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Character analysis of Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
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Perfection. Synopsis: Perfect follows the lives of four high school seniors all on the relentless pursuit of perfection. Each teenager defines the word differently, so they each take different paths in order to achieve their goal. Their connection may not seem evident because they are not necessarily friends. Their connection, however, is found through their avoidance of failure: the lengths they go to in order to satisfy unreasonable expectations. Cara is the most well-rounded character, "perfect" in every sense of word. She is expected to stand out academically, athletically and in extracurricular activities with the aim to be accepted to Stanford. It is impossible to please her mother, her father is never home and her twin brother, Connor, is a patient at a psychiatric hospital for having attempted suicide. She does not feel close to any of her friends, and she is not in love with her boyfriend, Sean; she is only with him because he is convenient. Furthermore, throughout the novel, Cara has to accept her sexuality once she realizes she is not "straight". The pressure to admit this to herself is immense - because the label does not fit under "perfect". She feels like she cannot confide in anyone. She is unable to discuss this issue with her boyfriend or her parents. Sean finds out, and Cara is becomes a victim of cyber-bullying. When she finally comes out to herself and to her parents, Cara's brother succeeds in another suicide attempt. Just as Cara's life had been coming together, the end of the novel allows it to fall apart again. Sean, Cara's boyfriend, is orphaned, left to live with his uncle after both his parents passed away. Sean is "buff", training hard to become a great baseball player so he can live up to his... ... middle of paper ... ...opics, but it was beautifully written. Ellen Hopkins really allowed her characters to shine through their flaws. They were relatable and realistic. She created many controversial scenarios - rape, drugs, cyber harassment, sexual assault, teen plastic surgeries, suicide - although she was smart about it. She was never critical, and she allowed readers to feel for the characters. Their pain was heart-wrenching, but never over-dramatic or annoying. I love the way that the whole book was written in free-verse, and could be read in two ways. It allowed for underlying ideas to be clarified. Ellen Hopkins' novel was raw and powerful. It was on my mind for days after I finished it and allowed to me to realize where the line between self-improvement and self-harm is drawn. Works Cited Hopkins, Ellen. Perfect. New York: Margaret K. McElderry, 2011. 622 pages. Print.
Ellen Foster by Kayne Gibbons and The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger have some elements that are similar. These elements are used to express the development of Holden and Ellen throughout each novel. One of these elements is characterization. According to Dictionary.com, characterization is the description of qualities or peculiarities. Characterization is mostly used in three ways in each novel; Style of Clothes, Style of Speech, and the Search for a Home. These characterization elements represent the development of Holden Caulfield and Ellen Foster.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and believe it to be one of the best books I have ever read. It was extremely well written and challenging for me to understand at times. It conveys that dark side of human ambition very well, and it has given me much to think about.
I think my favorite thing about this novel was the realistic ending. Some books try to just give you a fairy tale but this book had an ending that mad you think in the end if I was in the same position would I do the same thing. I didn’t like the fact that the novel portrayed mental illness in a way to say that it needed to be hidden and protected. I thought this novel was very believable for the time period that it was set in. I think the ending to this novel was perfect it was an accurate ending to this
Perfection? Can any one person be perfect? Benjamin Franklin believed that he could accomplish this task. Benjamin Franklin was known for being a cognizant and diligent perfectionist. During his lifetime, many people were concerned with correcting themselves of any fault that they may have had. Benjamin Franklin did have an interesting way to proclaim how he, could show everyone how to be perfect. He believes that he can make himself perfect. Even though his ways of being perfect are not the same as everyone else's ideas, he still tries to show them he can be perfect. In his essay "Arriving at Perfection" Benjamin Franklin tries to tell everyone how he will be perfect and how he is going to actually accomplish this task.
Chris a sixteen year old African male enter into therapy seeking professional help. Chris grew up in an urban neighborhood in New York, together with his mother and father. Chris develop problems due to longing attention. He begins to act out, hang around with the incorrect crowd, and get into fights.
...g the perfect life should seem unrealistic to anyone evaluating the goal from an objective perspective; however the circumstances of the characters in the presented literary works exaggerate the expectations of everyday society. Each work focuses on portraying a flaw inherent in human nature from a different angle and ultimately, the characters’ quests for perfection demonstrate that the flaws permeating human nature are inescapable, prophesying failure for all those who seek to embody perfection.
book I was greatly troubled by its ending. I can see why it is an excellent novel, but at
This was a great book, but took me a lot longer to finish then most, simply because of how upsetting some of the things talked about are. If you’re look for a book that will make you think, and bring tears to you’re eyes, and teach you a thing or two a highly recommend this book, and might actually read it again myself. Hopeful my eyes can stay dry this time.
Perfection is much like the lottery; many people will strive for it with the hopes of attaining their ultimate goal, only to realize that reaching it is nearly impossible. However, unlike the lottery, there is not even the slightest chance of winning the final prize. To be completely perfect is an impossible feat, and the more attempts made to reach a status of “perfection”, the more let down a person will be. The quality of complete perfection is unobtainable and unreasonable, yet many cultures and certain groups of people take pride in being known as perfectionists. This reach for the impossible can be seen in the strict code followed by all knights during the feudal time period. Sir Gawain in the late
I really liked this book because of the stories it had in it, that really helped me understand how bad these times really were, and how the treatment was horrible. I read a lot of how strict they were which was a part of my essay.
Perfect: adj. ˈpər-fikt 1. Entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings, is the first definition you find on dictionary.com for the word (perfect). Is this actually possible to attain? Has anyone actually ever been perfect? Or is it all in the eye of the beholder? These questions are asked by almost every girl, as we dream to one day reach the unattainable. This is especially true at the tender age of fifteen, where nothing seems to be going right with our bodies and everything is changing in us. This poem stresses the fact that as everyone realizes how unrealistic this dream is, the knowledge makes no difference to the wish. Marisa de los Santos comments on this in her poem “Perfect Dress”. The use of verbose imagery, metaphors, and the simplistic approach are very effective in portraying the awkward adolescent stage of a young woman and the unrealistic dream of being perfect.
...o act unjustly. In order to sustain perfection there needs to be a willingness to negatively affect others for personal gain, such as the corporate leaders of the Compounds and their consumers, and Crake and all of the people close to him. The best way to avoid this very common and toxic desire in life is to be completely and utterly satisfied with the self and have no passion for perfection like Jimmy did. His acceptance of his dysfunctional family and himself allowed him to avoid the deception that is perfection.
This proves the fact that “Perfection” is like a dream. When people finally see the flaws, they wake up and the dream ends.” Works Cited Gioia, Dana, and X.J. Kennedy. The "My Last Duchess. " Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, Compact Edition, Interactive Edition.
...ience true perfection. Since an ideal can never hold up to a reality, nothing can be truly perfect.