The Fault in our Stars: independent reading book post

In the book "The Fault in our Stars" the main character Hazel has cancer that gives her bad lungs and she has to use an oxygen tank to help her breathe. Although she understands that she needs the tank she hates it and wishes that she didn't have it but she does and has to deal with because it's who she is.

When you have a tube going into your nostrils people will ask questions. The thing is  it doesn't bother her if other people ask or look at her funny when they see it. The tank represents her insecurity. She's fine if other people accept her but she can't except herself . This is the number one problem that she faces with her friends and growing lover Augustus. But truly no can accept you if you can't except yourself.

When people feel bad or take pity on her she doesn't really mind because t doesn't change the outcome;death. She realized its coming but does not fully accept it either. The only one who does is Augustus. Even though he knows what she's going through, he treats her like a normal person who has nothing to worry about. He helps her deal with the fact that she is going to die and even thigh she's scared about what's awaiting in her future. Augustus helps her live her life in the present and not the future.

Critical Analysis Blog Post: Sick-Lit Books

   

   In the reading "The sick-lit books aimed at children..." By Tanith Carey had a multitude of epiphany moments that the I found. The author didn't think about backing these up knowing that we were going I would have thought if them. Carey really wanted to get across to her readers that the young adult books that are being published are not appropriate for any teen to read. Throughout the passage as Carey tried to back up this main idea, I was think of rebuttals against her arguments. My rebuttals were easy to make because Carey used her options instead of real teens opinions, and she not a teen so what would she know?




     When Carey talks about the different sick-lit books like; The Faults in our Stars, Never Eighteen and Before I die, and how they all dealt with the concept of sickness, love and death, she says that it's not a "coincidence" that all these books are almost the same. Carey feels that books like these that are " aimed at children as young as 12", shouldn't contain such specific detail and such topics. These books may go more in depth about serious topics like the death, The books were still sold at a fast rate. In fact  in the article it states that, The fault in our stars was on Amazons teen best-sellers list and Before I die sold 70,000 copies in their first four months. My question was if the books are selling so much and teens really liked them, then how was it too much for them to handle? Teams were obviously attracted to these kinds of books so why take them away?




     Carey things of books as a role models for the readers. This is partially true. Teens do learn a lot from reading books but we also know how to tell what's right and what's wrong. We knew who We are and were not just going to copy everything we see or hear. Plus we're  very mature me know how to handle most adult content in books. So there might be us sprinkle of sex, swearing or other things in certain books that we read bit that doesn't mean you have to rip it out of our hands and band us from reading it. As long as were comfortable with the reading that type of stuff then it's okay for us to read the book. 




     It's okay to be cautious with the things that you're children are reading but talk to them first before you lecture them on what type of books they cannot cannot read.  If there is no issue with reading books that are heavy or not then those choices are both fine. As long as they feel comfortable or you don't have to stay on their backs about what they're reading, then let them read what they want. Kids will have to learn soon enough about certain things in life but by reading books about them they become open to them these topic making it a less awkward conversation when you want to talk to them about it. It's the best thing to do for the reader and the parent.













Faithful Elephants

In the story “Faithful Elephants” by Yukio Tsuchiya, World War II is going on. The story takes place at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan. In the story a zoo keeper is retelling a flashback about the zoo having to put down the dangerous animal in the zoo. The 3 elephants, Tonky, Wanly, and John are the main characters of this flashback. Everyone loves them dearly but because the army ordered them to they had to put them down.

Usually when the elephants Tonkly and Wanly, did their bonsai trick they would be fed. The zoo keepers had to starve them in order to kill them. Something I noticed from reading and analyzing the story was the innocence that the elephant had. They never understood why they weren’t being fed. So when they did their bonsai trick for the zoo keeper and he didn’t feed them, they felt confused. They didn’t understand why they weren’t being fed so they gave up with only the smallest bit of energy left inside their weary bodies.

In one part of the story it says “they just lay on their sides, hardly able to see the white clouds floating in the sky over the zoo. However, their eyes appeared more beautiful than ever”. I felt that the author was trying to show that in death there is beauty. The elephants are dying but their beauty outshines the pain they’re going through. 

As the book comes to an end the elephant trainer scrams to the sky, “STOP THE WAR!!!” after the last 2 elephants dies. Besides it being an obvious way for the author to tell the readers’ war is not okay and it needs to stop, it brings me to think about the people of Japan at that time. The elephants are sort of like the people of Japan. When bombs were dropping they were confused or felt lost with nowhere to go. Those are exactly some of the emotions the Japanese were feeling at that time.

To conclude, “Faithful Elephants” is a heartwarming story of life and death. It shows how the greater things can overcome the bad things, no matter how much loss can come from it. That letting go of something so close is far much worse than staying with them. The author really tries to get the message through that life throws some hard punches but you have to experience them first, before you send them fleeing back.