Blog Reflection

In creating this blog I've learned quite a few things about myself and literature. I found myself to be more insightful about novels and take more out of them than i would've by just reading casually.  Keeping up the blog was a bit hard especially when having to do so without reminders from my teacher, but I found that that caused me to become more responsible for little things such as due dates. This was quite beneficial to me for things like our science current event that were due weekly, among other things. It also caused me to display my own voice and learn to write better, faster and more insightfully. It also helped my typing skills which was a good aspect of having our pieces online. One thing I didn't like, however, is that we didn't have much time, help, or motivation for revision, making my posts not some of my best work. In other words most of my pieces are just first drafts, excluding the revised blog post we were assigned. Online writing, however, did allow me to speak, or type, more freely and be more opinionated about topics, characters, social issues, etc. On the other hand, online writing can also cause you to write less or even infer less than I might be able for, lets say, a thoroughly edited, final draft essay due in class.

In terms of online identity I believe that people have less of a filter when it comes to writing, for example comments or blogs. This is because you aren't saying anything to anyone's face or where they can physically hurt you, at least right away. On the other hand, the internet allows people to easily manipulate their identity and cause people to believe they are something they're not. Therefore, you may be able to express their opinion widely but also hide who they really are, where they come from, what they experienced and more. This is something that many people, especially teenagers use to cause harm to others or very rarely good to others. One example is fake accounts that people set up to be anonymous and comment horrible things about people. This may be they're opinion but they are not owning up to it by using a false identity. There are, however, some anonymous account on social media that dole out compliments although people tend to take them for granted. It's good that people can be open about their feelings, but at the cost of others?

"Hi Mom, I'm Home!" by Adam Davidson

In the article "Hi Mom, I'm Home!" by Adam Davidson, from Upfront magazine, the author informs readers about college graduates who have decided to move back in with their parents a.k.a the "Boomerang Generation". Many of which have huge student loans and no permanent decisions for their future. Davidson not only explains why this is increasing and becoming an option for a lot of college graduates, but he also helps to make the reader empathize and understand the need and appeal of going back home, post-college. To do so, the author provides many facts supporting the practicality of moving back home and why this is becoming more necessary. He also shows why the stereotypes of the so called Boomerang generation, for example, lazy, are mostly not the case.

To begin, one startling fact to support why many post-college adults move back in with their parents is, "Today, one in four recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed, which means they're earning smaller paychecks by working part-time or in jobs that don't require a college degree. And they face the highest debt burden of any graduating class in history (see graph): Students graduating in 2014 have an average student-loan debt of $33,000, up from $9,300 in 1993." Clearly if many students are underpaid and deep in debt, a vast majority of them have no choice but to move back home to lessen the burden of rent they would have to pay every month. This debt is so because, " Fewer jobs are available for recent graduates. A college degree is an advantage, but it no longer offers any guarantee. In a way, a degree is the expensive price of admission to the workforce. Young people now need to learn skills before they get a job, which often means unpaid internships." Therefore, most unskilled college graduates don't use their degree and make minimum wage or work on their skills but remain unpaid. With a heavy debt on their shoulders, going home is clearly their best bet.

Some adults of the Boomerang Generation, however disagree. The author uses their point of view to show just how going back to your parents is not a bad thing and is actually a very practical decision. One example is Monica Navarro, who has paid off most of her debts and is living with her mother currently. She says, "It's not a failure anymore, it's a choice now," she says. "I think having that personal knowledge is enough for me. Even if people know outside that I'm living at home and I'm a college graduate, it's OK with me now."Clearly Navarro is accepting and happy with her current situation, this shows how she is not struggling and is not pressured or in a rush to leave her old home. Another example of the practicality is the story of Eric Curran, who saw moving home as an economic plan. "Eric Curran moved back in with his parents in Wahoo, Nebraska, in 2013, during his last semester in college. Curran had more than $19,000 in student loans and a degree in history and religion from Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. But he didn't have a clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life. One thing he did know: Without a stable job, he couldn't afford to live by himself. Moving back in with his parents, while juggling odd jobs, has allowed him to pay off almost half of his loans and figure out his next career move. Curran is now applying to grad school and studying Arabic to make his resume stronger. 'Most of the time, I don't think [living at home] is a sign of failure so much as a cost-cutting decision," says Curran, 24. "[It's] a temporary arrangement to plan ahead." As stated, "boomeranging" has allowed Curran time to plan for his future, acquire new skills, and make money to pay off his debt. The idea of a temporary arrangement shows that this is a useful one and people like him are not lazy and are making the most out of their time living back at home.

Overall, Adam Davidson shows readers all over that, after college, if necessary, it is okay to move back home. He also suggests that it's not particularly your fault if this is your only option and that, the decision to do so is actually a good one for your future. So, if need be take the time to re-situate and reassess yourself, your life, and where you want to go from there.

"Tiger Lily" by Jodi Lynn

 The book "Tiger Lily" by Jodi Lynn Anderson brings the reader into a whole new even more emotional aspect to the beloved story of Peter Pan. This book joins Tiger Lily's (the main character) heritage and beliefs with every day problems that average teenagers go through. Tiger Lily was just living a normal life with her best friend, Pine Sap, until her arranged marriage was made official and she crossed paths with the infamous Peter Pan. The main struggle of the novel is young love. The struggle however is to advanced for many people to relate to; Tiger Lily, although in love with Peter Pan, whom she was warned to stay away from, must marry another. The author shows us that when Wendy Darling comes in, how Tiger Lily changes and eventually comes to realize the love she really needed was right in front of her all along. The author, who writes in the perspective of Tinkerbell, a young fairy who follows Tiger Lily Every where she goes make this fairy tale more realistic and harsh, just like real life.

First of all, The author starts off by comparing all the tribe beliefs to ones throughout history and providing an explanation to almost every unrealistic aspect of the original tale."Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've ever heard. The boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win.” This harsh but enthralling quote enhances the story making it unlike any other. Already telling you to not expect the happy ending that all fairy tales end with. It also promises a love of interesting characters and a story to not be forgotten. Another example of this is that the author also shows the complications of loving someone. “There was no twinkle in his eyes. "Maybe I just love some of you. Maybe not enough."Tiger Lily blinked at him, and she didn't understand how anyone could only love a part. Her greedy heart didn't work that way.” Clearly the relationship wasn't always so balanced and when they fought Peter and Tiger Lily found out the ugly truths about their relationship. Anderson obviously wanted to show this life and relationship as dysfunctional and portray how not all stories, like the original Peter Pan or any Disney tale for that matter, is always black and white.

Anderson also wrote often about how Tiger Lily herself was not perfect or ideal in any way. For example she and her adopted father, who was essentially a cross-dresser, even though they had no term for it, were the black sheep of the tribe. No one thought of Tiger Lily as beautiful, especially after she cut off all her hair after the death of her adopted father. “Everyone will think I'm ugly." Tik Tok smiled. "That's true. But we are a small village. We have narrow tastes. There's no telling who else in the world would think you're beautiful.” Even when she calls herself ugly, the people she loves don't deny it they just try to make her feel better. And Tiger Lily has made her own peace with that. Another not so flawless aspect of Tiger Lily is her personality and the way she acts. According to Tinkerbell, “Still, the longer I was around her, the more I could see the colors of her mind and the recesses of her heart. There was a beast in there. But there was also a girl who was afraid of being a beast, and who wondered if other people had beasts in their hearts too. There was strength, and there was also just the determination to look strong. She guarded herself like a secret." Clearly Tiger Lily is a strong young woman but that didn't always go her way. She could be stubborn,envious, rash, and even take things for granted so their loss wouldn't bring her down. This led to the ultimate downfall of her relationship with Peter, along with Wendy.

Even though Peter left to go with Wendy and Tiger Lily was heart broken, I'd like to think that Justice was served and that Peter/ Tiger Lily got both their good and bad Karma. Since Tiger Lily hadn't let Wendy die when she was at the brink of death, she got her not ideal, but happy ending and didn't have to marry a man whom she despised. On the other hand Peter regretted his decision and ended up having to marry Wendy, not the girl whom he'd never forget he'd lost. Overall, the author gave a satisfying and non traditional new happy ending to the story everyone knows and the one no one can forget.

"Dirty Little Secrets" by C.J. Omololu: Revised

The book "Dirty Little Secrets" by C.J. Omololu is a young adult novel in which a teen struggles to hide her private life from the world. Lucy, the protagonist of the book, is extremely embarrassed by her mother who has developed into a full-blown hoarder. This poses a threat to the households health and wellness. When Lucy comes home one day, her problems become a great deal worse when she sees her mom dead on the floor from an asthma attack caused by the growing mold in her house. But Lucy has no idea what to do with the situation since she is to ashamed to call the cops and invite them into her putrid home. With her mom out of the way, however, Lucy can finally clean up the house before anyone finds out. In this complex "dirty" story the author uses the hoard of garbage and manipulates it to act as a sort of "archaeological dig" to make the reader empathize about the characters with buried forgotten memories.
    
Firstly, when Lucy recovers some hidden items in the hoard of her house they bring back some joyful memories. For example, when Lucy finds her third grade teddy bear it brings back a certain remembrance. " It was a Girl Scout project- I even got my sewing badge for doing it. My mom used to make quilts a long time ago- she was a really good sewer, and she showed me what to do. I squeezed the bear's tummy... thinking about the nights Mom and I had sat with our heads bent over the effort of making the stitches... as tiny and uniform as possible."(Omololu, 120) As you can see even though Lucy acknowledged that her mom was not a good one, they still bonded over things in the past and spent quality time together even if it wasn't recently. It also portrays how some people just go downhill and need a lot of help to get back to the way they once were. If Lucy's mom wasn't always a negligent mother and hoarder, that means she didn't have to stay that way. If they could work together to make a bear they could have worked together to clean up their lives. Another part of the story is when her mother heartwarmingly remarks, "Congratulations. You are now an official member of the top secret quilting society."(Omololu, 121) Clearly her mom wanted to be a big, good part of Lucy's life and did once make an effort to do so. By including this phrase, the author showed us how much love and togetherness they once had and could have had still.  One last example of a joyful memory is when Lucy uncovers a pair of her mother's scrubs. She is reminded of what kind of person she was around her "people" (She was a nurse). " Mom always found the most obnoxious scrubs to wear because she said it made her people feel better to look at something cheerful. It had been weird to see Mom so efficient, so capable of taking care of other people."(Omololu, 136) Clearly her mother, in her work place seemed to be a role model to Lucy and others once. Lucy later even says that "I would remember back to the day I was proud of her (referring to watching her work)." This shows Lucy's appreciation and admiration towards her mother's "non-hoarding" personality. It also implies that Lucy doesn't want to take up this role of responsibility, she just wants the mother she knows and loves to do what she's best at with her, taking care of people. Clearly the house is not only filled with garbage but also memories to hold onto as well.
    
 Secondly, Not only does Lucy unearth belongings with great memories, she also reveals items that make her feel distraught, confused, and just downright angry. For example the most disheartening discovery in the hoard is when Lucy finds an envelope of bills. "I ripped the envelope all the way open and took out the papers that were inside. There were pages and pages of charges, and on the first page in big black letters was one of the largest numbers I'd ever seen in real life. I looked up at the date in the corner of the page. This statement was from six months ago, but even then Mom owed $48,562 to this credit card... The scholarships and grants I was chasing because there wasn't enough money to go to a good university without a lot of help. And this is where it all ended up... It had ended in late-night home-shopping bargains on stuff we'd never use"(Omololu, 206) Clearly, finding something as big as this must be truly distressing, Their lost opportunities were just because her mom was a shopaholic. All Lucy wanted was to go to college and her mom's habits had made that chance significantly smaller. The fact that the mom had these dues and was unable to pay for necessities shows that she was truly unfit as a parent , even if she did honestly love her children. Lucy must have felt that material things seemed to have mattered more than her to her mom.

 Overall, The author takes advantage of the mother's hoarding problems and uses that to put meaning into a few of the things in her hoard. This affects the reader by making them feel empathy, good and bad. It also lets reader's delve a little deeper into the perspective of Lucy regardu her mom's actions in the past. Many people can relate to the author's use of old items because most people have items to remember things by, even if they aren't a hoarder. For example, when you go on vacation you often purchase a souvenir. Basically, nostalgia is something everyone creates and hangs on to. By clinging on to items from the past you can relive those moments just by seeing them, but in this story that gets out of hand and ruins the lives of multiple people.

View the previous: Old Blog Post!!!

"Child Abuse" edited by Louise I. Gerdes

This Opposing Viewpoints book edited by Louise I. Gerdes and authored by a variety of skilled writers covers many aspects and perspectives to the pressing issue of Child Abuse, as suggests the title. The book consists of 4 chapters and many different view points throughout the chapters. Gerdes fashioned this book to display almost everything you need to know about child abuse in which she also suggests how to take action. The editor does this by choosing the best articles and showing many aspects in contrast with each other.

The first chapter, "What Causes Child Abuse?" Answers the title's question with many articles such as "multiple factors contribute to child abuse" and "substance-abusing parents are more likely to abuse their children." To prove their points the authors primarily use anecdotes and statistics. For example,  writer, Joseph a. Califano Jr. proves his point and shocks readers with facts such as, " The number of reported abused and neglected children who have been killed has climbed from 798 in 1985 to 1,185 in 1996; the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect sets the actual number much higher, at 2,000, a rate of more than five deaths a day. " Clearly this is a most shocking fact and that was nearly 20 years ago. Child abuse hasn't gotten better. In another article also in the first chapter, the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform uses true stories of neglect in poor families and the injust lengths child protective services took. " In Los Angeles, the pipes in a grandmother's rented house burst, flooding the basement and making the home a health hazard. Instead of helping the family find another place to live, child protective workers take away the granddaughter and place her in foster care. She dies there, allegedly killed by her foster mother. The child welfare agency that would spend nothing to move the family offers $5,000 for the funeral." This story really shocks and hits a person quite hard and makes you think about how bad child abuse really is. 

In the fourth chapter, authors cover "How  Can Child Abuse be Reduced?" Leading the editor to end the book making readers think not only about how the government could help children but about what they can do to make a change. Authors like Susan Orr talk about Family Preservation Programs and how they leave a child in an abusive household. The author also cover the underfunding of child protection agency's and how if people just donated money instead of getting, for example, a manicure every week or new items in general, then the country could be improved and even happier. For example, " Half of the 1,500 children killed by their parents throughout the country each year are already known to the child welfare system. They are victims of not only underfunding but of a more fundamental scandal: a 'family preservation' policy that the federal government and 30 states have carried. " this more than anything makes a person want to take action. Policies forcing kids to remain with unjust parents and underfunding! To end the motivation to help along with the masterfully structured book, Gerdes adds an article by Okey Chigbo describing what is and isn't okay in terms of punishing a child. This article is truly the Cherie on top making all parents aware of they are or are not abusive. 

Overall, the Opposing Viewpoints book, Child Abuse is masterfully edited and ordered to the most appropriate format, informing and concerning readers to making them want to take action and prevent abuse at all costs. The reality is children aren't just being hurt, they are dying because of a faulty protective system and a lack of support. 

Blog Review: My Kind of Blog.

 One blog that interested me was Katie Heaton's blog in class 804. One post that particularly caught my eye was her book review on the novel “Sold". It was clear to me that Katie had a good understanding of the book and it’s events. I to have read the book and i find that Katie’s description was very accurate. She had relevant background info, took the route of describing who’s perspective was missing and also noted how the book was written in verse with the perspective of solely the main character.

 I agree with Katie that many perspectives were missing but i think that added more mystery to the story. This is because the whole story is based on this girls life in the city and the girl, Lakshmi is clueless as to whats going on and is basically experiencing everything in the book for the first time. She is correct when she writes "This is common when writing in verse because it is hard to get multiple peoples perspectives in when trying to deeply understand one character’s emotions. It would feel crowded and the main point of view, Lakshmi's, would be drowned by others views." since one perspective is the easiest to follow. It's still hard to believe the events that took place in this novel and by writing Lakshmi's emotions and opinions in verse, the author made the book even more intriguing. She also adds that some character who were not as "highlighted" may have added to the story if their important stories were written.

 When Katie puts forth her want of more dialogue between characters like Lakshmi and her step father i couldn't agree more with her. If only Lakshmi protested and spoke her opinion more in the book, I would feel more knowledgable when reading it. It would be very interesting to see a different book written in another perspective. When expressing this opinion, Katie uses some thought provoking vocabulary. For example, when she talks about wanting to be more informed about certain character's "motives" for their actions.

One thing that Katie talks about is the concern the book gives you in the end. This is simply because it is one big cliffhanger and you never know if the main character died or not. The American that Katie mentioned in her review is also not a "highlighted" character and perhaps his story would have eased the concern for Lakshmi's well being.

Overall her Blog Post was very well written, properly addressed the perspective issue in the book and used thought provoking vocabulary that convinced readers that they needed just a little more in this already wonderful book.

"Please Don't Let Them Kill Or Abuse More Children" By Christine Adamec

The Article "Please Don't Let Them Kill Or Abuse More Children" By Christine Adamec covers the social issue of child abuse and ways we can prevent it. This well written and informative article informs and inspires readers to help abusive situations in anyway they can. Adamec does this by including a couple of shocking child abuse stories and some facts that really show how horrible this issue is. For example, Adamec writes about young Mary Ellen Wilson, one of the first reported child abuse cases in America. She "was severely abused back in 1874, there were no protective laws for children. Only when the New York Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals intervened was Mary Ellen at last protected." Clearly this story is quite melancholy since Mary Ellen was saved but only by an Animal Cruelty Society. This shows how bad Child Abuse was before and that it only escalated from there. The issue is even more noted upon when Adamec includes facts such as, "A federal law requires that a permanent plan should should be made for every foster child after 18 months in care. But few states comply, so we have a revolving door of kids entering foster care, going back to abusive parents, re-entering foster care and so on." This facts shines light on how complex child abuse situations get.

Adamec's main goal when writing this, however was to show her opinions on how America can prevent child abuse and help the children in these terrible situations. For example she adds opinion when she states, "Action must be taken to  help the abused kids, both those who never even enter the foster care system until they've received a death sentence as well as the thousands of children entrapped and warehoused for years in the foster-care system." This shows how much anger Adamec has toward the foster care system and that there must be an answer, which she provides, to helping the poor children abused then "entrapped" in the system. Adamec's solution to this ever growing problem is. "My answer is to give abusive parents chances, but also give them a firm time limit. If after two years, the parents cannot or will not take action to recover from their alcoholism, drug abuse or whatever the problem is that led them to abuse their children, then I think their parental rights should be terminated. I think these psychologically enslaved children should be freed to be adopted by screened and loving adoptive parents." Clearly Adamec has a big plan for the Child Welfare System and kids all around America.

After reading this article and Adamec's plan for abused children across the country I find her ideas to be very achievable, hopeful, and well thought out. Terminating parental rights would help prevent kids from falling back into the hands of abusive parents who have no remorse . However, Adamec's hope for these children to all be adopted is impractical because there are not enough loving adoptive parents out there and this would just leave the thousands of kids trapped in foster care with people who might not always be better than their parents were. Also, Adamec left out certain cases where poverty might have been the reason for Child Abuse involving neglect and poverty can't just be fixed. Therefore if you terminate these loving people's parental rights after only two years then they may never get to see their children again. Overall I am convinced that foster care and child abuse are complex and flawed but I don't believe most of Adamec's plan would cause more good than bad.