Christian's Blog

Change. Everyone goes through it. In Lois Lowry’s novel “The Giver” and Kesha’s song “Praying” both express the toughness of change. In “Praying,” the emotions of a painful past relationship is shown and it also mentions various ways the speaker got over it. In “The Giver,” everything is alike and when Jonas, the main protagonist, discovers more about true life that was hidden away from society, he alters himself.

As found in both texts, there are multiple cases of adjusting and moving on. The speaker in “Praying”  revealed the aching pain of old encounters she experienced with a man. Kesha’s lyrics allude to past abuse and seeking spirituality to move past it. She states that”…you put me through hell” which shows how her bond she was a part of wounded her. Later, she states how she is getting over it by stating “And I don’t need you, I’ve found strength I’ve never known.” She found resilience and is prepared to make it on her own. In “The Giver,” Jonas is beginning to see things different from others. In the story, he receives memories of the pain and joy of actual life. These memories make him very different from what he once was. He now sees things, like color. And feels things, like love. No one else besides he and the one who gives him these memories (the Giver) know what these things are. They’ve never witnessed or gone through them.

Where there are quite a few similarities, there are also various differences. In Jonas’ society, you are not allowed to be in a relationship unless one is given to you. In his case, Jonas does not marry till much later in his lifetime. While in “Praying,” Kesha shows she experienced a time of hurt through a relationship. Because of this, she “had to learn how to fight for (herself)” and be a better version of herself. Before, she could be pushed around, but she now feels more resistant. She got over it by becoming stronger. Jonas, however, slowly discovers what “pain” is. “It hurt a lot,” Jonas declared in the book, “but I’m glad you gave it to me. It was interesting. And now I understand better.” He claims to “know” what “pain” “means,” three words that would change dramatically as the story continued. Once he would go through such a thing, he would just receive memories of peace and calmness. They both dealt with pain in very different ways.

In conclusion, a larger external conflict is shown in both texts. One deals with Jonas’ own self and the other with Kesha’s feelings of discomfort and heartbreak. In both magnificent works of literature, the theme of change and leaving things behind is foretold, whether it is for the well being of one or many more.

Lois Lowry’s dystopian novel The Giver takes place in a future community near a river. Everyone in this Community is assigned a task they must work for the remainder of their time. There are also very, very strict rules set in place for the people to follow. Jonas, the protagonist of the story, goes through many changes that made him begin to ponder. He turned to inquiry to answer these thoughts. One lesson that someone can learn is to never be afraid to question the unknown.

This theme is implied from the beginning. Jonas knows he is different. He knew it all along. Even though he always felt that something big would occur, he still had concerns. His main concern was for the Assignment he would be tasked. He asks both himself and his parents many questions debriefing it. Anyone reading this book can tell that Jonas’ world may seem different to us, but to them, everything seems right; everything seems fine. The people do what they are asked, when they are asked and never question the system. However, where other minds dare not think, Jonas’ mind remains active and full of thought, as indicated in this quote, pulled from the book. “He realized, though, that not focusing on one area meant he was left with not the slightest idea-not even a guess- of what his Assignment would be.” This all sparks curiosity later in the book.

Towards the middle, more questions arise. At the ceremony, Jonas is selected as Receiver of Memories. This is a very important task. As stated in the book- “such a selection is very, very rare.” This shows how infrequent a selection like that is, but Jonas was selected nonetheless. As Receiver of Memories, Jonas must take and experience the memories of The Giver. These memories are ones of true life, which, when given to Jonas, change him in different ways. He saw color, felt pain, and experienced love. All these memories brought additional questions to mind. Once Jonas felt he could, he asked The Giver why he and the Elders are keeping these secrets. “It’s not fair,” Jonas pleaded. “(Because of these rules) We cannot make choices for ourselves. I want to wake up and make my own decisions.” Jonas is obviously upset about the regulation in place for the people. He asks The Giver why can’t all the other individuals take the burden of memories. The Giver explained it was cause too much pain to them and it would harm him, similar to losing family or seeing ones we care for go through great agony.

In the end, the Giver and Jonas create a plan to leave the memories behind and escape to Elsewhere, something that has never been done before. This supports the theme I stated above. Why? If Jonas wouldn’t of been bold enough to stand up and state his feelings to the Giver, their bond would’ve been nowhere near as close at is it was and the scheme that was brought up between the two that involved fleeing the community would’ve been shut down. Jonas would’ve been the new Giver and become even more saddened. Everything would’ve been the same as it was, with each person being exactly alike. And Gabriel, the young boy Jonas’ family took in, would’ve died. All this was to happen, but it didn’t. Jonas’ bold actions changed everything. He sacrificed a lot to make the Community a better, diverse place.

Now, one could say that just because Jonas questioned the order doesn’t quite mean that was what caused the getaway to change the future of their community. However, the Giver respected the things Jonas had to say. In the book, many deep conversations can be recalled between the two. When Jonas questioned, the Giver replied truthfully and all these remarks made their partnership intense and powerful. Jonas’ suspicions about the Community’s rules only made the Giver feel as if change needed to be made. From there, they did what was right and made a massive change for the generations to come.

 

This Dystopian novel is set in the future. In this future, the world seems perfect. Everyone plays their role and it works together quite well. The setting described is similar to Fort Wayne in ways, such as the hospitals and homes. Although, there are also some very large differences. The community in The Giver is much more advanced and much more strict.

Jonas is an 11 year old boy who  is nearing  his Ceremony of Twelve. When someone reaches the age of 12, they are sent to receive special training from The Giver who holds the true pain of life. He has many feelings about this. He himself has no idea what Assignment he shall receive in December. All these feelings were relaxed when his parents talked to him during sharing time, but that didn’t change his feeling that he was different from everyone else.

Homework. Work that is sent home for a student to accomplish at home. The question many young scholars and adults ask: Why? Why would students do work at home? If one spends plenty of time in an institute, why would they need to take things home to study and/or complete?

Braeden Strahm declared, “homework is dumb.” Such a straight forward and short message for one of the most mentally gifted undergraduates at Blackhawk Middle School. Trevor baffled a similar ,”It is dumb. We go to school all day, come home, and do more school.” A recent tally done by Stanford shows a majority of students think homework is atrocious and there is no desire for assignments that have to be completely filled and concluded at one’s own home. The test also displayed that students feel anxious and apprehensive to receive good grades.

Teachers were also reached and questioned how they felt about homework. “I have mixed feelings about it,” says language arts teacher Mr. Hoering. His tone of voice and body language clearly revealed he is more on the “it is not necessary” side. Unlike the students, Algebra 1 teacher Mrs. Knarr declared ,”homework is unavoidable and quintessential for students growth in knowledge,” followed by an evil laugh and smirk. One teacher in Texas made it on many news stations when she told her students to set aside the books after class. She spoke out against worksheets at home and claimed her students should spend more time with their families. The internet along with many others gave her an A+.

To a prevalence of the public, homework is superfluous. It is extrinsic and unrequired to more than half. There are, however, both pros and cons. Another study done by East Carolina University professor Dr. Nick Rupp shows that homework does increase test scores. Good grades to help reward scholarships and grants for college. The cons are time and stress. Many students undergo stress to finish work, but don’t always find time because of after school activities or just being busy on a standard basis.

Whatever you believe, it is always valuable to tell a teacher when they are approached and told what the students’ or even the parents’ opinions are. Whether you enjoy homework or not, it is still important to maintain good grades. Continue working hard in and out of school, and we’ll continue working hard to keep you up to date on the latest!

Homework. Work that is sent home for a student to accomplish at home. The question many young scholars and adults ask: Why? Why would students do work at home? If one spends plenty of time in a class, why would they need to take things home to study and/or complete.
Braeden Strahm stated, “homework is dumb.” Such a straight forward and short message for one of the most mentally gifted undergraduates at Blackhawk Middle School. Trevor baffled a similar ,”It is dumb. We go to school all day, come home, and do more school.” A recent tally shows 2/3 students think homework is dreadful and there should be no assignments that have to be completely filled and concluded at one’s own home.
Teachers were also reached and questioned how they felt about homework. “I have mixed feelings about it,” says language arts teacher Mr. Hoering. His tone of voice and body language clearly revealed he is more on the “it is not necessary” side. Unlike the students, Algebra 1 teacher Mrs. Knarr declared ,”homework is unavoidable and quintessential for students growth in knowledge,” followed by an evil laugh and smirk.
To a majority of the public, homework is superfluous. It is extrinsic and unrequired to most. There are, however, both pros and cons. Another study done by an advanced placement student shows that homework does increase test scores. Good grades to help reward scholarships and grants for college. The cons are time and stress. Many students undergo stress to finish work, but don’t always find time because of after school activities or just being busy on a standard basis.
Whatever you believe, it is always valuable to a teacher when they are approached and told what the students’ or even the parents’ opinions are. Let the pundit know and we’ll let you know what major events or outbreaks occur next.

 

 

 

 

 

August 30, 2017 8:00 pm

It was a normal day at the Jackson Lehman YMCA. With rowdy basketball players doing their normal full court games. Volleyball players playing on the other side of the divider. Plenty of millennials living up to their New Year’s resolution to visit the gym more often. And, like always, many teenagers running around doing whatever they feel like at the moment.

Among those teens were 3 students at Blackhawk middle school. They were all enjoying themselves, first playing basketball. Then they decided to run. Finally, settled in the room with the ping pong table. They were there for about an hour when an alarm went off.

They were distraught. It utterly confused all three of them. They looked out to see if they could tell if it was a drill or something actually happened. “We saw many YMCA employees running,” says one of the teens. “It was definitely a scary moment.”

Being the curious teens they are, they followed one female employee who seemed to be in awe and stricken. The teens found out why as they followed her to the hall that leads to the pool.

“Everyone was gone from the pool area, but we didn’t understand why,” observed the youngest. They were soon to notice a lady in her 50’s who was lying outside of the pool, receiving CPR by one of the lifeguards.

The lady was Li-Chuan. She was doing laps when she suddenly stopped at was slowly drowned. Many medical and police officers reported to the scene. She was taken to the nearest hospital where she later died the following morning. Her cause of death is still undetermined.

 

The last book I read was lord of the flies. It was a great book. I liked the action and the characters. I would definitely recommend it.

The library book I chose is terror at Bottle Creek. I read the first page and it says that the book is fictional but the hurricane in the story is based off of hurricanes the author has experienced. I was instantly hooked.

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