If it is fun who is going to stop anyone from doing whatever it is. No matter the dangers when the adrenaline is pumping there is a sense of invincibility. In the book Fire In The Ashes by Jonathan Kozol there is a character in chapter 4 Silvio: Invincible who was one of the main characters in that story who proves my point. A bit rebellious and still young Silvio had many different characteristics to describe him perfectly. Silvio had somewhat of a grudge against authority he never really obeyed his mother's wishes or the personnel that worked in Person In Need of Supervision or PINS. Silvio was also a defensive boy who protected himself when he was confronted by a thief who was trying to steal his mothers pager from him on the subway that …show more content…
As a troubled adolescent kid in elementary he was a bit of a trouble maker his teachers would complain about his behavior being destructive to school property and smoking weed in the school restrooms. As he grew older the trouble never went away he began to steal from everybody and he felt invincible because he got away with it. Silvio even stole money from Ariella, his own mother, and out of control she sent him to PINS where she felt that he would be protected from the trouble he was courting. Although reckless can mean two different things but still careless nonetheless the difference between Silvio and me is that I was more laid back than he was as you can tell by how Silvio was cursing and screaming to the staff that worked in PINS. At the same time I would not have liked it either if I had somebody trying to hold me down forcefully. Silvio and me share that same kind of attitude when it come to being manhandled or even just touching just as we both don’t like to be punked by some …show more content…
When that thief tried to steal Silvio’s mother’s pager from him while out in a car with a group of boys Silvio, like me, jumped to action and tried to get his belongings back. At the time it was a bad idea because the other boy was holding a boxcutter knife and when Silvio reached for the pager his face was sliced pretty bad and he needed sixty-seven stitches to put his face back together. After this incident Silvio wore this scar like a badge of honor and he compared himself to Tony Montana off the movie Scarface whom he idolized. Similar to me Silvio did not stand for that, neither of us would not be treated like some kind of victim just there to be taken advantage of. Although Silvio and I had that in common the difference between us in that fact is that he stole that pager from his mother, something I would dare not do to my parents unless I had some kind of death wish. As one could assume being out late at night and hanging out with the wrong type of people Silvio felt like he could act in such a way because of everything he has already experienced at a young age still feeling
The book Blind, written by Rachel DeWoskin, is about a highschool sophomore named Emma, who went blind after being struck in the face with a firework. When she first lost her sight, Emma was placed in a hospital for over 2 months, and once she was released, she could finally go home again. DeWoskin uses the characterization of Emma throughout the beginning of the text to help the reader understand the character’s struggle more. Especially in the first few chapters, it was difficult for Emma to adapt to a world without sight. For instance, DeWoskin writes, “And sat down, numb, on our gold couch. And tried to open my eyes, rocked, counted my legs and arms and fingers. I didn’t cry. Or talk” (DeWoskin 44). As a result of losing a very important scent, she’s started to act differently from a person with sight.
Different types of peer groups have unique abilities to encourage negative or positive behaviors in their members regardless of their age. Friends have the power to affect one's character and behaviour, yet people can always offer an individual many different routes but it's up to that individual to choose which route they want to take. Throughout the novel, Vittorio becomes the victim of peer pressure due to a lack of confidence and self empowerment. "Fabrizio was holding a cigarette out to me. I hesitated, then took it, leaning forward towards Fabrizio's proffered match" (Ricci 173). Vittorio's hesitation illustrates the guilt he is feeling in regards to smoking. Vittorio does not decline Fabrizio's offer and in this incident, he shows his yearning to be accepted. It is not a common scenery to spot a 7 year old smoking, yet Vittorio believed that this would be a gateway to belonging. He believes that when he smokes a cigarette and acts like a "man" he will be respected by his friends. His classmates deprive him of his chastity again by violating his privacy and taking his pants off without his agreement. "Vincenzo and one of the boys lifted me by the armpits, and before I had
The book, Heat written by Mike Lupica, is a novel about a young boy named Michael Arroyo who faces many difficulties throughout the book, all for his right to play his beloved game of baseball. Michael lives with his dad, Papi, and his brother, Carlos. They are all Cubans who came to the United States for a better chance to follow their dreams. Papi always encourages Michael to play baseball and he always has high hopes for Michael’s career in baseball. It is right to believe in Michael so much because later he fulfills his father's dream for him. After Papi dies of heart failure, Michael still continues Papi dream for him, to be the Little League Champion. Throughout the book Michael meets two characters who have significant impacts on him,
During summer her and her friends went to a party that Melinda ended up calling the cops on, causing everyone at school to ignore and forget about her except one new girl named Heather. Throughout the book Melinda is in situations with “IT,” which is a senior named Andy evans, she founds her voice by standing up for herself. Laurie Halse Anderson develops the idea that a person must face their fear in order to find their voice. This can be seen in the development of the
The story Under the Waves theme is about embracing what make you unique from everyone else. I believe it is important for children to understand that they should not give up their unique interests because of what others think. The story also teaches that it is okay to be different and not follow the group. Many times you have to venture off on your own to discover an exciting adventure. The story Under the Waves is also related to one of my other creative writing assignment The Shy Little Turtle. Both stories share the same setting of a beach environment and both characters, Claire and the shy little turtle, share similar character traits. Both these characters are introverted and prefer not to follow the group. When the two characters meet up the shy little turtle brings Claire to an ocean kingdom to share his experience of the benefits of becoming less shy. In the ocean kingdom Claire will have an opportunity to enjoy the importance of being unique from everyone else. In the mermaid kingdom Claire will have experiences that none of the other merfolk will understand but they will all be interested in the unique stories she tells. This teaches that you just need to find a group of friends
In the Irish detective novel In the Woods by Tana French, we confront the dilemma of discerning the good from the bad almost immediately after cracking open the covers—the narrator and main character, Robert Ryan, openly admits that he “…crave[s] truth. And [he] lie[s].” (French 4) But there is more to this discernment than the mere acceptance that our narrator embellishes the occasional truth; we must be ever vigilant for clues that hint at the verisimilitude of what the narrator is saying, and we must also consider its relation to Robert’s difference from the anticlimactic (essentially, falsehood) and the irrevocable (that which is unshakeable truth). That is, the fact that in distinguishing the good from the bad, we are forced to mentally
Hi guys, (sobbing), this is really hard to do, and I cannot believe this day has actually come. Finny was my best friend, my role model, and my everything. While he rests in peace, I want to share some words for him, wherever he may be. Finny lit up every room he walked into, won over everyone and everything he encountered. Ever since we met, a while back, we have been inseparable. We are Finny and Gene, the two immensely different best friends that have stuck together throughout the years. Finny had top notch athletic skills and could lead and win any sports contest or game, anywhere, no matter what. Once, he even broke a school swimming record just for fun! I always looked up to Finny’s leadership and athleticism
Victor Martinez’s novel Parrot in the Oven depicts a fourteen year old Manny Hernandez, who’s constantly facing obstacles. Manny is attempting to discover he’s place in society but he’s isn’t certain which direction to follow. Since he’s not receiving any real directions from his family. One thing Manny is certain of is being the one to decide what to do in his life. The main issue that is hindering him is the lack of options he has. Currently, Manny lives in a poor neighborhood, where there’s isn’t any opportunities. In addition in Manny’s neighborhood a way to gain respect is to join a gang. To contrast Bernardo, Manny’s older brother isn’t nothing like Manny. Manny looks up to him since he’s muscular and physically attractive,
Being committed to something comes from an effort within. Being obligated is a sense of duty. Sometimes they may seem alike. In Ernest J. Gaines’s novel A Lesson Before Dying, we are introduced to a young man named Jefferson who is being put to death and a teacher named Grant Wilson. Their paths will intertwine when Grant is asked by Jefferson’s godmother to teach him to be a man. What starts off as an obligation becomes a commitment to teaching and learning what it means to be a man, a human being. With the help of strong women and a diligent reverend, a lesson truly taught. In this novel, Gaines wants the reader to understand that obligation and commitment is sometimes very difficult to define.
In the novel, A Separate Peace, the characters Finny and Gene are pretty much complete opposites, yet they are great friends. In general, Finny has the upper hand, because of his ability to socialize and work well with other people. Gene even says, “He possessed an extra vigor, a heightened confidence in himself, a serene capacity for affection which saved him. Nothing as he was growing up at home, nothing at Devon, nothing even about the war had broken his harmonious and natural unity. So at last I had.” (John Knowles, page 194-195) Gene clearly states that Finny is “unlike other young man, and that nothing could cause a disturbance in
There are a few number of people in this world that are fit for survival on the road. This is a tough and grueling lifestyle that is only meant for the strong willed. It is definitely not intended for everyone. In the book, Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer; a young man by the name of Christopher McCandless makes a daring decision that turns out to be mistake in the long run. After graduating from Emory University, McCandless had made a conscious decision to dispose of all his possessions, donated all of his $24,000 in his account to charity, and left his family to explore the wilderness of Alaska. His main objective was to get away from society, and to spend time with nature. But, was it all really worth it? I do not believe it was. Yes
"What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you." According to this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, what has happened in the past and future is less significant than a person's character. One should not be defined by the events they face, but by their reaction to them.
Before going to Alaska, Chris McCandless had failed to communicate with his family while on his journey; I believe this was Chris’s biggest mistake. Chris spent time with people in different parts of the nation while hitchhiking, most of them whom figured out that McCandless kept a part of him “hidden”. In chapter three, it was stated that Chris stayed with a man named Wayne Westerberg in South Dakota. Although Westerberg was not seen too often throughout the story, nevertheless he was an important character. Introducing himself as Alex, McCandless was in Westerberg’s company for quite some time: sometimes for a few days, other times for several weeks. Westerberg first realized the truth about Chris when he discovered his tax papers, which stated that “McCandless’s real name was Chris, not Alex.” Wayne further on claims that it was obvious that “something wasn’t right between him and his family” (Krakauer 18). Further in the book, Westerberg concluded with the fact that Chris had not spoken to his family “for all that time, treating them like dirt” (Krakauer 64). Westerberg concluded with the fact that during the time he spent with Chris, McCandless neither mentioned his
In the book Ask the Dust by John Fante, the main character Arturo Bandini, is a 20 year old Italian American from Colorado who comes to Los Angeles in hopes of becoming a famous writer. Arturo is very talented and can become the next big writer but faces many obstacles that stop him in his tracks. Things like his own immaturity and desire for acceptance impair his ability to achieve his dream. In the beginning of the book, Arturo is very immature and lets his desires get the best of him, but at the end of the book he becomes more objective and mature. The growth of Arturo is astounding and can be separated into stages of development. He comes to a realization that you can 't just be stuck up on something but you have to be able to move on.
I think that Chris is a very motivated person. He knows what he wants and he is willing to do anything to get there. This quote describes when Gallien was trying to persuade Chris not to go through with his hitchhiking plan, “But he wouldn’t give an inch. He had an answer for everything I threw at him” (Krakauer 7). This quote shows the depth of his motivated character because of his unwillingness to change his mind. Additionally, I also think that Chris has a very optimistic character and outlook on life. Chris is not willing to totally accept the danger of what he is about to do because he is quick to hope for the best. Proof of this character trait can be found in the following quote, “‘I’m absolutely positive… I won’t run into anything I can’t deal with on my own’” (Krakauer 7).