Reading Response on ‘Amulet’ by Kazu Kibuishi

Cayla Nardiello

            Every family suffers from grief and loss, but they arise even braver. In the amazing graphic novel ‘Amulet’ by Kazu Kibuishi. After their father’s tragic death, two children, Emily and Navin move to their great-grandfather’s house, where Emily finds a magical amulet which guides her and her brother into a magical, but dangerous world. I think the main theme of amulet is; use your emotions to become stronger.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I feel that this is a powerful quote that just made perfect sense to be in this response, due to Emily’s tragic backstory. One example of this quote is on pg.107, where it says: “Just take the amulet into your hands and accept its power” Emily is very afraid, yet she did take the amulet into her hands, and embraced it’s power. This shows that because of previous fears Emily overcame, such as watching her dad die, just made her stronger and more prepared for life’s wrath. Another example of this is on pg.56, where Emily’s mom was eaten (but still alive) by a giant spider-like creature called an ‘arachnopod’. This creature had also eaten her brother, but she frees him with her new amulet, which has special powers. “I said- Let-Go!” Emily uses her past, and fury from the creature eating her only remaining family, and saves her brother. This experience is also good for preparing her later on, when things get even more intense.

 Emily faces a lot of problems and challenges threatening her family and her own life. She takes charge and uses her emotions and powers to help save the day. One example of this is on pg.144-145 where Emily is about to save her mother, but the creature stabs her leg with a poison needle, and her mother says, “Emily, please- please go.” In which Emily vows “I’ll come back for you.” This shows us that Emily has endured through so much, and one of  the things she has gained from her past is strength, both mental and physical. Another example is on pg.165, where Emily meets up with son of the evil elf king. He too has an amulet, and tries to take control of her mind with a creature called sybrian. “Once he’s inside of your brain, you wont have to think anymore. Just relax…” Emily actually uses his advice to gain control of the amulet by focusing and staying calm. She is then finally able to free her mother from the monster by using pure will of her past to her advantage to make her braver, and stronger.

In all, using your past can really make you stronger, more prepared for life, and using the correct emotions to fit your memories can help you be even stronger, both mentally, and physically. In this graphic novel about a dangerous fantasy world, hidden in our own, Emily, the main character, learns from her mistakes, and uses her past to become better at who she is, and to learn from her faults. 

Response to 'Eleanor and Park' by Rainbow Rowell

Cayla Nardiello 808

           

Everyone is different in his or her own special way, even if it is hidden most of the time. In the amazing story, ‘Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor is the new girl with the crazy red hair and the strange clothes, with a dark family secret. Park is the quiet Asian boy who tries to avoid bringing attention to himself. That is, until he meets Eleanor, and while neither has a perfect life, they manage to find misfit love for each other. I think the theme of the story is about how you should always be accepted for who you are, even if only one person truly appreciates you.

            People that truly love you will accept you for who you are. One example of this is  “Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.” This shows that Park truly does love Eleanor, not for what she looked like; which is what she was judged on by other kids, but for who she really was, on the inside. Another example of acceptance is where it says; “Park didn’t know that anyone with red hair could have brown eyes… The new girl’s eyes were darker than his mom’s, really dark, almost like holes in her face. That made it sound bad, but it wasn’t. It might even be the best thing about her.” This shows us that while other people mocked Eleanor for being who she was, Park found beauty in what others might have teased her about.

            People might put you down for who you are. One example of this is; “If his dad knew he was thinking like this, he’d call Park a pussy. Out loud, for once. If his grandma knew, she’d smack him on the back of the head.” This shows that Park is used to being treated like this, and he fears what will happen if he stand up for himself. Another example of this is when girls at gym make fun of Eleanor; “‘Red isn’t your color, Bozo,’ Tina had said the first time Eleanor suited up. The other girls all laughed, even the black girls, who hated Tina. Laughing at Eleanor was Dr. King’s mountain.” this means that Eleanor kept feeling a ‘mountain of despair’ when people made fun of her, she couldn’t tolerate it, especially with an abusive step-dad at home.

In all, having parents who don’t love or really don’t understand you makes you more desperate for real love, from someone who does understand what you are going through. Someone who won’t judge you when you express how you feel, because they know what you are going through, because it has happened to them, too. And if only one person gets you for who you are, it makes you feel more accepted in life, it makes you feel better about yourself; that someone, even if it is just one person, loves you for who you really are.