Blog post on "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky (more book club posts; scroll down)

            In the touching novel, "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky, Charlie is a high school boy who grows up in many different ways by being exposed to one year of a new school and new friends. Charlie views the world from innocent eyes and an open mind, and I feel that his way of seeing things plays a major part in his adventure of growing up both mentally and physically. I believe that that his friends helping him grow up takes on a major role in Charlie’s life.

            Charlie’s new friends help him mature quicker than he ever would have without them; they expose the good and bad sides of life to him. One example of this is;
“My father came in and sat on the edge of my bed. He lit a cigarette and started telling me about sex. He gave me this talk a few years before, but it was more biological then.” This shows me that Charlie’s understanding and perception is becoming more complex and structured the more he learns from his peers. The more he learns from them, the more he understands how he should grow up, whether he learned from bad or good experiences.

            In all, wallflowers like Charlie might take extra long to grow up and accept who they are because they have no one to confide in. This is why I think that Charlie meeting his friends had a huge impact on his life because they exposed him to life in a way that others couldn’t, and this made him grow up.

blog post on standardized test articles, 4/2/15

Cayla Nardiello 808

            In China you either have a successful life, or you are forced into manual labor and work for a small wage. There is no in-between. In high-school, the rest of your life is determined by a test you take. If you get a low enough score that no university will except you, you are automatically a low wage worker who will most likely do manual labor. In the articles, ‘Standards Raised, More Students Fail Tests’ by Jennifer Medina, and ‘China’s Cram Schools’ by Brook Larmer; I will be comparing the gaokao to any American standardized test that places you in a category and helps determine your future. I think the gaokao is much harder to deal with because if you are even 2 points away from admission into a good college, you will still be forced into a life of manual labor.

            If you fail any American standardized test you still have a chance of success, even though it might not be as high as a student’s chance who did really well. Meanwhile, if you fail the gaokao, you are automatically screwed. Another difference between the two tests is in the article ‘Standards Raised, More Students Fail Tests’; “…a fourth grader had to get 37 out of 70 possible points on the math test to reach Level 3 (out of 4), or grade level. This year, a fourth grader needed to earn 51 out of 70 points to reach that level.” This shows me that American tests are gaokao, but with less severe consequences if you don’t do well. An example from ‘China’s Cram Schools’ is; “Xu scored 643 out of a possible (but never achieved) 750.” This shows me that the highest score is so hard to achieve due to the amount of effort it takes to study, and the difficulty of the exam.

            The two tests both determine your future, even though one has a much bigger impact. One example of this is in the article ‘Standards Raised, More Students Fail Tests’; “This year, anticipating a drop in passing rates, the city sent more struggling students, about 27,000, to summer school.” This shows me that the students who fail an American state test have to re-do their years of education. Another example from the article; ‘China’s Cram Schools’ is; “Cao’s family was heartbroken. His father had worked 12-hour days, 50 weeks a year, building high-rises in eastern China… Cao… would end up on a construction site, just like his father.” This shows that if you flunk the gaokao then you will have no good future career.

            In all, America and China are very different in their testing situations and procedures. They have very different outcomes when you fail the test that is set to determine what rank of society you belong in.

Response to Speak

Cayla Nardiello 808

            Have you ever felt alone? Trapped in a hole dug so deep that no one would listen to you? What if they were wrong? What if they hated you for all of the wrong reasons?

What if you didn’t know how to ask for help? In the heart-felt novel, ‘Speak’ by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character, Melinda, is out casted by her school, and abandoned by her friends. I think the main theme of ‘Speak’ is isolation, and what it feels like to be left in the dark in your greatest time of need.

            Melinda desperately needs help, but she doesn’t know how to ask for it. One example of this is; “Deprived of Victim, Mom and Dad holler at each other. I turn up the music to drown out the noise.” This tells me that Melinda even feels isolated from her parents because their fighting drives her away. Also, her parents are fighting with each other because in a way, they know she has a problem, they just don’t know how to get her to explain, so they can help her. Another example of isolation is; ” They swallow her whole and she never looks back at me. Not once.” This would only worsen her isolation issues. Instead of being with someone she could trust, she is left by her only friend, Heather, when she needed the comfort the most.

            In all, Melinda has had a traumatic experience that isolation will only worsen. Her friends and parents are just worsening her fear of letting the truth out. She really needs time to process her experience and come to her own conclusions about it. But she also needs the support of friends and family in order to heal. One great thing about Melinda is that she recognizes that her isolation is harmful and takes steps to reconnect with others.

Blog Post on “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Cayla Nardiello 808

            Hester Prynne is a symbol of defiance. Through out the book, “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne; Hester learns to accept her humiliating mark. And eventually it’s meaning, ‘Adultery’, becomes ‘Able’. Even the towns’ people start to see her in a new light. I think Hester begins to question what the ‘A’ really means to her, and if she wants to live with that meaning forever. Her actions are very bold and defiant, leading me to think she is not only strong mentally, but she can endure, and yet be defiant towards her ex-husband, who is responsible for her pain.

Hester is very strong mentally. One example of this is;” So speaking, she undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves. The mystic token alighted on the hither verge of the stream. With a hand’s breadth farther flight it would have fallen into the water, and have given the little brook another woe to carry onward, besides the unintelligible tale which it still kept murmuring about.” This shows that she easily discarded the scarlet letter. But later on, her daughter, Pearl, will not come near her because she doesn’t recognize her as her mother. So Hester reluctantly puts the heavy burden of the letter back on. Another example of Hester’s inner strength is; “Nevertheless,” said the mother calmly, though growing more pale, “this badge hath taught me,—it daily teaches me,—it is teaching me at this moment,—lessons whereof my child may be the wiser and better, albeit they can profit nothing to myself.” This shows that even though Hester is shamed with her child, who was born a sin, she concerns herself with letting the child live a better life than she did, and to teach her child not to make the same mistakes.

In all, what is most remarkable about Hester Prynne is her strength of character. Her inner strength, her defiance of convention, her honesty, and her compassion may have been in her character all along, but the scarlet letter she is shamed to wear brings all her strengths to our attention. She is, in the end, a survivor.

Argument essay on banned books 1/7

Cayla Nardiello 808

Banned Books Argument Essay/Letter

            Dear Ms. Berner;

           

            Books are chosen out of a pile of drafts sent in by hopeful writers, wishing for their book to be published. A few lucky ones are chosen out of that pile to be published. They are chosen because they are good enough to be displayed on a bookshelf, and read. Books don’t influence violence or suicidal thoughts, nor do they deprive teens of happiness. In fact, they do the opposite. Many books deal with and bring up these issues, which can help struggling teens who might be dealing with the same problems. This is why I think that reading books have positive influences on our lives.

            Many books help teens solve problems that they feel uncomfortable talking to adults about. One example of this is in the article; “Reading ‘Can Help Reduce Stress’” By The Telegraph, It says, “… by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape the worries and stresses of the everyday world...” so, if you were afraid of something, or nervous of an event taking place in your future, you could read a book to loosen your mind. Another example of problem solving using books is in the article; “The Hunger games Are Real: Teenage Fans Remind The World What Katniss is Really Fighting For” By Christopher Zumski Finke. “But the deeper subject of Harry Potter is the difficulty and awkwardness of youth; how we handle puberty and romance; how we confront racism and classism and modern day slavery…” Books that handle serious issues such as bullying, not only are helpful to those who are being bullied, it reassures them that other are, in fact going through what they might be struggling with.

Characters in books can often stand as symbols for issues that are happening in real life, and how you can solve them. One example of this is in the article; “The Hunger games Are Real: Teenage Fans Remind The World What Katniss is Really Fighting For” By Christopher Zumski Finke. It says; “…Katniss has become a symbol of opposition…” Katniss is like a medium for the author to help the reader deal with personal issues, by making Katniss go through many things the reader might have been through also. Again, this is an example of books helping, not hurting. Another example of how characters can help teens deal with real life issues is in the article; “The Fault In Our Stars Has Been Banned in Schools” by Joanna Robinson. John Green, the author of ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ quotes; “… I would be able to introduce the idea that human beings die… and thereby crush their dreams of immortality.” Teens dealing with coming to terms with a recent death of a relative can see that they aren’t alone, and others, such as Hazel Grace have also been through the same pain. The book might also help with how they deal with grief and loss.

            But books aren’t always so helpful. Some books just push serious topics like drugs and abuse over the edge. Books like these may use violence to solve issues, and that is the wrong way to prevent or stop problems. In the article “Darkness Too Visible” By Megan Cox Gurdon, it says; “…kidnapping and pedestry and incest and brutal beatings are just now part of the run of things in novels directed at children… ages 12-18.” Books can be over the top violent and can be too vivid and unsettling rather than helpful most of the time. It can even worsen the minds of children some of the time. But, in the article; “Banned Books Week 2010: An Anti-Censorship Manifesto” By Ellen Hopkins, she quotes; “Then she shared her own story… to deal with her alcoholic mother… that book turned her around.” Again, having these issues with different characters and viewpoints will help people relate to characters and maybe feel more open to share what they are going through with someone who can help.

            In all, while the people who banned books banned them because of they thought they were too inappropriate for whoever was going to read it next, so they rid of it; it actually helps some people who might need to read a serious book to be comforted or whisked away in an exciting dreamland. We can ban books, but the issues that the books are written about cannot be stopped by simply ‘ignoring or banning them’. We can’t get rid of issues unless we understand more about them, and reading books that deal with these problems are very good solutions.

           

Bibliography

·      -"Reading 'can Help Reduce Stress'" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 30 Mar. 2009. Web. 06 Dec. 2014.

·      -Hopkins, Ellen. "Banned Books Week 2010: An Anti-Censorship Manifesto." The Huffington Post. -TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2014.

·    -  "The Hunger Games Are Real: Teenage Fans Remind the World What Katniss Is Really Fighting For." YES! Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2014.

·     - "The Fault in Our Stars Has Been Banned in Schools." Vanity Fair. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.

-The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2014.