Critical Analysis of "Teen 2.0," Epstein

           In the book, "Teen 2.0, Saving Our Children And Families From The Torment Of Adolescence," Robert Epstein wants readers to be introduced to the idea that teenagers are being kept from meeting their true potential because they are still treated like children. Epstein discusses how childhood has been artificially extended, how capable young people truly are, and how "we" must change. Epstein seems to intend the audience for this book to be parents or at least adults who interact with kids pretty often.  Epstein is a renowned psychologist, and obviously put an incredible amount of research into writing the book.

          Epstein wants readers to think that teens are just as capable as adults, and need to be given responsibilities. One example of this is that Epstein created a test on how "adult" the test taker is.  Epstein then gave the test to a large group of both teenagers and legal adults. He included the results in the book, saying that teens tested extremely similarly to adults and that this proved their equality. Epstein uses choice vocabulary, such as calling teenagers "young people," and saying that everyone, including teenagers has specific "rights." By using this word, Epstein emphasizes a necessity on a few opinionated beliefs. Epstein also includes extremely negative quotes from adults, making the reader think that teens' negative behavior is the direct result of adults' misjudgment. Epstein also often mentions that his own son is a teenager and is more mature than even himself. However, Epstein is slightly biased towards his son's maturity.

    All in all, this book proved some ideas I had already begun to formulate or already had developed completely, before I read this book, to be right, with evidence. When reading it cover to cover, I was slightly agitated at the preposterousness of a few ideas in the book. Some of these ideas included that school should not be mandatory, and that a thirteen year old should be allowed to drive a car. However, this book was eye opening to some statistics of the capabilities to certain individuals, and was about an interesting issue.

Whose Perspective is Missing from "The Poisonwood Bible" By Barbara Kingsolver

  Although I am not very far into "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver, I am already beginning to notice characters' missing perspectives. In "The Poisonwood Bible," four sisters, their mother, and their father, move to the Belgian Congo in order for their father to preach Baptism to the Africans there. I know that the story is told by the sisters and their mother, but I have not yet read a section of the story told by the mother. I hope to still be able to draw some conclusions about the plot and characters' development. So far, I have been noticing three main perspectives missing; (broadly), the Africans', the Father's, and currently the Mother's perspective is missing. 

  In the book, there are many scenes in which the reader is intended to feel discontent and annoyed with the behavior of the sisters, specifically Rachel. Rachel thinks, "Am I the only one shocked to smithereens here?" when the family is offered a feast in their honor, but Rachel is disgusted by both the behavior and the food the Africans provide them with. Rachel also mentions how she does not understand anything that they are saying. This shows how ignorant and uncommunicative Rachel is, and also how the author purposefully does not include certain perspectives. If this book was written by one of the Africans in this text, it would tell a completely different story. By not including their perspective, Kingsolver helps us identify with and get to know the family a little more. 
  
  Another missing perspective from this story is that of the esteemed Father, Nathan Price. Although the girls obviously admire and fear  him immensely, his perspective is unknown to the reader. To an extent, it is hard for me to identify with the characters in this book. Although it is beautifully written, and the characters are extremely developed, the extreme christianity and cultural ignorance is difficult for me to understand. I don't know if this book was intended for an audience who also felt this way, but the lack of the father's perspective has positive effects on me as a reader. In certain points in the story, the Nathan Price looses composure in the company of Leah, one of his daughters. When Leah is telling the story, this is the closest the reader gets to Nathan's perspective.

  A final  missing perspective from the story (at least in the Book One section) is the mother's. It becomes extremely apparent when Nathan Price asks the daughters which one of them taught the parrot the word "damn," and all four daughters know it was their mother.It fascinated me that not one of them tattled on Orleanna. Their punishment was to copy a section of the bible. Orleanna is portrayed by the girls as frail yet motherly and warm. She is entirely dependent but her daughters also depend on her. I think that it will be interesting to read what she thinks about life in the Congo and her opinion on Nathan Price. Orleanna seems as if she may be insecure and insubstantial- maybe the author began the book with the sisters' perspectives for that reason.

  All in all, perspectives are essential in both the plot and the intended reader's mindset. I am enjoying "The Poisonwood Bible," more and more as I progress into it. I am anticipating the mother's voice. The book is extremely well written and captivating.

Difficult and Complex Issues in "the Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult

In Jodi Picoult's "The Tenth Circle," there are many complex issues that are difficult to process and deal with- both for characters in books and for people in real life. While some issues are obvious and very real, others are more complex or personal. "The Tenth Circle" is about a girl named Trixie and her family trying to deal with the many issues that proceed her rape. There are many events that contribute to Trixie's slow mental recovery, along with her father and mother's mental recovery.

One step towards the recovery of Laura, Trixie's mother, is to admit to her affair. This contributes to her recovery because it makes her much more available to her daughter and her husband, who need her desperately during their struggle to move on with their life. Adultery is one complex issue in this book, and is mentioned frequently. Daniel, Trixie's father, is a comic book illustrator, and his book does not portray adultery lightly, with "Adultery Demons" being the "Fourth Circle Of Hell." Laura's affair is taken very seriously and is not discreet. The night of Trixie's rape, Daniel confronts Laura about her affair and asks if she was with the man the night that their daughter was raped. This shows how complex the social issues are in this book and how damaged the characters are.

When Daniel is trying to recover from Trixie's rape, a major conflict he deals with is drawing the fine line of how much she needs him and where to step in or let her go. Daniel describes Trixie as "just growing away from him," and can't handle not having her so close to him. Daniel is always there for Trixie and in a way, her problems are a repetition of Daniel's problems as he grew up. A complex problem that Daniel is forced to deal with is his daughter's growing up and not needing him for many things. Daniel also has to deal with learning when to be there for Trixie. All in all, Daniel has to deal with many complex issues on helping Trixie grow up.

Trixie has to deal with many, many complex issues when she is recovering to her rape. She goes through periods of suicidal tendencies, and cuts her arms. She also deals with being in love with a boy who rapes her, and the complex emotions of not knowing what to feel, especially when he boy is killed and she is a suspect. "She hadn't been looking to ruin his life. She'd only been looking to salvage her own," writes Picoult, describing Trixie's thoughts on flirting with Jason, the boy who raped her, at the party. It is an incredibly complex issue to thin about Trixie loving Jason even though he hurt her so badly.

All in all, "The Tenth Circle" is a book with many complex and difficult issues. Like many of Picoult's books, one of the main ideas is how far to go for someone you love, and whether killing can be justified. I thought that this book was very well written and had a suspenseful, well crafted plot.

Argument Essay

In 2012 alone, 464 books, for children, teens and adults, were challenged or banned. The books attracting special attention were written for a certain age group- teens, or young adults. Young Adult literature is said to handle topics too mature and disturbing for kids between the age of 12 and 18. Students should be able to have the choice to choose what they read. There is no justifiable reason to completely ban a book from any age group, including young readers. Banning a book is like killing a friend. Why do that to a kid?

One reason why young adult literature should be available to kids is that kids can identify with these books and learn from them. Reading literature that is slightly gruesome or sexual can only widen the minds and horizons of young readers, helping them develop their own perspectives and feel new emotions. One teenage reader posted her feedback n banning books on Twitter. She wrote, "Good literature rips open the private parts of us- the parts people.... have deemed too dark, inappropriate, grotesque, or abnormal for teens to be feeling- and then they stitch it back together again before we even realize they're not talking about us.” This only shows how important this genre is for kids and society.

Another reason why books should not be banned from students is that not only do these books help the kids who identify with the problems, but they also help the kids who don’t. Sherman Alexie, the author of frequently challenged, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” wrote that he met an individual who was wealthy and lacked all of the issues that others who Alexie talked to had. Alexie was confused and didn’t know how to help him with his equally troublesome issues. Alexie’s only answer was to write a book about it. The teen said, “I want to be myself. Just like in your book.” This shows how important Young Adult literature is to teens and how helpful and crucial it is.

Yet people still question Young Adult literature, saying that books might set bad examples for kids who haven’t experienced “horrors”. Megan Cox Gurdon, journalist for the Wall Street Journal, writes that, “self destructive adolescent behaviors are observably infectious and have periods of vogue.” This sentence follows two paragraphs gruesomely portraying self-harm, making the reader’s reaction be “Oh no, ‘slic[ing] [their] arms to ribbons!' Never!” But according to Alexie, there is absolutely no point in not allowing kids to view these books, because their lives are worse. So who to believe? The easy answer is Gurdon; parents must protect their children from dreadful, unknown and unnecessary horrors. However, the educated answer is found with Alexie. Alexie was a real world troubled kid, abused, disturbed, and a voracious reader.  He writes, “[Teens] read because they believe, despite the callow protestations of... adults, that books- especially the dark and dangerous ones- will save them.” This quote shows how important books are to kids and how books leave impacts on people- Alexie is an adult, yet he still believes that books are saviors.


All in all, students need to be able to make their own decisions regarding books because we are the readers. As a student reader, I think that all books should be available to everyone. I have read books that I thought were slightly upsetting for me as a reader, such as “Night” by Eli Wiesel. But after discussing the book with my teacher, I was able to understand it and learn from it. This only shows how books can help build community while teaching young readers. If someone reads enough to care, they will be capable of deciding if they are comfortable with the subject of a book.

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult (reading response)

In "Perfect Match" by Jodi Picoult, Nina Frost, a prosecuting district attorney deals with the unsuspected rape of her son. When Nina realizes who the rapist might be, without absolute proof she demises a genius plan to get away with his murder. In this book an overall question is, how far should you go for someone you love. Generally in this book, the answer is however far it takes.

One example supported in "Perfect Match" of doing anything for 

someone you love is when Nina tells Caleb, her husband, "Don't come home tonight," after Nina falsely interprets Nathaniel's accusation of "Father" as "Daddy", not as the priest. Nina is described to love Caleb very much before this, and when she tells him this, it signifies her putting her son above herself. This shows how much Nina loves Nathaniel and how willing she is to do anything for him.

An example of someone doing anything for someone you love is illustrated when Caleb kills the rapist after Nina's murder was carried out on the wrong man. To Caleb, he simply "did what [he] had to do" because that's what loving Nathaniel means to Nina and Caleb. Not only does the murder symbolize Caleb's love to Nathaniel, but it also symbolizes Caleb's love and dedication to Nina. He carried out what she tried to do, but could not. He only "finished what [she] started]". This shows how they will do anything for each other because they love each other so much.

A final example of people doing anything for someone they love is described when Nathaniel runs away from the court when he thinks he is saving his mother from a life in prison. Although his plan would not have worked had it succeeded, the intentions are clear and appreciated. Nina says that she will be mad once "I'm finished being so happy" that Nathaniel is back. This shows how close Nina and Nathaniel are and how they would do anything  for each other.

All in all, Nina, Nathaniel, and Caleb's lives probably would never have bee the same again after such traumatic events on all of them; Nina and  Caleb's murders, and Nathaniel's rape. I really loved this book because the author used such interesting perspectives to put the story together. It was a very disturbing idea to write about, but Picoult did not exaggerate and this made it all even more realistic.

Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood (critical analysis)

Sherman Alexie wants readers to know that dark kids books help troubled and privileged young adult readers deal with major issues in their lives. Alexie also wants reader to know that most disturbing kids books are not nearly as disturbing as the lives of the kids the article. Alexie discusses the affects of "disturbing" books on troubled teens and how the books helped them reach ethical, healthy decisions. Alexie uses examples of not only kids and teens  who are victims of rape, abuse, and other traumatic events, but also those who "have never been to a funeral" and are "privileged" yet also used these books to lean on. Using both examples really helped Alexie prove his point; troubled and privileged readers need to use dark and violent books to  help them get through problems in their own lives. 

Sherman Alexie wants readers to think that young adult books are essential to the lives of kids as they deal with issues. He wants the reader to feel that young adult literature helps kids deal with issues in their lives that they wouldn't otherwise be able to deal with. He wants readers not to underestimate the real issues that kids are going through. He also wants Meghan Cox Gurdon (the author of an article denouncing young adult fiction) to be proven wrong about her opinion; young adult fiction is much too dark for kids to read. When Shermen Alexie writes about how Gurdon is immature and biased, he uses choice words and an appropriate tone to prove Gurdon's opinion wrong. He writes that she has "complaints" and writes that he "laughed at her condescension." By writing this he hints to the reader that he is mature enough not to take her insults personally and taking lightly about her writing, making it seem unimportant. Alexie also writes "[Critics] aren't trying to protect the poor from poverty. Or victims from rapists." Alexie's wording and tone here seem to make the critics seem evil and unethical. 

This article seemed very personal and raw to me. I thought that it was extremely interesting to hear the perspective that kids are "already liv[ing] in hell" so the dark books can only help them by relating them to the characters. This point becomes extremely indisputable when Alexie proves it by relating the issue of kids reading dark books to his own troubled life. All in all, I found the article to be well written and powerful. I am not entirely sure what my opinion on young adult literature is but thought that Alexie dealt with it well.

Faithful Elephants by Yukio Tsuchiya

   In "Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War," by Yukio Tsuchiya, three elephants are killed by the people who they trust to keep them alive every day. Throughout the short story, things continuously fall from an "above," symbolizing betrayal, and the progression of the stories conflict when the falling things become drastically more severe.

   At the beginning of the story, Tsuchiya describes cherry blossom petals falling and sparkling. This corresponds with the innocence of the reader, who hasn't yet felt the pain of the elephants' death. It also symbolizes the innocence of the "crowds of people... pushing to enter the zoo on such a beautiful day."

   Once the zookeeper begins to retell the elephants' story, the falling things become more severe. Instead  of floating, drifting cherry blossoms, we have falling rain. The falling rain is also compared to bombs, which are indirectly and directly mentioned throughout the entire story. This makes it obvious that the conflict is beginning. And then the falling objects become even more severe. Poisoned potatoes are fed to John the elephant, who is smart enough to "(throw) it to the ground, kerplunk!" This symbolizes the conflict getting even worse as the elephant is subjecting himself to a tortuous, slow death and condemning the other two elephants, Tonkey and Wanly to it also.

   As Tonky and Wanly are dying, the author describes them trying hard to lift their weak bodies off the ground.  As they "stand up, tottering," they are holding up the heavy sky with bombs ready to drop inside of it. As long as the elephants are alive, the war is on hold, and that is one of the reasons why everyone wants them to live another day; they are defying war at the very conflict of the story. As soon as the elephants are dead, the "white clouds floating in the sky" can no longer hold the bombs, as everyone has given up. The bombs fall again, and this is the turning point of the story.  The zookeepers have to deal with their grief and return to the modern day zoo.

   Overall, faithful elephants is an incredibly moving, beautiful story.   The snowflakes, which are meltable cherry blossoms, floating rain, and  tiny clouds are compared to the cherry blossoms that slowly fall on the graves. This symbolizes the grief, which won't stop falling, yet still is falling slowly and softly. It is frozen, and no longer innocent. The story is very personal and whoever reads it identifies with it differently, which is something I love about it.  I like to read it over and over again, and I uncover something else each time. Maybe if enough people remember Tonkey, Wanly, and all the other animals who died at the cost of World War II, it will bring them back to life in peoples' hearts.

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Reading Response)

In "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata, Katie and Lynnie are very close sisters. Lynnie teaches Katie something new about the world every day, and Katie listens intently and remembers every word that Lynnie says. When their family moves to Georgia during an extremely racist time period, the Japanese family has to work hard to stay strong. Lynnie and Katie go through a lot together, and are always there for each other.

One example of how Lynnie is always there for Katie is that when Lynnie is playing with her friends and enjoying herself immensely, and Katie is feeling left out and lonely, Lynnie thinks of her and makes sure that she is playing with them, having fun, and that her friends treat Katie well. Lynnie does this repetitively, no matter who she and Katie are with. This shows Lynnie's love, and loyalty towards Katie.

An example representing how Lynnie and Katie depend on each other in times of need is shown when a dog attacks Katie and Lynnie chases it away from Katie, only to get attacked herself. Katie then chases the dog away from Lynnie, and they both run away. Later, Katie says,"If she hadn’t saved my life first, I wouldn’t have been able to save hers." This shows how the sisters depend on each other and will always be able to, even in times of danger.

An example showing how Katie will always be there for Lynnie really shows through when Lynnie is severely ill. In the middle of the night, Lynnie wakes up Katie, asking for a glass of water. Once Katie has brought her the water, she dumps it on the floor and says that she wants a glass of milk instead. She then dumps that on the floor also, but Katie still continues to get Lynnie whatever she needs or wants, throughout Lynnie's entire sickness. Katie misses school and even breaks the law in order to help Lynnie. This shows Katie's devotion, support, continuing loyalty, and love towards Lynnie.

All in all, Lynnie and Katie have a unique and wonderful relationship. I think that the book really moved me because I have a younger sister and I would never want to leave her at all, especially in the way that Lynnie does. I find it interesting how the book effected me, and I wonder what effect it would have on a    younger sister. In conclusion, Lynnie and Katie are always there for each other, and even when Lynnie is the one being taken care of, she makes sure that Katie is alright.