Entry Two: Outside Reading II

Just kidding! I'm not going to read the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. So, let's start over. Speak written by Laurie Halse Anderson was awarded the Honor Award which I assume is pretty high esteemed. Now here's something to think about:
"Older students are allowed to roam until the bell, but ninth graders are herded into the auditorium. We fall into clans: Jocks, Country Clubbers, Idiot Savants, Cheerleaders, Human Waste, Eurotrash, Future Fascists of America, Big Hair Chix , the Marthas, Suffering Artists, Thespians, Goths, Shredders. I am clanless." (Page 4)
I'd think you were lying if you told me that you don't think there are cliques at our school. We all have them. In reality, it's pretty pathetic. Why does everyone have to be placed in a category? Sometimes I think that people hide behind what their label is and labels only lead to the stereotypical attitude that several people present. The main character that I have yet to learn the name of because she talks in first person. She has for some reason lost all of her friends, which makes the novel all the more suspenseful in a way. The author, Anderson, writes conversations with the speaker a colon which seems to be a part of her writing style. Also, she signifies different things by using line breaks.

I am Outcast.

See, quite the eye catcher right? I can sort of relate to the main character in respect that I was once new. Except, she’s not new, which is quite unfortunate. It’s her against the world. When everything is working against you, it’s hard to pick back up. I have full confidence though that the girl will be able to either start over or get her old life back. We’ll have to wait and see.

Entry One: Outside Reading II

For this quarter I have decided to read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Now, I know you’re thinking, “I’m pretty sure that book is for 7th graders,” but, I’ve always wanted to read the story and it just happened to be that I finally started it in 10th grade. It starts out with Bruno, a well behaved boy whom is around eight years old. He arrives home from school to find his maid packing all of his things because his family is moving. Bruno’s mom tells him it’s for his father’s job. On page eight Boyne writes, “’It keeps us safe. And who knows, maybe we’ll be in less danger if we move away.’” The speaker is the mother of Bruno who at this point we don’t know much about, but she seems apprehensive about moving also. I think this quote describes a part of the time period. On a previous page, Bruno talks about living in Berlin and how he has to turn his lights off at night for safety. His mom is trying to tell him that when they move they’ll probably be safer because I think it’s right to assume the story is placed during World War II, one of the most devastating wars of history. We see that Bruno is naïve and young because he asks many questions and doesn’t understand several ideas that his mom present to him. I relate the main character, Bruno, to younger kids that I have known. They tend to always wonder, “Why.” It’s quite an intellectual idea, but if you take the time to think it’s not impossible to answer yourself.