throughout the story, there are flashbacks to before and after the killings and the reader learns about the history of each of the characters, and how that has influenced their journey throughout the novel. We are shown the once close relationship between Josie and Peter, and also about Peter’s rocky home life where Peter is often outshined by his older brother whose death creates a rift that puts him even farther from his parents. .
In the novel Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, main character Billie Jo faces several challenging obstacles throughout her lifetime. Getting through these obstacles is the only way Billie Jo can learn to forgive her father as well as herself for their mistakes. Once she learns to stop feeling resentful, and let go, Billie Jo will be able to grow up. The first major challenge Billie Jo faces is when a fire breaks out in her home. The fire ignites when Billie Jo’s mother mistakes a pail of kerosene for water, where,“instead of making coffee, Ma [makes] a rope of fire”(87).
In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J Gaines, Grant is a main character that has a lot of influence over the people in his community. Some might even consider him a hero. I believe that Grant is a hero because he helps Jefferson become a man, changes himself for the better, and wants to continue changing the community. Over the course of the novel, Grant helps Jefferson become the man that he needs to be in order to walk to his death with honor. When Grant first begrudgingly went to visit Jefferson in prison Jefferson was in a really low state.
In a life or death situation do you play it safe or take the gamble? Will starts by being naive but persevered through the attack and became more grateful and a stronger person in the end. John was a very strict business man and is competitive just like Will by the end he is happy with everything he has. The little asian woman, Ting, was weak and shy at the beginning but by the end of the book she was more tolerate and became friends with Will and his father. In the novel We All Fall Down by Eric Walters, during a crisis people become their strongest and best self.
Desire is the need for an object, a feeling or a person. One can have a desire for something that is essential for survival, such as water or food, but desire could be used to harm others or oneself. Through A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael’s perspective of desire was altered dramatically. These desires were changed from his surroundings or events that were taking place. In the book, Ishmael was easily manipulated by his desires.
Many themes can be portrayed in a person’s life. Especially when one’s life is struck by so many strange events. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells is a very good example. Jeanette experiences many accounts of survival, betrayal, and loss which go on to influence the rest of her life. Jeanette’s life becomes a rollercoaster and she takes us along for the ride.
More people suffer from homelessness than we realize. We often take for granted having a home to go to. I completely agree with Anna about her feelings on homelessness. I often see the homeless on the side of the road and I normally refer to them as homeless people but what I fail to realize is, that “homeless person” has a name, that “homeless guy” is a human being just like the rest of us longing for certainty, stability and privacy. Those “homeless people” are human beings without a home.
She never thought someone special in her life could be as homeless as those on the streets. Until one hot summer day in 2009, Ashley tells us “My little brother Jay left his key on the coffee table and walked out of his house in West Texas to live on the streets” (68). For me, if someone left their keys, phones, or even their clothes at home, I would say that person perhaps forgot about it, or just took a short walk on the road. But for Ashley it was different, her brother was diagnosed with paranoid
Unbroken is the best word that can be used to describe Louie Zamperini. In the book Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, there are three other adjectives that can be used to describe Louie Zamperini, the main character. These adjectives are determined, compassionate, and defiant. These attributes can be proven through not only Louie’s actions, but his thoughts as well. These are the three different characteristics of Louie.
The author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey, presents the ideas about venerability and strength by using his characters and the way they interact with each other to establish whether they are a submissive or a dominant, tamed or leading, venerable or strong. Kesey uses strong personalities to show the drastic difference between someone who is vulnerable and someone who is strong. Nurse Ratchet is a perfect example of how Kasey presents the idea of strength over the venerability of others (the patients). Keys also exhibited vulnerability throughout characters such as Chief Bromden and his extensive habit of hiding himself in all means possible from Nurse Ratchet. Another idea presented by Kesey is a character’s false thought on what
In his seminal article in the New Yorker recounting a story of a homeless alcoholic man, Gladwell (2006) observed that homelessness costs the taxpayers considerably and focus ought to be given to housing provision and supportive care. According to Gladwell (2006),
Prior to reading this novel I had never considered why the homeless were homeless. I always just stereotyped them and assumed that they were alcoholics or drug addicts and that it was their own fault that they were on the streets. The idea that there would be any other reasoning for their homelessness never crossed my mind. “I think that maybe sometimes people get the lives they want,” (Walls 256).
