Non-Fiction Critical Analysis #2
     The article "The Sixth Extinction," by Elizabeth Kolbert in the Upfront Magazine is about a possible extinction occurring now. The author gives a little background about the earlier extinctions such as the dinosaur extinction and then explains why a sixth extinction may be happening. She also adds a timeline showing all of the earlier extinctions. The author's purpose of writing this article was to inform the reader about animals that are facing extinction right now.
     Elizabeth Kolbert goes into some detail about earlier  extinctions. She talks about the oldest extinction saying "The first one took place 444 million years ago, when creatures like trilobites, which resembled horseshoe crabs, and conodonts, which looked like eels, roamed the ocean." This quote gives the reader a picture in their minds about something that lived before us and what the general idea of them was. She also explains the most recent one, the dinosaur extinction. She quotes "The most recent of the big five was caused 65 million years ago by a six mile wide asteroid that was traveling at 25,000 mile per hour when it hit earth in what is now the Gulf Of Mexico." This explains to the reader that extinction will happen more than once and that even the biggest of animals can become extinct. She explains why the sixth extinction may be possible. She says "This time, a giant asteroid isn't to blame. We are, most scientists agree. Because of human activity." She then goes on to explain what we are doing to cause this mass extinction. I think she wrote this article to bring attention to all the harm that we are doing  to the world without knowing it.
      I don't like that we are causing species to become extinct. We are developing too fast and because of this animals are dying. We need to find a better way to develop without harming the animals. We could make energy efficient cars, or stop using tree made paper and reuse the paper we've thrown out. There are many different solutions to stop this and I think we should take action.

     In my book Scat by Carl Hiaasen, justice is served by many people, some who i didn't expect and some whom I didn't expect to serve it. There were also two people who were blocking the way for justice to be served. Scat is about a boy named Duane getting framed for arson and a teacher disappearing and illegal mining in a state park.  The author's purpose of writing this book was to show injustices in the world and bring attention to it.
     The injustice in this book is the Red Diamond Oil company doing illegal oil drilling on state property. On the day of a school trip to the land which is also a state park, they light a fire to keep the kids away from their illegal operation. During the fire, Nick's teacher, Ms. Starch disappears. When the firemen launch an investigation they discover that the fire was arson. The cops suspect Duane of the arson because he previously lit a billboard on fire. However, I feel that lighting that billboard on fire was justified because it was the plane that his mom flew away on without telling him. And also, after the fire he turned himself in. The people who serve justice are Ms. Starch, Twilly, Duane, Nick, and Marta. The people who block justice is the Red Diamond Oil Company, they drill on state land and separate a mother panther with it's cub. Twilly's mission is to reunite the panther cub with it's mom and the Red Diamond oil company tries to shoot the panther. Twilly disrupts the Red Diamond Oil companies project by taking there pipes and messing with the drilling site. He reunites the panther with its cub and bring the Red Diamond Oil Companies operation to light and gets them arrested.
     I didn't expect Duane and Ms. Starch to serve justice because Carl Hiaasen depicted them as bad people in the beginning of the book. Duane gave the teacher attitude and Ms. Starch was a really strict teacher. However MS. Starch ended up helping Twilly save the cub. Duane was an expert tracker and he was the main cause for reuniting the cub with its mom.
     The social injustices that this book brings to light is hunting and the greed of our current world. The Red Diamond Oil Company was willing to kill a panther and its cub just make some money. They hunt the panther and try to get it out of the reserve. In real life the panther is an endangered animal and they are precious. This book brought light to this issue and taught valuable lessons.

ELA READING RESPONSE
     In my book, Scat, by Carl Hiaasen is about a kid named Nick. His teacher Ms. Starch goes missing in the middle of a field trip to the Black Vine swamp. She goes missing while there's a wildfire and there's a whole investigation to find out what happened to her. The day before the trip she gets into an argument with a student named Duane Scrod Jr. aka. Smoke. The police believe that he's an arsonist. During the investigation the firemen find out that the fire was man made and was an arson. They immediately expect that it was Duane because he tried to burn down a billboard a long time ago. They just assume it was him without any actual evidence, which is unfair. Duane's opinion is not voiced in this book, no one knows how he feels.
     In my book Duane Scrod Jr. (Smoke), is suspected to have created the wild fire in the Black Vine Swamp as payback at Ms. Starch. No one has any actual evidence, but everyone assumes it's him. This is unfair to Duane, and we don't hear his opinion on what he thinks. He tells the cops that he didn't do it, they act like they believe him, but they really don't. Duane already doesn't have a chance because of what he did in the past. When he was younger he tried to burn down a billboard. Nobody will believe Smoke because everyone is scared of him and the cops think he's a bad one. A man who works for the Red Diamond Oil Company gives false evidence to cover himself up because he started the fire. The author gets the reader to feel sympathy for Smoke because he not a bad guy at all, it's just that nobody knows who he is because he keeps to himself. Carl Hiaasen doesn't voice Smoke's opinion because then there wouldn't be any mystery in the book. The reader wouldn't want to know what happens next because they would already know. Until the end of the book the reader expects that Smoke was the one who started the fire, but it takes a turn and the reader gets interested. If Smoke had a voice then we would know who he was and the mystery around him would disappear. This is why Carl Hiaasen doesn't give Smoke a voice.
     This book also shows injustice because the police suspect Smoke when he hasn't done anythings wrong. It just goes to  show that if you do something in your past then it will come back to bite you later on. Smoke is a different person from who he was, but nobody believes that he has changed so he's the prime suspect in the arson case. I think it's unfair that Smoke is being suspected of comething he didn't do.
      The social problems in this book are exactly like problems in real life. There is injustice to Mike Brown who was shot by a cop and the cop was not prosecuted. I think that people really just need to understand each other in order to be friends. For example, nobody knows Smoke and that why nobody believes him when he says he didn't do it. Understanding is the key.

Zach Gee

Class 805

             Why are people trying to get young adult books banned? Many people believe that YA books give the teens who read them a bad influence and cause them to do unacceptable things, but they are wrong. YA books are helpful and do much good to teens. YA books give scarred teens advice for their lives and how to cope with it. They also give teens something to relate to and it gives them a voice. It tells people what the lives of these scarred teens are like. YA books teach teens what not to do in life and they give abused teens something to relate and talk to.

            YA books give teens who have been bullied, witnessed murder, and teens who cut to cope with their lives something to relate to. It makes them feel like there’s someone waiting to talk to them and someone they can trust. YA books also give these teens a voice so they don’t feel unaided. In Meghan Gurdon’s article “Darkness too visible” she says “they validate the teen experience, giving voice to the tortured adolescent who would otherwise be voiceless.” If YA books didn’t exist, there would be many teens without a voice. No one would know what these teenagers have to live through everyday in order to survive. The horrible, disgusting things that their live force them to live through. YA books get teens to feel supported. If YA book didn’t exist, these scarred teens would feel like there isn’t anyone to help them and support them so they might just give up on life. Sherman Alexie says “I wrote my YA novel as a way of speaking to my younger, irredeemable self.” He wrote his book to release the emotion that he felt, he wanted to speak to his younger self who did things that he now regrets. He wants people to know that he realizes that what he did was wrong. This was his way of feeling better. Many teens are going through the same things that he had gone through and his book is a book that scarred teens can relate to. Not only are they relating to them, they’re also learning from them too. These books let them voice their conflicts and gets them feeling that there’s someone watching over them and guiding them.

            Aside from giving teens something to relate to, YA book teach lessons to teens and give them advice about their lives. YA books show teens things so horrible and gruesome that the teens will realize that they’re wrong. By reading these book teens will realize that what the characters are doing is wrong. YA books teach teens the difference between right and wrong. Sherman Alexie says “I read books about monsters and monstrous things, often written in monstrous language, because they taught me how to battle the real monsters in life.” He read YA books not to get influence, but because they taught him ways to fight the bad things that were happening in his real life. They gave him lessons in ways to fight the bad things in his life. He learned to cope with the violence around him, to not be scared, but to put on a brave face to get through it. YA books have the power to teach teens and people how to cope with the lives that they’re living. Alexie later says “I write to give them weapons-----in the form of words and ideas-----that will help them fight their monsters.” He writes metaphorically to give teens the power to fight the monsters in their lives, the bad things that are inside the lives that they’re living. YA books provide teens with a valuable weapon that can be used in their lives.

            Some may say that YA books give teens careless influences with careless writing. They believe that teens will mimic the things that they read. I agree, YA books to contain atrocious themes and gruesome content, I understand why they think that these themes will make teens have the urge to do them themselves. In Meghan Gurdons article she says “Books focusing on pathologies help normalize them, and in the case of self harm, may even spread their plausibility likelihood to yound people who might otherwise never have imagined such extreme measures. “ However teens are smart enough to decipher the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong. YA book teach teens the wrong things in life. They’re smart enough to figure it out themselves. Mary Elizabeth Williams says “reading about homicide doesn’t turn a man into a murderer; reading about cheating on exams won’t make a kid break the honor code.” YA books may have disgusting content, but they won’t have such drastic effects. Reading about homicide won’t make a teen have an urge to go and murder someone. Sherman Alexie says “Does she believe a dystopian novel will frighten a kid who already lives in hell?” If a teen already lives horribly then they won’t be frightened by a book because they’ve already experienced much worse. By reading these novels they may even learn how to cope with their lives.

            Ya books shouldn’t be banned. Teens can learn a lot from these books and they can also relate to them. If YA books were to be banned then some teens wouldn’t know how to live their lives. Although there are some teens who don’t need relating, what about the teens who do? Without YA books no one would be able to see the lives of the lower side. I used to think so what if some books get banned, but now I can see the importance of these books. If YA books were banned then some teens would feel alone with no one to talk to. Do you really want to make them feel alone?

Reading Response
     My book, Erak's Ransom, by John Flanagan is about a viking like character named Erak. who is captured during a raid and is held for ransom. He is the oberjarl (president) of the Skandians. His ship crew travels to Aruluen, the Skandians allies for help. Will, Halt, and Horace agree to rescue Erak, but they encounter many emotional and combat situations that they have to get through. Will, Halt, Horace and the Skandians have to face many conflicts and I am writing about the emotions masked inside the characters.
      In my book, Erak and his crew are surrounded by Arridi soldiers during a loot raid. The Arridi demand that they put down their weapons or they'll shoot. Erak's men are willing to fight if he gives himself up. If he gives himself up, his crew may live and travel back to Skandia safely. Erak doesn't want to see his crew die trying to protect him so he gives himself up and his crew travels to Aruluen to get help. The emotions felt in this part of the book are anger, protection, and acceptance. Erak is angered that he got his crew surrounded because of his own personal greed. He feels protection for his crew and does not want to see any of them die so he gives himself up. He accepts that they're surrounded and agrees to give himself up in order for his crew to live. Erak is seen by his men as brave and powerful.
      Another part of the book where emotions are felt is when Will loses his horse, Tug in a sandstorm. He tries to go after Tug in the sandstorm, but is stopped by Selethen. After the storm he goes after Tug. The emotions felt in this part of the book are guilt and fear. Will feels regret because he is the one who lost hold of Tugs reins and that is why Tug got away. He thinks that he failed Tug in the moment where he needed him the most. Will fears that Tug might be dead, however he is willing to take the risk to go find Tug because he cares so much about his horse. Throughout his training he and Tug had created a bond so strong that Will thinks that he and Tug can have conversations. This part of the book really shows the care and love that Will feels for his horse.
     Lastly, when Will goes out to look for Tug, his mentor, Halt is worried that Will won't come back alive. Halt really cares about Will because before Will became his apprentice, there was no joy in Halt's life. Halt grew to care about Will and even though he acted like he was always aggravated at Will, Will knew he cared about him. The emotions felt in this part of the book are fear, proud, and admiration. Halt is fearing that Will won't come back alive because they've never explored the desert and they no close to nothing about it. Halt feels proud of Will because he sees how he trained Will. This shows that the training that Halt and Will did, worked. Halt feels admiration because he sees how much Will cares about his horse. He realizes that most people wouldn't care so much and would just wave it off and take a new horse. Will on the other hand tried to go out in the middle of the sandstorm and search for Tug. Tug was something that Will really cared about and Halt realized this.
     There are many emotions felt throughout this book and this is only a glimpse. John Flanagan did a great job in conveying emotions throughout this book. He made the side characters as well as the main characters feel emotions in many different parts. This book really showed me how great bonds can be.

Non-Fiction Critical Analysis
     The article "Has Young Adult Fiction Become Too Dark" is about the author, Mary Elizabeth Williams responding to Meghan Gurdons "scorching" article about YA Ficion. In the article, she takes parts of Gurdons article and refutes it. Mary Elizabeth Williams purpose of writing this article was to argue that YA Fiction is not too dark and that Megan Gurdons article was wrong. Mary Elizabeth Williams opinion in this article is that YA Fiction is not too dark and that Meghan Gurdons article was wrong.
     Mary Elizabeth Williams refutes Meghan Gurdons article by taking her quotes and refuting them while stating her opinions and saying how Meghan Gurdon was wrong. While she's refuting Meghan Gurdon, she also tells the reader her opinion with her tone and the way she speaks of Gurdons evidence. For example she quotes Meghan Gurdon "Reading about homicide doesn't turn a man into a murderer, reading about cheating on exams won't make a kid break the honor code." After she quotes this she responds by saying "She even admits that the sad reality is "many teenagers do not read young-adult books at all." Her limitation is in her argument of what constitutes desirable options." Mary Williams take Gurdons quote and writes the limitation of her article and she uses Gurdons own quotes against her therefore making Gurdons argument weaker. This is how Williams shows the reader how Meghan Gurdons article was wrong.
     I agree with Mary Elizabeth Williams, I do believe that Gurdons argument was wrong and that YA Fiction has not become too dark. I believe this because YA fiction teach teens lessons even though they may have inappropriate themes. They also give teens who have been scarred something to relate to and someone who they feel they can connect too. YA Fiction does many good even though they may have gruesome themes.

          The book “The Rules for Disappearing,” by Ashley Elston is about a girl who is in the government’s witness protection program. All she wants to do is live a normal life, she wants to live like a normal teenager. She’s always mad at her dad because she believes he’s the reason that they’re in witness protection. What she doesn’t know is that she is the one who witnessed it, the cause. All her dad was trying to do was to protect her, shield her from the truth. Throughout this book the setting impacts how you think of the scene. It causes the image you can create inside your mind.

            An example of when setting impacted me as a reader was on Meg’s first day working at the pizza place. After her shift ended it was late at night, and she had to walk home. She doesn’t live in the best of neighborhoods so she could get mugged or kidnapped. The setting was late at night, it was windy and very cold. It was late at night and it was deserted, no one was around. When she walked out of the pizza place she got the chilling feeling that you get when your scared and you feel like you’re being watched. The author said “The wind is whipping right through my hoodie and my teeth are chattering.” The image that this setting detail created in my mind was like a Halloween night except there’s no trick or treaters. I imagined autumn leaves blowing around and it being freezing cold. It felt like a perfect night to get the feeling that someone’s watching you. The author gave the perfect details for me to imagine this.

            Another example of when setting impacted me and allowed me to create an image in my might was the night when Ethan brought Meg on a hog hunt. A hog hunt is when you chase hogs and kill them because they hurt the farm. It’s again, late at night, but this time it’s in the forest. They found a hog and they’re waiting to capture it, but Ben wants all the glory so he runs ahead and the hog gets angry. The hog charged at Ethan and his dog, Bandit tries to protect it. Ethan takes out his gun and he shoots the hog. All at once a vision comes to Meg, she remembers the reason that they’re in witness protection. It a night with a pitch black sky and no light at all. It’s in the middle of the forest and nobody, but Ethan and Ben are with her. The image that was created in my mind was trees surrounding them and all the branches shaking back and forth. I also imagined the moonlight through the trees and Meg falling to the ground in memory. The authors description of the setting created a powerful image for me.

            Overall, I think that setting has a big part in how you interpret and read a book. If the author creates good setting then you will have a better experience with the book. In my book the author did a good job and I felt that I got the full experience. Setting is a big part of a book.

                        

Argument Essay

            Kids should be allowed to not have to stick with extracurricular activities that they have signed up for because being a kid is all about experimenting and trying new things. If your being forced to stick with something that's time being wasted on finding something that you like. The debate article "Should Parents Make Kids Stick With Extracurriculars," by Bruce Feiler and Kj Dell'Antonia give to sides to the argument, one side saying yes, the other saying no. I agree with the Kj's side which states that kids should be allowed to quit extracurriculars.

            One reason why kids shouldn't be forced to stick with extracurriculars is because because they're their own person and they should be allowed to make decisions that affect them. Kj Dell'Antonia says "I can't see any reason to push my kids into anything they don't want to do for themselves.” What Kj is saying is that if your kid doesn’t  feel the need to participate in a certain activity then they shouldn’t be forced to keep on doing it.  Being a kid is about finding out what you like to do and if you’re tied down with one activity then you can’t experiment with other activities. Kj also says that “Parents make so many decisions for their kids just by virtue of who and where they are.” This means that parents help their kids make decisions just by being themselves and living where they live. An example is if you live near mountains with skiing slopes then your child is likely to try skiing. If a parent played baseball as a kid then your child will probably want to try baseball too. Kids are people too, they are capable of making their own decisions. Why not let them?

            Another reason why kids shouldn’t be forced to stick with extracurriculars is because kids should enjoy what they're doing, they shouldn't hate it. Kj says "Hours spent at the piano are hours not spent finding something you love for itself." You only get to be a kid once so you should enjoy it. Who knows, when you grow up you might get a job that you absolutely positively hate. Kj is trying to tell the reader that you should stop being forced to do something and you should go out and find something you like because it's fun or interesting. Kj also says "hours spent arguing about the piano? Just not worth it." What she is telling the reader is that it's not worth the time to argue about something that you just don't like, you should go and find something that is appealing to you. Kids are kids and you only get to be a kid once so make the most out of it.

            Some may argue that the kids have made a commitment by joining an extracurricular and that they should have to stay with it, but they shouldn't be forced to do something that they hate because it's  immoral. Bruce Feiler says that "They've made a commitment to the other players or performers, and they can't bail." However if you really dislike something then you should be allowed to quit. Kj says "I see a cost in not quitting as well." Kids can learn a valuable lesson from quitting to. An example could be if they quit soccer they could miss it and realize that they actually do want to play soccer. You can learn from quitting as well, you learn what you like and what you don't like. It's all like a big experiment. 

            In conclusion kids should not be forced to stick with extracurriculars. They are kids and they are their own person. They should be allowed to make their own decisions. If not then the parent will step in to help. They should experiment and learn what they like.

Response to Faithful Elephants, by Yukio Tsuchiya

     Faithful Elephants, by Yukio Tsuchiya is a short story showing the terribleness of war and how sometimes you are forced to do things that you are repugnant against. It is a melancholy story teaching a lesson about the things that can happen as a result of a war. The story takes place in the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, and is about how to zoo is commanded to, by the army to kill all the animals. The story focuses on three elephants John, Tonky, and Wanly. They are starved to death because the army is scared of what will happen if they get loose.
     As a result of Japan being at war, the zoo is ordered to kill all the animals so they don't get loose and run wild in the city. At the time Japan is being bombed. Yukio writes "Bombs were dropped on Tokyo every day and night, like falling rain." He compares bombs to falling rain to give the reader an idea of how many bombs were dropped on Tokyo every day. The bombs were the reason that the animals had to be killed because the army was concerned for the people's safety. If the animals got loose then they would be in danger. The author also has the zookeepers say "Stop the war! Stop the war! Stop all wars!" As the zookeepers say this, they raise their fists to the sky as if to imply their sorrow towards the elephants and their resentment of the ongoing war. The zookeepers realize that if there wasn't a war happening then all the animals would be alive including John, Tonky, and Wanly. This short story really shows what effects a war can have on not only people, but also animals.
      In this short story, the author, Yukio Tsuchiya really focuses in on these three elephants, John, Tonky and Wanly and how they because it's the only way to kill them. At first, the zookeepers try to poison John by giving him poison potatoes. However, John is clever and only eats the good potatoes. The author writes "He ate the good potatoes, but each time he brought a poisoned potato to his mouth with his trunk, he threw it to the ground, kerplunk." This shows that John knows that he is trying to be poisoned and he refuses to give in. He's clever and has good spirit. The author describes Tonky and Wanly as sweet and loving, he says "These two had always gazed at people with loving eyes. They were sweet and gentlehearted." I think that yukio did this to tell the reader that they weren't just elephants, they were living animals like people and they could feel. Tonky and Wanly do their Banzai trick in an attempt to get food from the man who once gave them food. The trainer gave them food and everyone pretended not to see what he did because in Yukio's words "But everyone was hoping and praying that if the elephants could survive only one more day, the war might be over and the elephants would be saved." The zookeepers never gave up hope. They kept on hoping that the war would end so that the elephants could live. The elephants died doing their banzai trick. The author described it like"Both died leaning against the bars of the cage with their trunks stretched high in the air, still trying to do their banzai trick for the people who once fed them." The elephants died with hope and trying to get food. They never gave up. They always had faith even when they knew it was over. I think that this shows that war can take down even the biggest of the pack.
     Faithful elephants gives the reader a lesson about the terribleness of war and that sometimes you are forced to do things that you don't want to do. An example was the zookeepers had to kill the animals so that they didn't escape. I like that the elephants always had faith, it says that you should never give up no matter how hopeless it seems.

Zachary Gee
Class 805
Reading Response
     The book, Million-Dollar Throw, by John Green is about a 13 year old boy named Nate Brodie. Nate's life is more complicated than it's ever been. His best friend Abby is going blind, his dad lost his job, and they're about to lose their house.  When Nate buys a $500 football signed by his idol, he also wins a chance to get one million dollars at the Patriot's Thanksgiving game. His family needs the money more than ever and Nate wants Abby to have her eyesight. The money could do wonders for his family and for abby. Nate's family becomes closer than they've ever been before because of this experience. Million-Dollar Throw is a heart-warming story about friendship and unselfishness. Milllion-dollar throw teaches you that nobody is perfect, how friendship is a great thing, and what unselfishness is.

     One way that Million-dollar throw teaches the reader that nobody is perfect is by having Nate, the best quarterback in the city go into a slump and get benched. Nate had never gotten benched before, he wasn't playing well and couldn't help his team win. Nate had too many things on his mind to play well, he was thinking about his family losing their house and about Abby losing her eyesight. He  worried too much about making the throw too, he was scared that he would miss it and cost his family a much needed million dollars. One way that the book teaches the reader about friendship is by having Abby go to every one of Nate's football games even though she couldn't see most of them. Abby is Nate's best friend. She loved art and even has a special chair for Nate in her art studio. Abby go's to everyone of Nate's games and supports him. Nate constantly looks up into the crowd to find her. She taps her every time to show him that he's got this.  One way that the book shows unselfishness is by Nate getting Abby her eyesight back. He does months of research before the throw about Abby's eye disease. He even makes a trip up to the best eye doctor in the world to talk about Abby. When Nate wins the million dollars, the first thing he does is go to Abby and say "I'm getting you your eyesight back." This is a true act of unselfishness and shows the reader that Nate is a true friend.
     In conclusion the book, Million-Dollar Throw by John Green is a very meaningful book. It teaches about friendship, unselfishness, and that nobody is perfect. These are three very important lessons in life, John Green captured it all in one book. This book was spectacular.